Chapter Ten

Calliope made herself comfortable under an overhang of rocks in a small clearing in the forest. She ran most of the night with only her breath to break the eerie silence. She hadn't even realized how long she had been running until she saw the morning's sunlight peek through the thick trees. She hugged her knees close to her chest, twirling pine needles between her fingers. She sat there, quiet and motionless, shivering slightly in the cool morning air. The warmth of the sunlight thinned from the thickened branches, and a chill came over the forest. She flicked her fingers and a fire started immediately before her. She stared into the wispy flames as she contemplated her next move.

The kingdom of Librona was certainly on full alert; she couldn't stay there any longer, but she had no idea of the world around her – only of the maps in Scarletta's castle. She had no idea what was really out there or where she could belong. She tried to recall the maps she had seen, drawing them out in the dirt with her finger. She would have to leave Librona, but the kingdom was vast and wide; it would surely take her days before she left its borders. She had to go someplace where she would not be recognized, and she would have to learn how to defend herself without using her powers. This she knew for certain now.

She stretched her arms over her head for a moment, then let them drop onto her lap. She admired her drawings in the dirt. She twisted her head in an attempt to see them from a different angle. She couldn't recall how the kingdoms neighbored each other or how vast each was. Her stomach churned with hunger, but the last of the berries she kept stowed away were now squished in her pocket. She did her best to clean the pocket of the berries, licking their remains off of her fingers. In the morning, she would have to find some more.

The distant sound of hooves caught her attention. She quickly put out her fire and climbed the nearest tree in hopes of keeping hidden from her approacher. Mido arrived at the clearing a few minutes later to find the ground still smoking where Calliope's fire once burned, along with the traces of her map in the dirt.

Calliope watched from the tree as the man examined the drawings in the ground. She hesitated, holding her breath in an attempt to remain hidden. When the man moved on, she climbed down the tree's branches, landing on her feet, but not quiet enough. She straightened as the man spun around, meeting her gaze. He raised an eyebrow as he looked her up and down.

Calliope's heart raced and she avoided his gaze, waiting for his attack, but the man did not move towards her. She dared to glance at his face; he looked to her curiously before clearing his throat.

"Yanno," he began. "There's a witch around here. You shouldn't be out here alone." He smiled crookedly, an eyebrow still raised. His eyes narrowed at her, but he did not seem threatening. In fact, he didn't even realize who Calliope was.

Calliope hesitated. "Oh," she said simply, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Is there?"

"You're not from around here," he stated.

"No," she mumbled. She eyed the sword at his side.

Mido felt strangely uneasy in her presence. Her small, fragile figure and pale features did not belong to a woman of Librona. Even her eyes seemed a strange color. She had a beauty about her that seemed so simple, yet appealing. He wanted to whisk her away, bring her home, and forget his ridiculous quest, but something about her made him shy.

Mido cleared his throat. "I'll get you outta here," he said. "You really shouldn't be out here alone."

He was so kind. Caring. He worried for her, a witch, and he hadn't a clue. Calliope looked uneasily to his outstretched hand. She had to get away.

"I'm fine," she muttered. She turned her back to the man, but they were no longer alone. Another man stood before her, his brows knit together.

"Oh," the man said, looking to Mido, before returning his gaze back to Calliope.

"I was just leaving," Calliope said quietly, avoiding the new man's gaze.

"I don't think so," he said.

"Leave her alone, Barric," Mido said.

"That thing," Barric hissed at him, "is the witch we're looking for."

Mido's eyes darted to Calliope. "What?"

In a moment of panic, Calliope sent a ball of energy to the man called Barric, knocking him onto his back. She twisted toward Mido and sent a similar ball of magic in his direction. She hurried to the horse, but Mido pushed himself quickly to his feet and threw a dagger in her direction. She spun around and threw another ball of energy at him. The man lunged to the ground and rolled away from her attack. Calliope continued to throw spell after spell in fear and frustration, growing careless with her aims, as he continued to roll and dodge her attacks. Calliope could feel her power draining fast and she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

Mido turned over and watched the witch; its head hung low, hands on the ground. He smirked, got to his feet, and approached the witch confidently. How quickly he was able to find the witch and he started to feel cocky; he had this in the bag.

"Didn't Scarletta ever teach you to reserve your energy?" he asked, kicking the witch in the gut. Calliope winced as the force pushed her off her knees and onto her side.

"So kill me and get it over with," she mumbled.

Mido bent the witch's arms around its back, tying its wrists together with rope from his horse's pack. "I have better plans in mind for you," he said.

Mido grabbed the witch's waist and swung it over his shoulder. He put the witch on the horse and mounted behind. "Let's go," he said to Barric. He took the reins in one hand and wrapped the other arm around the witch's body, then pushed his horse into a gallop through the woods. He urged the horse onward, faster and faster, hurrying to catch up with the rest of the villagers. He found them resting by a campfire nearby just as night engulfed the land. They stood as he and Barric approached with the witch, whispering furiously amongst each other, sneering at the sight of Calliope.

"How did you capture her?" a woman asked in disbelief.

Mido laughed. "It's pathetic. It simply tired trying to kill me."

He dismounted and dragged Calliope off the horse. Calliope let him push her to the ground, falling to her knees. She could feel rage and resentment for those people burning inside of her. Were they all this cruel? How could she ever live in a world as cruel as them? Could they really blame her for trying to defend herself?

"It's harmless," Mido said as the townspeople inched away cautiously.

"Harmless?" An angry man pushed through the small crowd. "How can you sit there and tell us it's harmless, Mido? It's one of Scarletta's! It is not harmless! It's using you! Tricking you! It'll spring up at any moment and kill us all. It can't be trusted."

Mido kicked Calliope in the back, pushing her into the ground. Her face met the earth, the dirt getting into her eyes and mouth, but she didn't dare move or make a sound. She heard him pull his dagger out and felt the blade cold against her neck. She held her breath, waiting.

Barric spit at her. Mido hissed in her ear. "Witch."

Calliope tried to pull away from the man. Mido let her go, but Calliope did not get up.

"Scarletta never would have created something so weak," another man's voice said. "This isn't the witch we're looking for."

"How can you know?" asked another. "You don't know what it's capable of."

"It's pathetic. It is not one of Scarletta's. You've seen her witches before. They're terrible creatures. This thing is pathetic."

"If she's not a witch, let 'er go," Maria yelled. "Leave the poor girl alone."

"It's a witch," Mido said. "It attacked me with magic."

"It's no witch of Scarletta's," spoke a man.

"You can't know that for sure," suggested another.

"It's not who we're looking for. Leave it here to die. Scarletta's witch is still out there and we must find it before it's too late!"

"If she's not Scarletta's, maybe she can help us. We can't just leave her here to die."

Mido watched Calliope as everyone expressed their opinions, growing angry with each other quickly.

"A witch is a witch. It won't help us. It'll only mislead us. It can't be trusted."

"We should kill it ourselves."

"It's a witch. King Sloan will want to know about it. We should bring it back to him."

"It'll just get in the way. If it's not Scarletta's witch, then the real witch is still out there. We can't drag two of them around. They'll surely plot against us."

"She's scared. She's being hunted and attacked. If she's not Scarletta's, she might not be that bad. She will only fight back in defense. We could use her help."

"It's a witch!"

"She's weak. What if she's lost her powers?"

"Maybe she���s not an evil witch."

"There's no such thing."

The townsfolk continued to argue amongst each other until Mido called for their attention.

"It's a witch," he said. "That much is certain. What its intentions are, we cannot know for sure. I don't know if it's one of Scarletta's., but our best bet is to bring it to King Sloan and let him deal with it in whatever way he sees fit. We cannot waste any more time."

He pulled Calliope up from the ground and lifted her onto Lily's back. He mounted behind as the rest of the band mounted their own steeds. They followed Mido as he kicked his horse into a gallop, heading through the forest, towards the kingdom.