《A Witch's Bond》


 The Need

    Short message from the Author:


    This is my first ever finished and posted work, I''m both excited and nervous.


    Any feedback is greatly appreciated.


    I decided to write a witchy short for the halloween season, and hope you all enjoy <3


    <hr>


    Another leisurely morning, my Mistress pitters about the cabin doing her morning tasks. A fire crackles in the fireplace, the morning porridge brewing in the cooking cauldron mortals call a ¡®pot¡¯. Staring at the fire from my cushioned perched, the rocking chair, the heat from the fireplace warming my fur. Gertrude, my Mistress, comes by and scratches me right between my ears, before lifting the lid of the cooking cauldron and checking on her breakfast. Closing my eyes to her and letting out a short purr to let her know my contentment. She gives the porridge a quick stir then heads to the front door of the cabin. ¡°I¡¯m stepping out to the Garden, Topaz, care to join me?¡± Standing up on the chair and stretching my back upwards, I give her a small growl in response before hopping down from the chair, and walking to the door. Gertrude waiting for me to step out first. I pad my way over to the garden, just around the left side of Gertrude¡¯s wooden Cabin, and hop up onto the cobble fencing surrounding her land watching my Mistress. Gertrude is a petite witch, only about 5¡¯6 in height and pale skin. She¡¯s young too, 17 years, which means I should have this Mistress for a long time. Her eyes are a chestnut brown, she has freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose and her hair is white as snow. Mistress regularly wears a ruffled white blouse, with a floor length brown shirt. Plus of course her witch¡¯s cap, which she decorated the brim with flowers. Gertrude is what they call a Good Witch. With a basket in hand, she begins to harvest her herbs all the while singing softly to herself.


    ¡°Through the clouds, who do you see?


    By the river, who do you see?


    In the fog, who do you see?


    Careful now dear children


    He¡¯s not what he seems.


    Near the castle, who do you see?


    In the barrel, who do you see?


    Upon the dusk, who do you see?


    When the shadows do whisper


    It¡¯s better to let it be.¡±


    My tail swishes to the rhythm of Gertrude¡¯s song, as I watch the tree lines of the forest outside her land. The only sounds being the babbling of the river which flows down by the right of the house, and the rustling tree leaves. The river travels down from the village, through the forest, leading all the way to our home. The villagers know how to find Gertrude by the aptly spread ¡°Follow the water, and find she who heals and sings.¡± slogan. I¡¯m still not sure how it started, but the village people are surprisingly accepting of my Mistress. ¡°Come now, Topaz, let''s put these away and have our breakfast.¡± I almost didn¡¯t hear her calling to me, my dear Mistress is so soft spoken, a cricket is louder than she.


    Breakfast done, Gertrude starts to put the herbs she gathered away, and I¡¯ve settled myself on the highest shelf in her brewing room. Mistress¡¯s home isn¡¯t large, but it suits our needs. We have a decent kitchen, a warm fireplace, a place where she sleeps, and the largest area which Mistress likes to call the ¡°Foyer¡± where she serves the villages. I call it the brewing room though, cause it is where she brews things. A large cauldron sits in the center of the room, and the walls are lined with hooks and shelves which hold all her ingredients and spell books. Aka, my perches. There is also a bench against the wall with several containers and tools, a cot and chair where she places the sick people adjacent to said table.


    A rapid knock upon the door startles both Gertrude and I, instantly my back arches and I let out a hiss. Gertrude lets out a gasp.


    ¡°Miss Witch?¡± a male voice calls out from beyond the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call her that!¡± a woman¡¯s voice snaps in whispered tones ¡°Miss healer, ¡°she corrects the man. ¡°Please we need your help. Something is wrong with our son.¡±


    I hop down from my high perch on the shelf and make my way to the door, glancing back at Gertrude to make sure she doesn¡¯t come over until I say it¡¯s okay. I give the doorway a sniff, and some foul stench hits my nose, it¡¯s like sweat, and metal, and rot. Clearly whatever¡¯s on the other side of this door has been touched by the Darkness. The knocking persists *BAM BAM BAM* ¡°Miss healer, please. We¡¯ll pay anything.¡± I let out an even louder hiss, the fur on my back raising fully. Gertrude feels my anxiety and resentment at what''s on the other side of the door, but her kind hearted nature pushes her to answer the door despite my warnings. She pushes me aside with her foot ¡°Move Topaz, this could be serious.¡± Her hand rests on the door handle for a moment, and she whispers softly to me with a knowing look. ¡°Live, and let live.¡± and opens the door. A woman bursts in, and I hop in front of Gertrude, hissing viciously to the woman. How DARE she barge in here like that. The woman held a smaller mortal in her arms, wrapped in a cloth cloak. Her brown hair barely being held back by a thread, disheveled and messy. The man with her walked in calmer, but looked just as distraught.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Miss healer,¡± the woman began ¡°Please, there¡¯s something wrong with our son.


    ¡°Alright, come into my Foyer and set him on the cot. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Gertrude gestured for the pair to follow her.


    ¡°His skin is so pale, he¡¯s cold to the touch, and he wont wake up.¡± The Mother ranted on frantically, following my Mistress into the brewing room. I made sure to keep myself between my Mistress and the dark presence of these mortals.


    ¡°When did these signs start showing?¡±


    ¡°He fell ill last night.¡± The Father responded.


    ¡°What are all your names?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Martha, this is my husband Henry, and our boy is Jacob.¡±


    The mortal woman named Martha set the cloaked boy onto the cot, now''s my time to act. I quickly hop onto the boy¡¯s chest, and growl defensively. This dark thing can¡¯t be near my Mistress. ¡°What is that cat doing!¡± The mortal man Henry screams out and tries to swat me away. ¡°Please, Sir. He is just protecting me. I¡¯m very sorry..¡± Gertrude whispers and scoops me up before this Henry fellow has a chance to swipe at me. Being set on the table Gertrude raises her brows to me ¡°Live, and let live, Topaz.¡± I let out a huff in response, these darn mortals they take too many risks. Gertrude pulls back the cloak that is covering the small boy, his skin is so pale one would mistake him for dead if it weren''t for the shallow breaths he was taking. He has dark circles around his eyes, and sweat beading along his hairline. The boy¡¯s curly brown locks seem dull and brittle. Extending her hands over the mortal child, my Mistress closes her eyes. I can feel the air in the room become dense, and the link between us glows as she draws from my mana. A thin red thread only visible to my eyes trails from her pinky finger, to my tail. This scarlet link is coiled and tied to my calico fur, linking our souls. Most witches tend to pick white or black when they get cat familiars, but my Mistress is special, and different.


    ¡°Oh¡­.¡± Gertrude mutters and looks back at me, I give her an unamused ¡®told you so¡¯ glare. She used an identify spell, and now she truly knows what I smelt. Darkness. Mistress walks over to her workbench, and pulls down a book.


    ¡°Miss healer? What is oh?¡± Martha¡¯s voice grows with intensity, the worry on her and Henry¡¯s face is clear.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s been cursed. Do you know what Jacob was doing before he fell ill?¡±


    Martha stays silent and looks to the ground.


    ¡°I warned you he shouldn¡¯t have gone there!¡± Henry shouts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that?¡± Martha retorts


    ¡°Oh, but you only get the point when he gets ill!¡±


    Gertrude clears her throat to try and get the couple¡¯s attention, but the two continue bickering.


    ¡°Is it wrong to want my boy to explore his curiosity?¡±


    ¡°Yes! When it puts him in dager like this!¡±


    ¡°Oh so you have all-¡±


    I let out a loud hissing meow, raising the fur on my back once more. These mortals are ridiculous. The two finally stop bickering and stare at me, then turn their attention back to my Mistress.


    Henry clears his throat and smooths his curly black hair back. ¡°He was playing around the ol¡¯well the village no longer uses. I told him not to play there, but someone insisted he should be allowed to explore and learn.¡±


    Martha stares daggers at Henry ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whose fault it is, what matters is can we cure him.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Gertrude turns her attention back to the book, and begins flipping through it. Speaking so softly the couple gets closer to her so they can hear her. I of course stay by the boy, the one who reeks of the Darkness.


    ¡°It appears your boy has been struck by darkness. I don¡¯t mean to pry¡­¡± Gertrude nervously bites her lower lip, something she often does when anxious. ¡°But do you both fight near the boy?¡±


    ¡°That is not your business.¡± Henry spits out.


    Martha smacks his chest and clicks her tongue ¡°Yes, we do. But what does that matter?¡±


    ¡°Well, darkness feeds off hate, and fear. All the bad emotions.¡± Mistress flips through her pages ¡°To know how to cure him, I need to know what the darkness is latching onto.¡±


    Martha stumbles back and finds her way to the chair placed between the cot and workbench, burying her face into her hands, and letting out a sob. ¡°This is our fault?¡±


    Gertude looks up from her book, furrowing her brow. She¡¯s not very good with the whole emotion stuff. Clearing her throat again, she flips the page once more.


    ¡°Oh, here it is. Darkness born of anguish.¡±


    ¡°Oh lords...anguish?¡± Martha sobs harder.


    ¡°Yes, this is a fairly simple spell.¡±


    Gertrude ignores the tension in the room by getting to work, she begins pulling things from the shelves and hooks. ¡°Thistle prickle, and Yak wool to prick the darkness and cover the tear. Aloe vera salve to soothe the burn of hate...and¡­¡± She names the ingredients as she pulls them off the shelves, but gets stuck on the last one. ¡°Shoot.¡± she mutters. I know what that tone means, and let out a disgruntled mrowf. Mistress looks back to me and sighs ¡°Topaz, I know you want to stay with me. But, we¡¯re all out of blue Centaurea flowers.¡± I sneeze at her, refusing to leave my Mistress with the darkness in this child. She walks towards the front door, and picks up my back satchel, looking at me with pleading eyes. ¡°Topaz, please. You know as well as I if we don¡¯t take the darkness from that boy it will spread.¡± Slowly blinking to my Mistress, very displeased with the idea of leaving her alone with strangers, but it seems I have no choice. The darkness spreading would be a worse outcome, she is right about that at least.


    So, I hop off the table and pad over to her. She straps the satchel around my belly and pats my head. ¡°Thank you, Topaz.¡± Mistress opens the door for me, and I venture out the door. The blue Centaurea flower only grows around corn fields, so I have to make my way to the village.

 The Break

    Padding through the thick grass outlined just beyond Miss Gertrude¡¯s home, satchel securely strapped around my torso, something didn¡¯t feel right about leaving Mistress behind. Alas, I am bound by contract to do as the Miss commands. Begrudgingly I follow the northern path along the river side that leads to the village.


    It¡¯s about mid-day and the thick canopy of the forest trees block out the sun quite well, however there are some beams of light that manage to pierce the sky covering. ¡°Perhaps Mistress would be happy if I picked up other ingredients along the way¡­¡± my mind ponders as I spot some Amanita mushrooms by the base of a thick tree trunk. They are quite toxic to the mortals, but Mistress is able to create antidotes for it¡¯s poison. Villagers often come in with children who eat them and get sick. I guess I can imagine why some silly mortal child would think they are edible, their bright red tops can certainly be mistaken as sweet candy, or fruit...well to a child anyways. A red thread snakes forth from the marvelous floof of my tail, and slithers its way to the mushroom, coiling around the stem of it. With a flick of my tail, the fungus is plucked cleanly from the ground. I manipulate the mana thread to store the mushroom into my satchel, and continue on my path to the village.


    In the distance I can hear the rapid splashing of the short waterfall, meaning I¡¯m not far from the mortal¡¯s settlement now. My pads are covered in dirt from this trek, maybe the farmer will give me a treat and wipe my paws for me when I get there. Generally the mortal colony is quite welcoming to me, though I suppose this form is pleasing to the mortals, and they respect my Mistress. I pick up the pace and scamper towards the sound of the waterfall at a considerably fast rate, certainly faster then any normal cat of this realm.


    Reaching the edge of the Village¡¯s territory line, the clear water of the river crashing down from the waterfall, and the sweet smell of baking bread mixed with the rancid scent of manure fills the air. These certainly weren¡¯t considered wealthy villagers, however they were a happy bunch, and enjoyed their pocket of peace. I believe this is why my Mistress moved to this corner of land. Her home town was not accepting of the practice of magic, when it was discovered she was one of the ¡®touched¡¯ as the mortals call it, even her own parents were ready to burn her. It was on the very night before her so-called ¡®trial¡¯ that Miss Gertrude summoned me, and I swore my life to her, quite literally.


    The Farm was a short distance to the north-west of the village, really I just need to follow the scent of maure, that place certainly held the strongest stench. Closing my eyes for a moment, letting out a low melodic growl, I shoot my eyes back open a hollowed darkness replacing my otherwise orange eyes. With this sight I''m able to follow scent lines and quickly spot the brown scent tendril that held a slight green hue. Following the track of the scent line, I pass a few of the village folk out on their mid-day stroll. I can¡¯t see who they are that well with this sight, but I do see their outline like an aura, I guess you could call it their scent aura. For example, the flower lady, clearly out gathering flowers and seeds to sell, her basket looking like a bundle of; blue, pink, purple, orange whisps clumped together. Her own aura mostly holds red, and pink.


    I could tell a few of the villagers were startled by me as I could hear their hushed gasps and ¡°whoas¡± as they passed me. Which I can¡¯t blame them really, mortal minds are simple, many can¡¯t fathom the complexity of magic and my nature. But they avoid my path and do not disturb me, because again, they know who I am, they know who I protect.


    Finally arriving at the Farm house, I close my eyes and let out a sigh, bringing back this form¡¯s orange cat eyes and park my butt outside the house¡¯s door. Scratching at the bottom left corner of the wooden door I let out a loud ¡°Meeerow!¡± and seconds later I hear the steps of the farmer who resides here. I¡¯ve heard Mistress call him Benjamin, or Ben. He is an older gentleman, something happened to his wife long ago but neither the Mistress or I know what as it happened before we arrived. Ben opens the door, and looks down at me, he has a kind, though wrinkled, smile on his face.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.¡°Oh, Topaz, Ms. Gertrude sent you for something?¡± His voice is raspy with age, but deep and kind.


    I give him a nod and stand up, turning to look out at his cornfield, I gesture to the field with my right paw ¡°Mow¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright just let me get my tools, what is it I¡¯ll be needing?¡±


    Looking around his yard, Ben has several pots laid out specifically for me to show him the general type of ingredient I come for. Ranging from a flower, to various vegetables, fruits, and root type plants. I wander over to the pot with the flower, and sit in front of it ¡°Prrft.¡± Mortals are certainly ingenious, they find ways to communicate with animals without magic, it''s quite fascinating.


    ¡°A flower in the cornfield eh?¡± Ben scratches at the bald spot atop his head. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re here for some Centaurea Flowers then?¡±


    I give him a nod, and Ben slips on his shoes and heads to his tool shed just to the side of his house.


    Once equipped with his digging tools, we head to the cornfield and begin looking around for some Centaurea flowers. These aren¡¯t really things he plants, they¡¯re a type of plant mortals call weeds. So we have to do some foraging to find them. It¡¯s not hard to spot them as they are a bright blue flower, which contrasts against the thick green cane of the corn stalks.It doesn¡¯t take long for Ben and I to find a decent bushel of Centaurea, and Ben stores them carefully into my satchel.


    ¡°Well, now that''s done. Did you want your paws cleaned or some treats before you head back to Ms. Gertrude?¡±


    I really should be heading back to the Mistress, there''s that sick mortal child and that lingering darkness, time is of the essence. But...my paws are so filthy, and it¡¯s quite a long walk in this form I could certainly use the energy from a bite of food. Plus, Ben makes the best chicken roast in the village. On one hand it is my duty to protect my Mistress, my very essence depends on that. On the other hand, if I were to fall asleep due to lack of energy, or even be slowed down by the filth on my paws, I would fail my Mistress.


    ¡°Topaz? Are you hungry?¡± Clearly confused by my lack of response. I give him a nod, I suppose a short break before heading out isn¡¯t a bad idea.


    Inside the mortal¡¯s home, Ben starts with wiping my paws for me. I don¡¯t generally care much for the other mortals in this realm, but his old man certainly gets what the humans call brownie points, with me. We then head to his kitchen, and I sit patiently on the floor as he begins preparing some chicken for me. One thing I noticed about farmers is they know how to care for the creatures here. To my understanding, cats are lactose intolerant, and can¡¯t digest mercury very well. So it''s best to feed them poultry foods like chicken, fowls, and other bird-like critters. I of course am not really a cat, but I¡¯ll never say no to a nice roasted chicken.


    My mouth begins to salivate as the scent of the cooked chicken hits my nose. Ben serves the chicken to me on a tiny brown clay bowl, placing it on the floor in front of me, and I chow down on it.


    ¡°There has been a strange presence in the town as of late..¡± Ben talks to me while I munch on the chicken, half listening to him.


    He walks over to a window in the kitchen, gazing outside as he continues ¡°It seems our pocket of peace might not last.¡±


    His words almost sound like a warning, but this mortal man is old. I know with time mortals tend to become suspicious of things for no reason.


    After finishing my chicken Ben pats my head, he seemed to have a sad smile this time,and I picked up a distinct change in his emotions as he sends me off. Maybe he¡¯s just lonely and sad to see me go, surely that¡¯s it, why else would his demeanor change like that?


    I retrace my steps back to the forest river. As soon as I enter the forest, the air seems to feel dense. ¡°I must have eaten too much..¡± I think, and my movements are becoming lethargic, and I start to feel sleepy. ¡°No...now''s not the time for a nap...I must...get¡­¡± my inner thoughts get interrupted by some inaudible whispers around me. ¡°Mistress!¡± is the last gasping word in my mind before a terrible tearing sensation writhes through my whole body. Pain courses through my every nerve before I collapse onto the forest floor and pass out.

 The Struggle

    My head feels fuzzy, and I can feel my mana draining. I can no longer sense my Mistress, and it feels like the darkness is closing in. Something is wrong, struggling to open my eyes, a headache bashing against my skull, the shadows of the forest have gotten denser. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m in a black fog. I catch sight of the red tether that connects Gertrude and I, but it¡¯s not floating like it usually is, it lies limp on the ground, lifeless. Startled, I reach out and grasp the thread. Wait, reach? My mind slowly pieces together what¡¯s happening around me, and I realize that I am actually grasping the mana thread with my hands, my inky black furred hands. ¡°No...No no¡­¡± I sit up startled by the sound of my actual voice. It¡¯s a haunting voice, deep and hollow. I haven¡¯t heard my voice in so many years. I peer down at the river, and catch sight of my reflection in the water. I¡¯ve reverted back to my true form. My whole body covered in the inky black fur, two large antlers protruding from the top of my head. My face...bone with a long snout, and intimidatingly long claws. Being in my true form can only mean one of two things. My bond with Gertrude has been severed, or the worst case, which I dare not think.


    Still clutching the mana thread I give it a tug ¡°Mistress!¡± the thread is loose, with nothing anchoring the other side. Frantically I start pulling the thread towards me, I must be dreaming right? Yeah, I had that chicken from farmer Ben, and it made me tired, and I fell asleep. That¡¯s it. The end of the thread comes in sight, with nothing tethered to the end. My Mistress is gone! I examine the thread closely and can see clear signs of tampering. Someone or something has cut the line.


    The pain I felt before passing out makes sense now, but this headache does not. Did the farmer drug me? Maybe the farmer did all of this? No, that can¡¯t be. Mortals can¡¯t see the thread, so they can¡¯t cut it. But why would the farmer drug me? Is Miss Gertrude still alive? There''s so many questions that need answers. I sit on the forest floor in disbelief, I can¡¯t do this without Gertrude. My kind lives solely to serve their Bonded, we aren¡¯t built for this realm. There''s no way I can make it back to Mistress in time.


    I can feel my mana draining by the second, it¡¯s only a matter of time before my time here comes to an end. Looking down at the end of the thread, like a candle¡¯s wick it is slowly receding. Just as the flame burns the candle¡¯s wick, time is burning my life line. I lower my head, bringing the end of the thread to my forehead, clutching it. What would the mortals call this experience? Sadness? Depressing? No...Sorrowful, that¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling, sorrowful. ¡°Live, and let live.¡± I remember Gertrude¡¯s favorite saying. ¡°Live...and let live¡­¡±my voice echoes her words. I turn my snout up towards the sky, and notice the shadows that have begun to gather along the tree lines. The Darkness has blocked out the sky, I can¡¯t tell what time it is.


    ¡°Wait...¡± I quickly realize what¡¯s happening. ¡°The Darkness!¡± It¡¯s feeding off my anguish and sorrow, fueling my despair. ¡°Live, and let live¡­Live, and let live...Mistress I promise I will find you!¡± I chant her phrase over and over, and shout at the Darkness ¡°Live!¡± I stand up to my full 7¡¯8 height on my beastly legs, being sure to hold tightly onto my thread of life. ¡°I will live! I will save my Mistress!¡± My voice booms and echoes through the forest, the shadows hiss and whisper inaudible sounds, just like it had before I passed out.


    First things first, I have to follow the river back to Gertrude¡¯s house. Atleast in this form I can move alot faster and can cover more ground. Still feeling a bit shaky from the drugs, I push myself to move forward and head south following the river. I feel so tired, what could have persuaded farmer Ben to drug me like that? It¡¯s so out of character for him. The drowsiness and headache make it difficult for me to push on, and the shadows of the forest seem to be multiplying by the second. This wretched Darkness frequently attempts to encroach on this territory. Miss Gertrude has always managed to stop it, I think maybe that''s why it has targeted us this time.


    I can¡¯t help but feel afraid, my life, and the life of my Bonded are at risk here. The Darkness likely is fuling this feeling, because the closer I move to the Cabin, the stronger these feelings become. I truly am weak without Miss Gertrude, even if I get there, what am I to do?


    Without realising it, I¡¯ve stopped moving, and all traces of light have escaped my vision. I am standing in nothingness. Sheer darkness surrounds me, haunting whispers begin to swim around me. Dropping down to my knees, I clutch the only sliver of colour I can see, the glowing red thread. The tether that once linked Gertrude and I. ¡°Mistress Gertrude...I¡¯ve failed you.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Abruptly, a vision appears in my mind¡¯s eye. The vision seems to be a collective cluster of shadows that have taken a human form with dull eerie white eye sockets.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, you let her down.¡± millions of voices echo through my mind.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Your kind is only capable of playing fetch.¡±


    I cover my ears with my massive clawed hands.


    ¡°You are worth nothing without that precious little Witch of your¡¯s, and now you¡¯ve lost her.¡±


    ¡°Get out of my head!¡±


    ¡°You won''t ever escape your fate, and now because of you the Witch will die.¡±


    Screaming out a roar, I thrash my arms outward around me, clawing at the nothingness.


    ¡°Pathetic. If you were free of these bonding contracts, maybe you wouldn¡¯t be so worthless.¡±


    ¡°The Bonds are the reason my kind exist! You can¡¯t unwrite that!¡±


    ¡°Anything is possible for me. My own existence was born of a wish. Even the farmer had a wish he thought couldn¡¯t be made true. But I helped him.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    There was silence for several moments. The Darkness turned farmer Ben, that sweet mortal man. Humans, wretched humans. They are so easily corrupted. Even Mistress, I warned her about that boy. She even detected the Darkness after using that identifying spell, but did she listen? No, instead she sent me away. This is her doing. Now because of Gertrude both our lives are at risk.


    ¡°Yesss¡­¡± The whispers hiss at me ¡°Denounce your Bond.¡±


    I can feel the Darkness seeping deeper into my mind, slumped down on the ground I¡¯m ready to give in. This hate, this anger. Towards¡­


    An image of my Mistress flashes through my memories. The night I met her. She was so scared, the eve before her execution, her face stained with tears. I hadn¡¯t yet been given my familiar form, and stood in front of this tiny child, who was only 12 at the time. But, even in this beastly form, it was not I that she feared. In fact when I emerged, she looked upon me with such admiration, we had an instant connection.


    ¡°My Bonded¡­¡± the words weakly escape my snout.


    ¡°Do it, denounce your Bond!¡± The shadows all echo at me, commanding.


    ¡°My Bonded, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yessss!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ever forgive.¡±


    I can feel the excitement from the Darkness.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive the atrocious acts.¡± I clench my teeth shut, and take a deep breath. Turning my gaze upwards towards where the sky should be. ¡°The atrocious acts this foul entity has done!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The shadows hiss and wither, and I feel a piercing sensation jab through my lower left abdomen.


    ¡°Gah!¡± I¡¯ll admit that really hurt, but that memory of Gertrude has emboldened me. ¡°You weak creature! You prey on the weakness of others, because you lack your own strength!¡± I grasp the Darkness that has pierced me, and something strange happens. My hands glow a vibrant and beautiful red. The colour is so bright and strong, the shadows screech and begin to recede. The part I grasped seemed to burn away in my grip.


    I clutch my injured side, and stumble to my feet. ¡°I WILL get to Miss Gertrude.¡± Beginning to limp forward, the shadows start drawing away, I can finally see the light again. So much time has passed it¡¯s already dusk. I clutch onto the memory of young Gertrude, if I hold onto the love she has for me, the admiration, I can make it through this. The Darkness will not turn me against her, not Gertrude. She is pure, and she means the world to me, as I do her.


    Through sheer will power, I manage to focus this light on my hands to coat my body like a protective aura, the Darkness won¡¯t be able to penetrate my defenses this time.


    I finally reach the curve in the river just before Gertrude¡¯s house, and am met with a frightful sight. Her home, our home, is cloaked in darkness. Resembling squid ink, the darkness is draped over the entire property, dripping from the sloped roofing, tainting Mistress¡¯s garden, and killing any light around. Gritting my teeth, I clutch my abdominal wound.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have her...not while I still breath.¡±


    ¡°That can be arranged.¡± The shadows hiss in response, echoing all around me once again.