The man had pulled the hood of his cloak far into his face and also done everything else possible to prevent him from being recognized, but even before he had opened his mouth, the witch had already known who she was dealing with. She was not known for her magical powers for nothing. And that was exactly what had brought this man to her humble hut.
"My Lord, what do you wish?" she inquired of him consequently, without first giving him a word of greeting.
He hesitated for a moment, as if not sure that his decision to seek her out was the right one, but then he had obviously shoved his misgivings aside. And it was also obvious that he had not noticed that she had not paid him the full deference that he believed he was entitled to. But if he would have noticed this, he never would have given a thought to the fact that he himself had made sure that he would not be treated as he was used to. Just by this behavior he made it known to the witch that this was a situation in which he really did not want to be. And yet he found himself in this place right now.
"My wife is carrying a bastard in her womb. It must die!" he demanded in a harsh voice.
The witch suppressed a sigh, even though she had not expected this man to have come to her for a love potion.
"What have you got for me?" she instead posed the next question, which most of her visitors already failed at. And not every one of them had the courage to approach her a second time.
The man rummaged in a bag and then took out a folded piece of fabric and two small earthen jars - firmly closed. He was obviously not surprised by her question.
"Hair, blood and piss ... everything you need to make my wish come true."
The witch regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, although in his case in particular she had not doubted that he would come to her prepared. But this was not something he needed to know.
"You are well informed, my Lord," she therefore flattered him in a manner as if she were taken by surprise.
He let out a short, harsh laugh. "My mother taught me very well."
The witch could still remember this man's mother vividly, but that was not something he needed to know either.
With slow, deliberate hand movements, she unfolded the fabric and between its folds a strand of fair hair was revealed. When she touched it tentatively with the tip of a finger, she gained the impression of a determined woman straight away. This time it was a smile that she had to suppress.
Next, she removed the cap on the smaller of the jars cautiously and sniffed the contents. The scent of blood was intense, and her powers enabled her to tell without any difficulty that the blood and the hair belonged to the same person. She had not expected it to be any other way.
Finally, she opened the second jar as well and then took a tiny sip from it. At this sight, the man issued a disgusted sound, but he was probably not even aware of it.
As soon as the urine touched her tongue, she had to muster all her strength not to show her visitor how much she had been shaken by the impression the liquid had conveyed to her.
"What can you tell me about the child's father, my Lord?" She was hoping more information could help her figure out how to proceed.
Again, the man uttered such a disgusted sound - but this time quite deliberately - and the witch was afraid that he would not answer her, but then he opened his mouth and his very words told her that it was very displeasing for him to have to confess the following to her just now. "I have not been able to learn anything concerning him. My wife refuses to tell me anything about him, no matter what I try to do. And I haven't been able to turn up anyone else who might know anything." He was not in a position to hide his anger from her either.
Secretly, the witch congratulated his spouse on her determination.
"Your wife has chosen a powerful man to be the father of her child, my Lord. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but this boy's ancestors prevent me from taking his life. There will be almost nothing in his life that can send him from this world to the other. But..." she proceeded before the man could get exasperated with her words, "... I can ensure that he will never know peace, happiness, love, and fulfillment throughout his entire life." She paused, glancing at him once more, though she could make out nothing of his face. But his posture would tell her all she needed to know. "Should that be what you wish, my Lord," she added, before pausing yet again. At last, she expressed what he expected to hear from her. "And if you are willing to pay the price, my Lord."
Since he had already prepared himself for her request, the man was able to bring out a heavy pouch from under his cloak without delay, and the pouch produced a loud, metallic clink as he dropped it on the table. "I am ready to pay the requested price," he then told her in a harsh voice.
"And the stone that rests at your breast, my Lord," she demanded of him in addition. She would not necessarily need it, but she wanted to determine how great his desire was to get what she had offered him.
Contrary to what had just taken place, the man hesitated before he could bring himself to grasp the chain with both hands, pulling it over his head and dropping the pendant on the table as well. The witch, however, had not expected otherwise, for she knew he had brought it with him from the Holy Land and it was dear to him as proof of where he had been. But the need to harm the bastard and thus punish his wife for her adultery was apparently stronger than his desire to keep this token for his devotion to God and his bravery.
The witch thanked him with a nod and took the yellowish-brown, smooth and translucent pendant in her hand. Straight away, she could tell that she had not been mistaken. The stone was flawless and even if she did not necessarily need it for her purpose, it would be excellently suited for it.
"I cannot take away the boy's life, but instead I will take away his luck, my Lord. I will also cause his character to change for the worse once he turns from a child into a man. Thus, my Lord, he will not be able to ever know love. Likewise, he will never experience peace and contentment since he will lack the necessary requirements. Without his luck, he will not be able to change anything about it, and he can only ever attain his luck with luck."
The man let out a barking laugh. Quite obviously, he fancied this notion. Or maybe it had just occurred to him that he would prefer such a fate to the boy's death.
"Do it!" he instructed her then in a tone of voice as if she were one of his serfs, then he turned on the spot and left her abode, apparently in the firm conviction that she would by all means do what he had requested of her.
The witch stared in his direction for quite a while without stirring. Eventually, an utterly pleased grin appeared on her wrinkled face and she set about complying with his wish. She did not care at all about the target of her curse, for the boy was of no interest to her. With the man who had just paid her, however, it was an entirely different story.
Would he have been so willing to pay her price if he had known what his mother had done to her family? How would he have acted if he had realized that the price he had so willingly agreed to was not the coins he had thrown so contemptuously on the table, nor the pendant of amber he had given her so reluctantly. Instead, he had consented to pay with the semen from his loins, so that now it could never provide him with a child, no matter what woman he might lie with. But he had also agreed to pay with the lives of the children he had already sired up to that moment. His family would fare no better than her own. Just like her, he would be the last of his blood. His mother had made sure of that.