Page 2 of Rise of the Witch
Which was fine by me. I’d chosen this life—felt called to it after all that had happened—and was more than happy with my woodland seclusion. Unfortunately, as far removed as I was from civilization, humans still managed to occasionally wander into my territory. These intrusions were sometimes accidental, though the more foolish visitors intentionally braved my reputation for guidance, and not only for big life decisions or valiant quests. I was often asked for advice on petty squabbles and mundane choices, like what to wear to a cousin’s wedding.
Another draw was that I was said to guard the Water of Life, created from the essence of magical blue roses. This part of the legend was one of the more true-to-life aspects. Ididinclude blue roses when brewing my dream tea, although that was purely a concoction used for vision quests, not prolonging one's youth. But even a rumor was enough for an otherwise suspicious human to desperately seek me out, only to return to their families cursing my name.
It’s just like a human to take with one hand while withholding with the other.
Unfortunately for these seekers, I was rarely compelled to help. More often than not, I forced the offending human to carry out menial tasks under the threat of death before frightening them off. While a small part of me found their terror amusing, I mostly did it to ensure my fearsome legend prevailed—anything to keep the outside world at bay.
Although, humans weren’t who I was worried about.
A shudder ran through me as I thought of the monster I hadn’t seen in centuries. While I knew in my soul he was still out there—still deathless—my transformation seemed to have given me a layer of anonymity that had allowed me to elude him for so long. Or, at least, it had rendered me no longer physically appealing to him.
At least, that’s what I tell myself...
Feeling a familiar tug on my intuition, I refocused on the vision I’d been awoken from. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a memory of the day I became Yaga, but I suspected there was more to it. A hidden message, a small detail previously overlooked, or a new object added to the ritual that wasn’t there originally. I needed to discover what my deeper knowing was trying to tell me before the time came when that knowledge would be required.
“Hellooooo! Were you listening to a word I just said?!” I emerged from my thoughts to find Anthia flapping her hands in front of my face, crimson lips pursed in annoyance.
“No. I wasn’t,” I stated unapologetically before sighing heavily. “My mind is elsewhere, ‘Thia. The vision I had just now, it was…” I instinctively glanced over my shoulder as if a ghost from my past would be standing behind me. “It was about...her.”
My friend froze, inhaling sharply as her violet eyes also darted around the hut, searching for threats hidden in the shadows.“If she appeared to you through the dream tea, that means…”
I canted my head, squinting nonchalantly. “It could mean something, or it could mean nothing.”
It could mean a disturbance in the close-under-place...
Clearly concerned, Anthia nervously chewed her lip as she hurriedly repacked the basket. “I’ll deliver this dream tea straight to my biggest client. He travels in occultist circles—maybe he’ll have some insights to share.” She shifted back into swan form so I could secure the custom basket around her body and see her on her way.
After Anthia’s silhouette faded into the early morning sky, I closed the window and fastened the bone latch before turning to face the room. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the wavy glass, distractedly fiddling with the wooden pendant around my neck while considering my situation.
Regardless of how unbothered I’d acted for Anthia’s benefit, I was greatly unsettled. The Nav only allowed souls to leave its boundaries on rare occasions, including to communicate with the living. My tea-induced vision only proved death had failed to dampen the power of my long-deceased mentor.
Depending on which way the wind blew, and very true to the Yaga’s ambiguous reputation, her intentions with me could be to help, hinder, or harm.
And I’m not sure I want to find out which it is...
I also couldn’t ignore the timing. Anthia and I had noticed troubling disturbances in the surrounding forest, slowly increasing in magnitude over several months. While I’d previously chalked it up to whatever destructive business the humans at the nearby government compound were up to, now I wondered if larger—more supernatural—forces were at play.
Eyes fluttering open, my gaze landed on the icon corner, or whatwouldhave been the icon corner had I been religious. The only item present was a small cloth embroidered in red with a woman riding a horse as the central figure: Mokosh, the Mother Goddess, whom all Yagas emulated and served—the one whose symbol was carved onto my wooden pendant. Fervently tracing the design with my thumb, I reminded myself thatthiswas my responsibility; to care for the Goddess’ creatures as if they were my own. It was my duty as Yaga to identify any threat to this sacred land and do my best to stop it before time ran out.
I will not fail you.
Resolutely stalking across the cabin, I steadied myself against the doorframe as the hut settled to the ground. Pulling my cloak more tightly around myself, I wrapped my hand around the femur handle, yanked open the heavy door, and headed out into the forest.
Chapter 2
Vasilisa
Knotting my long skirt up around my hips, I nimbly maneuvered through the birch grove on my way to another badly affected area. Despite the grim reality of my purpose, I still managed to admire the peaceful, green-hued sunlight filtering through the leaf canopy high above. Even before becoming Yaga, the forest had always felt like home to me. So many peasants in my childhood village saw nature as a threat, warning their children to stay away from what they viewed as a wild, untamed place leading to certain death. Claims of mysterious witches and other creatures of lore lurking in its shadows only fueled these beliefs, but I’d never feared for my life in the woods.
If anything, it was the only place that made me feel alive.
A presence to my left made me slow my stride. Although not many creatures could harm me, I was always humbly cautious, and with the veil between realms apparently growing thinner, that caution was heightened. A moment of tense silence was followed by a chirp and a purposefully heavy step, causing me to smile in relief.
Wolf shifter.
A female tundra wolf padded into my line of vision, her thick coat of gray, rust, and silver catching the light filtering through the canopy. She made another yipping sound to show submission, and I nodded in acknowledgment before following her deeper into the forest. After about 20 minutes of walking, we came upon a pile of boulders I recognized as one of the local wolf clan’s favorite dens. The wolf led me around the cave to a secondary entrance, and I immediately stopped in my tracks.
One of the pack’s enormous warriors was dead, half-collapsed on a cluster of smaller rocks as if he’d been desperately trying to climb them when he expired. Half of him was already decomposing, a blanket of maggots crawling over what was left of his rotting flesh. Oddly, the part of him that lay on the rocks looked almost alive, and when I tentatively laid a hand on his muzzle, I gasped at how warm his body still felt.
