Witch Song (Witch Song #1)

Chapter 24

24. UNDER

 Senna caught fleeting glimpses of her surroundings. The houses sagged and the people grew less frequent. They circled the bottom of the mountain—the Boorish part of town. Sweat rolled down Joshen's face. His breathing rasped through his throat. He kept readjusting his damp grip. Even though she was small, she knew he couldn't last much longer. "Let me down."

 "Humph," Joshen replied, hoisting her up again. The jostling thrust her stomach in her throat. She moaned. His arms tightened around her. "Hang on, Senna. I'll get you somewhere safe."

She opened her eyes when Ciara let out a startled gasp. Leaning against a wall, she lifted her bleeding foot. "I'm not used to being barefoot," she mumbled as she yanked out a sliver.

"Where are you taking us?" Joshen asked harshly.

Senna pressed her palms into her eyes. The jerking was getting worse. Her stomach rolled.

Gingerly, Ciara tested her weight on her foot. "Somewhere I'd much rather avoid."

Shouts came from behind them. Joshen's grip tightened as he twisted toward the sound. Ciara peered down the street ahead before bursting from the alley, Joshen right behind her. They crossed two more streets and Senna watched helplessly as they ran full-speed into a reed house that hunched like a withered old man. Under normal circumstances she would have thought twice about entering, but she wasn't going to complain now.

No sooner were they out of sight than she heard the unmistakable sounds of running soldiers. Carefully, Joshen and Ciara moved deeper into the shadows. The three of them held their breath until the footsteps faded into the distance.

Joshen gently set her down, his arm hovering around her shoulders as if to make sure she didn't tip over. Senna glanced around. Bits of blue sky gleamed through the ragged palm ceiling, casting warm shafts of light upon plants and even a small tree that had managed to grow inside. With a start, she recognized the plants. Witch plants. "Where are we?"

"Desni's place." Ciara shivered. "Apparently, she's not here, but I'm sure she'll be along as soon as she hears of a Witch escaping the soldiers."

Through her jerky vision, Senna noted a few shelves along one wall. By another, a woven mat and some sort of wash basin. The hut smelled of strong herbs and rotting wood. "Someone lives here?" she asked in disbelief. The whole room twirled around her. She clenched her eyes shut, glad to at least be still.

"We're just lucky I remembered how to find it. Kaen said if there was trouble, I should come here. I met Desni once and I can't say I understand why he trusts her. Her mind seemed as muddled and mixed up as an imbecile."

"Quite true," a heavily accented voice cracked the stillness.

Pulling Senna behind him, Joshen whirled. From the doorway, a haggard woman peered at them from under the great sag of her eyelids. Senna felt Joshen's muscles tense, ready to flee or fight.

"Settle down, young one. No need to fear old Desni." Her teeth were as brown as aged wood and her hair was matted with bits of leaves. Her sallow flesh seemed as transparent as onion skin. What little Senna could see of the old woman's eyes settled on her. She moved with surprising agility to the woven mat. "Lay the little one down."

Joshen hesitated.

The old woman didn't look up. "Don't let my appearance deceive you. I may be old and ugly, but I wasn't always."

Senna rested her hand on Joshen's chest. "It's alright, Joshen. This woman knows something of Witches. I recognize her plants." One who embraced a Witch's plants embraced the Witch. Or so she hoped.