Into the Deep Wood

“Get up, my darling, come come!”

Val’s eyes opened, slowly coming into focus to a hideous blue-gray being with too large of a mouth.

“You broke the spell. Time to go!” Lady Katerina hissed, grabbing her under the arms and dragging her away from the throne. “I can’t have you causing a scene on my behalf. I can’t eat that.”

Val got to her feet shakily, and the Skriga helped her across the room to a side door.

“I promised you unscathed, and you are truly making it a chore,” It told Val as they hurried down the corridors. As the creature’s apartment door shut, it let Val go, and she collapsed onto a chair.

“Oh my.” The creature stood above her, its nostrils flaring. “Oh no.”

Val sat up, disoriented but physically alright - she thought. Although bits of drool rolled down her chin, and when she went to wipe them away with her sleeve - she saw it had been blood.

“Oh, what have you done, my darling?” The Skriga ran to a basin positioned on a beautiful white table. It pulled at a metal handle, and water poured from a metal pipe into it. The creature dipped a white napkin in it, wringing it out, and brought it back to Val. “All wrong, this is all wrong!”

Val took it, and the lace was soft against her fingers. She wiped her chin again - looking down. The blood was so dark it could have been black.

“How do I leave?” She asked. She was not going to answer another one of the creature’s questions.

“Through the side door in the west wing.”

“Will that lead me to the white stairs? I do not remember coming in there…”

“Oh!” The creature threw its head back and laughed. “No one uses the grand stairs! Those awful things are there so visiting dignitaries feel inadequate when they lose their breath halfway up. Korschey likes to ensure that very little dignity remains when anyone enters his palace.”

The Skriga stood as if considering something.

“I felt it, you know.” It said finally. “Don’t think we all didn’t.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You do.” The Skriga shook its head. “You unbound the Mother. We all felt the tether disappear.”

“She gave it to me freely.”

“Tsk.” The creature shook its head. “It’s your thread now, a life for a life. It matters not. I will not underestimate you again, and you must leave this place.”

“What happened to the Sisters…?” Val asked.

“You do not have any questions left.”

“He looks to bind you all as well.”

The Skriga looked uncomfortable. It's face held a lot of expression for all its lack of eyes.

“He has them chained. That’s all I know.” It said finally.

“How?”

“The Mother did it for him. She had been bound to us all. Now, nothing holds us together.” The creature sank into a chair. “Please go.”

“One last one. You have to know.” Val said, standing and looking around for her dress and shoes. She’d still worn the nightgown. “What is in the golden egg? What had she given him?”

The creature sat still, its head turned toward Val.

“Well, my darling, it is his death.”

Ivan rubbed his temples, regretting dearly the Sylvan he had so eagerly drank only hours ago. The kick was strong and came with a vengeance - but its effects did not last long. All that remained was a pounding headache - the final hit to an evening that had gone terribly wrong.

He heard steps down the hall and sat up quickly, ready to run to the door, but it opened before he could.

The Witch walked in with an inscrutable expression. She looked at him as if she had forgotten he would be there when she returned. He stood, unsure if he should touch her, to greet her, anything at all - anything could have happened in the Obsidian Palace.

But, she rushed to him herself, falling into his chest and clutching at his shirt. He put his arms around her. They stood like this for several long minutes before she let go.

“I have to speak with you about something.” Ivan started. He had to get to the White Cities before the scarred man did - he had to tell them where the armies were, that surrender was not their only option.

“I must speak to you too.” She said. “Please.”

Something in her voice made him pause his thoughts. The Witch was… different somehow. He sat on the bed, and she followed.

“We have to leave. We have to go south as fast as we can.” She said. At this, his eyes widened.

“Really?” He had not even started yet. How could she have known? What was it that she knew?

“I must tell you everything.” She began. “As I have promised I would.”

“Then speak.”

“I went to see the Hag. There was very little left of her.” Her eyes moved as if she vividly saw the grotesque display still. “She showed me what I believe to have been true. She showed me the truth of Korschey.”

Ivan remained quiet, allowing her to continue.

“When I was at the River Cities, the All-Mother there told me that a Golden had gone with Korschey many years ago. She told me that he’d locked her in a tower until she’d given birth to a boy. Then, he threw the child in the woods - taking its name for himself.” He saw the Witch’s hands begin to tremble. “She showed me the girl. She was so young. I felt her fear. She knew what was going to happen. He had not the decency to even lie to her. He cut her open - Ivan - he had not given the child to the wolves. He’d eaten it.”

“What?” Disgust, repulsion. “How could you know this is true? The Hag is known to lie in every story told. She is a trickster.”

The Witch shook her head.

“They struck a bargain, and he had betrayed her. She did not lie. Her visions held hate. She wanted revenge.”

“Wanted.” He repeated. It had not been lost on him.

“She is gone.” She was nervous. Scared.

He realized she was scared of how he would react. But there was more the Witch did not say. He could see it even now. Her mouth twitched, the words wanting to spill out.

“She gave me something… something to fulfill her vengeance.” She said finally.

“Gods, Valeria, please tell me it is a sword or some equally ridiculous trinket.” He’d seen on her face that it was too much to hope for.

“It is me.”

He breathed, his eyes on everything around the room but her - and hers burning into him, waiting for his reaction as if her very life depended on it.

“I think I liked it better when you were looking for a dead boyfriend…”

“That isn’t funny.” She sighed, but he saw the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Again, he rubbed his temples, the headache that had previously plagued him now overtaken by an entirely different beast.

“What do we do?” He said after a time.

“We go south. We tell them of the bound Sisters. We warn them. She said he wants to eat the world.”

“He has the Daughters of the Nothing…?” She’d definitely skipped that part, and it only made his headache pulse harder.

She nodded but did not say anything.

“Then, we will go.” He said.

“What did you want to tell me?”

“I met a man who told me that the South will surrender. So, we must beat him back whatever we do. Tell them where the horde is. That there is hope.”

“Gods, Ivan.” They both sat looking at the floor. The Witch’s eyes had been far away.

“You know,” He said, “I think we maybe should’ve stayed in the Deep Wood after all. Eventually, you would have fallen for my charms, and we would have spent our days in bliss eating the same smoked fish and sandwiches as we always had.”

She smiled.

“One more thing…” He said, suddenly remembering. “That woman, the one in the palace. She wasn’t a woman at all - yeah?”

The Witch nodded, her smile turning mischievous as she saw him realize what his body had been pining for.

“How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad.” She laughed. “Think, a very slender upright toad. With fingers as long as my forearms.”

“All-Father’s mercy.” He got very, very red.

He had more than a couple of thoughts of the woman since first seeing her by the gates. He could not help it, regardless of the guilt he felt.

“In stories, they say that some appear as fair maidens to lure men. I did not realize it was to this extent. There’s no free will.” He said thoughtfully, “I would have never…”

“If not for Sirin luring you with her song, we would have never met.” The Witch observed. “I should be more careful bringing you around my friends.”

“Perhaps you should not keep such enticing company.”

They both laughed despite the heaviness in the air.

It occurred to Ivan that even in light of the events, he would have rather been with her, here, than not with her at all - even if it had meant a peaceful life away from the winters of the North.