The Aldergeist Witch Read online

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE The Village

  CHAPTER TWO Into the Aldergeist

  CHAPTER THREE A Walk in the Woods

  CHAPTER FOUR Spirits at Night

  CHAPTER FIVE Meeting the Witch

  CHAPTER SIX To the Passage

  CHAPTER SEVEN The Fight

  CHAPTER EIGHT The Healer

  CHAPTER NINE The End

  Thank you

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Village

  It had been two weeks since Henk Versteeg had gone into the forest. Several days after he was due to return, the villagers were sitting around the tavern like they did every night during harvest season, but this time they had new gossip to whisper about as they drank their warmed mead and rested their weary bodies.

  “I say it’s the wood,” Old Man Troost said, “ain’t nothing good ever come outta that wood.”

  He spit onto the dirt floor of the tavern and folded his arms as if that settled things.

  “Too true,” Jan added, “once he went into the Aldergeist, I knew that witch would get him.”

  “Aye lad, don’t even speak of her, it will bring more bad luck onto the village,” the old man said, “We got enough troubles going on, what with the early frost, Marcel’s cows taking ill, and now this missing sin eater.”

  The men continued to sip their meads and stare into the fire in silence. Old Man Troost held up his empty mug and was about to call for fourths when he was interrupted by a steady rapping on the tavern door.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  All eyes turned to Stans, the innkeeper, who was using a filthy rag to wipe down one of the tables. Normally, a visitor wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was nearing midnight and most of the other villagers had already gone home.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  Stans stowed the rag in his apron, grabbed the metal poker from next to the fire, and walked over to the heavy oak door. It was bad for business, but one of the rules for staying alive near the Aldergeist Forest was that you bolted your doors come nightfall.

  Stans shouted through the closed door, “Who comes knocking this late at night?”

  A voice replied, “I am a traveler seeking a place to stay for the night.”

  After a second to make up his mind, he threw back the bolt and the door swung inward with a sudden chill from the gusting breeze outside. Over the whistle of the wind, they could hear the scraping of dead leaves tumbling across the ground.

  Standing in the doorway was a tall figure, a black cloak drawn tightly around him, his face obscured by the shadow of his hood. In one hand he clutched a simple wooden staff that appeared to be engraved with symbols that none of them could decipher. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about the stranger though was the large black bird that sat perched on one shoulder. About the size of a large hawk, it sat there staring into the room before opening its beak and letting out a loud kirrreeeeee.

  “There there Aethon, we’ll get you into the warmth soon enough girl,” the stranger said, reaching a finger up to stroke the bird on her head before turning to Stans, “We are welcome to come in, right? We’ve had a rather long journey.”

  Stans stood back, holding the door in one hand and gesturing into the room with the metal poker.

  The stranger moved into the light of the fire and pulled his hood back, revealing a young man with a shaved head. From his dress alone, they could tell that he wasn’t a local. Beneath the cloak he wore dark grey robes, similar to what the monks that visited the town once a year on their summer pilgrimage wore. On his left arm was a thick leather bracer that was covered in scratch marks and tears.

  “Begging your pardon lad, but who are you an’ what are you doing in my tavern in the middle o’ the night?” Stans said, none too politely.

  The young man raised his eyebrows in surprise at the tone and frowned slightly before responding.

  “My name is Asher Norwood. I am a sin eater sent from the Umbra Guild, investigating the disappearance of my colleague. I was told he was last seen in this village a little over two weeks ago.”

  If he thought his introduction would make the villagers’ reception any less icy, he was wrong. They all continued to stare, an uncomfortable silence filling the room. The only sound came from the bird on his shoulder who made a soft cooing noise and ruffled her feathers. Finally Stans was the one to break the silence.

  “That’s right,” he said, “the other one of yous stayed the night here before heading out o’ town an’ into the Aldergeist.”

  “I’m told this village hired the services of my guild to purge the forest of an evil that has been plaguing you, and you believe it to be a witch?” Asher said. He had pulled a small journal from his leather satchel and was taking notes.

  “We don’t like to talk about her you understand, but yes, that’s the gist. That damnable witch has been a thorn in this village’s side for generations. She fills the wood with monsters, see? All sorts o’ dangerous beasts an’ ghouls keep us from working the forest. Every year a few hunters go missing after being lured into the Aldergeist.”

  “I see, and do you know if sin eater Versteeg made contact with the witch?” Asher asked.

  “No idea on that,” Stans replied, shaking his head, “after he left here, we never saw him again.”

  “Do you think any of the hunters or gleaners in the village would be able to tell me whereabouts she lives?”

  At this, Stans turned and gestured to a woman sitting at one of the tables in the tavern. Unusually for a woman, she wore a loose fitting shirt, and grubby leather pants. On her hip hung a large dagger.

  “The name’s Janneke, I’m one of the hunters here,” she said, holding up a hand in greeting, “Rumor has it she lives in a hut deep in the middle of the wood. Why do you want to know though? You don’t mean to go there do you?”

  “I do indeed,” Asher said, “my job is to find my colleague and fulfill my guild’s contract with your village.”

  Janneke pursed her lips for a second, and ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair, thinking things over.

  “All right, if you meet me tomorrow morning I’ll show you the path into the wood, but I ain’t going in with you.”

  “Fair enough, I’d appreciate that very much,” Asher said. He turned to Stans and asked, “Do you have a room available? It would be nice to sleep on a bed once more before I head into the Aldergeist.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Into the Aldergeist

  The next morning dawned clear and cold. It was early enough in the autumn that the rains hadn’t moved in yet, but there was still a chill on the air and dead leaves pooled around his feet. Asher pulled his cloak more tightly around himself and let out a sigh, seeing his breath swirl in front of his face. He was waiting for Janneke outside the tavern, the weak morning sun doing little to warm him after a chilly night in the drafty building. He wasn’t complaining though, he had no idea how long he’d have to comb the forest for Versteeg and there certainly wasn’t going to be an inn in the middle of the Aldergeist.

  Aethon was sitting on the dirt path in front of him, scratching around under the leaves for earthworms. Having bonded since they were both young, his trusty partner followed him on all of his jobs for the guild. He admired the iridescent sheen radiating from her black feathers in the sunlight as she danced around tugging on a worm that she had managed to catch. Being a sin eater was hard work, what with the danger of being disemboweled by a monster or carried to the afterlife by a demented spirit, and he was happy to have such a stalwart friend on his side. Just as Aethon had succeeded in pulling out the worm, Janneke walked up carrying a bow in one hand and a bag in the other. Over her shoulder sat a
quiver filled with arrows.

  “Morning,” she said, holding out the bag for Asher to take, “I brought some things that might be of help on your journey.”

  Asher took the bag and looked into it; inside there were some fresh apples, a water skin, a loaf of rye bread, a couple venison hand pies, and some salted pork.

  “Janneke, this is too much,” Asher said, “please let me pay you for it at least.”

  She waved a hand at him and shook her head, “It’s nothing, really. Just look after yourself out there. We know the dangers of the Aldergeist and I wouldn’t send my worst enemy in there.”

  Asher nodded and tied the bag shut, slinging it by the strap over his shoulder. He was immensely grateful but unsure of how to react. Sin eaters were generally looked down upon by the general populace, feared because of their ability to do magic and their association with death. Acts of kindness like this were nearly unheard of.

  “Thank you. I’ll do my best to stop the witch from harming your village anymore.”

  Janneke took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, steeling herself for the walk to the edge of the forest, “Right, let’s be on then.”

  For the next hour they walked past all of the cottages and farms that made up the tiny village. The hamlet was small enough that it only warranted the one road, and before he knew it the road came to a stop and they were facing a wall of trees. The border of the Aldergeist loomed before them like a giant castle wall, just as impenetrable, and just as dangerous for anybody trying to enter.

  Janneke held up her hand, pointed to a small dirt trail that snaked in between two ancient oak trees and disappeared into the immense gloom of the forest.

  “There’s the entrance. I’ve never been further than a league into the forest, so I can’t tell you much after that, but if you follow this a ways it should take you into the heart of the wood.”

  Asher nodded, “Thanks for everything Janneke, I truly appreciate it.”

  “Good luck, I hope you find your colleague.”

  They grasped hands briefly and then Asher was walking down the path into the wood with Aethon on his shoulder.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A Walk in the Woods

  The first day into the Aldergeist had been uneventful, if just a tad spooky. Nothing of note had happened, in fact partly what was so unsettling to Asher was that he hadn’t seen anything living in the forest aside from himself and Aethon. Early on, after first entering the forest, he had raised his staff and pulled in the energy of the plants and the stones, the streams and the leaves around him, feeling into the Trace of life that connected all of creation. While he could feel the normal Trace energy, he didn’t sense anything living, which was quite unusual. Normally at this time of year the forest would be filled with scurrying squirrels, gathering the last remaining nuts to hide away, or birds plucking the very last of the sweet mountain blackberries. Instead, he saw, heard, and felt nothing other than a lonely wind rattling the few leaves that were still clinging to their branches.

  Asher was sat around a small fire, the wool blanket from his bed roll pulled around his shoulders like a cloak to keep the chill off. He had placed the hand pies that Janneke had given him upon a rock to warm by the fire, and while he waited for them to be ready he tried to calculate roughly how far he had walked that day. After walking for most of the day, besides one small break for water at a stream they had crossed, he figured he must be roughly four leagues into the forest.

  “How deep do you think this wood goes girl?” Asher asked, absentmindedly stroking Aethon’s head as she laid bunched up under his blanket.

  The most rewarding part of his day was the next half hour after the hand pies had heated through and he finally got to taste Janneke’s delicious cooking. He ate both the hand pies and one of the apples, and washed it all down with long swigs of the water. Deciding it would be prudent to ration some of the food he tucked the salt pork and rye back into the sack to save for the following day.

  Dark fell early in the Aldergeist, and the huge trees looming around their camp blocked any semblance of a sunset, so Asher decided he’d call it a night. Before going to sleep he figured that it would be wise to cast some protection around the camp just in case. It was better to be overly vigilant and live to see the next morning.

  Getting out from under the warmth of his wool blanket, he pulled his cloak tight and retrieved a sack of salt from his leather satchel and got to work spreading a thin circle around the camp. Once the circle was set he raised his staff into the air, focused on the trees around him, pulled the Trace from their trunks and wove the energy into a simple protection spell. It wouldn’t do against anything big like a leshy or a troll, but it would buy him time nonetheless.

  After stowing the salt back in his satchel, he decided to let the fire burn down on its own and tucked himself into the bed roll next to Aethon, who sat like a small bundle near his chest. Even though it was early, he fell asleep quickly in the dark forest.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Spirits at Night

  Asher awoke with a sudden jolt, the prickling at the back of his neck pushing the sleep from his brain. He rubbed his eyes and peered into the dark, not seeing anything, but feeling something through the tiny vibrations within the Trace around him. As he extended the reach of his magic he could feel that there were in fact, many somethings all around camp. Glowing pale blue lights winked into existence around him, floating through the forest like dead leaves on a gust of wind. Asher blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to make a shape out of the hovering lights.

  One of the wisps stopped in a clearing between the boughs of two great alder trees and Asher saw the features of a human face materialize momentarily before disappearing again into the ethereal blue light.

  “Aethon, wake up,” Asher whispered, although it was unnecessary, she had been awake since the moment he had first stirred, “we’re surrounded by spirits.” Aethon quietly clicked her beak, keen eyes searching the darkness around them.

  Now having an idea of what was surrounding them, he reached forward into the dark again with his magic and felt for the Trace of energy that existed within the spirits. The response was overwhelming, there must have been hundreds of ghosts floating throughout the wood, all heading in the same direction, each one slowly picking their way southwest towards the heart of the forest. Now that he could more clearly make them out, Asher recognized the human features flitting into and out of existence as they marched on, seemingly oblivious to the presence of himself and Aethon.

  “What are these spirits doing here?” Asher thought aloud, “They can’t possibly all be victims of this witch that the townsfolk were frightened of.”

  Against his better judgment Asher got out from under the warm wool blanket, gathered his cloak around himself, picked up his staff, and decided to try and talk with the spirits. He crept under the skeletal boughs of the oak trees that surrounded his camp and made for the clearing that held the highest concentration of the orbs. They all floated by silently, disturbing not so much as a single dead leaf on the ground, unperturbed by his sudden appearance in their midst.

  “Good evening,” Asher said to one of the orbs as it hovered towards his face.

  For a brief moment a human face materialized beneath the veil of light emanating from the orb. It stared at Asher, its eyes hollow and unseeing. A mouth appeared and its jaw gaped open unnaturally wide and he felt a sudden chill on his neck that had nothing to do with the autumn weather. Without pause the face faded and the orb of light floated on past him.

  He tried to catch the attention of other orbs, but they all floated by without hesitation. After rejection by dozens of the spirits, he saw another one floating lower along the ground than the others. Asher knelt on the leaf litter and held his hand out as the orb approached. It hovered to a standstill, and without him saying anything, features manifested more sharply than those spirits before, but they were not those of a human. It had a graceful, pointed face, thin eyes and lips, but it was the
manifestation of two small pointed ears that confirmed Asher was meeting the spirit of an elf.

  “Good evening,” he repeated again, “my name is Asher. What is yours?”

  “Hello,” the spirit responded in a girlish, childlike voice, “my name is Imra.”

  “Can I ask what you’re doing out here tonight Imra?”

  “I’m not sure,” the spirit said, curiosity piquing her voice, “do you know where my mother is? I was helping her gather water by the river and then everything went black and I woke up in this forest. It’s so very late, I really need to find her or I’ll be in trouble.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know where your mother is,” Asher said gently.

  He took a deep breath and let it go as a sigh. Some sin eaters claimed the hardest part of their job was the curses, or the risk of possession, or the threat of being mauled by a variety of Traceborn monsters, but for Asher, comforting the spirits of those who had unexpectedly passed was always the hardest part.

  “That’s okay, I’ll find her somewhere around here,” Imra said, turning her head to peer around a tree.

  Seized with sudden inspiration, Asher asked the young elf, “Would you mind if I walked with you to help you find your mother?”

  “I don’t see why not, only don’t tell mama or I’ll get in trouble for talking with strangers.”

  Asher hurried back to the camp and gathered up his bedroll and pack. Lifting his staff, he summoned the Trace in the surrounding plants and pulled beads of moisture from their bodies, condensing them into a hovering puddle of water that dropped down and extinguished the remaining embers of his fire.

  He followed Imra further into the forest, Aethon now sitting on his shoulder, swaying as he walked over the uneven ground, roots and rocks trying their best to impede his progress. The young elf gave off an ethereal glow that lit the way, and although she claimed not to know where she was going, she walked steadfastly between the twining trees and followed the other hovering orbs. All the while she kept a rapid pace to the conversation; first telling Asher about her life in the farming village she belonged to, how the Elaran twins teased her about her buck teeth, then moved on to telling him about the new cow that her father had bought that meant things would finally be turning around for them. Asher didn’t mind the rambling, in fact after hiking alone all day, he was happy to have the company.