Charlotte and the Witch

Prologue

Nathan was spending his evening in deep thought. How could a noble man, like himself, with no hunting experience, manage to gather enough food to put his family through the quickly approaching winter? His family couldn’t help him, and there was nobody else that lived around his family, he’d made sure of that. The most he could do was hope for a miracle to save him and his family from their impending doom brought by the cold grasp of Mother Nature.

On the other side of the room, closer to the warmth of the fire, a worried woman was nursing her newborn. Daniella saw the worried and pessimistic look on her husband’s face and knew they were thinking the same things. She also knew that worrying about problems doesn’t make their situation any easier. She wanted to strike up a conversation with the man on the other side of the room, but she never was good at small talk. A few times she opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of anything interesting to say about something that wouldn’t bring Nathan back to his problems. She decided to stop trying and focused more on rocking her baby to sleep. A task that doesn’t require a whole lot of focus, but was something to keep her busy nonetheless.

Daniella had been feeling very lonely lately, even before spending all her time with baby Charlotte. She wondered what it would be like to have company in their tiny house. She looked around the room at the small table with two uncomfortable logs that she and her husband used as chairs. Nathan was sitting in the opposite corner of the room on the splintery wooden floor. There windowless room, glowed from the light from the fireplace across from the bed. Nathan’s most important possession hung on the mantle. The green war horn from which his family is named. It had been used to call a local militia to arms, to defend a homeland, to save lives. Now, it’s just an ornament, sitting in a shack in the middle of nowhere. The bed Daniella was sitting on was not much more than grasses stuffed under a sheet. She had brought Charlotte into this world almost two weeks ago on that bed. After thinking about it for a while, Daniella was impressed with the general quality of the home that was now hers, considering the hastiness of its construction. Still, this place was garbage compared to where she and her husband used to live. She decided that she wasn’t too upset that she would never have to have her old friends look at her and her home now.

The small newborn was breathing softly in her arms. She found it hard to believe that she had created that breathing thing she was holding. It had a heartbeat of its very own. The circle of life was absolutely astonishing.

Just then a knock on the door made her heart jumped. She looked at Nathan, who motioned to her to hide behind the bed. She quickly set Charlotte down in her tiny bedside cradle which Daniella noticed she was quickly outgrowing. She got down on the ground curled up into a ball and closed her eyes. Nathan was walking toward the door slowly, each small step he made caused the floor to creak. With each second, his heart beat faster and faster. He unsheathed his sword that hadn’t tasted blood in a month. Nathan reached for the knob with his free hand, and was prepared to defend his family at all costs. Daniella heard Nathan open the door ever so slightly, and prayed that this wouldn’t be the end for her and her baby. She couldn’t imagine a situation in which her baby’s life could be so immediatly ended. She was ready to defend Charlotte with her life.

The couple’s hearts were pounding in sync from opposite ends of the room. As Nathan opened the creaky wooden door, a cold rush of air came through the house, sending a shiver down Daniella’s spine. She couldn’t quite see who or what was on the other side of the door, but she knew it couldn’t be good news. She heard her husband say with a shaky voice, “Hello?”

“Good evening, Sir, I’m terribly sorry to inconvenience you, but could you perhaps, provide a wandering old lady with a place to stay? This is the only home I’ve seen all day, and it is very late.” An old woman in a dark, hooded cloak was standing in the doorway. Even from across the room, she looked very cold and tired. Daniella was ashamed of the little they now had to offer the old lady.

Daniella breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Then she noticed her baby that she had just put to sleep had woken up and started crying. She scooped Charlotte up, and walked toward the door. She knew they had to let the woman inside, but they could barely fit the three of them in the house, and they had no way to feed her, and the old woman could accidently rat them out to the Tiger-Bloods if they ran into her.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have any room. I’m afraid we can’t offer you anything. As you can see, we already don’t have much as it is.”

“Nathan! She can stay the night! You can’t just send her out in the cold like that!” She pulled him aside.”We can kick her out in the morning. Just let her stay one night. You know what it’s like to be out there at night. She can sleep on the floor. I just don’t think it would be right to send her off.” Nathan looked at Daniella and Charlotte, then back at the old woman.

“You can stay one night, and we can’t feed you. That’s all I can offer.” Nathan said, definitively.

“Thank you, I’ll try to avoid being a nuisance. I don’t need anything to eat, and I can leave in the morning if that’s what you wish.” The old woman looked at the baby, then back at Nathan. “I apologize for upsetting your baby. I didn’t realize...” The woman trailed off, staring at the small infant in Daniella’s arms. Her voice now sounded very grateful and relieved that she could sleep inside a warm home of a loving family.

“Come in and close the door.” Nathan sounded impatient. He put his arm around the old lady to push her inside. He peered outside, sword still in hand, as if his home and family were being stalked, then closed the door. The woman walked over to the corner of the room where Nathan kept his hunting supplies, which were laying neatly on the floor. Bow, closest to the wall, strung tightly, quiver full of arrows parallel with the bowstring, there was a space next to the arrows, which she assumed was for the sword Nathan was now wielding. Next to that, a small knife. It looked very sharp, it had an elegant floral pattern on the handle, that looked like it would be shiny if it weren’t so dirty. The straight blade was dirty like it had been in use, but was sharp as though it hadn’t cut anything.

The woman took off her cloak, and put it on the floor next to the hunting supplies, revealing the disgusting rags she was wearing underneath. Daniella was trying desperately to get Charlotte to stop her bawling. The woman took off the pack that was slung on her back, and sat down cross-legged next to her things and shut her eyes.Almost immediately, Charlotte went back to sleep, and Daniella and Nathan tried to get some sleep for themselves too.

Daniella awoke the next morning to the birds singing outside. She saw her husband equipping himself for another hunting attempt. He had a sickened and sad look on his face, as he did every morning for the past week. He put his quiver over his shoulder and walked toward the door. “Good luck.” Nathan didn’t respond. He knew he was trying his best, but just trying won’t enable the survival of his family. The old lady was still sitting near the corner. Her eyes popped open just as Nathan twisted the knob to leave.

“Wait!” She shouted, waking the baby, who started crying. “I noticed you may need help with your hunting. I may be able to assist with that.” She stood up and walked toward Daniella who got out out of bed in a hurry. “I can tell by her face that she hungers. She hasn’t eaten any meat in a while, and you’re about to attempt to kill something to feed her, and through her, your child.” The old lady looked him up and down. “I think it’s very possible that your luck will change very soon.”

Nathan looked at her puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

“You really think that after all of your failed attempts, your determination will go unrewarded? I think your thoughts on the matter are incorrect. You’re luck will change soon if you keep trying. You will try harder today, right?”

“I have to. I ran out of options. The only thing I can do now is try to survive out there and bring back something, anything that can sustain my family.” Nathan said. The tone of his voice matched the look on his face. “Miracles just don’t happen for me.”

Daniella could see Nathan was starting to break down. “We didn’t choose to live out here you know. We used to be a powerful family in the city of Aurabrook. The Greenhorns, my husband’s family, owned the silver mines that the town is known for.” Daniella interrupted, Nathan tried to shush her, but she went on, “Our family was a powerful ally and supporter of King Gerald when he was overthrown by a group that calls themselves the Tiger-Bloods. The Tiger-Bloods found out and started hunting down the Greenhorns, who were very easy targets to kill, seeing as they were rich all their lives, and had little to no fighting skills or experience with manual labor. They killed the head of the family, Nathan’s dad. Nathan’s two elder brothers were also murdered by the Tiger-Bloods. Nathan and I fled town, stealing supplies from the Tiger-Bloods as we left. We wandered the forest, looking for a safe place to start over. Nathan built this house two weeks ago, right before our daughter was born. He hasn’t been able to kill anything, and we’ve been living off berries and fruits that we pray aren’t poisonous. Winter is approaching fast, and if we don’t have any sort of food that will keep. We won’t survive. All this running and hiding will have been in vain.”

It was very unlike Daniella to speak out like that, revealing family secrets that put all of them in danger like that. After speaking like that, she realized she had been ignoring her maternal instinct about keeping her baby safe, and had been ignoring the fact that the baby had still been crying. She had done nothing to get her baby to stop. Her husband was completely shocked by her voice. Something about it didn’t seem normal. The mother was speaking out of desperation. She picked up her baby and tried to nurse. She watched as her husband, completely shocked, left the house.

After trying to calm Charlotte down for a few minutes with no results, Daniella heard the old lady announce, “Thank you for letting me stay, but, as promised, I will leave.” She walked out the door, and then it was silent.

Daniella wondered how she could have let herself be so careless of her own daughter. Mothers were supposed to be ever-vigilant of their children. Did her outburst make her a bad mother? Under different conditions, a minute of carelessness could have killed Charlotte. Something came over her, she couldn’t explain it. Then she felt that none of it mattered anyway, they probably weren’t going to make it through the winter. What did it matter that she had been careless for a few seconds when they were all going to die within a few more weeks? No. She had to believe. If she gave up now, they would be settling for their own doom.

After what seemed like almost no time at all, the door burst open. Nathan was in the doorway, shouting something. Daniella couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but he sounded happy, so she couldn’t help but smile. “I did it! I did it! We’re saved!” Daniella knew what that meant. Nathan had brought down some prey. He was a hunter now. He had made his first kill.

“You did it? You killed something? What was it? Do you think it’s enough to put us through the winter?” Daniella shot off her questions quickly. She was so proud of her husband and so glad that she and Charlotte could eat something other than berries. Of course there always was the possibility that he killed a rabbit, and not anything substantial. Based on his voice, that probably wasn’t the case.

Nathan took a deep breath, then started his story, “Deer, not just one, four. I just walked a few paces away from the house,and I saw them. They were so close to me, I don’t think they noticed me, even though I practically ran into one of them. I aimed my bow at the closest one. Drew the arrow and pointed it at the deer. I missed my first few shots, but they still didn’t see me. Even after I killed the first one, the others still didn’t notice. I killed the rest, gathered all the arrows that missed. They’re still laying there dead.”

Daniella was completely astonished by the story. “Did... did you really do it? Four? Are you sure? Show me!” Nathan grabbed Daniella’s hand so fast she almost dropped Charlotte. She shifted the fragile baby into her free arm and was led outside into the forest. The light of the breezy autumn morning hurt Daniella’s eyes. Each step on the forest floor stung Daniella’s bare feet, but she couldn’t care less. She wouldn’t go hungry tonight. Nathan was shouting and celebrating. Nathan had done it. He provided for his family. They wouldn’t starve this winter.

“Here it is!” Nathan yelled, as though announcing to a large audience. There were four deer as he said. Each one dead on the ground. There was much more blood than Daniella had expected, it made her queasy. She was dancing and laughing anyway. A few months ago, she never could have pictured herself this happy over a meal. She and her family could eat again! She couldn’t wait to have a feast and eat until she was full. After their excessive celebration, Nathan instructed, “Help me drag these back to the house.”

“I’m not much help with my hands full. I’ll go get the sling and be right back.” Daniella rushed back to the small wooden house she lived in, making careful note of where the path she had taken to get back to her husband as fast as possible. It occurred to her that she did not know the first thing about preparing the deer bodies for consumption. Some of the guts are bad to eat, right? Which ones? She had to tell Nathan that she couldn’t do it. She didn’t know how to cook deer. Her cooks had always prepared her meals. She had almost no experience cooking on her own from scratch. Before she had married Nathan, she had sometimes helped her mother in the kitchen by cutting vegetables. Gutting fish had grossed her out, so she never paid attention when her mother tried to teach her. She found her sling laying neatly in her corner of the room. She put it over her shoulder, put her boots on, changed Charlotte, fastened Charlotte snugly in the sling, and headed out the door.

She found her way back to her husband, who wasn’t making much progress on his own. She helped him drag the corpses back to the small clearing in front of the house. Luckily the spot they were killed wasn’t far from the house. It was about noon by the time they got the last one to the house. “Listen Nathan, we can’t eat any of this yet. I don’t know how to make this safe to eat, but I think I know someone who can.” Daniella was trying to remain calm, even though she could hardly keep herself together. “That old lady said she had experience in the forest. I think she can help. She was too old to hunt, but I think she can help us with cleaning the meat. Hold Charlotte, I’ll go find her.” Daniella took off in the direction she saw her guest leave earlier that morning.

Nathan was left holding his child. This was the first time Daniella left him alone with the baby. He hugged it softly, and stroked her tiny, delicate forehead. He examined the baby thoroughly. She had her father’s short nose and rounded chin, but her mother’s eyes. He recalled the first time he had seen those eyes. He was walking through Aurabrook, as he used to do each morning. It was raining and there was a girl splashing around in the puddles. This wasn’t a small child with her mother, but a 22 year old girl. It was love at first sight. Nathan knew that as long he could be with her, he would be happy. It had been two years since that day, they have since gotten married and had a single child. Nathan hoisted that child on his shoulder. “Look at what daddy got you.” He showed off the deer carcasses, the irony never occurred to him. He was showing off dead bodies to his baby and was proud of it.

Daniella came crashing through the bushes with the old lady from the night before. “She agreed to help us. She said we have enough food for the four of us to last through the winter.”

“Four of us? If she can help us, then she can stay.” Nathan looked at the woman, “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I don’t think we caught your name last night, what should we call you?”

The woman looked excited for all the meat that was on the floor before her. Nathan’s words seemed to pass right through her. “We have a lot of work to do.” She turned as though she suddenly heard him. “Vira, that’s my name.”

“If we want this to last, we need to dry it out, and the best way to do that is a smokehouse. You two need to gather wood to build with.” Vira was only half concentrating on what she was saying. She was looking at the couple, but wasn’t really focused on them. “My old bones can’t really use a hatchet, but we need to get this done quickly, so I’ll guide you on what to do once you bring enough wood.” It was evident that Vira was just as excited about Nathan’s deer. “Go on now, before it’s spoiled.”

Nathan handed Charlotte over to Vira, and dashed into the shack and ran out, an axe in each hand, tossed one to Daniella, and dashed off to the closest tree, and started hacking away at it. Daniella was more encumbered by the heavy tool, but still managed to run to another close tree. Vira yelled at them, “No, not here! Do you want these trees to fall on your home? Do you know anything about lumbering?” She didn’t really sound angry, she used the same, neutral tone that her voice always held. The couple ran off in the woods together, leaving Vira and the baby alone by the carcasses.

Vira eyed the unnaturally still baby. Examining her face, body, and skin. Staring deeply into the baby’s green eyes. Vira saw something she liked in this infant, something she hadn’t seen in a very long time. She carried the baby and laid her in her bed inside the dark wooden room. As soon as the baby was set down, she started squirming and crying. “Oh be quiet you!” Vira said, although she knew it would have no effect on the noise. Vira started a fire and hung a pot of water over the fire. She went outside and came back with a bowl of bloody venison and dumped it into the pot. She sat there, stirring the stew, adding spices from her bag as she was cooking. Occasionally going outside to grab more meat.

As the sun began to set, Nathan and Daniella made their way back to their little home, arm in arm, covered in sweat. They were excited to come home and taste their first meat in months. They smiled when they smelled the stew cooking from inside. They saw Vira inside, holding a sleeping baby in one hand and stirring the stew in the other. She turned and saw the couple in the doorway. “Grab some bowls. I didn’t spend all day cooking for nothing.” They sat down on their uncomfortable chairs around the small table with their food and ate. They spent hours feasting with the most delicious food they’ve ever tasted. Daniella had lost count of the number of times she went to refill her bowl. Nathan had never eaten this fast in his life. Although the serving pot was huge, the size of the trunk they used to use to store their things when they went on vacation,  they eventually did run out of food, hand went to bed shortly after.

After everyone else was asleep, Vira crept over to where the baby slept. “My rebirth will begin with you, little one.” Vira told Charlotte as she picked up the baby, waking her. The baby didn’t cry, she couldn’t cry. She was being held by Vira.

Vira carried her outside, and set her down in the dirt. She pulled a candle out of her pack, lit it, then set it on the ground in front of Charlotte. She started drawing designs on the ground around the baby. The night was creeping around the tiny circle of light from the candle. The air was still, and the forest was silent. Nothing could be heard but the chanting coming from the old witch. Something dark came out of the woman’s mouth and shot through Charlotte’s skull. Vira collapsed, the candle went out, and the darkness surrounded the child.

There was nothing but darkness. Charlotte was alone, on the ground, and covered in dirt. Charlotte felt her arms move, rocking the rest of her body until she flipped over on her stomach. She felt her body trying to stand up, but she stumbled a few times before actually managing to effectively move. She allowed her tiny feet and legs to carry her back to the wooden shack that her parents called home. She raised her hand, but the knob was just out of reach. She felt her hand touch the door softly. She couldn’t move it, her hand was stuck there. Her body couldn’t move. She was frozen in this position. She heard herself muttering something under her own breath. She felt something hot in her hand. Something on the door was glowing brightly. Charlotte could see her hand and arm, but it didn’t feel like hers. The light grew brighter and hotter.The small part of the door her hand was covering caught fire, and she felt her legs carry her away from her family and parents.

She stood back to watch the wooden structure go up in flames. She heard herself laugh. There was a voice echoing inside her skull, “You’re mine now child!” Charlotte heard the screaming of the people that used to be her parents. She tried to cry, but her captor wouldn’t let her.

After hours passed and the flames had died down, Charlotte’s legs carried her to the wreckage, where her eyes forced her to examine the charred remains of her dead parents. “They are dead. Nobody knows about you but me now, child.” Charlotte wasn’t alone. She was carried to the sack next to the old lady’s skeleton. Had this old lady suffered the same fate? Her hand grasped the strap of the pack, and started dragging it off into the forest.

Charlotte had noticed a few changes about herself. She began to think more. Not the same thoughts she used to have either. Her biggest concern was no longer for food or a change, but more sentient feelings, like happiness and freedom. She had also began thinking that this wasn’t normal for a two-week-old infant. She noticed that with each passing minute, her steps became more fluid and graceful.

She saw that she was approaching a cave. She knew that meant shelter. Her legs walked her into the cave. The cave was dark, but not empty. Charlotte’s hand raised, and started glowing. The cave was filled with hairy, monstrous beasts she had never seen before. The word “bear” came to her mind. The beasts were easily twenty times her size, probably more. She wanted to be afraid, but her body wouldn’t listen. She heard her mouth scream, waking these “bears” that she wanted to run away from. They woke up, at least five of them, and growled at her, approaching her slowly.

Her foot stepped forward, as if challenging the hungry family of monsters. The monsters had no reason to be intimidated and charged. Her hand pointed at the “bears” and with a flick of the wrist, they tripped. Charlotte’s legs ran past the grounded beasts, toward the back of the cave. Her body turned around, facing the mouth of the cave. She saw her fists close and the mouth of the cave collapse. She now stood in a room, completely sealed, and filled with hungry bears. Charlotte’s hand was pointed at the bears. She felt a familiar feeling in her hand. It started to glow, and in an instant, the beasts were nothing but charred corpses on the ground.

Her legs sat her down in the pitch black cave. Her hands changed shape in her lap. A light appeared in front of her, illuminating the cave. Her legs stood her up, and she started doing fantastic things, things she didn’t even believe were possible. She lifted rocks without touching them, burst them into nothing but dust, and reassembled the dust into a statue that looked almost exactly like her. Her eyes examined the statue. Not the witch’s best work, but it showed improvement. Her legs sat her down again, and her eyes closed. Her infant body needed rest.

Chapter 1

Charlotte’s body shook her awake. Her legs stood her up and her eyes went to the stone she had carved earlier. She waited patiently and obediently as the witch would try to wiggle her fingers in just the right way to change something whole and natural, into a complete abomination.
Charlotte could do nothing but closely watch as she practiced her magic. The fact that her body used the stone statue of herself as a target for the various spells she observed herself cast horrified Charlotte. She waited in suspense as the witch crumbled her likeness in thousands of different ways.

Charlotte hated living in the dark cave, but her body didn’t seem to mind. When she needed to eat, her hand would feel the ground to find the life forces of vermin that she would catch, kill, and cook with one flick of the wrist. The only source of light was the dancing orb her body had created above her head. Her rests were infrequent and inconstant. Charlotte began to realize she was trapped, but without her captor and the power she possessed, she would be dead anyway.

The moments her body spent training blurred together. The witch had quickly gotten used to the ability to harness the magic she had brought with her into the child, but would still train harder and harder, as if to improve further her own capabilities. Charlotte had begun to believe that she wasn’t the first person to be possessed by this witch. The old lady before her, and most likely even more before the old lady were possessed in a similar manner, and forced to serve the witch until old age. Charlotte had accepted this fate, as many before her had, but wondered why she was able to think so clearly about it. With each passing moment, Charlotte felt smaller and smaller.

Charlotte noticed that the bears that the witch had slaughtered were not there anymore. She also noticed that the steps her legs took no longer felt straining on her physical form. She felt herself sit down, blink, then stand up. That’s all her rests felt like to her. Blinks. She couldn’t dream like she used to. The prison offered no form of escape, even in spirit. Her body stood up again, as it had done countless times before, but this time, turned towards one of the walls. Her hand felt the wall, and then blasted a large hole through the wall. The resulting light was brighter than anything she had seen. This light was different from something the witch could have made, it burned her skin.

She stepped through the hole in the cave to find a familiar forest, but everything seemed... smaller. Not tiny, like she was a giant, but tree branches that she had recalled as being out of reach were now within reach. She wanted to climb one of the huge trees, but her body just made a small motion with her hand. A sort of mist appeared where her hand swiped. She saw herself in this mist. A young girl. She didn’t look like a baby anymore. Her face was pale, her hair was long and dark. She saw herself in this mist getting smaller and smaller. She saw the tips of trees, then the trees turned into a green blur. One corner of the mist wasn’t covered in this green.

Charlotte’s head turned, her eyes stared off into forest at some distant target she couldn’t see. Her hand dismissed the mist, and her legs walked off into the forest. There was a quietness about the forest. No animals could be seen or heard, no birds were singing and the twigs underneath Charlotte’s feet weren’t snapping as she walked over them. The quietness seemed almost unreal, even more unreal than the fact that her body was walking without her control.

Her eyes wouldn’t allow her to admire the forest, to take in the nature that her wandering mind wanted to. The trail that her feet were walking on looked boring and repetitive. The few flowers that were allowed into her vision were pretty and colorful, but, as much as she wanted to, her body wouldn’t allow her to walk up to them, and bury her nose among the petals to smell these gifts of nature. Free will isn't something Charlotte could have any more. Each tree blurred by, the forest seemed to pass through her.

Charlotte noticed the sun had set. The sky was dark and her body was cold. Her hand pointed itself at the ground and a hole appeared. Her feet jumped in and sat down. Her hands raised and the hole was sealed. Charlotte’s eyes blinked.

Charlotte’s hands blasted away the ground covering the hole, and her legs jumped out into the warm morning air. Her feet continued on the trail her steps were making through the forest. She wondered where her legs were headed. The quietness was slowly disappearing with each step. She heard sounds she had never heard before. It sounded like hammers hitting metal. As her feet brought her closer, she began to hear people talking.

Her body hoisted itself into the branches of a very old looking tree. When she got close to the top, her eyes found the village her body had been moving towards. There were high walls around this village, walls made of stone. The people inside had shiny clothes that were made out of “metal.” They also had sticks made of the same material. The men appeared to be training for something, they moved in groups and touched statues with their “spears.” These men intrigued Charlotte, but what intrigued her even more was the fact that she knew so much about these people she had never seen before.

Her legs jumped out of the tree, and she floated gracefully to the ground. Her legs walked her to the wooden gate embedded within the fortress. She heard a voice from the top of the wall, “What is a little girl like you doing this far alone in the woods? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

Charlotte felt her voice start to cry ”I’m lost...” She felt the insincerity, and wanted to warn the man up there, but couldn’t. She knew that he shouldn’t let her inside.

The man looked sympathetic.“Soldier! Open the gate! I don’t believe this.” Charlotte heard the chains opening the gate. The large wooden door moved slowly, but Charlotte’s body patiently waited until the gate finished moving. “Come on, little girl, come in, it’s safe here.”

Charlotte’s legs walked into the fortress where many strange men stood perfectly in rows and columns. From here, Charlotte could see these men and their smooth metal clothing that each man was wearing. The gate started to slowly close behind her, and the man that ordered her in grabbed her arm and led her to one of the smaller, stoney buildings.

Inside were men looking over a map, discussing something about reinforcing the the fortress for the coming battle. “Captain,” the men looked at the man that brought her in, “this child was found outside the fortress. What should we do with her?”

“Did you ask her what she’s doing here?” The man shook his head. “Where did you come from? Where are your parents?” Captain asked. These men seemed nice, like they wanted to help an innocent little girl. That’s all she was to them, a lost, scared child. If they only knew what was inside her.

Charlotte's mouth said nothing. She felt her face conform into a piercing sadness. A sadness that couldn't simply be ignored. She remained silent.

“How long have you been out here? Soldier, go get her something to eat. She looks starved.” Captain’s voice began to calm down as he didn’t want to scare this innocent girl. He was no longer barking orders, but patiently offering suggestions to his men.

“Right away, sir.” The man left, and Captain motioned for Charlotte to sit down in a wooden chair away from the table the other men were crowded around. They got back to their business, pointing at the map, talking about the map, questioning the integrity of the map. They seemed to be obsessed about it. They seemed worried. The man reentered with a bowl of a stew of some kind. Charlotte’s mouth devoured the man's, even though her she knew the soldiers needed it more. They looked low on supplies as it was. The man left, probably to go back to his post, leaving Charlotte in the chair watching the men at the table.

“If they come from the west, then they will be able to use the forest to their advantage. We need to send scouts out in that direction.”

“But their kingdom lies to the east, why would they move their entire army into the forest? And how could they do that without us knowing?”

“Good point, but an attack from the forest is still possible.” The men kept arguing. Charlotte’s legs jumped up out of the chair, and started for the door. The men didn’t seem to notice as her body left the room. Everything outside was how she had remembered it. Men drilling and training for war. Her legs walked her up some stairs to the top of the wall. Nobody seemed to notice as she walked past the guards that were supposed to be on lookout.

She jumped over the top of the wall, and floated down, being slowed by something her mouth muttered. She walked towards one of the large trees on the edge of the forest, and stood next to it. Her eyes fixated on one spot on the tree. She saw her hand appear in front of her, not like it was lifted into her vision, but as though it appeared out of thin air. She watched as her hand swept in a horizontal motion. Something shot from her hand and through the tree, leaving a mark on the tree. Her hands pushed on the tree. The massive tree began to fall, split at the mark made by the spell, into the fortress. Charlotte heard shouting from the other side of the wall.

Her body began moving quickly away from the fortress, which had descended rapidly into chaos. She sensed a rain of arrows behind her. She also saw two other soldiers in the forest that were just as shocked by the attack as the people inside. One was an older man with courage in his eyes and scratches on his face. The other looked panicked. Much younger and clearly nervous for what appeared to be his first real battle. The older man lifted his dented shield. “Run little girl! It isn’t safe here!” Of course it wasn’t, Charlotte thought, but they were the ones that needed to run.

Charlotte’s feet stopped running. She felt her face grin. Her hands were lifted into her vision, then closed into fists. Both men fell to the ground limp. Her legs walked up to the younger one and kicked his head until it turned to face the other soldier. The man couldn’t seem to resist. Her legs brought her to the other. Her hands touched the elder soldier on the forehead. She saw as her hands appeared to suck the life out of the paralyzed soldier until he was nothing more than a shelled skeleton. She heard her voice laugh as her legs carried her away from the death and chaos she had caused.

Chapter 2

It’s surprising how little attention you draw with the body of a little girl, Charlotte thought. Vira probably knew this too. Even after her legs carried her about a mile away, her ears still picked up the sounds of panic and confusion. What a horrible thing to do.

Charlotte’s legs covered ground quickly. Soon, when she was out of earshot, her feet stopped moving and her hands started waving in front of her. The mist her hands created started to form into a map, as she had seen before. Her mind began scrying her position and next destination. The little dot in the mist representing her body grew smaller and smaller. She saw the fortress on her map of the forest near the bottom of the mist, but as it became smaller, it moved away from the edges of the mist and more towards the center, where she was. She saw that she wasn’t that far away from the end of the dark green section she interpreted as the trees. Her eyes were barely able to make out a small dot in the middle of a brown section of the mist. The dot was much larger than the fortress, but was much farther away.

In a small flash, the mist disappeared, and her feet carried her in the direction of the dot. The forest was filled with the ominous silence she had become used to. Her footsteps not making a sound when touching the ground, even the dry leaves beneath her feet didn’t seem to make the expected crunching sound. If she wasn’t making a sound, then animals shouldn’t be able to hear her approaching, then why didn’t she see any? There were no bears, no deer, no rabbits or birds. Where were they?

It suddenly occurred to her that there was something unnatural about herself, some sort of aura that no kind person of average intelligence could pinpoint, so people like her parents or Captain wouldn’t treat the witch any differently. When she was a baby, she cried at the sight or sound of Vira, but she didn’t know why. It startled Charlotte that she could remember her infancy so vividly. She remembered the fear that came with the witch, and the pain the witch brought to her soul. The animals were just like her. Scared. Only the animals had the power to avoid the source of this fear, to hide from it. Charlotte had never possessed such a luxury.

As the forest started to darken, her hands blasted a hole in the ground, her legs jumped in, hands sealed the hole, blinked, blasted the hole back open, and jumped out, into the warm morning air. Charlotte knew nights lasted longer than the split-second it takes to blink, but she had nothing else to judge the time by. Her rests seemed to occur instantaneously. The next day continued in a similar manner.

Her body reached the edge of the forest. Her eyes looked out at the hills on the horizon. Her destination was somewhere over those distant hills. A grassland lay before her. The land in front of her was the first time her eyes had seen an empty sky with no trees blocking the view. Her legs continued walking towards these hills. Her small legs put a surprising amount of distance between herself and the trees she had become so used to and familiar with.

The sun setting over the hills was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The clouds weren’t the standard whites and greys, but vibrant pinks, oranges, and purples. Her feet walked toward this brilliant display in the sky. Her footsteps continued as though this miracle was just something that happened every day. She wanted to reach up and touch the clouds, to feel the soft embrace of the heavens, where she could be carried away from this world. She wanted freedom. She wanted to be one with the clouds and the sun. She hated being tied to this demon, forced to watch up close the death and torture of innocent men and women.  Eventually, the sun disappeared, the sky stopped shining. Her feet stopped walking. Again, she buried herself and blinked.

As she jumped out of the hole, she noticed that her steps were a little more slow and clumsy than they were the day before. She knew that at this rate, her body would collapse of hunger if her stomach didn’t receive food. Still, her body pressed on in desperation. Within what seemed like moments, Charlotte had begun to feel the throbbing pain of her own empty stomach. Pain. A feeling. A small loosening of the grip the witch had around her soul. It was painful, but it was something. With each small step, the pain grew, and with each pain, her hope began to proliferate.

Charlotte watched as her body carried her closer to a group of horses on the expansive plain before her. Her feet brought her closer and closer, until she was close enough to place a hand on one of the horse’s sturdy rib cages. They seemed perfectly calm, even through the mumbling of Charlotte’s mouth as she brought it down. The horse screamed out in pain as it fell to the ground, flailing and kicking about, narrowly missing Charlotte’s face as her feet jumped back. The other horses fled quickly.

Charlotte’s eye’s looked at the dead animal in front of her, then at her hand. She saw one of her hands shake, then grow long, sharp claws where her fingernails were. This grotesque abomination of an appendage was used to tear large chunks of horse meat off of the corpse, which was then shoved quickly down her throat until the pain went away. Her normal hand touched the remains of the animal and started to glow. The dead horse began to stand up.

The horse stretched its legs then bowed its head toward Charlotte, chunks missing from its side. Charlotte’s body hoisted itself onto the horse’s back, and the horse started trotting towards the grey dot from the mist. Charlotte’s deformed hand reshaped itself back to that of a child’s. Her hands rested on the horse’s back, if she could call it that any more. The horse was able to move much more quickly than Charlotte’s steps.

The horse allowed Charlotte to cover much more ground. The remaining ground between her and the hills was quickly gone. When the horse reached the top of the hill, her eyes looked out over the series of rolling hills her horse would cross in order to serve their master. The corpse continued on. One hoof in front of the other, endlessly, just like herself, unable to quit moving.

The day passed quickly, and again the sun transitioned to her target on the horizon. The colors from the day before reappeared in the sky in front of her. Charlotte wanted to admire these patterns and splatters of clouds, but her head turned toward the ground, blinded by the harsh light. The grass beneath the horse’s hooves was lush and green, but the footprints left behind were brown. Killed. Everything the witch did left a path of death behind her. A careless path, where innocent nature was crushed and executed. Decaying. Leaving nothing but skeletons of those who try to bring peace.

As the world around Charlotte grew darker, the horse continued on. Trudging through the darkness. The scent of rotting flesh filled the air around Charlotte. The terrible smell didn’t seem to phase her nose. She felt her hand hold itself over the grass for a minute, then grab on to something. Charlotte recognized the feeling as a rope the witch was weaving with her cursed magic. She felt her hands tie the rope around herself, attaching her body to the horse as it continued marching on through the night.

Her body slumped back, laying her head against the horses rotting rump. Her eyes looked up into the tiny pockets of light filling the black sky. The crescent moon hung in the sky, seemed peaceful and untouched by all the troubles Charlotte dealt with. Charlotte’s eyes blinked and opened to a morning sun at the top of her vision. Her body bent itself upright, revealing to herself that she was on top of a hill overlooking a large circular valley. At the center of this massive crater, Charlotte’s eyes made out a city. Her destination.

Charlotte’s legs hopped off the horse and began to finish the trek on foot. After a few steps, Charlotte heard the horse let out a whinny, then fall over dead. Again. Charlotte was envious of the horse. At least it wasn’t enslaved and out of options. At least it was allowed its freedom. At least it was allowed to die.

Chapter 3

Charlotte’s feet brought her quickly across the dead valley. There was nothing living in this valley around the city. No grasses or trees, or animals that ate from grasses or trees, or animals that ate animals. Nothing. The city surrounded itself with nothing. Her body approached the city, not quite understanding what she was there for.

The walls around the city looked like they were constructed recently. Men lined the top of the walls just as in the fortress, but this place seemed more inviting. Much more like a place people wanted to be in. Charlotte’s nose picked up a scent much more awful than the dead horse she left behind.

The large wooden gate was open, revealing a bustling city. There were much more people than the fortress, but not as many were dressed in metal. Charlotte’s feet carried her quickly through the gate and into the crowd distributed through the streets. She was able to be quietly ignored by the people amongst the crowd. Her body put her through the entrance of a comparatively sweet smelling building, neatly labelled Halcyon Breads by a sign above the door.

Inside, a fat woman was turned, bent away from the door, reaching into an oven. The tables in the room displayed many colorful cakes and warm pastries. Charlotte’s hand quickly swiped something off one of the tables, intentionally knocking over silverware and chairs in the process, causing noise echoing throughout the room.

The woman, startled by the loud clashes, turned around to face Charlotte. Her legs bolted out the door. The woman followed behind, screaming out to the people in the crowd. “That little brat stole from my bakery! Somebody! Catch her!” From out of nowhere, Charlotte’s arm was grabbed by a man covered in armor that suddenly appeared in front of her. She felt her empty hand grow hotter. Her mouth let out a piercing shriek.

Guard shook her. “Your screaming won’t get you anywhere. You’re coming with me.” Guard began leading her up the streets, drawing little attention along the way. Everyone seemed a little preoccupied, completely unphased by the fact that a little girl was being dragged away to prison, death, or worse. Charlotte knew her hand was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, but too many people were around, there was no way for her to be discreet. Her hand grew hotter and started glowing, but there were still too many people around. If it didn’t get quiet soon, killing and fleeing would be much more difficult for the witch.

The man dragged her deeper into the city. They approached a large castle, a building larger than anything she had ever seen. Charlotte took comfort in the fact that the king inside would take no pity on a poor little thief like her. She hoped the execution would be quick and soon.

“Hey Jerry,” the guard stopped and turned around to see where his name was coming from, “where you taking the girl?” A young man appeared from behind them. His hair was long, unkempt, and dirty. His clothes were in no better, stained and full of holes. The man walked closer to Charlotte. “What’s she going in for?”

“She was caught stealing. She’s going off to the king for her sentence.” Charlotte hoped that was true, but, in the back of her mind, she knew that if she did get anywhere close to the castle, she was just a kill and a jump away from freedom. “She stole a cake from the baker’s wife.”

“Oh, no no no no! You see, this is my cousin, I asked her to get this cake for my birthday you see. I paid the baker for it last week, she wasn’t stealing. I thought she committed an actual crime. Here, for your troubles.” The young man handed the guard a few coins. The guard released Charlotte.

“You know, I could arrest you for bribing a guard.” said the man who was no longer holding Charlotte’s arm. Charlotte’s body quickly put space between her body and the man who had been holding her.

“And I could have you arrested for walking around with your shoes untied.” The guard looked down. His boots were tied tightly, laces neatly tucked away. “I still can’t believe you always fall for that one.” The man started to walk away quickly. Charlotte knew that if she wanted to stay undercover, she would have to follow this man, the witch knew too, and her legs trailed closely behind. The guard was left standing in the street, both confused and slightly richer.

“That kind of excuse can get you out of a lot here, I mean, with all the men being recruited.” said the man that rescued her. “I’m only telling you this because I know you’re not from around here. Where did you come from?” Charlotte’s mouth didn’t move. She was given enough time to respond, but her lips refused to move. “That’s ok, you don’t have to say anything. I get it, you’re scared and alone, and you don’t know what you’re doing here. I’m getting ready to leave town before I get sent to war too. Do you have any family here?” Again, no response from Charlotte’s lips.

“If you do, you should go to them. With the threat of an attack at any moment, you don’t know when they’ll die or get sent away.” Charlotte’s legs kept following the man. “I take it that your family is gone. I’m leaving town, so if you have nothing, like me, follow along, I don’t mind.”

As the man and Charlotte’s legs walked through the city’s streets, the man ducked Halcyon Breads. The witch took this chance as an opportunity for chaos. Her legs carried her to an alley leading to a secluded area behind the building. Charlotte’s face twisted into a grin when her eyes saw the stacks of dry firewood along the wall of the building. Her fists proceeded to glow and burn. Charlotte felt the power build up in her hands, glowing hotter and hotter. Her fists opened, releasing the flames she held in her hands, allowing them to consume the firewood and grow, large enough to consume the rest of the building.

Charlotte’s legs carried her away quickly out of the alley. She remained anonymous in the crowds of the city, and her feet quickly followed her rescuer outside the city walls before fear and chaos consumed the people as the fires consumed the city. The two continued walking and didn’t look back. Charlotte’s nose picked up a familiar scent of food from the man’s backpack. They heard screams coming from the city, but kept walking.

Charlotte didn’t know what was coming up next, but she did know things would get worse. This man didn’t know who she was. To him, she was just a scared, orphaned little girl, and not the merciless demon concealed within. He didn’t know about the context death of her parents. He had no suspicion of the bonfire she lit as revenge against the woman that wouldn’t feed her.

Charlotte’s eyes shot to the man’s mouth as he began to speak. “I didn’t grow up there either. It doesn’t seem healthy to me, I mean, with all the men being sent away to fight that stupid war. Lived there for the past two years though, on the streets. Never enough gold for a place of my own.” His head jerked as he stopped talking, “Forgive my manners, I never got around to telling you my name. It’s Luke. I’ve never been good at introductions. Do you have a name?”

Charlotte saw her hand swish. Her ears picked up a subtle whisper coming from Luke’s ear. “Charlotte”

Chapter 4

Luke stopped walking and looked back at Charlotte shocked. He looked around to see if anyone else could witness what this little girl was doing. He noticed that the closest people were back in Crateria, which now had plumes smoke coming from it. Luke didn’t want to have turn back to show anyone. Maybe that was why she was alone. Because she was different. “Could you... Could you say that again? I didn’t quite hear you.” again, the whisper filled his ear without movement from Charlotte’s lips. “That’s a pretty name, were you named after somebody? Like your grandmother?” Charlotte responded with silence to the man that was trying desperately not to lose his sanity. He wasn’t succeeding. Luke turned and continued walking. Charlotte’s feet followed behind. Charlotte could tell that he knew exactly where they were going, or rather used to have a plan, until this little girl had shattered his perceptions of reality. What was wrong with this little girl? Luke decided to try to shrug it off until Charlotte showed that she was a threat to him. For now, they were friends. “You know, a year ago,” Luke said with hesitation, “I never would have pictured myself doing this. Like running away and stuff. Since my father refused to volunteer for the King’s war, soldiers slaughtered my parents. It’s hard to believe my fourteenth birthday was only eight months ago.” Luke sighed loudly, “So now I’m off to get my revenge. I’m not sure how, but I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else.” The sun started to set, the stars peeked through the night. “Can you start a fire?” asked Luke. “Oh, nevermind, I’ll just do it myself. Wait here.” Luke pulled some firewood from the pack he was carrying, then went off in the night, probably to find kindling. When he turned his back, Charlotte’s hand touched the firewood, lighting it aflame. Charlotte saw the cackling fingers of flame shaking about, but she still couldn’t feel it. She didn’t feel the warmth it brought from the cold air. She had to rely on what she knew. Fire is hot, and that means pain. She remembered the pain of the baker’s wife, that died protecting her profits through scarce times. The pain of her parents, just trying to live when they had nothing. She wanted to let it out, but she couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t allow her to cry. Luke came back dragging a small deer. “I see you do know how to start a fire. That’s good, because I would not have been able to find you in this dark.” he chuckled. He pulled out a knife, and began gutting the deer. Charlotte’s eyes fixated on the man digging through the stomach of the deer, pulling out organs and guts. It made Charlotte feel worse. Her eyes wouldn’t let her look away. “You know, most children your age would be disgusted by this. Hell, I am a little myself.” said Luke, unsuccessfully trying to convince himself that this little girl was just what she appeared to be. After Luke had finished, he looked at the fire, then back at the corpse, then the fire again. “Uhhh... Hmmm. How am I supposed to roast this without sticks or a way to hold it over the fire?” He felt around the ground and picked a blade of grass. Then threw it back on the ground. “No, this won’t do...” His eyes wandered as he sat and thought. Charlotte’s legs carried her toward the dead baby deer. As she stood over it, her mouth watered and she felt a shifting among her teeth. In one quick motion her body jumped on top of the carcass And her sharp fangs began tearing away large chunks of flesh from the deer. Charlotte’s mouth continued to consume the carcass, fur, bones, and all. Until a large section of the deer’s side was just gone. Her head turned toward Luke, blood dripping from her face. Her teeth dulled down and sunk back into her gums. Her face turned back into the facade that hides the witch. Her throat let out a cackle. Her body set her down in front of the fire. Her eyes stared at Luke. “Uhhh, aside from the fact that I don’t eat raw meat, I don’t think I’m very hungry.” said Luke, his face looked pale and cold in the light of the fire. He spent a lot of effort getting food for somebody that wasn’t hungry. “I’m going to try to get some sleep.” Charlotte felt the witch’s mistrust in this man. The witch thought Luke was going to harm her. Charlotte sympathized with Luke. She understands how deadly the witch can be. Eventually, Luke was able to fall asleep. The witch wouldn’t allow Charlotte to sleep, and they stared at Luke all night, showing no fatigue, showing no weakness, showing no vulnerabilities. Charlotte stayed up all night watching Luke. The smell of the dead deer rotting filled the air. The flames of the campfire appeared to die down quickly. The rustling of the nocturnal animals of the grassland could be heard. The insects started buzzing and scavenging the remaining remains of the fawn. Before long, a heavy stench filld the air coming from the deer. Luke shifted in his sleep. The campfire died down quickly. Charlotte’s eyes wouldn’t allow her to look upward, but she could still feel the stars overhead. Not much was happening in her field of vision, but the witch stared on throughout the night. Waiting for the sun to rise, so they could continue their journey.Charlotte didn’t know where they were going the next morning, but it really didn’t matter, since she had no choice in the matter regardless. Charlotte had time to think about her situation. A man who had no business with her was being kind to the witch. Charlotte wasn’t sure if she should like this man. He was assisting her captor, but since they were one in the same, he was assisting her as well. She figured that Luke wanted to help her, a helpless child with nowhere to go, but couldn’t without providing shelter and sustainence for the witch as well. It wasn’t long before the sun rose again, hiding the stars, revealing an open field. Luke woke up startled by the girl staring directly into his eyes. “Ah!” Luke took a few deep breaths. “How long have you... Oh, never mind.” Luke was up quickly and was packed within a few minutes. Charlotte didn’t have anything to pack; her eyes just followed Luke as he packed his few things and they were on their way for another day of travel. They travelled light and walked quickly. Just by the way he walked, Charlotte could tell the young man was looking out for her. He seemed very paranoid and jumpy. At any sound, he would quickly turn to make sure they weren’t being followed. Charlotte’s opinions of the man were further assured. Charlotte began to believe this young man was worried about all the wrong things. Charlotte feared for this man. He jumped at the slightest sound from the wind or small animals. He should have held more fear for the great evil that was following precisely two footsteps behind him. Charlotte didn’t know why the witch allowed him to live for this long, but she believed that if he didn’t leave soon, he would almost definately meet his painful doom by Charlotte’s own hand. After a few hours of walking, Charlotte felt a presence hiding among an outcropping of rocks at the top of one of the many rolling hills. Charlotte didn’t feel feel safe as her feet began carrying her away from Luke and towards armed men hiding behind the rocks, waiting for an unsuspecting person to attack and rob. The witch wouldn’t let that happen, also the witch was interested in what they had acquired from others that made their way along the path. “Where are you going?” Charlotte’s head turned sharply toward Luke. Her finger rose and pressed against her lips, but it was too late. Charlotte’s eyes saw movement on the other side of the rock her eyes were looking through. Her hands blasted the rock, sending large chunks at the bandits hiding on the other side. There were screams coming from the people injured by the witches hand. “Hold on, I’m coming!” Luke readied his hunting bow and sprinted toward where the witch was killing these men. Charlotte’s head looked up to see a person, axe in hand, in mid-jump, giving a powerful war howl. Before he could even get close enough to touch the girl with his weapon, his head was filled painfully with a slender arrow. Two men came through the hole in the rock that Charlotte had created. They shortly met the same fate as their leaping companion. Luke was much more accurate with his bow than her father. Three more men came around what was left of the boulder. Charlottes hand lifted and clenched a fist at one of the men. A red aura filled his eyes. He cut down his two companions, and then stabbed himself. A man tried to jump on Charlotte from behind. Her body faded out of reality, and reappeared at the top of the rock. The witch’s anger grew. The man, confused, looked around to find the girl that had killed all his comrades. Charlotte’s hand raised, and telepathically lifted the man up. She turned the silent man so that he could look into the eyes of his killer. “I deserve death. I understand this. I see that I will die, so there is no point in fear. There is no point in trying. All I ask is that you end me quickly.” The witch contemplated this plea, and decided not to give in. Charlotte watched as she ripped off one of the man’s arms telepathically. She crushed both of his eyes in their sockets. Charlotte’s hands let go of the screaming man. The ten-foot drop injured him further. Her legs hopped down to their little hideout. Luke came from around the corner. “Why didn’t you tell me about those guys? That was incredibly dangerous.” Charlotte’s lips didn’t dignify him with a response. The man on the other side of the rock kept screaming. Her arms just kept collecting anything of value, and bringing it to Luke, who just stood there confused but satsfied. He was a richer man now. The two now had enough food to last them a few days, and plenty of money. Luke had gained a new bow, but this one was crafted for killing more than just animals. It was clearly taken from a scouting soldier coming through. Luke didn’t seem to mind. For herself, the witch took a new cloak that she cut down to fit her short stature and what little the theives had in alchemical supplies. The witch also picked out an old looking leather bound book from among the treasures of the bandits.Charlotte couldn’t read the title. It wasn’t written in any language she knew, but she figured the title read something along the lines of The Holy Lock. Charlotte knew that whatever the witch had to learn from the book would give the witch more power and lead to more malevalence. “I don’t mean to sound unappreciative for the supplies,” Luke said as they were leaving, “but how why did you attack those guys?” Charlotte’s head faced Luke, he stared straight into Charlotte’s eyes. I heard them conversing of attacking and slaughtering us. The way they had done with many others before us. They had killed a travelling priest, a family of four refugees, a group of merchants, and a soldier. Where do you think they got all their things? You should really be more observent. A fool like you would be dead travelling out here without me. Charlotte knew the witch was lying. “Umm, thanks then.” said Luke, still trying to get over the fact that this little girl was beaming her thoughts directly to his mind. “How does a little girl like you become a better traveller than an older kid like myself?” Luke tried to making a little small talk. No response. The two continued walking. “Did I even tell you where we’re going?” Luke asked, used to the nonresponse of the girl. “I’ve decided that I want to travel to Draiman. Judging by the condition Crateria is in, I mean with all the men are gone. The women and children are left poor, and harsh laws on even minor acts of discontent leaves the people powerless. It’s obvious that the king is getting desparate. It should take a few weeks to get that far though, and I don’t exactly know where I’m going.” This was the first time Charlotte’s ears heard this information, but she felt like she already knew where they were headed. Charlotte was beginning to understand that she knew more than she thought she did. She and the witch were connected. She had access to the witch’s thoughts, and the witch had access to her’s. Yes, you do know everything I know, but it doesn’t matter. You will never be able to act upon my hundreds of years of knowledge. I have taken dozens of people, and none have ever escaped. They all knew what I knew and couldn’t do anything about it. I can do whatever I please and live forever. There is nothing you can do to stop that now