A week’s time had passed and Nancy's mother had remained silent. Morgan was unsure of the cause of her silence, but each day she thanked the gods for it. 

Silence, blessed silence, it was something she had been missing since she left the confines of the woods. To be on her own, listening to the sounds of nature as it surrounded her. A place she had no fear if her darker powers suddenly disobeyed her and acted up.

A place she was free from prying eyes, hidden deep where no soul could find her. Well, almost no one.

Nancy had told Morgan the day before that she wouldn't need her this day, so it was the first day Morgan had to herself. She sighed and got out of bed as she pushed her mourning thoughts of silence and the trees aside. 

She padded across the floor, reaching the place she had been storing her skirts and held the blue one up. It was her favorite out of the two. 

She carefully slipped the dress on, making sure she did not pull the laces free from the back. To have to replace the dress would be a pain. 

Once everything was in place, Morgan pulled the laces at the small of her back tightly, twisting the two pieces and tying them neatly in a bow. She looked at her reflection seeing a woman she was just starting to recognize again.

Her cropped black hair laid perfectly straight, the bodice of her dress accentuated every curve of her upper body. The sleeves hugged the length of her arm, providing cover from the on coming winter that was fast approaching. The skirts billowed out, dragging on the floor, if anything was wrong with them, it was that they were just slightly too long. 

She looked into the eyes in the mirror. The icy blues that in just over a week’s time had started to thaw. She could see the change in them and it gave her hope. In her brief stay, the people of the village had already helped her to relax. 

As she was deciphering the woman looking back at her, Morgan felt a familiar pull deep inside of her. Her powers were trying to call out to her, they begged to be freed. Ever since the day she had used them to save Nancy's mother they had been itching to come out again. 

Morgan took deep breaths, trying to calm the feeling of desperation coming from within. Every day the pull had gotten stronger, and she was afraid she would not be able to deny her true self much longer. 

She pulled her brows together, worry evident in the creases. Maybe she could let them out if she could get away from the village. 

I have all day, I could possibly sneak away. No one would see me and know one would have to know. 

Morgan set out to wander the village; she wanted to thank Gregory again for giving her the skirts. Even if she didn't care for them much she knew they would help her in regards to the rest of the villagers. She hadn't seen him since the night he was at her door, Nancy had been the one to gather the wood after that day, and she wasn't outside much. 

She hoped he wasn't avoiding her because he had seen her in just a towel. 

She also wanted to see more of the place, since her arrival she had been confined to one small area. She had made one trip through the central village when Gregory had first taken her to Nancy, but she had paid no mind to what was around. 

It wasn't that the village was large by any means; in fact, it was smaller than some she had visited. The way it was designed however, made one have to walk through in order to see all the village had to offer. It had appeared that when building the homes, the people had just picked a random plot of land and started building.

Morgan had finally stumbled upon Gregory near the edge of the village chopping away at a pile of logs. She had approached him silently, watching him as he worked as she suspected he had done the day she had been hacking away at the stubborn hunks of wood. 

Despite the cooler weather moving in, he was shirtless. She could see his strong muscles rippling below the surface with each downward blow of the axe. Morgan could not deny that the man was attractive and that she enjoyed watching him work. 

She cleared her throat and at the noise Gregory whirled around startled.

"Whoa there. I have just come to check on you." She smiled at him as he cheeks heated up from the embarrassment of being caught off guard. 

She then saw his reaction shift as he took her in for the first time that day. His eyes widened at the site of the petite elegant woman standing before him. 

She blushed and tried to hide her face behind a curtain of hair, which she no longer possessed. She was exposed to his full scrutiny. 

"You look lovely." 

"Thank you." She whispered barely audible. 

After a moments silence in which neither knew what to say, Morgan finally spoke up again. 

"I just wanted to thank you for the skirts again. I didn't mean to make the villagers feel - uncomfortable."

"It was no problem at all." He smiled.

Morgan could see something hiding behind his dark eyes, lust perhaps. The thought of a man lusting after her was a new concept. Sure there had been boys before she had left her home, and some of them had showed their interest, but she was young then. She did not worry herself about things such as boys at that age.

What she felt was completely different this time. She never thought she would have a man feel anything for her, she never really expected to settle down either. Yet here she was, just a week in and already she wanted to settle down, and already she felt delighted at the idea of finding another person to share her life with.

"Well, I must be on my way. Many things to do." Morgan said awkwardly. She really didn't want to leave, but the pulling coming from her magic within had gotten even stronger. 

"Me too."

Reluctantly, Morgan turned away from Gregory and made her way across the village. She tried to appear as normal as possible, just a woman strolling through the village. She could see looks from the men as she passed, and she could hear their wives scolding them for it. 

When she reached the tree line at the opposite side of the village from where she had left Gregory she turned to look over her shoulder once. She made sure no one had seen her standing there before she made her way into the depths of the forest. 

Once she was safely inside, hidden in the sanctuary she had lived in time and time again, Morgan could feel herself relax. All of the tension that had still been in her muscles gave way and she felt completely at peace. In the safety of the woods she didn't have to pretend she was something else, she could be exactly who she was meant to be.

She felt the pulling sensation deep inside of her, her powers begging to make their way to the surface, and she gave in to their wishes. 

Her magic bubbled up inside of her warming her entire body, and she relished the feeling. 

Adalia raised her hands to the sky as her powers materialized in their physical form. An unseasonably warm breeze whispered through what was left of the leaves in the trees. The leaves on the ground began to float a swirl around her, her short hair carrying in the newfound wind. 

She spun around and her skirts flared out around her, a blue pinwheel turning amidst the chaos of swirling around her. A giggle bubbled up past her lips and the trees started to sway as if they were dancing. 

As she looked around at the magical beauty happening all around, she questioned how anyone could possibly be afraid of any of it. 

In the midst of her joy, something struck a cord inside. She had suppressed her powers to the point that she had closed off her ability of sensing her sister. She had no idea where her sister was, such as Lenora did not know where Adalia was, but being born of the same kind, at the same time, they could sense the presence of one another, and Adalia could sense that her sister was near the village. 

Lenora had managed to track her down, and she had been too stubborn to realize it sooner. Everything came to a sudden standstill, and the woods had become eerily silent. 

Adalia ran back in the direction she had come from, she needed to make it to the village before her sister so she could grab her belongings and run. 

If it weren't for the fact that she were in skirts and her practical clothing lay hidden in the cabin she would have left the rest of her belongings, but she knew she couldn't travel in her current clothing. 

Stupid skirts hindering me. She thought to herself as she stumbled on the hems while running through the trees. 

"Why did I ever let Gregory give me these?"

Because I had a false hope of settling down. I will never be free to stop moving. Either my sister will come, or the hunters will come. 

Adalia cursed the naive hopes that had brought her to her current situation as she neared the tree line. 

She had just reached the village, still hidden behind a few of the cabins when Adalia saw her. 

There was a woman standing in the center of the village, and the rest of the people who had been milling about were now surrounding her. The woman had light golden hair, the long strands pulled into an elegant knot at the back of her head. 

Skirts made of the highest quality fabrics, and posture that would make any top-notch stallion appear to sag. 

Adalia was unable to see the woman's face, but she knew exactly whom those features belonged to. Lenora Grova had already found the village, and she was asking about her sister. 

Adalia watched for a moment as her sister's light colored hair glistened in the sun. As a child she had always thought that her sister had been born with the light hair to signify her purity, and Adalia's raven locks had been given to signify the darkness she harbored within given for her powers of necromancy. A visual blemish upon her otherwise unmarked skin.

Adalia silently made her way towards the cabin she had been staying in, careful to go unnoticed. She could hear her sister's words, asking about Adalia who had run away from home. Describing every notable feature about her in hopes someone would give her up. The only thing that kept the villagers from speaking was the fact she had given a different name. The thought, even then, never crossed their minds that Adalia had given false identification.

Lenora knew Adalia was near, if no one would step forward Adalia was sure she would search on her own. Not that the woman ever traveled alone, she always brought with her a staff. They would do her bidding, do the searching for her. 

Adalia slipped into cabin through the door and quickly gathered her things. She threw her essentials into the bag, and made sure to grab the pants and shirt from their hiding place. She lifted a leg and strapped her dagger to the inside of her calf, making sure it was secured tightly before continuing her frantic packing.

She looked around the room, wishing she could leave a note of some kind for the woman who had shown her such kindness, for the man who had made her forget who she was for the time being. However, notes would take too long, and she had no resources to complete such task. 

She threw the bag over her shoulder and stealthily crept out the door and back into the woods. Only one last glance was spared for the place she had foolishly thought she would be able to call home, she now knew that villages would never provide a safe haven for her. 

She was just glad it had been her sister to show up first and not the Necro Hunters, if they had been the ones, there may not have been anyone left by the time they were through. The village would have been a pile of ash and bones. 

Adalia shuddered at the thought and forged on, running as fast as her confined legs would carry her. She could hear the tearing of fabric as the skirts snagged and drug on the ground, but she paid no attention, just forced her feet to move faster. 

She stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath and determine her surroundings. 

In the moment of silence Adalia could hear footsteps approaching quickly. She took no time to wait and see the source of the steps, she just ran - taking herself deeper into the woods. 

She could sense the person following her; she could tell they were gaining ground. In a moment of panic, Adalia cast an agility spell on herself and took to the trees. 

She cursed at her choice of dress as she leaped from limb to limb. She scaled across the branches, moving throughout the trees trying to escape her tracker, but she could still hear them below. She rose higher in the trees, perching precariously on each branch before lunging for another, hoping that the height would cause the person below to lose her trail. 

She was a bright blue blur in a tree however, and nearly impossible to miss. 

Adalia could feel the tree she had just leapt from shake as another body claimed a spot. She whipped her head around to see a body completely clad in black directly behind her, moving just as fluidly.

So the person was a witch as well, as was most definitely not her sister, or one of her sister's people. 

A cold chill ran down her spine as the only other possibility came to her mind. 

Necro Hunter she hissed to herself, throwing every last ounce of energy she had into her escape. 

Without warning, Adalia was struck from behind. The blow caused her to lose balance and tumble to the ground, making contact with the ground abruptly. 

All the air had been knocked from her lungs and she gasped for breath. She took no time to gather herself, instead she stood and ran. 

She knew the hunter would still be on her trail, but the only choices she had were to run or fight. She particularly liked the idea of running, at least until she could run no longer. She only wanted to resort to a battle if it was absolutely necessary. 

Who am I kidding? If this person had the chance, they would kill me on sight. That is what they are trained to do.

Adalia felt another blow strike her back, but it was not from a solid object, the person was striking her with magic.

She fell to the ground once more, and felt the person jump on top of her holding her face to the ground.

"What are you?" A female voice asked, slightly muffled by the fabric covering her mouth. 

"I-I am Morgan Surley. I am just a h-human." she hiccupped and spit dirt from her mouth. "P-please don't kill me." 

The woman atop her back pushed her face into the ground harder. 

"Do not test me, I know you are not human." She sneered, leaning down near Adalia's ear. 

Adalia bucked and the woman toppled to the side. Adalia began to grapple trying to get her feet under her but she was knocked down again. 

She was once again flat on her stomach, both hands made immobile and she was eating dirt and leaves. 

"I will ask you once more, what are you?" The woman spat.

"I am a human!" Adalia shouted.

"You are trying my patience. I can sense you are not human."

"Fine." She grumbled at the faceless woman, "I am a witch, are you happy?" 

"I am far from happy. Why are you hunting us?" She demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you hunting our group?" The woman yelled tightening her grip on Adalia's hands until she thought they were going to snap from the pressure. 

"I am not hunting you. I have no idea what you are talking about!" She screamed desperately. 

The woman grumbled something about never getting the answers she wanted, and that was the last thing she heard before she was struck on the back of the head. 

Just before Adalia's entire world fell into the black, she was sure she was marching up to death's door.