Witch

It was the first half an hour of a new year. Everyone was home celebrating except for one woman who travelled in the middle of the night pushing her horse through the deserted area. This night was very special and except this strange woman, no one else knew about how special it was. The horse was running at his maximum pace and already compared to any ordinary horse he was extremely fast. The woman lifted her head, looking up at the moon anxiously and nervously. This single motion caused the cape covering her head to fall back, freeing her long silvery-white hair, leaving them to flatter behind her as the veil. She welcomed the cold air wheezing around her ears, cooling her face, trying the sweat that was covering her forehead. The night was warm and being deeper in the southern area with no snow or ice. She closed her eyes for a second before turning her tired eyes back up to the moon. 'It will not take much longer' she thought for herself before putting her cape back leaning closer to the horse's mane starting a quiet incantation directly into his ear. In less than an hour, the moon would be perfectly synchronised with the sun and a planet. One perfect line. Thanks to this event, the moon was slowly changing its colour to red and its power was escalating the closer they were to their positions. She leaned even closer to the horse's neck, almost lying down on his back as he was pushing more into his speed. If there would be someone able to see them, their unnatural speed would definitely scare or maybe surprise him. She kept chanting all the time now to increase the speed even more. She needs to arrive at her destination before the moon reaches its position. Before the red moon reaches its peak. The Red Full Moon was happening once in a few generations or one could say once in a millennium and she can't afford to miss it, to be late. She has to hurry if she wants to make it on time. The horse reached his maximum speed and his hooves were barely touching the ground. One would say he was flying right above it. It took them around half an hour before they reached the edge of the mountain terrace, looking down at the valley below. Down there at the bottom, she sees the lights. "Almost there Alistair just bears with me longer please" she whispered to the horse, patting his mane. He neighed in response and walked left to follow the rocky trail leading down to bring his mistress to the village safely. It was a small village. As she was looking around, she counted around fifteen buildings. She arrived at the front of the biggest house in the middle of the village. ‘This should be a town hall.’ She thought for herself. She got off the horse, standing still besides, closing her eyes, focusing on the life essence around her. She felt them. Every single heartbeat in the village. And not only felt them, but she could also see the red glowing energy radiating from their pulsation. With closed eyes, she looked around. She was searching for something, or rather someone. When she reached the small house at the edge of the village left from the town hall, she knew she found exactly what she was searching for. In the house she recognized one adult rushing around the house back and forth. The heart was beating fast and heavily. The person was old, but other than that she was calm. One sitting at the corner of the first room with a steady heartbeat. This person cared about the commotion inside the house. In the next room was a sitting person who's heart was beating steadily but was full of worry and anxiety. This person cared a lot. The last person was lying down on something, most likely bed. This person was very weak, stressed. Her life essence was almost gone. All these pieces of information she can read from the colour and amount of the life essence. But what brought the smile to her lips and got her full attention was the small shiny red life essence in the last week one. A little heart, beating so fast and frantic. The position of this tiny heart gave the position of the baby and she knew she made it in time. The baby was still inside the womb of its mother. She looked up at the moon again and by the colour; she knew she had around twenty minutes left before the Red Full Moon took its place and released its full power. She needs to bring the baby to this world now. She opened her eyes and moved directly towards the house, not even bothering herself to knock on the door she entered. All eyes in the room were currently locked one her, wondering who was this stranger roughly entering the house. It was a small house comprising two rooms. Right beside her stood a cabinet used as storage. In front of her at the right half of the room stood a table with chairs where the mid-aged man was sitting, staring at her. He didn't care about the situation in the house, but definitely didn't like that someone rushed inside his house without knocking and even completely covering himself from head to toe. Left from the table a small area to prepare food with the cupboard down and above the desk to store the dishes. Beside stood the stone stove, now with the enormous pot of boiling water. On her left side was a door connected to the next room used as a bedroom. They built the stove right into the wall, connecting both rooms so they could share the warmth during the winter times. 'It's smart' she mentioned for herself. She lifted her head up a little more and took off the cape, revealing her face. Giving a nod to others in greetings "good evening". "Priestess?" The old lady gasps when the cape falls down and shows the hair of the newly arrived woman. She runs to her, kneeling down in front and bowing her head. They must have called to assist with the delivery, the priestess thought as she offered her hand to a woman, letting her kiss the tops of her fingers. "How far is she?" Priestess asked, motioning with the turn of the head to the other room. "Baby will come to any minute, priestess. The mother is wide enough already, " the midwife answered quickly. Priestess registered the mid-aged woman coming from the other room to see what was taking so long for the midwife to come back. Priestess took off her black cloak, revealing her full beauty. All three gasped at her mesmerizing beauty. They never saw a priestess during their life. Sure, they know about them and heard a lot of stories about their beauty and how unique they are, but the moon temple was around 10 days by horse from their tiny village. The small chapels in the villages were hosting only statues of the moon goddess. The only place the priestess was normally visiting from time to time beside their main temple carved into the Ardanian's mountains which was their home here in the mortal realm, was the Silver Temple in the capital. She was wearing a long red gown rounding her breasts tightly and below them splitting into two parts. One continued tightly around her thin waist, copying her full hips before falling loose from there down to the ground. The second part was flowing freely as another cape to the ground. The fabric below her breast covering her back and flowing down was translucent and darker than the one below it, which caused the contrast between them and highlighted the ornaments on the upper satin. From above the breast, the gown followed the shape of her neck, leaving the shoulders and hands free. On both arms, she had silver arm cuffs that were wrapped around the arms five times like a snake decorated with the moonstones on their upper ends. The silver soft chain decorated with the symbols of the moon on top from where small chains were creating an illusion of gloves ending by five rings for each of her fingers was hugging her wrist. But what allured their attention the most was her completely moon-white hair with soft silver highlights following the curve of her back down to her waist. Her forehead was decorated with another moonstone shaped like a crescent moon and locked in the place by thin silver chains disappearing in her hair at each side of her head. The priestess moved inside the next room, followed by the midwife. "Bring boiled water and clean fabrics." Priestess instructed as her eyes landed on the woman laying down on the bed and heavily panting "and better hurry, the baby is about to come." She called after the disappearing woman. Priestess came closer to the bed, checking on the young lady not older than eighteenth, checking her pulse and her condition. She was very weak. Precisely she was barely holding up trying to stay alive, wishing nothing else but to bring her child safely to this world. Priestess took the girl's hand into hers and started whispering a spell. In less than a minute the breathing of the young woman became more steady, stronger, and she could even take a deeper breath now, which provided her with more oxygen. This caused the release of her muscle tension and she even smiled shyly back at the priestess. She definitely relaxed and also looked a little more healthy now. The pregnancy and the circumstances of her pregnancy took a toll on her life's essence. Priestess stroked her hair softly "It will be alright. I know she is taking too much of your energy. Just hold on a few more minutes and it will be all over" the priestess tried to calm the girl a bit more and when she nodded to her, visibly prepared, the priestess moved in front of the bed ready to bring the child to this world. The midwife brought bowls of boiled water, settling one on the table behind the priestess beside the wardrobe and the second bowl of water at the edge of the bed. Priestess checked the young woman again and moved to the window to the right to open it. For the last time, she looked up at the moon to make sure she still had time. She smiled following the moonlight trails when she realized how blessed she was since the light of the moon was reaching the bed and stroking the bare skin of the girl’s hand. ‘Moon Goddess blessing her' she thought. 'It's all set up perfectly' confirming for herself she moved to the bowl beside the wardrobe to wash her hand then back to the bed's foot. It's time. "I need you to give me one big push now. Take a deep breath and push, " priestess instructed. The girl took a deep breath and pushed. She pushed as much as she could before her body gave up and she fell back to her pillows. "Good, again," the Priestess ordered. The midwife was assisting her with the delivery, serving the clean cloths and helping to wipe the blood so the priestess could see how far they were. The mother of the girl sitting at the edge of the bed beside her daughter was wiping the sweat from the girl's face and forehead, supporting her only child to deliver the grandchild. The girl pushed again with all her power. As the Red Moon reached the highest position, locking in the line with the sun, the surge of power was coming through the priestess and down to the child at the same moment, when the small red head popped out. "That's good. You are almost there, just one last push." With those words, the young woman pushed one more time and the small little girl was brought into this world. The priestess took the baby to another bowl of water which midwife prepared a few minutes ago and started cleaning her. Meanwhile, the midwife was cleaning the girl in the bed and collecting all the bloody clothes and sheets below her, so she could rest. "You did it, I knew you could do it" the mother sitting at the edge of the bed was praising her child, softly stroking her face. The priestess was listening to her talks without saying or doing anything. She knew what would come next, and she wanted to give this woman the time to talk to her daughter.