A Witch's Word

THE PARADE

Pain radiated through Edith’s joints as she had clutched onto Dex for the entirety of the journey. She wished she had taken a potion to shield her from the worst of her discomfort, but she hadn’t anticipated that she would be fixed into the same position by her husband, who only seemed to take pleasure in her predicament. They had said very little to each other, newly wedded strangers at best and enemies if one were to be honest. Often, she considered what her martyred grandmother would think, but those contemplations only made her more determined to use her status as a royal princess to crumble her husband’s kingdom until it was ash beneath her feet.

Gradually, Dex started to descend, and thankfully the decline wasn’t as steep as Edith imagined it would be. Taking a moment to look at the other dragons who had guided her this far, intrigue gripped her as she noticed they were flying ahead. Scepticism was her first reaction as she surveyed the barren land around her. Did this Prince of dragons think he could kill her easily on the outskirts of his one-day (no time soon) empire? She would have to reveal her skills sooner than she had planned if that were the case, but she knew she had nothing to fear. She was sure her husband was no match for her. Dex, on the other hand, posed more of a challenge. Thudding to the ground, Cadmus lightly patted her arm and pointed to a rope ladder he had hooked onto Dex’s scales further down his body.

“It is the tradition that a newly wedded prince and princess ride in the open-top carriage when returning to their home. We give out alms and let the people see that the royal line is secure,” he explained, seeing her dubious expression.

“You don’t ride Dex through the streets?” She inquired, holding on to her doubt a moment longer.

“No, the streets are too narrow, you’ll see what I mean when we get there. These smaller drake dragons will pull us through the streets, and the people will line up on the streets to welcome us,” he answered, unconvincingly.

Edith wondered if the people gathered there for curiosity or if they were forced there by patriotic persuasion from the guards. Curiosity would soon be satisfied when she saw the population of Novtexo, she counselled herself as she approached the frightful-looking drakes. Like the dragons, in many ways their faces were similar, but these creatures seemed lower to the ground with much shorter legs. Although they were muscular, their necks were less regal than Dex’s and their lips were peeled back, displaying a horrifying permanent smile of deadly intention. Coughing to gain her attention, Cadmus was already sat in the carriage, the blistering sun making his skin glow. Ignoring his poor manners, she climbed onto the seat next to him and pretended not to be intimidated as she lunged forward.

Reaching beneath the seat, Cadmus retrieved a bejeweled wooden box and held up a coin at a time from smallest to biggest. They varied in colour, with the smallest being a glossy black and the biggest being a golden disk big enough to cover her palm.

“This is the money that we pass to the poor as we go by. Never give out the gon.” he stated seriously, holding the big golden disk. “Nobody will have the ability to break this into smaller coins, and they wouldn’t want to. This can feed a family of six well for eight months, but it isn’t practical.”

Edith nodded seriously, although she was curious why they were in the box if it was useless. Cadmus continued with his instructions, holding up the glossy black coin next.

“This is a lind, it is the lowest value currency we have. This would be useful for children as they can buy small fruits with it, but for a man, he would need five of these to make an impact on his family. Next is the copper coin. This is a Wyr and can buy a family bread and eggs for a week. Ake is the green coin in the shape of a dragon scale; it will get the afore mentioned and milk. There are 20 linds in an ere and this is why they are a navy-blue shade in the shape of a dragon’s head. The penultimate value is a vern. You can identify it from the grey shade. Try to give this to families most in need of it. It might keep them alive for at least another two months. Most importantly, never throw handfuls of coins into the crowd, they will stampede for it, and the result would be a mass death.” Cadmus cautioned, and Edith could only nod in understanding. Horrified that with the certain tone he used, he must have witnessed such an event in the past.

Beginning their journey through the dry sands, the land looked like the dust to which all must return. There was no sign of nature or life to be found. Although she would never tell Cadmus, she could feel her mother’s magical signature in the land. It didn’t feel like a curse to Edith, but rather a potion with the ability to multiply and reform — a type of live bacteria. It was a cruel fate and Edith wondered if it even hurt the people that Mother Maggie had hoped it would affect. A terrible shudder in the ground caused their carriage to veer to the left. A huge maroon scaled snake erupted from the land. It’s dagger-shaped teeth gnashing violently.

“These are wyrms—mere agricultural beasts. They look frightening, but they are only searching for any natural resources we may have left after the witches cursed our land. On occasion, these beasts are successful and once we have given an offering to Novtex, the people are saved from hardships for a little longer.

When the wyrm re-submerged, the conversation between them was buried with it.

Towering over the barren desert, a shimmering focal point could be seen in the distance. The volcano of Novtex, Goddess of the Dragons, was black with ash that did little to hide the amber glow beneath it. The tip of the mythical site couldn’t be seen as it was hidden by the ash cloud above it, but a castle emerged from the side of the body built into this iconic site, and Edith realised that this was the end point of her journey. Her new home. Distracted by the gravitas before her, she didn’t take note of the homes she was passing until a foul smell alerted her to a sickness in the air. Looking around she noticed the citizens obediently lined up to greet them. In the rivets of the ground, a questionable liquid flowed near them, but what was more appalling to Edith was the way some people were walking through it with no shoes on their feet, and worse still, the way some children dipped their hands into the filthy puddles, slurping up the filthy water thirstily. For the first time in her life, Edith considered the scars that her people had left on their enemies and doubted the justification of them.

“Behold Prince Cadmus and his bride Princess Edith!” a voice called out.

Cheers and pleas from the people unified in a layered chorus holding different notes of abject poverty. Screams of ‘blessed Novtex’ could be heard as if their goddess might look favourably upon them and finally help her desperate people. Grabbing handfuls of coins, Edith wished to throw them to the people at the back of the crowds, but she remembered her husband’s warning. Children who were far too young to be alone were running alongside the carriage begging for help, their palms were upturned and lifted towards her like tiny skeleton’s fingers, and the skin dripped off their famished figures. Tragically, other children were too weak to run, their protruding ribs a testament to the hunger they had become accustomed to. Frantically, she delved for more money, but her hand brushed the smoothness of the golden coins that were prohibited for the people who needed them most. Below that, her fingernails scraped on the wooden bottom.

The cheers converted into angry accusations.

Equally horrified, Cadmus patted down his pockets looking for anything of value. Worried that the viciousness of the crowds would result in a m******e by the guards. For a moment they were at a loss. Edith pulled her veil from her head, feeling heavy from the material, and the guilt of useless privilege. A stone from the crowd was launched into the carriage, hitting the seat in front of them. Wondering if the aim was poor because the thrower was delirious from hunger, Edith almost wished it had hit her. The guards above were circling with their dragons preparing to protect the young couple. Reid would never forgive himself for the death of children and halted his riders for another moment — noticing that some looked far too eager for bloodshed. Edith held onto the material in her hand, fingering the detailed stitching that had been integrated into the design. Slowly, a spell was forming. Tearing at the elegant tulle, she raised her hands, showing the people what she was doing. Her actions were strange enough to pause the vengeful individuals in the crowd. Once it filled her hands like confetti, she threw it high into the air, but to the astonishment of all it disappeared.

“People of Novtexo, your suffering distresses me. As your new princess, I make a promise to you today that I will work tirelessly to improve your situation. My gift for you is a piece of my veil that everyone will find in their pocket. I did not just marry the prince, but his people and land too, and I wish to celebrate this union with you. Think about what you want the value of my benevolence to be. What would you do with it? How would you spend it? By the time you go to your home, this piece of my wedding attire will be what you truly want it to be.” Edith’s voice was as steady as a commander’s and as loving as a mother’s.

The citizens looked at each other, daring each other to believe this promise that sat in their pockets. By the time they were home, the carriage would be gone, but they could feel that the delicate material was in their pockets, and that was a feat of magic they couldn’t explain. Mollified, the crowd dispersed, and the carriage pulled towards the castle in the volcano.

“We need to leave before they get home and realise it is only material in their pockets!” Cadmus berated Edith, concerned by her cruelty in offering false hope.

Remaining silent, she contemplated the wisdom of using her magic on such a scale so soon, but to withhold help when it could be provided didn't sit well with her, and was too similar to the attitude of her husband and his lords. If this complex example of her magic set her apart from them in the eyes of the people, she would have gladly done it a thousand times.

Rejoicing could be heard on the streets behind them. Twisting Cadmus looks across the dirty cobbles they had just left. People were running towards them, but for the first time in his memory, it wasn’t with anger but with appreciation.

“Blessed Edith!” he heard his people cry as their carriage entered the fortified gates.

“How powerful are you?” he asked his wife.

Silence lingered between them for what seems an age but could only have been moments.

“That was not an example of my magic, but of my compassion. What has happened to your country that your people suffer to such an extent and naught is done to help? This would never happen in my homeland.”

Ashamed, Cadmus finds tears in her eyes, brimming from anger and empathy. Two qualities that were unappreciated by his father and their lords. The truth was that the commoners had been ostracised for far too long, while the government got fat on the labour of the proletariat. Realising that flying so high above the problems below had resulted in him being untouchable in every possible way, he allowed his own shame to strike out in frustration at his wife, who saw so much so clearly.

“This is your home now. Your solution has filled their bellies today, so they will feel the hunger for longer tomorrow! Your people caused this!” he yelled at her.

"You don't seem to be suffering from hunger, my Prince. Perhaps you found a way to serve yourself despite the curse on your land. Had I been the matriarch of Sourcero, I know that if my people were starving, I would be starving with them. My mother has certainly been sending food to your country for these past twenty years, assuming that all were benefiting, rather than only a few. Cleary we were mistaken," she criticized, before looking away from him and ending all conversation.