Page 33 of I Will Always Find You
“I am here.”
Abriana nearly toppled from her chair, her heart pounding with overwhelming emotion, feelings of love and hope; she could hardly contain it all. She did not wish to.
Despite the layers of flesh, blood, and bone that now belonged to another, a spark of Pietro’s true self remained beneath the surface, refusing to leave, flowing with her magic, tied to it, existing within the very lifeblood of the body.
Abriana wondered if this was the reason for the Romani witch’s emotional attachment, which he claimed he had never felt before. The magic of her witchcraft connected all of them now, keeping a piece of Pietro alive, their own unique coven of three.
This essence was more than an echo but much less than full alertness. Still considering it could be—should be—nothing, it was enough for her. And she would keep this revelation close to her heart, a secret only for herself.
“I—I accept your gift, Romani,” Abriana said, her feelings of renewed hope exciting her, causing her words to stumble as tears of joy fell from her eyes.
“Abriana? Are—”
The Tuscan witch gently but firmly pressed her finger to the Romani witch’s lips, requesting silence.
“I accept your gift,” she continued, her heart full to bursting, “on behalf of my family, who will never know the truth and thus be spared the pain of Pietro’s death. Your abrupt departure will be difficult for them, but I will craft a believable story and make them understand their oldest child’s need for freedom and adventure. And if I must cast a little harmless spell to make them more pliable, so be it. They will miss Pietro, but they will manage the weight of this separation and the subsequent intermittent relationship.
“I accept it also for myself, who will keep your secret and play my part. And please, for my sake, do not think of this as just a performance, forced and hollow, only for the joy of others. Allow yourself to experience my Pietro. See his memories as a gift and an opportunity to view life through the eyes of another. I want you to experience the love of family that I suspect is a stranger to you, Romani, a man with only room in his life for romantic love, for your Aeneas. Be brave enough to want more.”
As the Romani witch slung his satchel over his shoulder and prepared to depart, he thanked Abriana for her understanding, compassion, and trust. He expressed his anticipation for the time they would meet again so he could share his adventures with her and have her meet his beloved.
“And as I travel the lands in search of Aeneas, I will think upon your words,” he voiced with sincerity.
As he had done with others in past lives, the Romani witch quickly explained why Aeneas would not be going by that name. He also revealed other secrets that needed to be kept concerning their extraordinary circumstances, all for Aeneas’ safety.
And then, with one last spoken farewell, he moved toward the door.
“Wait, Romani!” Abriana called out, forgetting to keep a quieter tone to avoid rousing the others sleeping upstairs. “I need to share one last part of my vision with you; then, you will know everything I do. One year from now, you and Aeneas will confront the dark sorceress at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, specifically in the region of the Carpathian Rus, within the Temnyi Lis forest.”
“I know it,” the Romani witch declared with sparked interest.
“While she moves around Rus Land frequently, she is trapped within its borders, imprisoned by a powerful spell cast by Hecate herself millennia ago. A punishment for the immortal beast’s hubris in thinking to spread her foul influence and insatiable appetite for human flesh to the lands of Italia and Greece.
“I know of no mortal witch or sorcerer, mystic or mage, more powerful than her. None to my knowledge has ever survived an encounter. Perhaps only the gods may best her, as Hecate did. Why the goddess did not simply destroy the creature—! Well, the ways of the ancients are not for us to question. Praise Hecate.”
Yes, praise Hecate.The Romani witch grinned, not out of bravado or ego, but in recognition of his past experiences with immortals and in resignation to the deific events he could never seem to avoid. “I have fought against terrible odds before, Abriana. Admittedly, I have not always won, but to protect my love, I would battle gods—and I have. Now, does this dark sorceress have a name?”
Abriana tightly wrapped her arms around herself and shivered like someone had just walked over her grave. “She does, but to speak it aloud is something one should never do. Only in a whisper will I reveal it.”
“Then tell me in whatever way you choose, good lady.”
The Romani witch stood beside the house’s front door with bated breath to hear the name of the seemingly undefeatable foe. The one he would have to fight and defeat for the sake of his love,a treasure worth more than all the riches in the world, more than the most extraordinary magic.
More than his own life.
“The witch’s name is—”
As Abriana spoke, her whispered tone did little to muffle her fear, not for herself, but for the Romani witch.
“—Baba Yaga, the Cannibal Hag.”
The Romani witch’s eyes grew wide, a mixture of recognition and dread cascading over his comely features. This witch’s name was known to children far and wide. It had reached him as a boy travelling with his Romani caravan. To say this hag’s name was a powerful tool used to keep young ones in line and prevent misbehaviour. Baba Yaga ate children; her favourites were those with poor manners and a lack of respect.
“Baba Yaga!” the Romani witch gasped. “I have never encountered her, not in over a thousand years of lives, and I have travelled far and wide, but her legend is undeniable. She is ancient, a force of nature. I should have guessed this when you mentioned the Carpathian mountains and the forests of the Rus. I have always known to stay clear of them for this very reason.
“Bless Lady Fortuna for granting me luck. In searching for Aeneas, I have never needed to traipse about the lands of Ruthenia. How did we ever get ourselves involved with this hag now?”
Abriana had no answer, for her vision had provided none.
