Chapter 371: The Elder Witch

“And just where did you come upon this?” Baelin asked, tension tingeing his voice.

Not anger. Not accusation. Not offence.

Just a hint of tension, like a hand slowly beginning to curl its fingers into a fist: no threat yet, but a preparation.

“Here, in the swamp.” Elder Blodeuwedd watched him calmly, those glittering eyes meeting Baelin’s piercing gaze. Alex took in her body language: relaxed, utterly calm, even serene…but tension was there. Her shoulders slouched, and her hands shook with a barely perceptible tremor.

But, there was no sign of fear.

Alex wondered if the tremor was part of an illness, but he was truly impressed that she could hold the ancient wizard’s gaze so evenly.

He cleared his throat, hoping to coax a response from her. She was so focused on Baelin—likely feeling his powerful energies—that she was paying little attention to anyone else.

Her eyes briefly flicked away, and Alex spoke up, his words low and calm.

“Whoever came here with that…they were a problem for you, weren’t they?”

As he spoke, some of the tension left the air. Drestra immediately jumped in. “We know that symbol!” she exclaimed. “It’s the symbol of a cult of demon worshippers who’ve made their way to Thameland for reasons that bear no resemblance to anything good.”

She looked at Baelin and Alex. “These two aren’t cultists…they’re friends. They’ve been nothing but helpful, honest and forthcoming, mother.”

Elder Blodeuwedd held Drestra’s eyes for a moment, then looked at Baelin.

She shrugged. “Strangers from outside the swamp came to the village one day, bearing this symbol. They asked for our alliance: military protection against Uldar and the Ravener, in return for shelter and serving as their guides in Thameland.”

A frown creased her brow. “But we were wary of them. They smiled too easily and offered much we did not see proof of. And there was a presence to them…like one sees in those who have sold themselves to foul magic. When I told them we would consider it, they left easily enough.”

Her frown deepened. “But a few weeks later, our brothers and sisters disappeared… I must add that I hope Drestra’s trust in you both is well-placed.” Her eyes drifted to the front door before she continued. “So, what brings you to Crymlyn Swamp? Angharad has told me that you seek our kin, but not why you seek them. In truth, your timing is…curious. Strangers come from afar, then our people vanish without a trace. Then other strangers come looking for those same people. Why?”

“Drestra’s friend is to help us with a question that we need answered, a private question for now,” Baelin said smoothly. “But what I can say is that we have a need to find your kin. And by we, I mean myself, my friend here, and our expedition.”

“Don’t forget us,” Cedric said. “Bloody bastard cultists are addin’ t’ our troubles too.”

“Mother,” Drestra said. “I’d like my companions to join me in searching for our people. Please, give us your blessing.”

“Hmmmm,” the elder said. “These strangers seek our kin for their own business…and offer no false smiles and fantastical promises of gifts. And one of our greatest calls them friend. That gives me comfort that they do not have malice in their minds. Very well, daughter.”

She dug a pinch of bright green powder from her pouch and tossed it in the fire. A whoosh preceded emerald flame that roared up the sides of the cauldron, peaking high above the rim before ebbing and calming to a flickering orange.

“There, now you have my blessing. Search for our kin in the Crymlyn. I will tell you where they were last seen…and if you find them.” Her eyes drifted to Cedric, Alex, Baelin and Hart. “I’ll be sure a reward is prepared for you, for the Witches of Crymlyn Swamp believe that no help should go unrewarded.”

Alex lowered his head. “Thank you,” he said, taking on some of the notes in the elder’s voice. “We’ll do our best to find them…and those you sent after them as well.”

The elder nodded. “Good. I will have a cottage prepared for your needs while you are here with us. And in the meanwhile, we can talk about where our kin were last seen as well as disturbing events that have come to our lands lately. You’ll soon see that you’ll need good luck, and the spirits with you more than ever. I know you will guide your companions well, Drestra-child.”

“Yes, mother,” the young witch said.

###

“Oh my, how lovely and nostalgic,” Baelin said as their boat glided through the swamp. The snow had picked up, but the wind was low, and the cold not too biting. Though that didn’t mean the weather wasn’t worsening. The atmosphere in the swamp felt ominous to Alex, especially with visibility now reduced to mere yards ahead, and the conversation with the elder re-playing in his mind.

She had told them of…things their scouts had seen deep in the marsh: monsters they had never—in remembered time—seen before.

Monsters whose descriptions were unnervingly similar to demons described in some of the university’s summoning textbooks.

“What’s nostalgic?” he asked Baelin, his eyes searching the trees before glancing at the clouds and noting the change in light, darkness would soon fall.

“This adventure,” Baelin said, looking at Drestra quietly sitting pressed to the vessel’s bow, watching the swamp ahead. “It has been some time since I went exploring the wilderness to find something or someone. It used to be something I did as regularly as breathing.”

“You miss it?” Alex asked, smiling.

“At times, but—overall—I have moved on to other things.”

“Oi, how can y’be so calm?” Cedric glanced at Baelin. “I understand not bein’ a’feared o’ the wild, bein’ that y’got so much power t’throw around an’ y’got three of Thameland’s Heroes an’ yer student an’ his golem wit’ ya. …s’not like we can’t win a fight, s’just I’m worried for what’s happened, an’ if we’re gonna find Drestra’s kin in this deep swamp. The witches ‘ave already searched fer weeks now.”

“Indeed, but they do not have the mobility we do. Even if the weather has reduced the range that I can safely teleport us, we are still able to travel far more quickly than they can. Further, we have the strength of spell and arms to take more…direct routes.”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “I can understand why they’d need to be cautious too. If there really are demons lurking somewhere in here, that’s not something just anyone can handle.”

“And not when winter’s so near,” Drestra said. “It’s a terrible time. We need almost every hand out hunting, harvesting and making ready for the cold season.”

She looked back at her companions, including Hart and Claygon, who were silently watching their flanks as they glided through the marsh. The Champion had his bow clutched tightly, an arrow was nocked on it.

“Thank you,” she said in her crackling voice. “Thank you for helping with this. I owe you all.”

“Think nothing of it,” Baelin said. “As was said earlier, we are doing this for our own purposes as well. So it’s not a case of pure altruism, but rather it meets the needs of two groups aligning in a fortuitous or, rather, an unfortunate time. And we are—in many ways—fighting a war alongside each other, albeit with differing capacities. I am sure you will have a chance to return the favour one day. Especially as danger arises all around us…and speaking of that…” He looked past Drestra. “Do you see anything resembling the forked tree yet?”

“Actually, we should be close,” the Sage said. “It should be ri…ah, there it is!”

She pointed ahead—rising from the centre of the waterway was the tree they sought—and it was so straight and even, it looked like it had been whittled by mortal hands. The waterway ran past it, flowing deeper into the swamp, and the tree represented an unofficial boundary line that the witches used.

Everything past the forked tree seemed…darker. Trees were more twisted. Grasses withered. The water murkier.

But those things weren't what caught Alex’s attention…it was what was missing.

“Hey, didn’t the elder say there was an effigy here?” He frowned. “To mark the area ahead as some place to stay out of, or at the very least, be real cautious in? You know, a place where a whole damn search party disappeared? So where’s this effigy?”

“Aye, that’s a bloody good question. I remembered ‘er sayin’ it was right here.” Cedric craned his neck, looking through the swamp. But the trees were thicker here, and his vision lower.

“How much you willing to bet it didn’t just fall off by itself?” Alex asked, getting potions ready.

“I’m not taking that bet,” Hart growled. “‘Cuz I’m no fan of losing coin.”

“Indeed,” Baelin said. “Those invisible marauders have sufficient intellect to plan: and it would be in their best interest if hapless wanderers stumbled into their territory. If Elder Blodeuwedd’s theory proves correct, then demons deep within the swamp would drive invisible marauders out of their normal hunting grounds. Which means they would have to attract prey however and wherever they could, so removing the warning would be a good way to achieve that.”

“That makes sense,” Drestra’s eyes hardened. “Well, we’ll go to them, give them what they think they want. I’ll go right through them to find out what happened to my kin if I have to. Thinking about them meeting the same fate as the one you froze, is real appealing.”

“Yeah,” Hart said. “Guess we’ll be doing your people another service too: culling overpopulated pests!”

“Hah!” Baelin laughed. “I knew I liked the two of you.”

As Hart and the chancellor grinned at each other, Alex felt a twinge deep in his chest that surprised him. An emotion he rarely felt.

‘…is that jealousy?’ he thought as he began conjuring Wizard’s Hands, forceballs and layering defensive spells over himself. ‘Am I actually jealous? Of Hart? Come on, Alex, stop being crazy. Or at least pull the crazy back a little.’

‘It makes sense that they’d get along. Baelin, above all else, is a warrior like Hart. They’re lived lives of war. And, they have the same dark sense of humour. So, why not?’

Once his defensive spells were up, he summoned Bubbles and five other small water elementals, sending them into the water.

“Hey Bubbles.” He patted the little water elemental on its…head? Its body, he supposed. Then he patted the others. “Hey everyone. Welcome back. I need you to dive into the water and just follow us. If I tell you to attack something, that means you just suck all the moisture out of them, okay?”

Bubbles and the others made bubbling sounds, then slipped into the murky waters.

“Cute little things,” Cedric said. “Don’t look like they’d hurt a fly.”

“You’d be surprised,” Alex smiled.

“They have some nasty tricks up their…sleeves, and so do these guys.” He conjured a couple of swarms of water elemental beetles.

“Welcome back,” he said to the swarms. “Thanks for your help last time, guys. This time I want you to spread out, fly around and scout the area. If you land on anything you can’t see, I want you to make a racket that’ll bring the rest of the swarm, then start biting every invisible thing you’ve landed on. Buzz as loudly as you can, okay?”

The swarms scattered into the marsh, looking for prey.

“Hm, I remember you used that strategy during the Grand Battle,” Baelin said. “But, it will not be necessary now since we have the true seeing spell on ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Alex shrugged. “I figured what we have to do could take longer than you have time for, and you could be gone by nightfall.”

“Indeed,” Baelin said. “That is a distinct possibility.”

“So yeah,” Alex said. “Better to get in the habit of scouting out enemies before you leave, rather than being complacent.”

“Ah, spoken like a Proper Wizard. Very well, keep your habits,” Baelin said. “Now, has everyone else had time to prepare?”

The Heroes nodded.

“Good.” He cast an invisibility spell over everyone. Even the boat vanished. “Let us see if we cannot find ourselves one good battle before I must head back. It would be a shame to leave you all to clean up this entire mess on your own.”

With that, he gave the boat a quick command, and it glided past the forked tree and deeper into the gloom.