The Witch of Storn

Chapter 24

Rey realized once more that she was no longer on Earth. Maybe she would adjust to life in a new world after a few months but right now every little thing slapped her in the face and forced her to accept that she was a stranger to this place. Things like the blue moon, the food which was nothing she had ever seen, and now the book that lacked a table of contents. She was being dramatic about it and she had Rhaenar to thank for it. She had almost thrown the book across the room when she opened it to discover that there was no table of contents or even a list of what it contained. From the very first page there was only writing and drawings until the back where it noted that some of the stories were unrealistic but others were based on fact, warning the reader to be wary. Rey scoffed. Of course the stories in the book were real; what kind of self-respecting fantasy world didn’t have monsters? She was relieved she hadn’t thrown the book away though; there would have been no way to get it back until Zaria returned. Rey scrunched up her face at the thought of spending the hours just staring because she – rather her alter ego – was a drama queen. It made sense a little how Rhaenar had been the villainess of Sylphia’s story – she was able to blow the littlest thing out of proportion. Rey hoped Rhaenar’s ‘residuals’ as she called them – her feelings, memories, behaviours, instincts – would go away as soon as possible so she could be herself again. The being hadn’t explained anything either. Rey rolled her eyes at their incompetence and rolled them again when she recalled their arrogance. Where did all that pride come from?

She placed her attention back onto the book, settling in to read it properly this time. The first page held a disclaimer: the author (unknown) denied responsibility for any injuries or deaths that might occur as a result of following the words they had written. Rey conceded that the disclaimer was fair but wondered how anyone was supposed to hold the author responsible if they didn’t know who the author was. She turned the page, where the book began properly.

Rey admired the illustrations in the first entry. They were all of tiny human-like figures, wearing strange garments that looked like pillowcases but with holes for their arms, legs and neck. Looking closely she saw that their nails were long and sharp, and in one of the three illustrations one of the figures was scratching deep grooves in a piece of wood (a door, maybe) with those nails. Their eyes took up most of their faces, giving them a creepy look. Compared to their eyes their nose seemed to be just two slits emerging from a bump in their face, like those of camels. Their mouths? Surprisingly normal – no fangs or abnormal canines. The title under the illustration read ‘Ympes’. Ympe? It was pronounced ‘eemp’, according to her residuals, so Rey converted it to ‘imp’. Things made much more sense that way.

‘…the ympe is a curious creature, so strange that people often feel compelled to take a closer look at it. Do not do it! They do not drink blood, and they feed only on nectar from certain flowers, but they have a morbid fascination for using their absurdly strong nails on everything they see, more so with humans. They seem to think that humans, having such soft skin are the strangest of all and will scratch whoever they meet if given the chance. Do not engage with them...’

‘…commonly found in forests and places close to forests. They will move only to places where they may obtain their preferred nutrition, so if you have never heard of any of the following flowers you may rest assured that the ympe will be far from you…’

‘…Ympes leave a trail of gouges and scratches behind them. This is one of the ways to tell if there is an imp in your area…’

‘…close all entrances, use metal if you can to dissuade them from your home once and for all. Ympes are mischievous and curious but they give up quite easily…’

It went on for another page before the next entry started. Rey wondered how the author had gathered all this information if these creatures were so dangerous. Magic, maybe?

******

Rey had read the first half of the book and was in the middle of an entry about a ‘Night Crawler’ when she heard a door open somewhere in the house. She put the book down to listen. All was quiet. Had it been her imagination? She picked up the book again and opened it – there it was. She drew the covers tighter around her, staring at the door. The sound repeated steadily, getting closer…someone was coming up the stairs. Maybe she was being unnecessarily paranoid. The person on the stairs was most likely Zaria. She agreed but kept the book ready. It wouldn’t do much but it would give her time to…to scream for help? Rey doubted there were any other people living close by. She could escape out the window? Why not? If she managed to leave the bed in spite of the crippling pain and then throw herself out the window maybe she would have some bones left to allow her crawl away. Yes Rey, very smart.

The footsteps stopped in front of the door. Rey gripped the book until she felt the burn of its spine pressing into her palms. There was a shuffling sound and a dull thud, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Her heart sped up again, knocking against her chest like it wanted to get out. The urge to scream at whoever it was to just enter already built up in her mind. She repressed it and continued to stare at the door, wishing she had x-ray vision so she could spare herself the tension.

At last the door swung open. Rey readied her weapon, eyes unmoving from their focus on the entrance. The person entered the room—

“Ugghhh.” Rey flopped back onto the pillow.

Zaria gave the girl a confused look. Rey smiled at her with a hand on her chest.

“I’m so glad it’s you.”

“Well thank you, although I have no idea why you would be expecting someone else.” Zaria shook her head and entered the room properly. Rey noticed the packages in her arms and she sat up properly to watch her. Zaria dropped everything in her arms onto the bed. She reached out for one bundle but paused when she saw the book Rey still held in one hand.

“Ah, I see you found the books.”

“You mean the book; because it’s the only one I can actually read.”

Zaria shrugged. “How was it? Did you enjoy it?”

Rey glanced at the book. “I did. It was interesting but a bit scary. Are all these—“ she waved the book in the air, “—real?”

Zaria replied over her shoulder as she stood on tiptoe placing a bundle on top of a shelf, “most are. In fact I should say all of them are true, but I have never encountered some of the creatures mentioned.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “Wait – you mean you’ve actually seen these things?”

Zaria had already finished her task and she was now free to offer Rey her full attention. She placed her hands on her waist and raised an eyebrow at her guest.

“Did you really think those were just stories?”

“I haven’t heard of any of these before.”

“I’m not surprised. You lived close to other people, correct?”

Rey nodded even if she didn’t see what that had to do with anything.

“Most of the creatures written about can only be encountered in their natural habitats. Spirits, for example, prefer the forest and any place where there is plenty vegetation. Gardens do not count because they are interfered with every day by the humans around. You might see fire spirits in fireplaces, but it is very rare.”

An alarming thought had occurred to Rey.

“So, that means that the creatures don’t really like being near humans?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case.”

“But your house isn’t near any other humans; at least, I haven’t seen any.”

Zaria chuckled. “My dear, I live literally in the middle of the forest.”

“Hah? Why? That means…you’ve seen those creatures in this forest?”

Zaria seemed to be amused by Rey’s panic.

“Not really. Some I encountered in other places, but yes, I have seen them.”

Someone, anyone, help!

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Zaria rolled her eyes at her. Still she patted Rey’s leg.

“Stop being so dramatic. It’s not as bad as you are making it out to be, some are actually quite harmless.”

“And the ones that aren’t? In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m helpless here!”

Rey slapped a hand over her disobedient mouth. She had been thinking something along those lines but there was no intention to say them out loud until Rhaenar’s instincts took over. She really needed to regain control of her body. Thankfully Zaria shrugged it off, seemingly in a good mood.

“Rest assured the house is protected. Also I am here, so nothing should happen to you.”

“Should?”

“Are you hungry? I know I am positively famished. I will go and get us some food.”

“Hey! You still haven’t answered my question!”