CONTENT WARNING: Some of the dream descriptions are quite awful and involve murder and grief. Dead sims (pictured, but no blood or gore), violence
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter starts a short while before the last one, and part of it takes place the day before the previous chapter.
Áine
Not too long after I'd left for Glimmerbrook, the memories battered my mind. I couldn't help anyone like that, as much as I wanted to. Ashamed to do so, I headed straight back to Reynold.
My feelings for him have changed in a way I cannot quite describe, but a part of me longed for his comfort and understanding. We understood one another better than anyone did. Despite my coldness towards him, he welcomed me back and tried to extinguish the fire in my skull as best as he could.
My mind convinced me I'd killed witches. I felt a familiarity towards faces I'd never seen in my life. I threatened mothers and fathers in front of their children. I felt a longing to return home to children that were not mine. Memories of these monsters of men that slaughtered the families of others through the night, then went home and tucked in their children with a 'goodnight' and 'I love you'. I began to forget where my memories began and where everyone else's ended.
These witchfinders, they had the privilege of still having their families!
These children that were not mine soon reminded me of my own memories of my darling Róisín, her beautiful smile, soon dissolving into charred, featureless flesh...
I pored over my mother's grimoire as a distraction. I re-read the story of the little girl and the magical world over and over, paying special attention to the descriptions.
Skies of deep purple, marked with a moon not too dissimilar from our own. Floating islands joined by golden bridges. An enormous stone building marked with glowing crystals, featuring enormous winding staircases, eloquent halls, a majestic courtyard, and a ceiling that lit up as the night skies do. A timeless world and a timeless place of study.
This realm would be a beautiful dream-world, a product of my mother's and my own imagination. My child self dreamed of visiting realms outside of our own, and either it was slowly becoming a reality or I have deluded myself into thinking as such.
I silenced the memories as best as I could with thoughts of this beautiful realm. Even if my plan did not work as expected, at least I had found a way to make my childhood escapes into my mother's stories work for me almost thirty years later.
* * *
...what are you doing?!...
...who knows what it could do...
...destroy life as we know it!...
...the antithesis of nature!...
...wild magic...
...summon lightning, control minds...
...even duplicate one's image...
...have to harness the rules...
...you break them...
...at one with nature, yes...
...the truth about magic...
...rewriting the rules of nature for ourselves...
...can't believe it...
...mother was right...
...possible...
...Saoirse! get back!
* * *
I haven't stopped talking to Reynold about the memory.
He insists it may be a dream, influenced by my own obsessive thinking, but I know when it is a dream and when it is one of Brádach's memories. Mother managed to do it - she manage to create a rift in the universe itself until it sealed itself shut, throwing her into the grass as it did so. She faltered. She panicked. Is that why it collapsed? My father put seeds of doubt in her mind! I wonder what she would have done with a world all of her own, had she stuck to it?
"Reynold, I'd like to ask something of you. If my plan succeeds, I will need all the help I can get. I would be grateful for you to join me at my side in the school. It may be a good way to preserve the knowledge and culture of the Lunvinchenaîné."
Reynold peers down at the floor, and looks back up with regret.
"I'm staying here, Áine. The people of Finchwick and Withernham are going to need me - and so are my father and sister." He lets out a deep sigh. "Honestly, Áine, after all that has happened, I don't really know if my feelings for you are the same as they were. I didn't want to say it at first, but I thought I ought to be honest. Maybe once this is all over they'll come back, but... I don't know.
I think for the forseeable future, we're both better off focusing on our separate lives, setting out what we'd planned to do since the beginning - you, teaching, and me, trying to instill hope in people - if that's still possible."
Though I knew it deep down in my heart, and that I felt the same way, it still slices it in two to hear it. I wonder, would it have been different if I didn't say what I said? Would his answer have changed if I had not have reacted the way I did, accusing him of being responsible for our daughter's murder?
This is my fault, isn't it? I only have myself to blame for severing us what once bonded us so tightly together. For sixteen years, we were at each other's sides without fail - but now, we must go our separate ways. I hoped he would work at the school alongside me, but Clementia is a growing target of the Jacobans and their obsession. She's going to need whatever support she can get.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way. We've had to endure an unimaginable amount of hardship over the time we've known each other. I will always remember all that you did for me, Reynold. You took me in when all hope seemed lost - and you didn't just do that for me. You did that for a lot of women like me."
"Without you, I'd still be a overburdened priest. I'd have never learned to accept myself for who I am, I'd have never had a child, and who knows who else would have gotten hurt because if I didn't learn to control-"
"Reynold, please. Let's not dwell on what could have been. I hope we can at least remain in touch with one another. I would hate for us to part ways entirely."
"Of course," he says, with a subtle smile. "You're always welcome to call upon me whenever you need to. That hasn't changed. That won't change. You will always be my friend, Áine, whatever happen-"
The door bursts open, and it's...
"Eli?"
"I know what you said to my brother, and I know what you said to my partner and to Gideon! Well, you can't use anything against me, Áine - you're going to stop what you're doing right now!"
"Eli..."
"You can't just push out everyone who's willing to help you because they aren't perfect! Most people I know have done terrible things, but almost every single one of them would be willing to help you against the witchfinders!"
"Eli-"
"You're my sister, Áine, and I don't want anything to happen to you - which it will, because the witchfinders won't just disappear overnigh-"
"ELI!"
"It's fine. You don't need to say anything more. I've made a mistake in not listening to others, and letting some get away with things that I haven't let others get away with. I understand."
Eli's face screws up into something resembling a wrinkled dog for a second. His cheeks flush red.
"I'd never be mad at you, Eli. You know that."
"She's on her way back to Glimmerbrook, Eli. She has a plan of sorts. I'll let her explain."
"Yes. To put a long story short, I'm going to create a magic school that will hopefully be impenetrable for anyone trying to harm us - by creating my own world. I will mean I can protect us without having to kill so many of them. It's a start, anyhow."
"Wait - your own world? As in - not one inside of this one?"
"No. Something outside of our known world entirely. It's possible - I - I just know it's possible, Eli."
"This is far too much to take in so early in the morning, dear sister."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you the whole story, Eli."
"I'm not sure if I believe you now," he says. "That's impossible, surely - by either the laws of science or magic! It just doesn't seem like it can be done!"
"You underestimate the knowledge passed down to us, Eli. I believe it can be done - and there's only one way to find out."
"You and Owen really are as impulsive as each other, aren't you? No wonder you two make such good siblings...Well, good luck to you. And if it does work, then I want to be one of the first to see someone tear a hole in the fabric of the universe. Possibly. Maybe. If it's not too terrifying."
"Of course. Speaking of Owen - I have something I'd like you to give to him for me. It's a drawing I found upstairs of a gryphon...It was drawn by Róisín, I believe for him."
Eli's heart appears to sink. "Oh. Yes, I can do that. Though if you're going to do what you say you're going to do, it might be something he'd be interested in."
"Indeed. If he is well enough, perhaps he ought to fly Valravn to Glimmerbrook. Anyhow, I ought to be on my way. Please, take care. Reynold, please take care. With any luck, this will be a new beginning for witches."
* * *
I paint a clearer and clearer picture of the realm in my mind as a motivator to keep me going through the freezing rain.
Seeing what my mother did, it gives me hope - it's possible. By the gods and goddesses, it's possible! If my father hadn't have distracted her, I wonder what kind of place she would have created. Was she merely curious about the spell to see if it was possible, or did she have a plan like mine - a plan to, rather literally, create somewhere new and better?
I must stop at the settlement before I do anything else. I will need all manner of crystals and plants and anything else earthly - rocks, twigs, anything to empower the spell with the nature of the Earth itself - and therefore grant me the ability to shape an entire realm.
This spell is going to take an unbelievable amount of skill and power - but I have my father's magic as well as my own, and I have my mother's knowledge and confidence. My father may have died fighting against his own kind, but I will put his soul to work defending us instead.
Harsh sounds cut through the soft sound of the rain upon the river, the peaceful pattering marred by clashing steel and pained screams in the distance.
I see Tsuna's dragon aspect soar through the trees and fly back down towards the ground - is the settlement under attack?
My muscles are set alight once I reach the settlement, but the sounds of clashing swords have faded. As I prise apart the tree branches quietly enough to not alert any witchfinders, the stench of the dead fills the air. There are hardly any witchfinders left to alert.
The bodies of numerous witchfinders litter the grass, their bloodied swords still in hand. One of them has burn marks over his clothes, and marks in his skin that resemble a carnivore's teeth. Could it be from the dragon aspect?
The witchfinder takes one too many steps back, trodding onto the dead body of her former cohort.
The lion lets out a light groaning sound, and swishes its tail.
"Your air of confidence fills me with delight - far more than that dreaded witchfinder's emotions. The man who shares my body is just as you are - keen, confident, and determined. Keep that about you - you are going to need it. With this world in the direction it is going - overrun by metal, torment and corruption - a bright soul like yours, attuned to nature, respectful of my kind, is all the difference it needs."
"I appreciate your kind words, graceful one. I politely ask that I remove myself from our conversation to offer a word to the dead witches who are - were - my friends.
"I understand," the lion says, with a soft sound in its throat. I appreciate your colourful spirit, and I appreciate these two women and their willingness to defend their community. Do not let anything put out your fire. I sense strong emotions in all three of you here - be sure to put them to good use. I have one request - that you thank Isidora Viridis and their 'dear visitor', as she called her. A woman with long black hair, intricate tattoos and a yellow dress. If you see her, thank her."
Tattoos? Long black hair? Could it be that Katlego helped to summon this lion?
The lion turns its head to a sound in the distance. Without another word, it leaps with all its might into the air and takes off upon ethereal wings, leaving a green sparkling glow in its wake.
Tsuna kneels beside the bodies again, offering them words in Henfordian Simlish and her own native tongue.
"Áine, I understand you are in a rush to enact your plan, but there is something that I must do right away that cannot wait."
* * *
Tsuna buries the bodies - every single one, including the witchfinders, next to the altar.
Kat returns to check on us, and she takes one look at Annabeth, Clara and Breanna and falls to her knees in tears. Ellie holds her and does her best to console both her own emotions and that of her beloved partner.
"May I ask a question, Tsuna?"
"Why I buried the witchfinders?"
I nod.
"I have wandered this Earth for five hundred years because I was slaughtered and not given a proper burial or read funerary rites. I have had plenty of good experiences, but for the most part, it has been...empty. Life seems meaningless when it does not end with death. I realise now that it is not something I would wish even on my worst enemy. I've been focused entirely on killing witchfinders for over five centuries and I have come no closer to peace. I believed if I killed every Henfordian witchfinder, I'd finally be able to rest - but it's impossible."
"I stole the life forces of so many witchfinders that I do not know how long it has extended my life, Tsuna. My plan was to live as long as it took to ensure the safety of magic-folk and to preserve our knowledge into a more modern era, but a part of me fears so many things. I will watch all my friends and family die, and I do not know how different the future will be to the present."
"Then you cannot waste it trying to fulfill an impossible need, Áine. Kill them if you have to in order to keep your people safe, but your focus must remain on the education and defense."
"You're going to think there's something wrong with me, Tsuna, but I...I have a plan to make a realm outside of our own. My mother tried it herself, it seems, and she wrote it into a story into the grimoire she passed down to me. I'll need some bits and pieces from you if you can spare it - crystals, flowers, twigs, anything connected from the Earth. I hope you know that, no matter how meaningless eternity seems for you, you are welcome to spend the rest of it at my realm. You'd be an asset to the education of magic. If you join me, then perhaps there's a way you may find a little peace."
Tsuna gives me a vulnerable look and clasps her hands together before returning to her usual serious expression. "You sound very sure of yourself."
"If I'm not, then the spell won't work."
Kat lets go of Ellie and tries to stifle her tears.
"I hear that you helped to summon the Green Lion, Kat. You saved Tsuna's life as well as your partner's. I owe you and the Viridis family man thanks."
"We'll talk about that another time. I just want to say - we've known each other for a long time, and we've both seen enough bloodshed. If you really can perform this spell, Áine, then I say we get to it as soon as possible. I had known Clara since Tsuna was kind enough to take me in - we're going to lose so many more people. At first, I thought your idea was the most outlandish thing I've ever heard, but...I think we've all grown desperate. That, and I just witnessed two women summon a giant fairy lion with an enormous platter of meat. You making your own realm now seems a lot more possible than it did."
I find two sides of my mind fighting each other - the need to build this realm as soon as I can, and the need to think this through... in spite of the threat, I need to think this through - and the help of Kat and Tsuna might be useful. I'm going to need others' input and ideas for this to work.
It's only a shame that Owen is not here with us...I just hope he will get better soon.
Eli
a little earlier...
I manage to catch Owen outside in the courtyard, resting on a bench. He puts a finger to his lips; she's sound asleep.
"Our sister has gone to Glimmerbrook - she's going to create a whole realm! At least, that's what she told me. She told me to tell you."
Owen's eyes glitter.
"That's true. Though you're not going on your own - I'm coming with you. You're still not looking one hundred percent and I'm not taking my chances."
"And because you're curious about the realm," he says, with a chuckle.
"Well...yes, that as well."
Valravn opens her beak wide, stretches her legs and shakes her feathers. She's still a little unnerving. I don't know if I'll ever get used to her, but I'm glad she's harmless - at least towards us. She seems to be speaking with Owen.
"She says she'd offer to fly us, but she's nervous that the mansion will be attacked like last time."
"That's okay, Valravn. You stay here. We can use my horse." I reach out gently to put a hand on her head, and she closes her eyes and opens her beak a little. Her fur is surprisingly soft.
"I hope this works, Owen. People have suffered for too long. And I bet witchfinders would be too terrified to step anywhere near something like that."
"To tell you the truth, Eli, not all of the witchfinders fear that which they don't understand. Some people are not hateful because of fear - they are hateful purely because of hate. Samuel, for one."
"I suppose you're right."
"Still, it's better than nothing. To have to carve a space outside of normal existence shouldn't be what it takes to preserve witches, but if that is what it takes, then it is what shall have to be done. And if that is where the school will be, then I will have to be there when Áine creates it."
Owen hands me his cane and puts his forehead to Valravn's, almost like a sort of hug.
I say my goodbyes to Valravn, who tells me to stay safe. The two of us climb onto Griselda's back and make our way for Glimmerbrook.
A part of me is nervous, but another part of me is hopeful. It's a step forward, if she can pull it off, anyhow. If it does work, maybe, in a few years, witches won't have to live in fear any longer.
That said, a part of me wonders if it might possibly have the opposite effect.
Witches' gradual integration into our lives has been what has changed some people's minds. It's been what's made them realise that they are not the murderous, plotting jezebels that Volpe told everyone they were. They have met real witches and realised that Volpe and his witchfinders were both full of it, and as such, became motivated to not fall for their lies. Many even spoke out against witchfinders when they'd come door to door asking if they'd seen any witches.
If they are to hide away from the rest of us, will people forget what they learned? Will there be no witches in ordinary Henford to counter whatever new lies come out about them? Maybe I'm not thinking about this properly. It puts the pressure on the wrong people. It's not the job of the witches themselves to prove to us why they shouldn't be murdered in the streets.
If there are no witches left in Henford, if they all move to the new world, then Henford better not complain about being able to get divination card readings, and not having herbalists or wise women around. They can't chase the witches out and keep all the benefits of their presence.
Katlego
After we heard the fighting further away, it wasn't long until they came for us at the Viridis mansion. The Green Lion's arrival was quite the spectable, and couldn't have been timed better.
The lion was indeed Phineas Viridis, alongside the original fairy. Jade and Isidora were in tears, hugging the lion, Isidora kissing him on the forehead. He promised to keep an eye on them, and that he would protect them the way he did as a human. He thanked me personally, and said it was good to know that Mischief casters are all over the world. I think Isidora will fare better knowing her husband is technically still alive, and that he is watching over her. I offered to meet up with her whenever she needs it. Mischief casters need to stick together as much as we can.
According to the other women, he headed here, defended Tsuna and Ellie from a witchfinder and then flew off. I hope I can see it again to thank it - well, not thank it - to show my gratitude in a way that does not lock me into having to do something very specific in return. Perhaps an offering of meat.
Áine, Ellie, Tsuna and I have been discussing a few things about Áine's plan. She has asked us for our input on various matters, from aesthetics to the structure of how we should run the place. We all offered a few suggestions for how the place could look, but many of those can be implemented after if need be.
What we didn't expect was for Owen and Eli to arrive on horseback, wanting to help Áine with her plan. We have enough crystals, plants, bones and other things of an earthly nature that should be enough to power the spell - but with how much power it would take to perform something like this, who knows?
"I know some of you rightfully had your doubts before, but my father's memory of my mother trying to do the same spell came back to me last night. He made her doubt herself, and as such, the portal collapsed and the energy of such shoved her to the ground. If this is going to work, then I am going to need your faith and confidence in me. If I have no confidence in this, then the spell becomes impossible."
I think most of us are still think that it was not a memory that came back to her, and simply that Áine had a dream that confirmed her beliefs, as many people do when they think obsessively about something. None of us say a word, and we let her talk.
"You know, I think I can get used to Sage Anansi. Maybe we could all have our own sort of symbol as well! The way the bloodline families do. Something to be remembered by or associated with. That sounds excellent!"
"Excellent - but I have just one more question." Áine's eyes land on her brother. "Are you sure you're up to this?"
He looks bewildered at first, and doesn't quite reply. His eyes are red and his hands are shaking. I find myself asking the same question in my hand.
"Eventually, I'll find some kind of balance, Áine. If not, I'm sure one of my children will be willing to assist me in future - or if not, someone else. I refuse to give up on the education of the witches for whatever reason. I have spent a good portion of my life being told to put my magic to one side for the sake of those who would hate the fact I was born with it, and I refuse to separate myself from it any longer. Until the inevitable happens, I am by all of your sides - and I will put as much money as needed into helping witches across Henford and the surrounding areas, starting with the reward I owe Abigail."
"I don't mind helping you, Owen."
"You have your woodwork to think about, Elijah. You stay focused on that. You have your own life - I want it to stay that way. Besides, maybe Daniel will want to move back in with you someday."
"Is that it for input? Is there anything else anyone would like to add?"
We agree that we've said all we need to. Now, it is a case of seeing if it's possible.
Áine
The battle rages on in the settlements and houses, but the bloodline families and witches keep up the fight. Soon enough, we will have a safe place away from them. Not much longer...
Nervousness rises throughout my body, crawling throughout my entire being like an infestation of insects. We all gather at the old ritual circle. The others seem even more apprehensive than I am - all except Owen, whose emotions are impossible to read. We have all of the necessary spell components we can muster.
"I'm sorry, Áine. I promise, I have faith in you doing this - I'm just...it's kind of worrying!" Eli says, shivering a little.
"I'm rather intrigued, I must say. Whatever happens, dear sister, we're right behind you."
"Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart. This is as difficult for you as it is for me, and I appreciate how long you have all stuck by my side despite everything. I love every single one of you, and for your sakes, and that of the witches of Glimmerbrook and Henford... I hope that I can succeed. No-one will forget your contributions to magical history- I will be absolutely sure of it."
Ethereal purple skies. Eternal moonlight.
Cobbled streets and magical streetlights.
An opulent, large building, with a beautiful courtyard and majestic fountain.
A small alley for shopping - we'll need somewhere students can buy supplies.
The floor and ceiling will shine like the stars of our known world.
The walls will be full of gorgeous paintings of animals and magical symbols.
Bridges between each island.
An area for duelling - we have to teach the students to defend themselves.
Dragon statues guarding the front door. Twisting staircases and mystical crystals. Trees and flowers, to remind us of the real world.
Owen
I rush to my sister. The spell was so powerful that even a true witch like her, with the soul of another witch inside of her, was overpowered by it...
I urge her to stop moving and wipe the blood from her face and eyes. She's quivering, and not responding to me at all.
The pink, lightning-like portal remains stable, however. The key around her neck glows the same colour, humming with warmth and magical energy.
I urge her to keep breathing, but she's completely unaware of her surroundings until she collapses into my arms. She's still breating, albeit in a shallow manner.
It's too far to take her back to one of the settlement from here. I need somewhere to take her right now - and there's only one option.
"Everyone, don't worry. I'm going to have to take her into the portal. It's the nearest safe place."
"Owen! Have you gone mad? You've no idea what to expect!"
I hear my brother muttering to himself - Please, Áine, don't die, please, don't die...
"She's alive, Eli. She's still breathing, and the portal must be tied to her existence - it's still open, and seemingly stable."
"Seemingly' being the key word, Owen!" Kat exclaims.
"Being a man of science, sometimes the answers are only hidden behind taking a risk. We won't know what to expect unless one of us takes a step into that portal. So I'm going to - I'm going to make sure my sister is in a safe place."
I try to quell the nauseous warmth of anxiety within me. One of us is going to have to be the first to see the result of Áine's work - and it might as well be me.
As I take a step through the purple portal, the world begins to blur around me, and the winter cold ceases almost immediately, replaced by a comfortable warmth. Swirls of purple, orange and blue begin to materialise into a cobbled floor. I try to shake off the strange feeling of crossing that threshold away.
I keep facing down, a little apprehensive as to what to expect. Áine's chest slowly rises and falls - she's at least stable, but she's still trembling a little, and her breaths are frantic one moment and calm the next.
I take a step forward. And another, and another, and another - it's tangible, at least. It's as if there is no air here, and yet I'm still breathing...rather bizarre. There's a purple light glaring down.
I try to relax my breaths and force myself to finally look up.
I'm still in disbelief. This isn't a dream. No, this is a sort of reality - a dream of scientists realised by magic, a science in itself.
"Well, dear sister...I believe it's time to see the result of what you've-"
"Heavens...it's wonderful. Like something out of a lovely dream."
"Aine...you did it. In all your surefootedness, confidence, skill, and madness... you did it. You've made a breakthrough in both science and magic...I only wish you were conscious to marvel in it with me."
I have to go inside. There must be somewhere I can lie her for the time being.