COLOURS || Seth Clearwater

TWO

March, 1304

Lucinda hummed quietly to herself as she chopped up the dead rat, throwing half of the pieces into the large cauldron positioned above a raging fire, the other half she threw to her trio of domesticated birds of prey.

There was Rowena, a sheen black raven who was her eyes around the village. She helped keep Lucinda informed of everything that happened.

Andromeda — her screech owl — flew around Harpoon, making sure her cliants held up their end of the bargin.

Then she had her trusty bald eagle, Olenna, who did whatever was asked of her.

The three birds were all perched on the windowsill in front of her, watching her with beady eyes as she prepared a potion to help Lady Charlotte with her morning sickness.

The Jones family never seemed to run out of money or secrets, so they were constantly employing her; behind each others back. It had been about six months since Franklin Jones died, and Lucinda had never made more money in her life.

"This is for your sister, Rowena; behave yourself;" Lucinda scolded as she held out the rats tail and tossed in Andromeda's direction, the owl immediately taking it within its talons and flying up onto the ceiling rafters.

"Lucinda, I know you are home," the voice of Alec Bravel rang through the air sharply, and she only hummed louder. "Lucinda," Alec snapped, and she merely sighed.

"Olenna, open the door please," she called. The eagle shrieked in response and flew off the windowsill and her talons gripped the small handle, and pulled it open.

"Those birds will forever scare me," Alec grumbled as he walked in, and Olenna flew over to land on Lucinda's shoulder.

"They should; I'm the only reason they haven't killed you yet," she hummed as she continued chopping up more dead rats.

"Charlotte drinks that?" Alec asked in disgust as Lucinda tossed in the rats head.

"Indeed she does, and she hasn't complained once," Lucinda chuckled, gesturing with her bloody knife for Alec to sit at the small wooden table.

"That's disgusting," Alec grimaced, his upper lip curling up as Lucinda tossed the rat tail over to Rowena, who immediately snatched it from the air and flew out the always open window.

"It's what the potion requires. Besides; it doesn't taste all that terrible." Lucinda's hands immediately froze as the knife hit the cutting board, closing her eyes in annoyance and quietly cursing to herself when she realized what she had revealed.

"You've had children?" Alec asked in surprise. Lucinda cursed again before she spun around to face him, her bright blue eyes narrowing for a brief moment before her shoulder slouched and she slumped against the counter.

"Of course I have; when you've been alive thousands of years, you tend to get awfully bored." Lucinda chuckled at the upturn of Alec's lips for the second time in the last few minutes.

"I feel sick," he muttered, and she chuckled as she cleared her chopping board and began to tear up herbs she'd picked in the forest. "Where are your kids now?" He asked, and Lucinda smiled wistfully at the memory of raising little boys and girls.

"Most died many years ago," she sighed, grabbing a bundle of another herb. "But I have descendants everywhere; the perks of being immortal, I suppose," she murmured tiredly, her rips and tears becoming more angry.

"Have you ever met anyone like you?" Alec asked curiously, grimacing as Lucinda's potion turned a violent shade of puke green. She noticed the way his eyes shone as if he knew something she didn't, though she didn't ask what he meant. "Immortal, I mean."

"A few times, though they differ from me in many ways," she shuddered, reminiscing the rock hard pale skin, unbeating hearts and blood red eyes. She could feel her scars grow cold at the mention of them. "I hope you never meet them." Alec nodded slightly as the two fell into an awkward silence.

"Lucinda, the people of Harpoon are planning to rebel against you," he told her softly out of the blue, and she paused her actions. "They want you burned at the stake; you bring them so much fear they want you dead."

"A lot of people want me dead, Alec," Lucinda said calmly, resuming the exhausting task of stirring, though she'd done it enough time and had gained the strength in her arms. "This is common knowledge."

"This is different, they're planning to march in with their pitchforks and knives and even spears, you need to leave," he pressed urgently, tapping his fingers against the table before dropping his fingers into his lap. "I am doing this because I owe you many things." Lucinda rolled her eyes at his behavior.

"I am not leaving my home just because a few people want me to burn in hell for all of eternity," she scoffed, adding in another ingredient to the now boiling cauldron. The potion then turned its usual beautiful shade of lavender, a sign that it was finished. "Here," she muttered after scooping it into a small vile. "Now I think you should leave, Alec."

" But Lucinda —"

"— Alec I swear to God if you aren't gone in the next minute, I'm setting Zara on you." Fearing the witches pet tiger, Alec made himself scarce. Lucinda sat in silence for a moment, using her magic to put out the fire below the cauldron before she made her way to the small cot in the corner of the room.

"Zara, come here," she called quietly. Moments later, the large Siberian Tiger jumped through her window and landed gracefully below Olenna, who screeched and the cat stalked towards her, laying on the ground at her feet. "Rowena, be my eyes," she whispered while focusing all her energy on her cunning bird, and her bright blue eyes turned a violent shade of black; the same colour as a raven's feather.

"She's down right dangerous," the miller yelled to the crowd of citizens as Rowena flew above the crowd. "She'll kill us all!" Murmurs broke out as someone else spoke. "She's too powerful," a new mother spoke.

"I don't want her around my babies." The murmured became louder until they became full fledged yelling.

"She knows more about us then we do!" The chatter ceased at the next comment.

"I say we hang her!" someone cried. Rowena flew closer and perched herself on the sign of the shoe makers store.

"She could use her magic to save herself," the same woman yelled, holding her newborn son close to her chest.

"Then we burn her," the miller yelled gravely, and the people began yelling loud comments of agreement.

"So it appears the bakers boy was not lying to me," Lucinda murmured tiredly, her eyes fading from black to their usual beautiful pale blue. Zara purred quietly as Lucinda absent mindedly scratched behind her ear and under her chin, the big cat resting her head heavy in the witches lap.

"Then I suppose we will have to defend ourselves, won't we darlings?" The screeches and purrs and caws that filled Lucinda's home gave her the answer she needed. She immediately got to work, brewing potions and preparing spells to use when the villagers come for her. She had come face to face with death on many different occasions.

She thought of it as more of a game, now.

Lucinda didn't like to loose.