This is a continuation of my past blog “Son of a Witch and a Raven” Hope ya’ll enjoy!!!
I waited outside while my wife gathered her ingredients. we were in a small, cliff-side port town, one of the many stops along their journey. we were traveling to find somewhere we could call home. Somewhere good for a coming little one. My wife stumbled out of the Witchery store, barely able to support all of her newly bought herbs, charms, and spellbooks. I rushed forward and took most of her burden, giving her a soft smile. She grinned back at me – giddy to try out her new spell. We rode out of the town in our wagon until we found an open field next to a small creek. My wife jumped off and pulled out supplies – organizing her ingredients and tools as she set up camp – allowing me to unhitch the horses and take them to the creek for a drink.
An explosion went off in the direction of camp and I didn’t hesitate to start running. I stumbled out into the clearing to see her, down on her knees by a blackened spell circle, cradling something in her arms, surrounded by bandits. No, not bandits – they were too organized. They were more like soldiers. I went back into the woods unseen, retreating to the horses. I began to strategize, heading back to the clearing to see how I could outsmart the soldiers. My mind drifted, thinking, why they were here? Then it hit me.
In the last town, there were posters of a reward – for witches. I shook my head and refocused, thinking of ways to save my wife. If I surprised them, I’d have the upper hand – but I would still be outnumbered. Negotiating? Probably not. Stalling? No. A distraction? Yes – that could work. I turned to the two horses, spooked one off in the direction of the soldiers and brought the other one closer to where my wife was. I hoisted myself up and urged my steed forward, calling her name, and leaning out to grab her. She jumped – I swooped her onto the horse and bolted down the road.
My wife and I pushed that poor horse hard, getting as far away from the soldiers as we could. My wife would find water using her herbal knowledge, and I would go hunting using a spear I had fashioned. My curiosity of what she held in her small bundle of cloth grew as we traveled, but I knew not to ask. If she wanted me to know she would tell me. She cared for it, whatever it was, and I noticed that she would hold it close, whisper to it, and sing it a song. But I never saw her do anything else. Plus there was another odd thing – it made no noise. We traveled for a little over two weeks, until we crossed into another town. Although wary, we continued like we always had. My wife found a job cooking or making medicine, and I would find a crafting or labor job to do. We stayed in this town for about a month, then we bought a small, old wagon and supplies to continue on our way.
I sat on the edge of the wagon, watching my wife try out her newest spell. She had drawn a circle in the dirt earlier that morning and placed her odd bundle in the center. Then she surrounded it with different herbs/charms. She took the pot of boiling liquid she had prepared earlier and poured it on the bundle, turning the circle into a muddy goo hole. She gathered more herbs and placed them at certain places – then she took a step back, put her hands on her hips, and announced “It’s done!”. She turned to me with a smile and told me that now, we just wait for the moon.
My wife fell asleep soon after, so I stayed up to guard her circle from night-creatures. It was late, and with sleep weighing on my eyes, I began to doze off. CRACK I startled awake, looking around for the source of the sound, but nothing was there. CRACK I heard it again, from the direction of her circle. Yes, the sound was definitely coming from the goopy circle! I called my wife, running to wake her up. I shook her awake, telling her about what I heard. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, mumbling about a good dream – but then she bolted up, realizing what I had said. She grabbed his arm and dragged me back out to stand beside her circle.
She was bursting with contagious excitement, bouncing on her toes and grabbing his arm hard enough to leave marks. She was whispering things under her breath as if talking too loudly would ruin the moment. One phrase that I heard on repeat was “We’re gonna be parents!” The cracking sound grew louder and more frequent, and the goopy mud started bubbling like it was boiling. And then, the miracle happened. The Moon came out from behind the clouds and shined directly on the circle, like a spotlight. With a bright flash of light, it was gone.
My wife sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face, while the husband just stood in awe. There in the middle of the circle, laying on top of the bundle of cloth, was a tiny, healthy, pale, baby boy, sleeping peacefully. She crawled forward, tenderly reaching out her shaking hands to pick up that fragile, baby boy. Her husband knelt beside her, cradling her and their new child. She was still sobbing, holding the child close and running her fingers through his thick midnight black hair. I hugged them tighter, whispering, “you did it.”, to my wife as his own eyes blurred with tears. She looked up at him, smiling and said “yeah … I did.”
Madison, I love this story so much!! It is so creative and you do such a wonderful job with the description! I can’t wait to read more 🙂