Mikal

The Eastern Woods – Late Spring

Cold engulfed him despite the growing heat of the approaching summer. Even the long hours of hiking through the woods beneath the midday sun did nothing to warm his shivering body. A chill ran through his limbs and creeped into his guts, making him sick to the core.

"You alright?" Hilda panted as she hiked by his side, her concerned voice a slight comfort amid the unbearable tension.

He could only nod in response, his lips sealed tight and his fists clenched. He suddenly felt Hilda's warm hand upon his own, holding it in reassurance.

"If you want us to go back –"

"No!" He snapped, his voice hoarse from long hours of silence, having not spoken a word since they left the cottage early at dawn.

Of course he did not want to go back. He had been waiting in agony for the past few days, since Hilda had told him of the spell that could bring back his eyesight. The sheer torture he had to endure, knowing there was finally hope, and having to wait until Hilda finally agreed to take him to the Grand Healer. And there he was, hiking all morning through the deep woods with Hilda, on their way to the infamous witch.

Yet strangely, Mikal did not feel as excited as he had expected. In fact, he did not feel excited at all. If anything, he was terrified. And the further they ventured into the woods, the more uneasy he grew. Uninvited thoughts started clouding his confused mind, and an inexplicable heaviness filled his chest, weighing down his body and making it difficult to breathe.

But there was no going back now. Not after everything he had suffered, and not after coming this far. Getting his sight back was the only thing he truly wanted. The only thing he would trade his life, even his soul for.

Dia cawed as he flew ahead of them, and though Mikal largely depended on Hilda for guidance, he still liked to follow the sounds of his precious Dia. Dia had been Mikal's eyes before, especially during his first months of winter right after he was abandoned into the woods. Mikal had been lost and clueless, barely surviving the cold and hunger, if not for Dia who had guided him through the endless darkness...

Mikal could no longer tell if the ever growing cold was only in his body, or if the atmosphere around them had suddenly changed. It did feel different. The air itself was cold, hurting his chest as he breathed. He could no longer sense the sun rays passing through the trees and caressing his skin. He could no longer hear the rustling of leaves around them as the branches swayed with the afternoon breeze. There was no breeze in the first place, and not a single sound of a single creature, as if the silence of death had suddenly enveloped the woods. Even Dia had stopped cawing.

Mikal reached out for Hilda's hand and grabbed it tight. Hell, he was terrified and he did not even care to hide it.

"It's alright, we're almost there," Hilda reassured him.

***

A long creak disturbed the ominous silence as Hilda opened the cottage door. Heavy smoke assaulted them as they entered, laden with the scorching odors of brewing herbs and potions. Mikal held his breath as the onslaught of burning air stung his chest, and he did all he could to keep himself from choking.

"Grand Healer?" Hilda called as she stepped inside.

There was no response. Except for the flapping wings of ravens and their croaks that filled the air, mixed with the bubbling sounds of boiling liquids and hissing of flames. Mikal wondered if the witch was not there, which threw him into a strange mix of disappointment and relief.

Dia leapt off Mikal's shoulder, cawing loudly, and next, an outburst of shrill cries bellowed in response along with a chaos of beating wings.

"Dia!" Mikal gasped, his heart sinking to his feet. He could not see what was happening, and he dreaded to think that Dia was under attack.

"You've brought Aurora's boy again."

The moment the words were spoken, dead silence washed over the place. It was the unmistakable eerie voice of the ancient witch.

Mikal could not see her, but he could vividly picture a sinister looking woman dressed in long black robes, with unruly long black hair and pointed long black nails. Her eyes must be black as well, deeply lined in black, and so were her thin lips, twisted in an evil grin and painted in black.

He could sense her approaching him, the hem of her long robes swishing over the stone floor, and her smoky scent growing heavier as she got closer to him.

"You're not hunting for Dragonia this time," the witch spoke, and Mikal shuddered at how close her voice was. She seemed to be standing right before him.

"That's right, Grand Healer," Hilda responded, while the witch sniffed the air a couple of times. "We've come for something else."

"Something dark and dangerous," the witch said, apparently knowing why they came here anyway.

"Indeed. And we need your help."

"Bring the boy along," the witch ordered before she turned around with a soft whoosh.

Unlike the chilling cold outside, it was unbearably warm inside the witch's cottage, the heat intensified as they sat quite close to the blazing flames and boiling cauldrons. Mikal remained silent, despite the endless questions he wanted to ask, most important of all was how that witch had known his mother. Had she met her before? Or was that one of her gifts, knowing the names of people she had never met?

"We need your help with performing a spell, to restore his vision," Hilda finally said, and Mikal's attention was suddenly turned to the main purpose of their visit.

"Remove the blindfold."

Mikal's heart stopped for a moment and his hands flew to his face, making sure the blindfold stayed where it was. He sensed Hilda rising from her seat and moving to stand behind him, where she gently placed her hands over his own. He stiffened and tightened his hold on the blindfold.

"It's alright," Hilda spoke softly, her voice warm and comforting. "I'll keep standing here behind you, and I won't see your face. But the Grand Healer must inspect you closely so she could be able to help us."

Mikal did not like the fact that Hilda was trying to coo him like he was a little child. Of course he knew that the healer needed to inspect his eyes. He was just taken by surprise at the suddenness of her request, and he needed a few moments to relax, which was impossible with all the surrounding tension.

It was pressure enough that he could not see, and having to wonder what each eerie sound and unusual smell belonged to. Things he had probably never seen before. Terrible dreadful things. He was scared. He was scared of the witch and her cottage of horrors. And he was scared of the spell they had come to ask for.

Mikal did not realize when Hilda had managed to take his hands down, and she was now unwinding the cloth that covered his eyes. He shook and did all he could to stop from whimpering.

"It's alright. It's alright." Her soft whispers soothed him, and he finally managed to take in a deep breath.

The blindfold came off. The foreign sensation of air teasing his skin unnerved him, and he could feel the witch's dreadful eyes boring into his eyeless face. He felt exposed, and vulnerable. A long moment of silence followed, only disturbed by crackling flames and gurgling potions. Until the witch finally decided to speak.

"It cannot be restored," was all she said with a dry finality that sent a sharp stab of despair through his chest.

And next, he heard her chair scratch against the floor as she rose up to her feet, her robes rustling as she turned to walk away, returning to her work.

Mikal remained frozen in his place for a long moment, while Hilda silently wrapped the blindfold back around his eyes.

That was it? After getting all his hopes up and coming all this way? No...

His throat grew sore as he felt tears threatening to fall out of his eyeless sockets. This couldn't be the end. He couldn't remain stuck like this, blind forever.

"Not even with a soul connecting spell?" Hilda asked when she was done securing his blindfold, and Mikal's heart raced anew with anticipation.

"A soul connecting spell would not restore his vision," the witch called over the sounds of clinking metal where she apparently sat grinding herbs. "A soul connecting spell would only allow him to see through the vision of another."

A sudden bolt of hope shot through his whole being, and his heart hammered with growing excitement. So it was true. Hilda's theory was correct. He would indeed be able to see through Dia's eyes if they managed to perform that spell.

"Very good," Hilda said, a smug smile in her voice. "That is exactly what we came for."

A sudden eerie cackle rang within the cottage, sending shivers down his spine and snuffing out his hopes all over again.

"A soul connecting spell is no simple feat!" the witch laughed. "Make the smallest mistake and the damage is irreversible."

"Like what?" Mikal asked, speaking for the first time. He could no longer hold himself. He wanted to get over with that damned spell and he wanted his fucking eyesight back.

"Like losing your soul, or worse, your mind."

"I am willing to take the risk." Mikal insisted, trying not to dwell on how petrified he actually was.

"Are you?" the witch dared him, the graveness in her voice forcing him to doubt his decision all over.

"With your help I am certain there shall be no mistakes, and thus no risks," Hilda said.

"No. I do not involve myself in blood magic." The witch insisted. "It is dark and it taints one's soul."

"Then teach us the spell and we shall do it," Mikal demanded, holding on to his last fragments of courage before he changed his mind.

"And why should I do that?"

"Please, we'll pay you whatever you want."

"As persistent as your mother," the witch laughed, and again Mikal was inclined to ask her how she knew his mother. "She said the same words when I refused to treat her boy."

"What boy?" Mikal asked carefully.

"The other boy."

Mikal sighed in frustration. That was not very helpful. Did she mean Vilfred?

"But he lived," the witch added, though Mikal had no idea what she was talking about. "She managed to perform the spell and he lived."

What spell? Mikal had never known his mother to be involved in spells and that sort of stuff. And Vilfred never had any survival issues as far as he could remember.

"It only helped that the gargoyle she used was host to a powerful soul," the witch continued, and Mikal frowned in confusion. Gargoyle?

And then it suddenly dawned on him.

She was not speaking of Vilfred. It was Hans.

Distant memories came rushing into his mind, long forgotten memories of his brother Hans, so weak and sickly in his very early years. Their mother had been crying all the time, and everyone believed that Hans was going to die. Until one morning, he woke up in perfect health, his eyes sparkling, his cheeks glowing, and his giggles filling the room, as if he had never been sick before. It was uncanny, as if Hans had been restored to life through the work of magic.

But perhaps that was exactly what had happened. His mother had sought the aid of an ancient witch and cured her dying child through the work of magic. A spell that somehow involved a powerful soul hosted by a gargoyle.

Was that why Hans had always claimed he could communicate with gargoyles? Shit, that wasn't a claim. Hans was indeed capable of communicating with gargoyles, because his soul was connected to one of them!

"Did my mother use a soul connecting spell, to save Hans?"

"She did," the witch confirmed.

Mikal turned to Hilda with renewed hope.

"If my mother managed to perform such a spell then you can surely do the same!"

The witch laughed out before Hilda could respond.

"It's not the same," the witch scoffed. "The spell your mother performed was quite simple. A full soul transfer with a blood offering and a simple incantation. Any child could have done it. But what you need is far more complicated."

"Why is that?"

"Because you are not simply transferring a soul from a lifeless stone. You are binding two different souls, while keeping each one within its original body. And to do that, you need to transfer only the right fragments of each soul to the other body, while balancing the amount of blood and elements used in the process. You also need to be careful with the incantation, making sure you speak each word at the exact correct moment. Any slight error, and the spell would fail."

"What happens... if it fails?" Mikal asked, already dreading the answer.

"If it fails your soul would either escape the boundaries of your body and get lost. In other words, you die. Or worse, your soul would get trapped in your host's body forever, and your mind would degenerate into madness."

A long silence followed. Until Hilda finally rose to her feet.

"Mikal, let's go home." She grabbed his arm and tugged him along.

"What? No!"

"This is far too dangerous. I won't put you into such a risk."

"No, wait –"

"I am not going to do this Mikal. End of discussion."

"You have no right to decide such a thing!"

A loud thud interrupted them, where the witch apparently dropped something heavy onto the table before them.

"This book will tell you everything you need to know."

Mikal quickly turned to the table and searched for the book in question. His hands found the enormous leather bound structure. Not only was it of unusual width, but it was also of extraordinary thickness. There must be thousands of pages in there.

"Hell, I am not going to read all that!" Hilda protested.

"Hilda, please," Mikal said as he carried the massive book and held it securely against his chest. "Just read it, you won't lose anything. And if you still find that you're not confident with performing that spell, then I'll listen to whatever you say."

"Sounds fair," the witch said, a gleeful smirk in her voice. "I must warn you though, even if the spell succeeds, I cannot guarantee your mind will be purely safe from some minor effects."

"Minor effects?" Mikal turned to the witch with a frown.

"You're connecting your soul to another living being. At some point you might find that you possess memories or senses that are not your own. Though, such effects are not predominant and are usually brief. But they still occur. That's why it's important to choose your host wisely."

"I am using my pet raven."

"Good choice. Ravens are intelligent and loyal creatures. Not to mention, they hold the souls of reincarnated Engelmen. They are the safest option. And you do need to play safe. Because Soul Binding is the most dangerous spell in existence."

**************

How do you feel about that spell? Do you think Hilda will agree to perform it?

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