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I held my head up to the sky and caught a few of the flakes on my tongue. I shivered as they melted against my skin, realizing how close I’d been to dying when I found the cabin. I wouldn’t have lasted the night, otherwise. As I returned to the cottage, I heard the howling of the charimonts and, shivering, hurried back inside.
CHAPTER FIVE
The baking rollssmelled so good as I washed my hands with a little of the hot water and then stirred the stew. The roasting turkey smelled fantastic—there was nothing like freshly caught meat.
“All right,” Ashera said, while we waited for the rolls to finish. “If we want to call your friends in, we must be prepared to accidentally catch others in the net. I’m good, but I can’t always narrow down my aim to one precise person. Are you willing to chance that?”
I thought about it. “That depends on you. It’s you and your cottage risking exposure. I’m sure neither Bran nor Fenling would give away your secret, but…if somehow the spell brings Karehl into the picture, then we’re both in trouble.”
She brought out bowls for the stew, and a basket for the bread. I carried the butter in from the outdoor pantry at the back of the cottage.
“What do you do during the summer?” I asked. “To keep the meat fresh?”
“Near winter’s end, I carve large blocks of ice from the pond near here, and drag them back on a sledge. I cover them with sawdust and they last throughout the spring and summerseasons. I add a little magic to boost their staying power. By the time they melt, we’re in the throes of autumn, and the chill lasts long enough till the ice and snow come again.”
The rolls were ready, and so was the stew, so I filled our bowls while she filled the basket with the bread. We sat down at the table.
“I think I can fine-tune the spell to keep out enemies, at least. So even if it catches someone else in the net, it shouldn’t be Karehl, or his men. After we eat, I’ll gather the things we need and we’ll cast it near midnight when the power is strongest.”
I broke open a roll and slathered butter on it. “Tell me what I can do to help.”
“Eat, and then take a nap because spell casting is energy-intensive, and we’ll need rest after such an active day.” She motioned to my bowl. “Eat up. You’ll need the energy.”
After a few moments of eating, I broke the silence. “Have you always been a witch? Were you born with your powers?”
She waved her roll in the air. “Yes, although my mother was more powerful than I am. She was an incredible woman, and she left me this cottage so that I need never bind myself to a man. She was a good mother, although she wasn’t incredibly patient. But she taught me all that I know, and she taught me how to survive.”
“Did your father live with you?”
Ashera shook her head. “No, I never met him. He was some passerby, a traveler on the way north. He asked if he could stay in the shed for a night, but he ended up staying an entire month. She became fond of him, but she didn’t want to be beholden to anyone. So after a month, when she realized she was developing feelings for him, she sent him on his way. She never told him how she felt and she never told him that she was pregnant. During the latter part of her pregnancy she moved in with mygrandmother. Once I was born, and she had healed up, she returned to the cottage with me. I grew up here.”
It seemed a lonely life to me. “Did you have anyone to play with?”
“Here and there. There are other people who live in this forest, not far from here. Most of those houses are empty now. The owners either moved to villages or set off on adventures. But I grew up with a couple of friends. My mother and their parents banded together to help each other when need be. My mother was a recluse, and she preferred to live life on her own. But she was smart enough to see the good in pulling together for common aim. So she put aside her reclusive ways and joined to help create a small, but caring community. She lived a good life, although she died early, when she was sixty. I was forty at the time, and by then I had taken after my mother and preferred life here, alone. After she died, I cast cloaking spells to avoid being found.”
“How did I find you then? Are they still working?” I had very little clue how magic worked. But I knew that it did. Karehl’s disguise was enough to prove how strong magic could be.
“Oh, they’re still working. But Fate can overrule the strongest magic. You weremeantto find me. I believe that you were meant to survive and I was the only person near enough to help you do that. So, Fate led you to me. That’s one of the reasons I helped you. I knew that my barricades and wards were still as strong as ever, yet you stumbled on my cottage. So I opened the door and took you in. I’m glad I did. I enjoy your company, and as I said before—any enemy of the prince is my friend.”
“You really don’t like him, do you?”
Ashera shook her head. “He’s an evil man, power-hungry, and that is more dangerous than anything else. All right, whenwe finished eating, we’ll clear the table and then rest. Then near midnight, we’ll start the spell.”
After dinner,we washed the dishes and tidied the kitchen before turning in for a nap. I slept deep, but woke at a touch when Ashera came to wake me.
We had a quick snack of milk and cookies before Ashera motioned for me to wait at the table while she brought in the components she would need for the spell. She laid the materials out on the table—feathers, some sort of gummy resin, a piece of parchment, and a quill pen. She also brought over a mug overflowing with mist. It looked and smelled odd, almost pungent, and I winced.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the cup. “It smells horrible.”
“It’s a tea mix that helps with clairvoyance. I will cast the spell on you and you will think of your friends and call them in. You must be careful. Do not focus on Karehl or anyone else you don’t want to see.”
“So, in other words, keep my thoughts clear.” I slid the mug over in front of me, wrinkling my nose as the pungent smell wafted up my nostrils. While it didn’t make me gag, it wasn’t the nicest thing I had ever smelled. “What should I think? I mean, should I call to them, or just visualize them? Tell me what to do.”
“Envision them in your mind—visualize their faces if you can. Then hold that vision until I tell you to let it go. After you drink the tea and bring them to mind, raise your hand so I’ll know you’re ready. I’ll begin the incantation then. It won’t take long, but youmustfocus while I am casting the spell. I’ll tell you when I’m done.” She motioned to the tea. “Drink up. And drinkall of it. After we’re done, you can have another cookie to take away the taste.”
Gingerly, I raised the mug to my lips and took a sip. It tasted like dirty dishwater mixed with garlic. It wasn’t strong enough to nauseate me, but my stomach objected, gurgling as I chugged the tea to get it down.
After a moment, my head began to swim. I closed my eyes and thought of Bran and Fenling.
