12: The Witch's Den

                                    

                                          


                          
Chapter Twelve
                          
	"It's a tale of a time not too long ago," Olena began. Jack figured it was going to take a while, and so he put down his fork. "In the far north, away from all the kingdoms and quarrels of the mainland, where the chill reaches your bones and your clothes never really dried, that is where you find the Frozen Isles. 
                          
	"And in that collection of cold rocks, somehow, life teems in the face of adversity. Villages scattered across the landscape, a few on each island. The people fought against the blizzards, battled the waves for each meal and roamed whatever woods they had. It was a hunter's life. It was among those hunters that Cerise was born into." 
                          
	That was not what Jack had been expecting. "She's from the Frozen Isles? What is she doing this far south?" 
                          
	"Perhaps you'll find out why if you let me continue."
                          
	A small laugh bubbled from inside him. He hadn't interrupted a story since he thought he had grown too big to sit on his mother's lap.  
                          
	Once Olena was convinced that the boy had decided to stop talking, she continued. "Cerise's father was a hunter, and when his daughter wandered in the direction of the forest, he was thrilled and terrified at the same time. The girl loved the woods, the same woods that could be as dangerous as they were beautiful. 
                          
	"But his real thrill was coming from dealing with customers that bought his meat. The battle of the bargain was what he preferred to have fought. His wife dreamt of the life of a seamstress. One of her earlier works produced a scarlet cloak she fashioned for her daughter. Though, she had intended for it to be when the girl had grown much older, and so it didn't fit her very well." 
                          
	With his imagination whirring from Olena's words, Jack couldn't stop himself imagining a little girl, a younger version of the one he knew. Her amber eyes were wide and energetic, clinging onto a cape that was far too big for her as she treaded along in the snow. Somehow, the thought made him grin like a child. 
                          
	"The parents contemplated moving away for a long time, to a place where they could each pursue their own dreams. The only thing that kept them back was their daughter. Cerise loved the snow and the woods. But she wasn't like the other children in the north." Olena stopped, attention shifting to Jack. "She was a lot like you, Your Highness." 
                          
	Jack figured he should correct Olena's address of him. Instead, he said, "How come?"
                          
	"Much like how you are gifted with Cambire in a world of Crest, Cerise bore the gift of Crest in a world of Runic magic. It was because of that her parents decided to move to Auros, the Crest capital of the world so that their daughter could embrace her gift to its greatest potential." 
                          
	Despite such hopeful words, the woman had grown crestfallen. "That was when everything went wrong." 
                          
The Witch's Den
                          
	A chill crawled across Jack's skin. Something had happened to a loving family. His kingdom, his land, must have done something to them. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know. 
                          
	But stopping a story once it has started is a coward's move.
                          
	"A long journey was to take place. The family was to board a ship, head for the mainland. From one of the port towns, they would purchase a horse and a wagon, head south along the merchant trails until they reached the continent's hub for both trade and Crest.
                          
	"Their travels lasted months. The family, with their six year old daughter, had passed through the stormy seas and bitter frost, avoiding the thugs and thieves that often plagued the same routes. Every leg of the journey was carefully thought out. The daughter's safety was absolute priority. They made it all the way to these woods surrounding the center of the kingdom. Unfortunately, Cerise fell ill."