Page 78 of Bought to Break
‘But the ritual was meant to transport your spirit to the Mount. There, the mortal visitor must pleasure the gods found there however they see fit. They are then granted a reward. Is that not what happened?’
‘I did meet two gods. They were fools. A goddess appeared not long after I arrived and she took me to another place. We talked. She told me what I must do, then she kissed me …’ Lana closed her eyes, remembering the taste of Gaila and the passion of said kiss, the sensations of pure euphoria that she’d felt. She shuddered as her nethers clenched, and the witch cleared her throat.
‘Well, clearlysomethinghappened.’
‘The goddess gave me some of her essence. Thank you for your help, but time is not on my side. I can’t wait three days for the Brothers to return. I have to go and find them now.’
‘But there is no need. They will be back here by the time the sun is at its highest.’
‘But how? You told them not to come back.’
‘Lana, you were with the gods for almost three days. Today, as agreed, the men return for you.’
Lana sank down onto the bed. ‘But how can that be? It felt like I was gone for less than half a day.’
Vie shrugged. ‘Gods,’ was all she said by way of explanation.
There was a hard knock at the door. ‘Woman! I have need of a poultice,’ came a hard, manly voice from outside the cottage.
She grabbed her ragged cloak from a peg on the wall and a cane. ‘Stay here and stay quiet,’ she ordered in a low voice and all but ran to the thick wooden door.
‘Just a minute, dearie,’ croaked Vie in her crone’s voice. ‘Me old legs aren’t what they used to be.’
The door creaked open and she hobbled out slowly. A quiet conversation ensued before she limped back in. Pushing the door to behind her, she spun the cloak off with a flourish and hung it back in its place.
‘Why do you pretend to be an old woman?’
Vie shrugged and went to one of her shelves, grabbed a couple of bottles and set them on her worktable. ‘I have three faces, actually. The old woman, this one, and my true self.’
‘Why?’
The witch grimaced. ‘Lots of reasons. Partly it’s for business. People expect a wise woman to look the part. It makes them believe I can do what I say I can. Also, folks in town know this face as a widow who lives on the other side of the hill from here, so I can move about freely and buy supplies. And, well, times change, I suppose. It’s dangerous for those who are different at the moment, witch or no, and its getting worse. Storms destroy settlements on the coast. Terrible sicknesses kill babes. Raiders plunder and kill. When those sorts of problems descend, people go looking for someone to blame and who do you think their gazes swing to first?’ She pointed a thumb at her own chest. ‘If they ever come for the strange, wise woman, I can get to my tiny house over the hill in minutes with no one the wiser. After that, I can move on in my own time if I choose without a mob of villagers dogging my every step.’
‘Sounds sensible,’ Lana agreed. ‘And your true face? Why do you hide that?’
Vie hesitated before she spoke. ‘I come from a place that I was never meant to leave. If they knew where I was, they’d drag me back.’
‘Can I see what you really look like?’
The witch looked up at her, clearly at war with herself. ‘I haven’t shown anyone my face in a long time,’ she admitted, biting her lip.
She seemed to make up her mind. Her face changed; the greying hair becoming a dark brown and her face younger until she looked only a few years older than Lana herself.
Lana’s mouth dropped open. ‘You’re beautiful,’ she stammered, not sure what else to say.
‘Thank you,’ she said stiffly, and her face changed back to that of the middle-aged woman. She looked uncertain, as if she was afraid she’d made a mistake.
‘I won’t tell anyone, I promise.’
The witch nodded once and went back to her task.
‘Can I help you?’ Lana asked, pointing at what she was doing.
‘Do you know anything about herbs?’
Lana shook her head. ‘Only a few things I’ve learned from the Brothers.’
‘Best get yourself some food. There’s bread and cheese over there, or I’ve always got some stew over the fire.’
