Page 33 of Wandering Witch

For so reason, not a single surviving member in my family wanted to discuss, or even acknowledge its existence. But we are being wiped out faster than we can put our heads together to figure out how to break it.

The only thing that my family could agree on is that it goes back to a man named Peregrin and his unholy relations with a woman who herself had several other lovers.

After looking into the records that remained as this godforsaken town had fallen to ruins, it looks like I hail from a long line of witches. What’s more, a fall out between a man named Morfran and Peregrin’s lover, Melisande, is the source of everything.

Dark magic was used to destroy the families of this Melisande’s consorts. My assumption is that because, from everything I could uncover, Peregrin was among the first to run, his blood, my blood, would be destined to run forevermore.

Nothing in these old tomes even hints at a way to break this curse, but maybe there can be hope somewhere in time that someone will find a way.

But not if I let my parents and grandparents lies about who we were are persist. This will be my last entry as the blind. Let this be my contribution to breaking the curse, the restoration of my family’s magic.

I have heard tale of an older colony that suffered under something that might be similar to what I do now. So I think I will leave notes that should help guide the future to search there for possible answers, and hope that we never have to return to this haunted hell again.

“What the hell?” I muttered to myself as Roan looked over my shoulder, and I tilted the last journal page to him.

“Strange, but this could very well be why you thought that you had a connection with Roanoke. Do you think that this Peregrin fellow knew that he was going to flee before he actually left?”

“Yeah, it would make sense if that was the bad thing he mentioned in his letter. But I do think that this person was wrong in one part of her thinking. I think that I needed to return here to beat this curse. If it was cast here for a reason, then it would stand to reason that it would have to be broken here as well.” I nodded along as I skimmed the entry once more. “I just wish I knew more.”

Roan grunted and turned to give me some privacy as he checked on the others.

I just pray that I will be stronger than my ancestors at my time of reckoning.

My thoughts were interrupted as the remaining windows broke under the force of the harsh winds and the screams of my lovers came from the entrance.

The curse was here. It was time to face the demons of the past. This was my last chance to run, but I was done running.

All of my life I had done nothing but run. Never had I had the chance to build a foundation. Never had a chance to put down roots. My family was the exact same.

I didn’t know why this curse was placed on us. I didn’t know why my ancestors decided it was better to run than stand and fight.

But I did know that it had to end. Now. Today. With me.

There was something about this town that called to the very core of who I was, more so than any other place I’d wandered to all these years. And I would be damned if I let that be stolen from me.

I bolted out of the town hall to see my men being swept away by the curse and swore as I watched them get flung across the town and I turned to face the clouds of death that rose from the east.

The winds buffeted at me, trying to pull my soul out of my body as I stood my ground. I stared up and pushed my magic into the one thing that could stop what was between me and my only real chance at peace, love, and happiness.

I quickly knelt and drew a rough pentagram in the dirt before me, leaving a drop of my blood in the air corner. A sharp gust blasted me off balance as I rose, but warm hands grabbed at my right arm and the scent of campfires filled my nose.

“Remember, my goddess, that no matter what comes your way, I will always be there to light your path,” Benny whispered in my ear as he righted me. His warmth flooded every part of me, blocking the cold of the curse as he held me firm.

I turned to face him with tears starting their tracks down my cheeks as I saw his face was scratched and bruised. His breath was winded as he must have fought his way back to me as fast as he could. I watched a small droplet of his blood fall to the pentagram, igniting the fire spoke.

Thunder rolled again, lightning cracked before the heavens opened above us and a deluge of rain fell. Just as I felt Benny’s fire drown out, cool fingers curled themselves over my shoulder.

“My love, I do believe that it is time that we let the rains wash away the pains of our yesterdays and embrace a better tomorrow,” Roan said as the rains stopped around us. We were encased in a bubble that shielded us from the water. It was just too damn bad that Ro’s barrier couldn’t stop the few drops that still managed to hit my eyes. Or the ones that landed on my spell, filling the symbol with his water.

As my second lover came to stand to my side, limping at the effort as his leg was twisted at the wrong angle, the storm got stronger. Its winds blew harder and nearly succeeded in throwing us off our feet.

Something was still missing though. I felt it as my strength waned, but still, I stood my ground and pushed all my magic at the spell to combat the darkness, willing it to be banished for eternity.

Locke roared in pain from where he trudged back to us. I barely risked a glance to see what had happened to my bear. The winds had broken off a large tree branch and sent it through his torso. I cried out and nearly broke from my position to run to him, but he turned and locked me in his gaze.

My eyes burned with the freely flowing tears as I watched him force himself to his feet and padded slowly to where we stood, blood trailing behind him in thick rivers. I held my free hand out to him and prayed the Goddess would grant him the strength to stay at my side. The very place he had been since day one.

As he neared us, another gale struck, and he was forced to buckle to his knees. I screamed and tried to reach farther out to him and just barely touched my fingertips to his ears.

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