Witches
1391 Words
Ivanna stood frozen in the middle of her chambers long after Giveon had left.
The door had already closed behind him, but she could still hear his final words echoing in her mind.
I'll return as soon as possible.
She looked toward the door.
For some reason, those words did little to calm her.
Outside, she could hear the guards moving around the corridor. Their footsteps were heavy and deliberate, reminding her that something serious was happening beyond the walls of the castle.
She walked toward the window.
From there, she could see part of the kingdom below.
Smoke was rising in the distance.
Her heart sank.
The peaceful village she had admired only moments ago was now under attack.
People were probably still running.
Children were probably crying.
And Giveon had gone back there.
Ivanna pressed a hand against the glass.
"Please be safe."
She didn't even realize she had whispered the words.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Fear.
Not for herself.
For him.
She frowned.
Why was she so worried about Giveon?
She had known him for such a short time.
And yet, after everything that had happened between them, the thought of something happening to him frightened her more than she wanted to admit.
She stepped away from the window.
Maybe she should sit down.
Maybe she should try to sleep.
But she couldn't.
Her mind kept returning to the market.
The screams.
The terrified faces.
The way Giveon's expression had changed the moment his guard mentioned witches.
And then there was the way he had carried her.
Ivanna's cheeks warmed despite herself.
She had never seen anyone move like that.
It had been almost frightening.
Almost.
Yet when she had been in his arms, she hadn't been afraid.
She had felt safe.
A sudden crash outside made her jump.
Ivanna hurried toward the door.
"What was that?"
One of the guards immediately stepped forward.
"Please remain inside, Your Highness."
"What happened?"
"We don't know yet."
She frowned.
"Is the attack reaching the castle?"
The guard hesitated.
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
Ivanna noticed.
"You're lying."
The guard lowered his gaze.
Before he could answer, a loud horn sounded somewhere in the distance.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The guards immediately became alert.
Ivanna's heart began racing.
"What does that mean?"
"Stay inside."
The guard moved toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To find out what's happening."
The door closed behind him.
Ivanna was alone again.
She walked slowly toward the window.
The smoke in the distance seemed thicker now.
Then she saw something.
A dark figure moving across the courtyard below.
She squinted.
It was one of the castle guards.
He was running.
Another followed.
Then another.
Something was definitely wrong.
---
Back in the village, Giveon landed heavily on the roof of a stone building.
His eyes immediately scanned the streets below.
Chaos.
The market was almost unrecognizable.
Stalls had been destroyed.
Goods lay scattered everywhere.
Several buildings were burning.
Vampires and humans were helping one another escape.
Giveon's jaw tightened.
"Were there any casualties?"
His trusted councilman, who had arrived with several guards, stepped forward.
"Some."
"How many?"
"We're still counting."
Giveon's eyes darkened.
"And the witches?"
"They disappeared into the eastern forest."
Giveon looked toward the forest.
He could sense them.
They weren't gone.
They were hiding.
Waiting.
"Take the injured back to the castle."
"My prince—"
"All of them."
The councilman nodded.
"And the witches?"
Giveon's gaze remained fixed on the forest.
"I'll handle them."
"Alone?"
Giveon finally looked at him.
The councilman immediately fell silent.
There was something terrifying about the prince's expression.
Something even his most trusted men knew better than to question.
Giveon jumped from the roof.
He landed in the middle of the ruined marketplace.
A few frightened villagers immediately moved aside.
He walked toward one of the fallen stalls.
Something caught his attention.
A black mark had been burned into the wooden frame.
A symbol.
Giveon's expression changed.
He crouched and touched it.
It was still warm.
His fingers tightened.
"This wasn't a random attack."
The councilman approached.
"What is it?"
Giveon stood.
"It's a message."
"A message?"
"Yes."
His eyes remained on the symbol.
"They wanted us to know they were here."
The councilman swallowed.
"Who would send such a message?"
Giveon didn't answer.
He already knew.
His brothers.
Or someone working for them.
The war had not even officially begun, yet his enemies were already testing his kingdom's defenses.
Giveon turned toward the eastern forest.
"Gather the soldiers."
"All of them?"
"Enough to surround the forest."
"And if the witches attack?"
Giveon's expression became cold.
"Then they will learn why they should have stayed away."
---
Hours passed.
Ivanna sat beside the window, unable to concentrate on anything.
She had refused lunch.
She had refused tea.
She simply waited.
Every sound made her look toward the door.
Every distant shout made her heart jump.
She didn't understand herself.
She had spent weeks fearing this man.
She had heard stories about him.
Stories that said he wasn't entirely human.
Stories that made people lower their voices whenever his name was mentioned.
And yet she was sitting here, praying that he would return safely.
The door suddenly opened.
Ivanna jumped to her feet.
A guard entered.
"Your Highness."
"Where is Giveon?"
The guard hesitated.
"He hasn't returned yet."
Her heart sank.
"Why?"
"He is still dealing with the attack."
Ivanna turned away.
She tried to hide her disappointment.
Then the guard continued.
"But we've received word that the village has been secured."
She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Is he hurt?"
"We don't know."
Her heart tightened again.
"Find out."
The guard bowed.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He left.
Ivanna returned to the window.
She stared at the darkening sky.
She remembered the dream she had that morning.
The blood.
The dead soldiers.
The mountain covered in snow.
The sword in her hand.
Could it really have been nothing more than a nightmare?
She shivered.
For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that the dream had meant something.
Something she wasn't supposed to understand yet.
---
Night had fallen by the time Giveon finally returned to the castle.
His cloak was torn.
There was dirt across his face.
And a thin line of blood ran down his arm.
But he walked through the castle as though nothing had happened.
His guards followed behind him.
"Your Highness, you should allow the physician to—"
"I'm fine."
"But your arm—"
"It's not mine."
The guard stopped.
Giveon continued walking.
He reached Ivanna's chambers.
For a moment, he simply stood outside the door.
Then he opened it.
Ivanna was sitting beside the window.
The moment she saw him, she stood.
Her eyes immediately went to his torn clothes.
"You're hurt."
Giveon looked at his arm.
"It's nothing."
She walked toward him.
"It doesn't look like nothing."
He studied her face.
She looked worried.
For him.
Something warm moved through his chest.
"You waited?"
Ivanna looked away.
"I wanted to know if you were safe."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I am."
She looked back at him.
"Did you defeat them?"
Giveon's smile disappeared.
"They escaped."
Ivanna's expression fell.
"Are they coming back?"
He was silent for a moment.
"Perhaps."
She swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
Giveon stepped closer.
"It means you shouldn't leave the castle without me again."
Ivanna stared at him.
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
He reached out and gently touched her cheek.
The gesture was so soft that she almost forgot about the blood on his arm.
"You were frightened."
Ivanna nodded.
"A little."
Giveon looked into her eyes.
"I told you I'd come back."
"I know."
"And I always keep my promises."
For some reason, those words made her heart beat faster.
She lowered her gaze.
Neither of them spoke.
Outside the chambers, the castle remained unusually quiet.
But far beyond the walls, deep inside the forest, a woman dressed in black stood beneath the trees.
Her eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
She looked toward the castle.
Then smiled.
"She is here."
Another voice answered from the shadows.
"Then everything is going according to plan."
The woman's smile widened.
"The prince has brought his weakness home."
And somewhere in the darkness, something laughed.
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