Cursed by a Witch by K T Sayles

Author:K T Sayles [Sayles, K T]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Subjectively, the next few months were the hardest. Each day dragged on and on like an eternity. But each week, I would look back and it felt like no time had passed at all since I’d cut ties with Hopkin.

Ethelwyn was worse than no help. I’d broken down the next day and poured my heart out to her. I told her everything that had happened--except, of course, that I’d revealed my true identity to Hopkin.

“Poor Willa,” she had said, “It’s good that you learned the lesson early. Witches and mortal men are like oil and water. Best you forget about it.”

I poured myself into my study and practice of witchcraft. I hadn’t kindled any love for the subject. I wasn’t sure what good any of this would do me once I had carried the baby to term and was restored to manhood. But it kept my mind busy and gave me some measure of satisfaction. It kept me from thinking about what I’d done to Hopkin, and allowed me freedom from gazing into an uncertain future. I still had no plans for what I would do as Edward. Go live as an exile in Cumbria, I supposed.

Witchcraft did open new doors that I’d never imagined, however. I quickly learned all kinds of clever tricks. I could open up a path for a wagon in the forest, as Ethelwyn had always done for the goat cart. I could light a fire with a snap of my fingers. I could project an image of myself hundreds of yards away.

But Ethelwyn had suggested that the Green Language would be my gift. And so it was--but it went so much further than even she’d expected. At first, I was just able to speak to and understand animals. I remember a delightful conversation with a robin, early on, about what kinds of insects were the tastiest.

Eventually, it grew into something more. If I got a creature’s permission, it would let me “ride” it. While my body rested at home, I could see through the creature’s eyes, hear through its ears, and feel what it touched. I couldn’t take direct control of the creature’s body, but I could give it suggestions. After a while, I could even make it see and feel what I wanted. If I rode a bee, I could make it believe that there was a flower--just over there--brimming full of nectar, and make it go where I wanted.

It was a blessing that I had developed this gift when I did. As my pregnancy went further along, my belly grew bigger and bigger, and it was harder and harder to move around. But what did that matter, when I could fly with the wings of a falcon?

I can’t say that I didn’t use the gift for selfish purposes. I often liked to visit the town and the castle to keep up with what was going on. I had been shocked by the decline on my first return to the town after just over a month gone.

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