The Witch's Gamma

Chapter 4

Eight Years Ago

Allie

Relief rolled through Allie when she reached the tree, and didn’t see the children lying on the ground. But she couldn’t help the jitters zapping through her body, as she hoped they were still in the tree and not taken elsewhere. She couldn't eliminate the illusion spell she set, as she didn't have the magic to do so. It took her calling out several times, but eventually one of them poked their head out and saw her standing there with the donkey. He disappeared again, followed by chatter in the tree. Several seconds later, all seven of them came out again, still looking shaken and wide-eyed.

"Allie, where is everybody?" Robin, a little redhead, asked.

Allie tried to give a kind and caring smile, but she was sure she failed. "I don't know, sweetheart. It looks like when the rogues attacked the village, they took everybody out."

She watched the sorrow filling those seven little faces, and she wished there had been a way to soften the blow.

"We’re going to walk to Oceanward. It's going to be hard; it's going to be several days, I think about three days, but we should be safe there. They have more wards and protections than we do."

"What if they come looking for us?" asked Abner. His tanned skin reddened from prolonged crying.

"The rogues don't know we were there. So, there's no reason for them to come looking for us. As for families, they'll know Oceanward is the closest place. I think several of you have extended family there. Our families would come around looking there eventually to find us. It'll be better if we can be somewhere they can find us." Her voice shook as she said that. She knew the families wouldn't come looking for them. While Allie hadn't recognized all the bodies in the village, because several were werewolf rogues, there were enough bodies present she knew most of the village were there. But letting the kids find their parents' dead bodies was a horrible idea. She needed to get them moving and get them safe. Without magic, she couldn't do anything to protect any of them.

"We gotta get moving, guys. I know it's dark, you're scared, and you're sad, but it's up to us to decide what we do and I think going somewhere safe is what's best."

It took another five minutes before the seven children agreed with her and they headed off. They walked through the night and into the first day. The kids were so frightened and keyed up they couldn't sleep, anyway. They took breaks for meals and by the time they made camp that second night, the kids' feet were sore, and they were exhausted. They probably stayed in camp longer than they should have, but Allie didn't have it in her to push them anymore than she already was.

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In the end, it took three and a half days before they reached Oceanward. Their pace picked up when buildings came into view.

Even though her magic had failed her, she felt the magic borders that popped around them when they got close enough. By the time they reached the edge of town, two older women stood, hands on hips, looking at them concerned. The younger of the two began corralling the children while the older woman, with white hair drawn up in a high bun, moved toward Allie and the donkey.

"Where are you from?" Concern threaded through her voice. She spoke low enough that the woman and the children wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Erstwhile, rogue wolves descended upon our village about four days ago. I managed to get these children out as we were training in a nearby field. But I fear there aren’t many, if anyone left but us." Her throat felt tighter as she spoke.

The older woman's face crumbled. "Oh honey, we heard rumors about rogues, but we assumed they wouldn't go after any of the witches. Why would they?"

All Allie could do was shrug. She looked over at the children and the woman a few feet away, waiting for Allie and the older woman.

"They need to be taken care of. If we're lucky, maybe one or two of the parents survived, but I wouldn’t count on it. I think three or four of them have extended family here, too." Allie sputtered as she spoke.

The older woman looked at her more curiously now. "Will you not be coming with them? Surely you need taking care of too, child. You can't be more than barely an adult." She wrapped an arm around Allie's shoulders.

"I'm afraid I can't. I set up a strong illusion spell to protect the children and used the rest of my magic to fend off the two wolves that followed us. I burned through it all since I don't know any effective attack magic. I'm empty." Her voice sounded just as hollow as her chest felt with those last words.

The older woman's face fell before she fortified it. "You're going to come with us. The city council might not let you stay, but we're going to take care of you until you get back on your feet. You used your magic to protect those children. The bare minimum we can do is see that you're fit enough to go out into the world." She straightened her spine and began moving with Allie into the village.

"It's brave what you did." The older woman crooned as they walked.

Allie didn't respond. She didn’t feel brave. She just watched the children heading into the village ahead of them, where she could now see a small crowd gathering. They were in the hands of more responsible adults now, and Allie was exhausted. All she wanted to do was find a corner and sleep. But somehow she didn't think that would happen, not yet anyway.