Chapter 2: A Calling to Meet

Throwing her cloak around her shoulders, Lila made her way through the driving rain to the barn. She let the doors slam shut behind her, and stood there for a moment in the dark with her fists clenched at her sides. Finally she opened her hands, and brought them close to her face. This time, she tried to will the light into existence.

 At first there was nothing, and Lila felt foolish for even trying. But then, slowly, her palms began to glow, the light growing into two bright spheres of blue-white light resting in the palms of her hands. Using their light, she saddled Astacus and then led him out of the barn as she struggled to push the light away. Then, before she could change her mind, she mounted and galloped toward the forest.

 She didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was she needed to be away from her home, away from her mother and the memory of her father. All she could think of to do was run.

 Despite his size, Astacus skillfully navigated through the trees at a canter without much guidance from Lila. She laid her head against the large horse’s neck, allowing him to lead her where he would as she let the rain pelt her face. She couldn’t make herself care what happened now. Her own mother hated her, and for good reason. Sandra was right; Lila was a murderer.

 After a while Astacus stopped, and Lila raised her head to see where they were. She was surprised to see a small wisp of smoke rising into the air beyond the trees in front of her, as though from a chimney. Astacus began to move toward the smoke on his own, and Lila let him go while she tried to figure out who might be living in the forest, so close to their farm, that she didn’t know about.

 Finally they approached a house, little more than a shack really, made of rough-hewn poles shaped into a square, the ends where the logs fit together sticking unevenly from the sides of the house. It blended in with the tall trees hugging the house all around. A simple plank of wood served for the door, now shut tightly against the wind and rain.

 Lila dismounted, sliding off the draft horse, the force of her landing splashing mud onto the hem of her dress. She barely noticed however; she felt as though she were in a fog, sensations coming to her from far away. Her instincts told her something wasn’t quite right, but for some reason she had an urgent need to go forward. It almost felt as though it weren’t her own desire, but she found herself starting to take a step anyway.

 Then she noticed a black cat sprawled on the first step. When he saw her he blinked his golden eyes lazily and sauntered back toward the door, squeezing himself through the large crack between the bottom of the door and the floor of the porch.

 Her eyes were then drawn to the overhang of the roof, which extended completely around the shabby building. Tied to the roof out of the rain were bundles of plants; everything from flowers to weeds. Some were nearly devoid of moisture, some looked as though they had just been hung up, their bright green leaves and colorful flowers a stark contrast to the drooping grass and mud all about. They were herbs, she realized, dozens of them. A few she recognized either from everyday use or from pictures in books she had read. Some were simply used to flavor food, some to cure and heal wounds and ailments, and some were poison.

 Lila froze before her foot touched the ground. Her stomach clenched tightly and she could feel her pulse and breathing quicken. She could feel her eyes turning a deep brown as she realized the only reason someone would keep poisonous herbs. As well as the most likely person to do so.

 A witch’s house. She had come to a witch’s house. Unannounced, with no reason other than she had felt like coming here.

 Lila turned away from the little shack, back toward the stallion. She gripped the pommel and was preparing to vault into the saddle when a raspy voice behind her shrieked. Lila’s heart sank.

“Sweet Jesus in Heaven!”

It was not exactly what she expected a witch to say, and the accent of it puzzled her, but froze her nonetheless. She realized she was holding the pommel in a death grip and made herself relax enough to notice the spheres of light coming from her palms again. Her stomach wanted to turn as she tried to push them down, and they dissipated quicker this time. Steeling herself, Lila turned to face the witch.

The woman before her was short and plump with wispy grey hair tamed back into a messy bun. She wore a shabby dress with an immaculately clean apron tied around her girth. She stood frozen on the porch, the fear and shock evident in her green eyes as she stared at Lila, her hands on her hips as though in the middle of a reprimand.

Lila expected to be struck down at any moment by an unseen spell or incantation but it didn’t come immediately. She stiffened as the woman slowly lowered her arms to her sides.

“I mus’ be dreaming. Or dead,” She said softly and then suddenly called out back into the house, making Lila jump. “Elizabeth! Did I die in me sleep last night?”

“Why? Do ye still think I poisoned yer soup, old woman?” A youthful, teasing voice called back in that same strange accent.

Two witches. Lila wanted to scream, or run, or something other than just stand there staring, but her throat was clenched so tightly she could barely breathe and her legs felt as though they were glued to the muddy forest floor.

Another woman perhaps a few years older than Lila emerged onto the porch; she was tall and pretty with golden hair and light green eyes. The rust red dress she wore was tight, showing off her curving figure. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she looked from Lila to the old woman, but it slipped at the expression on her companion’s face.

“Silvia, what’s wrong?”

“Can ye see her too? Because I was the only one who heard her coming, and I think I’m the only one who can see her. Are ye sure I’m nae dead, I havenae seen a spirit in some time now.”

 “O’course I can see her, Silvia. She’s no spirit. Forgive her, m’lady; she is but an old, senile woman.”

 Silvia finally regained her composure, slapping Elizabeth lightly upside the head before turning back to Lila.

“And forgive me niece m’lady, she is only a poor, ignorant bairn.”

Lila couldn’t manage to speak, so she just nodded her head.

The old woman looked her up and down, eyeing her carefully. “What be yer name, m’lady, if’n I may ask?”

 Lila had to clear her throat loudly before she could finally speak. “Lila,” She smiled apologetically. “And I’m not a lady.”

“Well, dun matter tae us either or. As ye’ve already heard, me name is Silvia, Silvia MacLeod, and this is me niece, Elizabeth.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

“Lila, is it? Yer sure?”

“Completely certain.”

“What of yer surname?”

“Doyle.”

Suddenly Silvia clutched her heart and gasped so loudly that even Astacus looked toward her, and Lila took a step back. In response, the old woman took a tentative step forward.

“I knew it! Ye look just like her! So much that ye could be her if not fer the darkness of yer hair.” She stopped and scrutinized Lila once more. “Though ye do have yer mother’s ears, and I must say, they were the only good part o’ Sandra. And yer father’s smile, though it was hers too before him. Though the eyes give it away. Ye have her eyes, the exact shade and shape!” She turned back to Elizabeth, who looked as startled as Lila felt. “Deryc had his father’s eyes, ye see. That’s what she told me. Also said her grandson had ‘em, and Lila here had hers,” She turned back to Lila. “She was very proud of ye, ye know.”

“W-who?” Lila stuttered hoarsely.

Silva blinked her heavy-lidded eyes in surprise. “Why, Rose o’ course. Yer grandmother.”

“You knew my grandmother?” Lila whispered, feeling some of her apprehension slip away.

“Aye, since before ye were born, bairn! When I first laid eyes on her, she was riding a black horse just like the one ye have there, in the rain, soaked to the bone.” Silvia looked around as though finally realizing that it was raining. “Good heavens, we’d best get in the house now! Ye can tie up yer horse to the porch there if ye’d like. Elizabeth, help the girl with her horse.”

Elizabeth shook her head as the old woman bustled back into the shack, but when she turned to Lila she smiled.

 “I can take care of him if ye’d like,” She said as she stepped forward and reached for the stallion’s reins.

Lila recognized the movement of Astacus’ ears as he showed Elizabeth the whites of his eyes. Lila stepped between them, patting the horse’s neck to calm him.

“It’s not necessary actually; he won’t run off.”

Elizabeth’s forehead furrowed slightly. “How can ye be sure of that? Or that no one will try tae take him?”

“He’s been trained very well; he will stay until I return. And he’s a fiercely spirited horse for any but me. He will not allow himself to be taken.”

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“I see. As ye wish,” Elizabeth said with a polite smile, and then turned back toward the house. Lila began to follow and Astacus trotted at her shoulder obediently. He stopped at the porch and before they disappeared into the shack, the horse tossed his head as though saying goodbye, making Lila smile. Her father had trained him very well.

“Silvia, do ye want tae tell the girl that we’re nae witches, or do ye want tae have some fun with her first?” Elizabeth said as she busied herself with the teakettle on the small stove. Lila froze on the threshold.

Silvia looked up and then laughed whole-heartedly at what must have been quite the look of terror on Lila’s face.

“Oh child, we didnae mean tae scare ye. We’re nae witches, lass. There’s nae need tae worry. Though why ye, of all people, should be worrying over such a thing…” She trailed off with a click of her tongue.

Lila was puzzled as to what she meant by the last, but she was too flustered to think on it long. “I didn’t—I mean, I wouldn’t—I just, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, but you are living out here alone—

“Donnae much care fer the townsfolk, since thy dun much care bout me.”

“But the herbs, and the cat—“

“Donnae tell me ye dun use herbs, lass? Or have cats to chase away the mice? Dae those things make ye a witch too?”

“Well, no, not those things, but—”

“Well then, I’m nae more a witch than ye are,” She finished with a smug smile.

Lila cringed slightly. If only she knew just how close Lila was to such a thing.

“Now then, what does make someone a witch, lass?”

Lila hesitated. The intensity in Silvia’s voice made her uncomfortable. That was one question she’d rather stayed unanswered.

“Having unnatural powers?” Lila said hoarsely despite herself.

Silvia scratched her head in thought, her serious demeanor all but evaporated. “Well, I suppose that would be part of it. But ye can have power and nae misuse it, ye know. It doesnae automatically make ye evil. But anyone who would use their power, any kind of power, to hurt or control others would be considered a witch in me eyes. The strength of yer power doesnae matter; it’s whether ye’ve sold yer soul to the devil that does. It’s what ye do with the power. Those fools in town think that anyone with a bit of an eccentricity must be sold tae Satan. They cannae even see past the faults of everyone else tae see that they are just like those they condemn. I really do pity them,” She finished with a sigh.

“So you—you think that if someone were to have unnatural abilities, they wouldn’t necessarily be a witch?”

“Nae, nae o’course not. I was called a witch, and I never had any kind of special powers.”

“What?” Lila asked incredulously. As the shock welled up inside her, she realized her eyes felt odd—the way they had felt when they changed color the last time. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, while she wondered why and how her eyes could change color with her emotions.

Elizabeth, unbeknownst of the struggle going on within Lila, laughed. The two women were looking at each other, and so didn’t seem to notice Lila’s strange transformation.

“I said tae have fun with her, nae scare the wits out o’ her, Silvia.” She turned to Lila, and judging by her lack of surprise, Lila assumed her eyes had gone back to normal. “What she means is that she used tae be a pagan before she became a Christian. And I assure ye, that were long ago. She’s a good Catholic woman now.”

Silvia snorted. “Well, I wouldnae exactly say good, but good enough. There’s nae such thing as a good Catholic, anyway.”

“Although she didnae worship the devil, most Catholics thought that she did just because she wasnae of their religion.”

“I got so tired of explaining meself all the time that I converted just so I wouldnae have tae worry on it any longer.”

“There was a bit more tae it than that but it’s a long story, and nae a very interesting one.”

Silvia swatted at Elizabeth lightly again, but she ducked with a chuckle.

“I’ll nae tell ye it all now, but I will say that Rose had a part in me conversion. In fact, she insisted. Saved me life, it did. Allowed me tae go live me life in peace. Those fools wouldnae come after me because they thought I had seen the light.”

“Aye, she went from an evil witch tae just a crazy ol’ woman. I dun think ye could have noticed much difference between the two, though,” Elizabeth said with an insolent grin, prompting Silvia to swat at her once more.

“That sounds like Rose, from what I can remember of her,” Lila said, unable to hide a smile. “Did you both know Rose? What was she like when she was younger?”

“Well, Elizabeth here is a bit too young tae really remember I donnae think. I saw Rose less and less after ye were born. But as I said before, when I first met her, she was riding around in the rain on a warhorse of all things, with child at least six months gone. And when I realized that, I said tae meself: Silvia, here is a woman that be crazier’n you. So o’course we became fast friends,” Silvia said with a proud grin.

“Well I still think it be crazier tae leave yer home all the way up in the highlands just for an urge to be somewhere else. And ye say I be impulsive,” Elizabeth scorned, rolling her eyes.

“That was more than just an urge, my girl, that was a calling from the good spirits themselves. They knew Rose would need me, and so had me meet her when she needed me most. She near died from exhaustion and hunger by the time I found her.”

“So Rose was already pregnant with my father when you met her?”

“Aye, nearly lost him as well. But we managed tae find shelter and food enough. T’was fortunate yer grandmother had all those jewels on her, so we could afford what we needed. The way she was decked out, ye would have thought her a queen.”

Lila felt a wave of surprise wash over her. “I didn’t know Rose was wealthy—we never had much more than we needed to get by, although we didn’t want for anything.”

“Rose had more than enough tae make sure ye all lived comfortably, though she seemed tae be saving some of it fer something. But I’ll wager she had enough squirreled away for when ye were grown too. She wouldnae leave ye out in the cold if she could help it.”

“But I wonder where she got it all from?” Lila mused.

“Well, that she didnae tell me. Close woman, Rose was. But I have a feeling I wouldnae have believed her explanation anyway. Cassandra certainly didn’t trust her.”

“Mother? No, she doesn’t trust much of anyone,” Lila said as her gaze drifted over to the small window. It had stopped raining and the sun was filtering brightly through the trees of the forest. Lila stood so suddenly that she nearly knocked over her chair. “Mother! Oh no, she’s going to be furious with me for leaving! I have to go!”

“Well, if ye must ye must,” Silvia said, although she looked slightly flustered. “Just promise that ye’ll come back for another visit. There’s so much more ye need tae know yet, lass.”

“I promise, but I really do need to be going; I still need to go into town today. But I will come back as soon as I can. It was a pleasure meeting you both.”

She clasped each of their hands briefly, before bolting out the door and vaulting into Astacus’ saddle. She turned and waved to the two women on the porch as the horse started out at a trot, weaving through the trees back to their home.

***

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