To be free

“I beg you,” Screeched the pale, fair-haired lady as the chair dipped her in the lashing sea.
“I am no witch,” she spluttered for the sixth time.
“Pathetic liar.” Adonia said under her breath at her suffering sister.
On its final dive, the chair dipped down and as it came up again Adonia recalled the look of the corpses face being an expression of horror and hopelessness. Anne Cliff, accused of being a witch was well and truly dead.
A man of around forty lowered the chair, grinning cruelly, as he loosened the ropes that had held her, stiffly, in place.
Laying her in the frothing water, he watched with satisfaction as she drifted in peace, at last, out into open sea.

From behind the rough rock, Adonia began to sob. Her anger boiled inside her, tears meandering rivers down her pink cheeks.
Her last sister out of six- killed the same way as the rest.

It was ironic that the youngest was the only one still living. And although her sister had been a scared and timid girl in the dealings with magic, Adonia had loved her all the same. She threw a look at the group of persecutors, but they weren’t aware of her presence to see the dangerous threat in her eyes.
Standing up sharply, she strolled towards a horse and cart- still unnoticed.
Grabbing the reins she strained into tiptoe so she could whisper in the stallion’s soft ear in Latin,
“Magna equus, audi me. Donec
solvam víncula magicam vos mei.”

Slipping off the bridle she kissed his nose gently, swung herself onto his back and gave a little kick.

~~~

In the shelter of the river’s great willow, Adonia stripped off her clothes. Walking out from under the branches and into the soothing rain she washed away her feelings and sorrows. She danced, naked, in the wet- laughing like a bird.
The stallion stayed under cover, observing its new and wild companion with interest.
And Adonia was wild, wild and free. Free of family, free of fear and free from the strains of civilisation.

After drying off with a blanket, she pulled on her clothes and sat with her back to the willow.
“Proieci circuli circa praesentia mei
me protegens daemones antiquis.”

After casting a powerful protection circle, Adonia gathered up the bundle, pushed it into the arms of the tree and climbed up after it.
Looking down on the great brown beast she whispered, “just me and you now, swift one, ” she yawned, “Just me and you.”

A finch sang amongst the leaves above her head, silhouetted against the blue, cloud free sky. The morning was crisp with cold and everything shone with a layer of frost. Adonia shivered. Her fingers were icy after being exposed to the cold air.
Quite a different temperature to the day before, winter was on its way.
Swinging down and pulling the bundle with her, she landed with a soft thump on the ground.
“Stallion?” she called.
She ran up to him, laughing, and climbed onto his back- with difficulty as she still clutched her package.
“We go far today, my love.”
The horse shivered as if knowing the cold that awaited him.
“STOP!” a voice demanded.
Adonia’s eyes widened in pure fear, “Who goes there?”
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” stepping out of the shadows she could see now, it was a boy, around her age, looking up at her from beneath a fur coat.
She scowled. “What do you want?”
“I want to go with you.”
She spat at him, “Why should I trust you?”
“Because … I’m like you.”
The Silence echoed.
“No. No, you’re not. You should really watch what you say, boy.”
“I'll show you," he grinned, pointing his finger at her. She felt a surge of happiness whip through her, unnaturally, as her hair floated around her like grass in the wind. Then it dropped abruptly and the cold was back.
She smiled, “We can't waste time."