Forever Green

~12~ A Witch's Work

Theiden hurried to keep up with the witch's fast pace. Aside from the daily walks and the unexpected sparring match the other day, he had been restricted to the cottage for an entire week. He felt almost euphoric at this break in routine, despite not knowing the cause for it.

Of course, he would have felt better if he hadn't been stuck in the rain with a witch for company.

Theiden narrowed his eyes at the swiftly-moving figure before him. Now that he knew what stalked the mountain forests at night, he would have to be more careful in getting back home. But that did not mean that he had given up on escaping altogether. Since the witch was more skilled in fighting than he was, brute force would not work in overcoming her.

The last night's events had given him an idea—to gain her trust, learn all of her secrets, and then strike her down. She had, after all, let down her guard for a moment while he had tended to her shoulder. And after a few more sparring sessions and question-trading, perhaps he would learn enough to defeat her and return home. And once the news of his escape from the witch spread through the city, he'd be able to join the witch hunters for certain.

At this thought, a branch nearly swatted Theiden in the eye as he made his way through a thick cluster of trees. Upon hearing his surprised intake of breath, Lenesa paused and turned around, backlit by the wisp's bluish glow.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Just peachy," Theiden grumbled, shaking some of the water off his cloak and pulling his hood lower.

Lenesa raised a brow but continued on without another word, leaving Theiden to his thoughts once more.

Perhaps he wouldn't kill the witch, Theiden mused, since she had, after all, defended him from having his heart ripped out the previous night. Still, the entire fight had seemed to Theiden like that of two wolves fighting over a scrap of meat. Although his captor did not intend to end Theiden's life in the way the faun did, she had cut off his ties to his family and friends, and that was almost the same thing. He should at least maim her.

Fat raindrops drove in under Theiden's hood and splashed against his face. Blinking, he looked around to find that Lenesa had led them out from beneath the canopy of trees and to the high edge of a ravine. Water roared below, gushing through the chasm in foamy white waves. Tall beige pillars of rock jutted out from the water, some of their wide tops just level with the ledge they stood on. Theiden glanced over the steep side and sucked in a breath.

"Well, are you coming?" Lenesa called. Theiden looked up to find her standing several steps away, one foot on the edge of the ravine and the other on the top of the closest column of rock sticking up out of the roaring river below.

"What...are you doing?" Theiden managed to ask, half-wondering if he was seeing things correctly.

"Think of them as stepping stones," the witch said. She pointed to a pillar beyond the one she was half on, and then another farther away, both at about the same height. "It's like a stepping stone bridge."

"Do you want to die?" Theiden said incredulously. Maybe he didn't need to worry about killing the witch—she would complete the task for him.

"It's not so bad," she answered. "I've done it once before...I think I know which route to take."

Theiden looked out at the tall islands of rock sticking up from the ravine like quills on a porcupine. Some were spaced far apart, while others were closer together. A few tilted precariously, and all were narrower at the bottom where the water had worn away the rock—a sure sign of instability. It looked as though a giant had shaved off strips of the mountainside and dumped them upright into the ravine.