Any Witch Way

by Annastaysia Savage

  “And I simply must get my nails done before all of this hoopla begins,” said Miss Bruja. “I’ll leave behind nothing less than a good looking corpse should I not make it through this battle.”

  With a swish of her hips and a whoosh of her arms, she too disappeared.

  “I best get to work myself,” said the North Wind. “There’s a gale that needs happening off the coast of Massachusetts tonight, and I’m already four hours late. At least it’ll keep those weathermen on their toes.”

  He, too, left the room by a side door, and all who remained in the massive hall were Sadie, her mother, and Ms. Cabot. The air seemed heavy to Sadie, and all she wanted to do was disappear with her mother, back to the life they once had. It all seemed like a distant dream.

  “Sadie, you will get through this, and we are all right behind you, as one big extended family. Though you must discover…certain things…on your own, you are no ordinary witchling. We need you, Sadie; we need you to be strong and have faith in us, in yourself. I apologize once again for ever doubting you, and I hope we can work together in the future. You’re going to make one heck of a witch, dear,” said Ms. Cabot.

  With a nod and a wink she vanished, leaving behind a rainbow assortment of sparkles of light that burned out as they hit the icy floor.

  Sadie looked up at her mother. Her eyes welled with tears she could no longer hold back and the deluge began. Heaving with sobs and leaving a wet little puddle on North Wind’s table, Sadie let it all out.

  “Sssshhhhhh, it’s okay, Ladybug. You and I, we’ll get through this,” said her mother as she held Sadie tightly.

  “I just don’t want to lose you again. It was hard the first time even though I KNEW you were still alive and nobody would listen to me. I also don’t want to let anyone down, especially not now. I’ve never had anyone tell me the things Ms. Cabot did.

  “I have friends now, people who are depending on me to discover something that I know nothing about. I never had anyone count on me or depend on me for anything. Can’t you tell me anything, something to make it easier? I promise I won’t tell anyone,” cried Sadie.

  “I can’t say a thing; that’s not how it works. There are some things in life, whether it be a witch’s life or human’s that one must find out for oneself. And when you do, that’s what gives the discovery so much power, so much importance. This is one of them, Sadie. You’ll understand what I’m saying, what it all means, when it happens. I believe in you, the others believe in you, now you must believe in yourself,” said Mrs. MacDougall.

  Sadie took some comfort in her mother’s words, maybe just because her mother was with her, but it helped nonetheless. She stood up, wiped the remnants of tears from her eyes, and hugged her tightly.

  I will not let my friends and family down, she thought to herself as her mother smoothed her hair and brushed it back over her shoulders.

  “That’s my girl. Now, are you ready to go? We’ve got a ton of wood nymphs to round up and some rather argumentative spirits to get past in order to do so. Hold on to my left hand with yours, put your right over your heart with three fingers in the sign of a W and….”

  “I know, I remember,” said Sadie with a smile.

  The mother and daughter were off in a flash of light, as was everyone else, to begin their part in the battle between the Guild and the Syndicate. It was a battle that would decide the fate of everyone in every plane of existence.

  * * *

  Sadie and her mother materialized in a huge, rolling, and recently snow covered field of old cornstalks. Immediately in front of them was a vast, dark forest. The trees were so close together it seemed impossible for anyone to even attempt to enter—not to mention the foreboding look of all the trees bereft of leaves with their twisted, gnarled branches winding in and out of each other like so many angry arms. Sadie shivered at the sight; her mother stood tall.

  “Are you ready to meet the wood nymphs? I think you’ll like them. It’s the spirits haunting the woods that’ll probably give us some trouble.”

  Adrienne MacDougall smoothed her daughter’s hair with her hand as she spoke to her. The comfort she brought to Sadie was obvious, and they stood side by side to face their latest challenge—together.

  Sadie nodded and the pair walked forward towards the imposing forest. Upon entering, Sadie’s stomach began to knot and her chest felt a little tight. She was beginning to understand what this feeling was. She got it every time something was about to happen: sometimes for good, sometimes for something quite possibly not so nice. As they walked on, Sadie could swear someone or something was watching them. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and it wasn’t from the chill in the November air.

  The forest was indeed thick, and they had to maneuver carefully through the tangled and quite substantial undergrowth. Without speaking to one another, the pair moved forward and had made enough progress that Sadie thought they were probably about five hundred yards inward. There were no animals about, which Sadie thought odd, save for a large white owl that immediately and rather silently left the vicinity. Stepping into a clearing lined with a thicket of spiny brambles, Sadie spoke. “I haven’t seen any spirits or ghosts or anything. There aren’t even any animals, except that owl we saw. And where are all these wood nymphs supposed to be? I thought that….”

  But her words were cut short by a distant moaning.

  “That’s the trees in the wind, right, Mom?” She asked this question more to comfort herself than to get an actual answer. She knew the answer; there was no wind.

  The moaning grew louder and came towards them faster and faster until it seemed to be surrounding them in the clearing. Squinting her eyes, Sadie tried to see whom or what it was coming from. Several ethereal bodies could be seen ducking, dashing around, behind trees here and there. More moans came; more translucent shapes began to gather. Finally, they seemed to be surrounded by spirits on all sides, about four deep into the woods. It looked like an unearthly army had come to do battle. She looked at her mother and was somewhat surprised that she seemed calm and almost annoyed.

  “Show yourself, wraiths. Come into the clearing; we are not afraid of you, and we know your purpose. No matter what, we are getting through this wood,” said Adrienne in a tone Sadie remembered her using when she was in trouble for doing something bad.

  She smiled at the memory and took her mother’s hand, squeezing it, more for the love and admiration that rushed through her than from the fear that had been building.

  A snapping branch behind them brought Sadie back from her memory, and the mother and daughter both turned to see the source of the noise. They saw nothing. In large groups the gathered spirits began to make a hasty retreat into the forest. The woods were unbearably silent. More ghosts left in a hurry. Another snapping branch. This time to their left. All the spirits were gone. Then another to their right, and the pair spun around to face the sound.

  “Don’t be afraid, Sadie; it’s just the spirits playing tricks on us. They haunt these woods to keep others from finding the wood nymphs so that they may live in peace. Don’t let them scare you; they can do no harm. At least not to us,” said Adrienne.

  “They can’t, but I can.”

  Stepping from the tangle of briars, some embedded in its skin and raking blood trails across its flesh as it moved forward, came a creature so hideous it was hard for Sadie to look at.

  Its black skin oozed yellow seepage in places where pustules seemed to burst from the briars scraping them. Greasy lips smacked and parted to reveal a long, blood-red, snakelike tongue. Its glowing orange eyes flashed threateningly, and its pupils turned to slits as it came to stand across the small clearing from Sadie and her mother.

  Sadie trembled, never having seen something from a distance that was large enough for her to focus on the detail in its eyes. But the worst was yet to come. Beneath its two muscular arms, two more on each side tore from its flesh and formed and flexed, baring razor sharp claws. The creature dropped down on its arms as i
ts legs retracted to match its arm’s length. The skin on its back began to bubble and then tear.

  From the bloody rips came enormous black leathery wings lined with spikes. They were the length and height of a small truck. Spikes and spines began to rip through its flesh and protrude from any spot left available. The air was permeated with a burnt hair smell, though no fire was to be seen. Sadie almost gagged when the stench hit her nose.

  “Sadie, take my hand. This is something new to me and utterly evil. Can you feel the evil? We’ll have to fight this together,” said her mother.

  “Fools, you cannot fight me. I come from a place you can’t even imagine in your nightmares. And how often does one win in her nightmares? I am going to eat you both alive, piece by tiny piece, so each can bear witness to the other’s horrific and painful death,” the creature said, taking a step forward.

  “Who are you, who brought you here, and where do you come from?” Adrienne MacDougall stood her ground though Sadie had taken a step backwards.

  “I don’t have to tell you anything, but since you’re going to die anyway, I see that it can do no harm. I am Sintar, a part of the Reaper Clan. I was brought from my world on the 15th plane of existence by the Master. He promised plenty to eat and, indeed, that has been true.”

  As he said this, he picked and then pulled a rotting, detached hand from between two of his enormous teeth, threw it into the air, and gobbled it down. “We’ve never been able to travel to other planes of existence before; now that the Master has found a way and shall rule all, we can go where we want and will—until we are all that’s left or for as long as he allows. I’m here to dispose of those who oppose him. You will be next,” it said with a deep, ominous growl. “I can smell the goodness in you, and it makes me SICK!”

  “Sadie, quick, W!” her mother shouted.

  Sadie knew what she meant and threw up the sign over her heart while holding tight to her mother’s hand. Instantly, a protective shield filled the air around them as the creature charged forward. Quicker than Gur on a cookie, it hit the shield and sparks flew, blinding all three of them. In the moments it took to regain their composure, the beast was up and charging again. This time it hit the force field in a different spot and once again was flung backwards as sparks burst into the air.

  “Sadie, I don’t know how much longer our shield will hold. This creature is very powerful. Our Magik can only do so much, and it doesn’t seem to be working properly—again. See how the shield ripples in places? That’s a tear in our magik. We can’t transport or even materialize somewhere else while the shield is up so we’ll have to try to disappear quickly as I let go of the force field. We have to time it just right so be ready. We’ll aim for somewhere else in the forest, though I don’t know how close to the nymphs I can get us. Are you ready? Can you do this with me?”

  Sadie nodded, her mouth dry as the desert and her hands shaking with tremors. The beast charged again with the same results, except this time, when it hit the ground, Sadie’s mother released the protective shield, and they both gave their signs of W over the heart.

  The beast, realizing they were vulnerable, charged again. In a split second it was close enough for Sadie to see the dark, stinking inside of its throat, but in that same split second the mother and daughter materialized into a deeper, darker part of the woods. Back in the clearing, the beast seemed disoriented and then roared so loud the trees shook. At their new destination, both Sadie and her mother heard the roar and trembled a bit in their shoes.

  “Come on; we’ve got to make time. We’ve got to get to the nymphs and then back to the Guild before that thing finds us,” said Adrienne as she took off running with Sadie in tow.

  They ran with the ever present sound of the bellowing beast in the distance. They stopped when the forest seemed to block any more movement from any creature, living or dead. The tree branches stuck out in awkward places that they shouldn’t be growing. They grew from the sides of trees, from the ground, and even on strange looking bushes. It was as if the flora had built a wall.

  Breaking through a particularly snarled and tangled batch of tree limbs, they stepped into a clearing that seemed untouched by the changing seasons. As they did so, a whizzing arrow flew past their heads and embedded itself in a tree behind them before turning into just another branch. Sadie had hit the ground; when she did, she realized that lush green grass carpeted the forest floor now and fruit tress of every kind hung heavy with their precious bounty. Butterflies flitted about from gorgeous flower to gorgeous flower. Birds sang and the air was warm and inviting.

  Will this magik stuff ever stop amazing me?

  “Is that you, Adrienne? Oh, my, we thought you were dead. I’m so sorry about almost killing you. We thought you to be that beast that’s been tormenting and destroying us for the last few months. Oh, it comes from a dark place that one. Sorry again for almost killing you. Hey, everyone, it’s Adrienne MacDougall,” said a voice from within the trees.

  “Yeah, I suppose I’ll get that lots in the next few days. It’s a funny thing, coming back from the…uh, I guess we’ll call it—dead. This is my daughter Sadie, and we’ve come to ask for your assistance in our fight against the Syndicate. Will you come to aid in our fight?”

  (The beast roared a little closer than all present would have liked.)

  “That is, if we can get out of here before that beast comes back,” said Adrienne.

  “We’ve been hiding in these trees for months now, at least those of us who didn’t fall prey to that monster. There’s not many of us left. We don’t know what that creature is or why it’s here, but if you could get us out of here, we’d gladly help in your fight,” said a pair of eyes peering out from the tree tops.

  “Great, then come down from the trees to stand with us, and I’ll do my best, along with my daughter’s help, to get us to the safety of the Guild,” replied Adrienne.

  Slowly, one by one, several small elf-like creatures emerged from the trees. They were brown skinned, nimble, and graceful. Sadie thought they were absolutely stunning. They had large doe-like eyes framed with extraordinarily long eyelashes, long thick black hair, and wore shifts made of something paper thin that moved like silk.

  Some had mistletoe wreaths worn as crowns while others had flowers around their ankles and wrists. They smelled divine, like honeysuckle on a summer’s day; when one brushed past Sadie, it felt like a warm wind had blown past her arm. She sighed and inhaled the rich scent while they all gathered around.

  “We’re all that’s left, Adrienne. All that haven’t been eaten by the beasty from Hell,” said one who stood apart from the rest.

  “It’s okay. We’ll sort this mess out once back at the Guild,” replied Adrienne. “All of those already consigned to the battle are out gathering forces as we are; when we meet up again, I’m sure all of us will have much to discuss.”

  The beast roared somewhere near, and all the nymphs drew arrows. Sadie wondered how she had not seen them before, but now these beautiful little creatures all sported carved wooden bows and quivers full of arrows with brightly colored feathers.

  “Stand close, all hold hands; those closest hold onto Sadie and me. Steady now, are you ready, Sadie? Okay, let’s give it a try,” said Adrienne.

  As she spoke her last word, the beast broke through the tangle of vines and branches and flashed his tongue. He began his charge just as Sadie felt herself begin to dissipate.

  What’s taking so long? Sadie thought, as the beast came closer in a stalking like prowl. Some of the nymphs began to squeak and squeal. One broke loose and tried to run for the trees, but the beast soon devoured it in one large bite. As they all watched in horror, the two nymphs that had been holding the recently deceased one’s hand joined their own hands, and the scene in the forest began to fade.

  Soon, in a heap of relief and some cries of grief for their friend, the remaining nymphs, Sadie, and her mother were standing in the foyer of the Cranberry Grove Funeral Parlor. Adrienne MacDougal
l collapsed on the ground. Sadie quickly dropped to her knees beside her.

  “Mom, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” asked Sadie in a panic.

  “Yes, dear, I just need some rest, desperately. It took much out of me transporting all those nymphs. You’ll soon learn all about the woes of transporting. Get Ms. Cabot to come to me as you take the nymphs out back; they feel safer in trees…oh, and Sadie, you did marvelously back there,” she said before closing her eyes and falling fast asleep.

  Let the Battle Begin

  Sadie was sitting next to a very grand fireplace in one of the many rooms at Cranberry Grove Funeral Parlor. She was watching the nymphs play in the trees of the barren garden out back. At least, it had been barren when she took them out there the prior evening. Now, it was coming back to life regardless of the snow falling all around. She watched two of the nymphs carefully grasp some of the reeds from within the center fountain, which had been frozen over, and gently blow on them.

  Suddenly, they burst to life, sending ripples around the fountain and green replacing brown all the way around. Two beautiful blue undines leapt from the water, doing flips in the air, and only splashing back down once they had kissed the wood nymphs on both cheeks. Sadie sighed and wondered when she too could do such wonderful magik, that is, without it fizzling out over the top of her head.

  “In time, lass, in due time,” said Tara as she strode into the room full of purpose.

  Sadie was delighted to see Tara again and ran to her, arms wide, despite the fact she had read her mind, again. Even though Sadie had asked her not to, it didn’t seem to bother her. She was just glad to see Tara.

  “I’m so glad you’re back. Mom’s still sleeping. I think it took much out of her to transport all those nymphs. And we ran into a creature from another realm, and….”

  Tara laughed. “Sadie, Lass, you’re such an excitable child. And you do ramble on. I’ve already spoken with Ms. Cabot, and she filled me in on what happened in the nymphs' wood.