Alpha’s Chase : His Witch Mate

Spring Keep

Her mother’s face disappears around the rocky corner as the wagon sways back and forth down the gravely mountain road. It was nice of her mother to refer to it as a carriage, but it is nothing more than a farmer’s smelly livestock wagon.

The Elders have worked out quite an arrangement where someone in town receives a raven with our message. They immediately send a local farmer out to pick up whatever good needs to be delivered. No questions asked. Of course a carriage would be far more comfortable, but it would also be a lot more obvious. Remaining a secret is extremely important. They have managed to do so for centuries so far.

Mystara holds her friend closer into her side for warmth and support as the creaking wagon makes its way down the winding narrow curves. The rough pathway is not seldom traveled by. Besides going down the mountain for ingredients once every few moons, the road is otherwise used to get to the entrance of Spring Keep. Thinking about the cabin now, warms her very soul. When just this morning it made her angry.

Though she thinks the whole process of being in heat is an awfully distracting business, she guiltily loves the time she gets to spend with her friend. It is not unheard of for witches to sooth each other during heat, sometimes it is encouraged. But these two witches came by it on their own, a slight desire they both shared. The thrill of pleasing themselves.

Now they glance at each other as if they both know what the other is thinking. Their heats are upon them and they are eager to release the first wave of stress and get on with their season. Two sets of cold hands go into one another, smiles are exchanged, and the sun is rising higher above the mountain side warming everything it touches.

At the end of the winding road, they travel through a field that would seem to lead to nowhere. Only back to the side of the mountain with no way to get up. To the average eye, they are heading into a dead end. The farmer begins to slow his wagon as they pass through a dense layer of forest and reach the rock wall. Both witches jump off simultaneously and land on the ground, happy to feel the grass growing up around their ankles. Such human emotions would make them sick if they were actually feeling like themselves.

Telly grabs a bag and slings it over her shoulder, then takes one in each hand as she makes her way towards the mountain side. Mystara grabs her things and places them neatly on the ground. She takes a single gold coin from out of her corset. It flashes in the light before she and hands it to the farmer. The witch stares deeply into his old gray eyes.

“Take this gold coin farmer. You found it on the side of the road while you were delivering livestock over the mountain. Now go home to your wife and tell her whatever she wants to hear. Go!” The farmer takes the coin into his old wrinkled hand. Very much under a trance, he whips at his horses to move the wagon forward.

How awful, she thought to herself as the dingy old man drives the wagon away from them. Leaving them for four weeks to be alone in their agony. Ugh, the horrid thought of mating with that old man crossed her mind for a brief second. Mystara curses her ancestors for burdening them with this curse of a heat. She picks up all of her bags awkwardly, more this year than ever before, and begins to walk towards the face of the mountain.

Suddenly the winds whips around her fiercely, making her hair fly into her face. Just then she stops and looks up and into the forest that surrounds them. The sound of voices on the wind, though she has yet to learn this skill known by others among the coven. She closes her eyes to clear her cloudy mind. Voices swirl in, but leave again unheard. If there is a message on the wind she will not be able to decipher it this time.

The wind whispers her name and calls her to follow her heart. Her mate awaits her and it is time. The wind whispers his name.. “Jeremiah Goldenmayne..”

She feels an unknown longing, a pull within her and allows her body to take two steps into the forest away from the entrance to the Keep. Her eyes close to feel the breeze on her skin. She tries to listen once more to the wind but there is nothing.

“Myst! Look at this, the most beautiful flower I have ever seen. As though it grew here just for us.” The sound of her friend’s warm and familiar voice brings her attention back.

Mystara turns from the forest to join her friend. Wow! She was not kidding. Some sort of flower has grown its vines up and around the rune covered opening in the mountain. No creature other than the frost witches of their coven could withstand this warding. It would confuse them and send them to their death within the maze of mountain tunnels.

The wild yellow and purple flower is almost calling to them. What sort of plant is this? Mystara reaches into her shoulder bag to pull out her favorite book.

“Wait..” Mystara calls to her friend.

Quickly she shuffles through the well known and worn pages. Her fingers come to a page with a tear near the corner showing a similar flower that is yellow and red in color. She reads out loud.

“The Spider’s Bite. The carrier of this flower is marked for scrying. Of course! I thought I had recognized something similar to this. Though.. it is not quite the same. Best we leave it alone.” Too late.

As Mystara looks up at her smiling companion. Both of their faces turn to instant horror. Tellvara has picked the flower impulsively, causing the vine to turn into a long stream of black mist. The flower in her hand poofs into a cloud of black dust as well before landing on her palm. Immediately burning its image into her hand. She has been marked for scrying. There is an ominous feeling in the air.

Mystara hears the wind, this time it as clear as day.

“Go!”

The only thing they can do is make their way into Spring Keep as quickly as possible. The runes may work to throw off whoever placed the flower seed to bloom there. Oh, Vaneesha! Who could have known about the entrance to the Keep? This is not good, but it makes no difference because they are pretty much on their own. Almost completely cut off from the coven. Even if they could get a message to them, there is little they could do without a full moon.

As powerful as they are on top of their mountain the frost witches do not desire to come down and meddle with lesser beings. Their object within this lifetime is to gain knowledge and gather skills.

Once the two witches successfully weave their way through the tunnels they emerge anew within the Spring Keep. Sunlight beams down into their eyes, making them squint. They hold their hands in front of their faces to let the light stream through their fingers. The trickling of the spring can be heard right away, drawing them further into the Keep. As they pass through a hedgerow of lilac trees the cabin can be seen up on the grassy knoll in front of them. The sun is warming their skin as it shines down through the peaceful opening in the sacred mountain.

The two young witches that are beginning to feel more like young women giggle to each other. Hand in hand, they are happily accepting the haze of their heat now that they are within the Keep. Temporarily they forget their problem with the flower as it caused Telly no discomfort. They drop their belongings in the grass and run to the spring to kick off their shoes and put their feet in the water. Together again, under their favorite willow tree.

After the newness of reminiscing is over they go back to fetch their things and carry them into the cabin. The four outside walls of the beautiful cabin are covered with pieces of bark and there is a thick layer of moss over the top of the roof. The moss helps keeps the entire cabin cooler. Being hot can increase a frost witches heat desires. How embarrassing to even be at the will of such simple desires. Thoigh, even the most honorable witch admits to losing herself during her heat season.

Inside things looks much the same as they always have. There is the woodstove in the corner up against the stone wall. On the other side of the stone wall is the bathtub that is fed by the natural spring waters. The spring works its cooling magic for them, both inside and out of the quaint little cabin. There are beds up against one another along the longest wall. Enough for five comfortably and ten if need be. Mystara and Tellvara each look forward to snuggling with their friend during the night, for the coming weeks. There is a long wooden table with a bench on each side, set in front of two large stained glass windows.

The door to the cabin opens easily enough but there is a small layer of dust that needs to be wiped clean. The windows need to be opened so fresh air can come in and settle where stale air was. Bags are unpacked and a sizable amount of herbs and ingredients are displayed out on shelves and tables.

“Come here, Telly. Let me see your hand.” They sit on the bench facing the beautiful stained glass windows. The colorful light is shining through onto their dark clothing and pale skin.

Tellvara places her hand into her trusting friend’s. Mystara examines it closely, daring to run her fingertips over the etched image of the flower within her palm. They both shutter at the sensation. There does not seem to be anything they can do. Maybe they should send out a message to the coven to let them know they have been discovered.

Outside Tellvara picks a pink petal off the nearest flower and uses the Druid’s Whisper to send a message. She places her warning on the petal and lets it go into the wind, it floats away carelessly up and out of the Keep.

For now, a combination of herbs and a dip in the cool spring will serve them well. With their temperatures increasing so rapidly, it is hard to believe that it is only the first day of their heat season.