Circle Of Sisters
5. The Bait
Virginia paced back and forth in the lounge room of the cottage. Glancing once more out the front windows, she saw that the afternoon was wearing on. Long slanted shadows were moving across the garden. She sighed deeply and went to the open front door, peering out over the fields in the direction of the forest. There was as little movement as there had been half an hour ago. No familiar figures of Wolf or Willem, and no darting flash of colour that signalled an approaching magic bird. One of the helpful little creatures had arrived on the kitchen windowsill on the previous evening, tapping it's beak loudly on the thick glass.
"Miss Virginia, Miss Virginia!" it had piped at her when she opened the window. The bird had hopped onto her finger in a friendly fashion which had pleased Virginia greatly. She had been fearing that the magical creatures would be repulsed by her now. She smiled at the bird to reassure it.
"You have a message for me?"
"Oh yes, Miss Virginia. The Warden, I mean, your mate, he sends his love to you, but is sad to say that he will be staying overnight on the trail"
"I see. Well, thank you, friend, for letting me know"
"You're welcome, Miss Virginia"
"Before you go, do you know where he was when he gave the message?"
"Why yes, he was bedding down on the edge of the Deadly Swamp. That's where the monster has gone, I heard him say to his companion". Virginia frowned in sudden concern that he had had to go anywhere near that place. And why had Elias gone in there? Virginia felt a faint chill run through her.
"Don't worry Miss. He's a resourceful mate, this one you have. He's been in there before after all. But I really must go back to my nest before it gets too dark. Farewell, Miss Virginia!" the bird piped. Virginia smiled and thanked the feathered messenger as it took to the air. She had closed the window thoughtfully. The bird was right in that Wolf could take care of himself quite adequately in terms of the natural world and the peculiar life forms in the swamp. Much better than she could anyway. Virginia and her father hadn't lasted more than an hour in that foetid bog. Wolf wouldn't fall for any of the tricksy things that dwelt in the swamp, unless it involved a more intelligent mind than creeping ivy. Virginia felt a light brushing against her mind, the faintest sense of impending doom. She shivered and turned to light the lamps, greeting Elsie as she came in with a dead chicken in one hand and Caelum dangling from the other.
"Well, since he caught it all by himself, I guess we may as well eat it" Elsie huffed, but Virginia could tell that the half wolf woman was secretly pleased with the cub's killing spree. Virginia supposed that in wolf families such things were celebrated in much the same way as when human youngsters first managed to stay on their bicycles without falling off. She took her bloodstained son into her arms, mussing his dark curls, but he was watching Elsie avidly as she plucked and prepared 'his' kill. Virginia laughed at his concentration, deciding to let him get away with it this time at least. Her poor little boy had been having a rough couple of weeks. Having survived the mad dash through the forest and being unceremoniously dumped through the window by his mother, he'd had to listen to her being attacked by the werewolf. He'd probably smelt her blood as it gushed out of the wounds and seeped under the door. Then he'd been all but forgotten, overlooked in the panic to save his mother's life. Virginia wondered how much of it he would remember in the years to come. Did the Kingdoms have child psychologists? They'd be much in demand if they existed here, she guessed, given how many nasty things happened to children in this fairy tale world.
Virginia had slept uneasily that night. The bed was just too big and empty for her to be able to relax in it. She was sorely tempted to creep out and somehow make her way to Wolf, but she knew it was too far for her to make it before dawn. And he'd be angry with her too, though he might not show it. But Virginia had a horrible feeling about just where Elias had gone, and now, as dusk settled on the second day since Wolf had left, that feeling intensified triplefold. Why hadn't he sent a message back, or come himself? Surely he would know how much she would worry about him. She took a few steps away from the doorstep, letting her feet lead her away towards the line of trees that made up the boundary between her humble ordered farmlet and the wild of the forest. She passed underneath the first branches, automatically looking up, scanning the foliage for any magic bird friends. There were none that she could see or hear, even with her newly enhanced senses. Virginia sighed, fighting the rising sense of panic. Something had gone wrong. She was sure of it. Closing her eyes, she tried to visualise what had happened, but no clue came to her. She was making as if to turn back towards the house when she heard suddenly the faint flap flap sound of bird wings, but they were odd, erratic, not the usual smooth and regular rythum of flight. She turned back, just as a tiny flash of colour appeared out of the leaves and darted up to her shoulder. It was a magic bird, and it panted loudly, looking like it was about to collapse. It had small dark stains on it's breast and Virginia smelt blood. Alarmed, she reached to take the bird into her hands. It craned to look up at her face.
"Oh miss, I found you!" it whispered. Virginia waited with held breath as it struggled to speak. "Oh, your Wolf, he, they, went inside. They didn't come out all the day. I went to see. I was attacked. A bigger, black bird, it chased me away. I fled, I'm sorry" it continued weakly. Virginia held it to her cheek, but she was already running, back towards the farm house, calling out to Elsie as she went. The older woman came out of the cottage, looking as alarmed as Virginia felt.
"What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Wolf's in trouble. I knew it! I have to go after him, right now! He's in the Deadly Swamp, and that crazed old witch has him, I'm sure of it Elsie! Now, will you stay here with Caelum while I go? Virginia spoke in a rush, yet she felt strangely calm at the same time. So, the old witch had played her hand again. Well, Virginia had bested her before and would do so once more. Virginia felt confident that the witch had not the capability to cause actual harm to Wolf, or anyone for that matter, else she would have used it when Virginia had first come upon her. That of course meant that Wolf was being used as bait, a lure to draw Virginia to that old hut in the swamp. Virginia wondered what the old crone wanted with her, apart from the obvious desire for revenge. She flew up the stairs two at a time, flinging on her good walking boots and a thick jacket, since she figured she'd be out most of the night. Even if she took the old pony, she'd be unlikely to reach the swamp until daybreak, Virginia realised. Clattering down the stairs, she took in the worried look on Elsie's face.
"Virginia, have you thought about this? It's too dangerous to go alone. Let us go to the castle first. We can get reinforcements and leave Caelum with your father"
"No, there's no time to go out of our way. This way is best. She wants me to come there, that's all. But she won't find me to be the frightened girl that I was! No sirree!" Virginia said, then laughed at herself using Wolf's typical phrase. She shook out her arms, feeling the exhiliration. A part of her mind cautioned quietly that this sudden rush of energy and fearlessness might be related to her werewolf blood, but she ignored the warning. It felt too good to be up and active, making things happen. No more running away for Virginia. Time to become. Elsie stepped back and cast down her worried eyes as Virginia called Caelum's name. The cub appeared from some hidey hole and scampered up to his mother.
"Good boy" Virginia said to him as she scooped him up. "Now, stay with Elsie. Mama's going to get Daddy back, okay? I'll be back very soon, I promise" she continued, watching as his little eyebrows raised in a comical imitation of his father. She kissed him and handed him over to Elsie.
"Take care of him for me, please? You've been so good to us Elsie, and here I am just dumping him on you..."
"Ah, go on girl. We'll be fine and we'll be waiting. Go do what you've got to do" Elsie said, holding Caelum close to her. Virginia didn't want to waste what scant light remained, so she went swiftly to the stable, saddling up the groaning old pony Jed. Leading him out the the yard, she mounted and waved to Elsie and her son standing at the window. She bit back sudden tears at the thought of leaving her baby again, even for a short time. It was going to cost her and Wolf a fortune in therapy to straighten out her poor little man, she thought wryly. Well, that was on the proviso that life's drama's ever left them alone long enough for Caelum to realise what a normal life actually was. Tucking the tired magic bird into her shirt pocket, she nudged the grumpy pony in the ribs with her boots and turned his head towards the road that would take her back to the Deadly Swamp.
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Wolf huffed and puffed as strongly as he could, but it did no good. Well, aside from the fact that it gave him some sense of doing something, anything, to get himself and his brother out of their predicament. But as far as affecting an escape, all his struggles were coming to be next to useless. Exhausted for the moment, he ceased his limbs and just floated a while in the strange nowhere. At least it didn't involve pain, this place. Not yet anyway. He swung his head from side to side, trying for the thousandth time to find some way out, a back door that he'd so far overlooked. But there was only blackness on three sides and the silvery barrier at the front. This barrier was the other side of the glass that made up a magical mirror, he knew that now. He closed his eyes against the faint light that came across the glass, cursing his own stupidity as he had done so many times in the past few hours. Assuming that only a few hours had actually passed, of course. There was no way to tell how long they had been in here. Wolf let his mind drift back a little to the moments before Elias had sprung his trap.
He and Willem had been cautious as they had slunk down the steps, yet not so much as to betray any real fear. They were adult male half-wolf's after all, and such as they were they did not wish to appear like frightened cubs and therefore give away any mental advantage. It was a bluff all too typical of the males of any species. See, I am bigger, stronger, I walk confidently. Wolf scratched his head in the gloom. Perhaps if he and Willem had come down the stairs a little less threateningly, Elias would not have felt as if he needed to protect himself from them. Or maybe not. Who knew what the werewolf was thinking? They certainly hadn't had that much conversation this day for Wolf to be able to tell one way or the other.
Wolf hadn't been in the hut before, much less the basement, but Virginia had described it to him on many occasions, so the first impressions he had of the place didn't disturb him as much as it ordinarily would have. He knew about the slimy, moss covered open tomb, and in fact the rotting stench of the corpse announced it's presence long before he actually sighted it. The blackened and half decayed old witch lay in her open coffin directly in the centre of the room, just as Virginia had described it. Wolf stood on the lowest step, taking in the gruesome layout. The corpse had an unusual scent for a dead thing, like it was almost dead, but not quite. It was unnatural and it gave Wolf the shivers. Virginia had described the thing moving an arm and speaking to her. Behind him on the step above, Willem had grunted a barely audible growl.
"Phew! And I thought the swamp stank!" he had added in the human tongue. Wolf knew he was trying to goad the corpse into responding so that they could test the limits of it's involvement. But the thing hadn't moved an inch. Wolf wondered wryly what he would have done if the witch had suddenly stood up and spoken. Probably high-tailed it back up the stairs, and stuff the illusion of superiority! After a minute of close observation, Wolf and Willem had come to an unspoken conclusion that the witch posed no particular threat and they had stepped forward together, moving away from the door. Wolf had scented Elias easily and his sharp eyes found him hiding back in the shadows against the wall.
"Elias? Why do you sit down here in this place?". Wolf was pleased that his human voice had come out strong, but conversational. He wanted Elias to respond in kind, he realised. No shouting match, no accusations, no crass physical struggle. He still cared for the man, despite everything he'd done. They'd been friends, as close as den brothers even. Surely Elias would remember these things, take back his barbing words. Wolf found himself holding his breath as he waited for the werewolf's reply. Elias had come forward after a long moment, resting his hand on the frame of an old cracked mirror. In retrospect, Wolf knew that he probably should have kept more of an eye on that particular mirror, but his gaze went immediately to Elias, desperately trying to see some form of emotion on the man's face.
"I've been thinking, about many things. The past, the future" Elias answered finally, his voice as flat and expressionless as his features.
"There are plenty better places to sit and think. There is clear air and blue skies above. Will you not come with me now?" Wolf responded, but inwardly he began to worry. This was not the man he knew. Elias, his brother in spirit if not in blood, had always been softly spoken, but clear and concise always. He did not drift in thought or speech, and his expressions ever matched his feelings. Wolf wondered whether the man had lost his mind finally, as he had always said he'd feared. Wolf scrambled his brain to try and find a way of reaching the broken werewolf.
"Brother. Perhaps you think I blame you for what has happened, but I do not. Virginia does not. You must believe me"
Wolf spoke quietly, his hands held out subconciously towards Elias. The man's eyes gleamed suddenly as a stray shaft of light struck his face. Wolf shivered despite himself and he heard Willem come up close behind him as Elias smiled a bitter smile.
"It is not your place to offer forgiveness Wolf. And I am not your brother" he grated roughly, his hand sliding minutely down the frame. Wolf heard his real brother hiss softly in alarm, but it was too late to react, for either of them. A great light had shone out from the fractured glass and within an instant it had enveloped Wolf. It clung to every pore of his skin and he closed his eyes against the brightness of it. Slowly, he realised that he was moving sideways and he felt the cool smoothness of the mirror glass as he passed through it. There was a faint popping sound and he opened his eyes to see his brother Willem come floating through the glass, along with some odd other things, like a few worms, bugs and a big spider. With a jolt he realised that he and Willem had fallen into one of the oldest mirror tricks in the Kingdoms. A Reflection Capture mirror. Any living thing within the view of the glass when it was activated was now contained neatly within it. The spider had spun around and around in the void and Wolf had been hard pressed not to do the same in his initial panic. Willem had grabbed at his arm, drawing his attention away from the vast emptiness at their backs.
"Settle little brother. We're not harmed. We're in the mirror. Crafty old witch must have told him how to activate it"
"Obviously! But why? Oh, this is just hopeless. I've stuffed it up again. Well, of course the witch would want to do me harm, since I helped Virginia spoil her plans. We shouldn't have turned our backs on her"
"Ah yes, black magic never dies, it is said" Willem had replied, and Wolf had heard the wry humor in his voice.
"How can you think this is funny?" Wolf growled back, frustrated at his older brothers seeming lack of understanding at their situation.
"Oh, stop it Lucian! Admit it, you're just embarrassed that your tiny little mate will have to come and rescue you"
"Stop calling me that. I am Wolf, to you and everyone now. Lucian is ashes" Wolf responded sharply, but he had to admit that Willem had it partially right. Virginia would come to get them out, and yes, he would be embarrassed about it. It was probably the whole aim of the exercise, to get Virginia here. The witch likely had many more lethal methods at her disposal to use against Wolf if she so chose. She had arms, eyes and legs to use in Elias too, he thought angrily. So, let Virginia come here, he muttered to himself, staring darkly through the mirror at Elias, who sat crosslegged on the floor next to the corpse-witch. Except that Wolf didn't know which one wanted her more, the witch or the werewolf.
Many hours later, Wolf startled himself wide awake from a doze when Elias came close to the glass, almost pressing his face against it. Wolf wondered how much he and Willem could be seen from the real world side. Wolf's view was smoky and slightly blurred in places and he could hear no sounds at all. Elias looked both sad and grimly defiant when he peered into the mirror. Wolf tried desperately to reach forward and place his hand up to the barrier, but as always it eluded his grasp, like it was made of thin air. Elias stepped back a pace and then very deliberately looked upwards, cocking his head to one side as if listening. The meaning was unmistakeable to Wolf. Someone was moving around upstairs and he guessed just who that someone might be.
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Virginia had ridden Jed for most of the night, stopping only now and then to let him rest and drink from the clear streams that flowed over the land. The crescent moon gave off minimal light, but Virginia was delighted in how well she could see her way. She guided the pony confidently across the fields, skirting the common patches of woodland, those stands of trees that had escaped the confines of the disenchanted forest to throw down roots far from their kindred. Several sets of eyes watched her as she passed by, but none disturbed her travels. Virginia allowed herself a moments fancy that the watchers didn't care to approach her because of the hidden power she now carried, thinking that it must be obvious to those who had grown up in a world full of magic. Then she had laughed, dispelling the fantasy that she was anything other than the ordinary girl she saw in the mirror every morning. She rode on, openly, not caring to keep hidden or silent in case Wolf and Willem were on their way back. But she saw no sign of them.
By daybreak the stench of the Deadly Swamp was beginning to assail her sensitive nostrils. It appeared over the horizon as a dull green smudge, looking more than ever like a blot on the landscape. Virginia wondered why Wendell, or any of the other rulers of the 4th and 7th Kingdoms had not tried to clean out the place, evict the less desirable tenants. Maybe they had tried and failed. Virginia rode along the edges of the swamp, looking for the place where she and her father had entered more than a year ago. Quite a near disaster, that short cut had been. There was nothing that jogged her memory, but she did come upon the spot where Wolf and his brother had bedded down for the night. It was the sudden faint scent of him that came to her, making her stop the weary pony and dismount. She crouched down, seeing the smooth patches of grass where they had lain the night before. Virginia breathed deeply close to the ground, pleased suddenly that she could identify her lover's scent, but she realised that she had been doing that very thing for at least the past week anyway, just not being aware of it. Virginia had always found Wolf's natural wild scent pleasant, but now it was almost intoxicating to her. Did Wolf ever get this odd rush of blood to the head (and other places, she thought with a grin) when he smelt her? Very much so, she guessed.
Well, she couldn't just stay here all day sniffing, Virginia thought with some amusement, standing up and going back to relieve Jed of some of his burdens of saddle and bridle. She slapped the old pony on the rump, heading him in the direction of the lush fields nearby. She didn't know whether he would stay close by or not but she knew she couldn't worry about details like that right now. Turning back to the gloomy swamp, she stepped out, confident that all paths in this place led back to the little hut where the swamp witch lay in her self imposed corpse palace.