The swamp’s lush yet strangling vegetation pressed in close, often leaving little room for me to squeeze through. Insects swarmed around me in droves, their incessant buzzing and biting not bothering me in the slightest. Nothing could deter me from the task at hand.
What was most important to me had already slipped through my fingers once, and I’d be damned to have it happen again. I will save her! It is my sole duty as her father.
Events of the previous night clawed their way forward from where I had tried desperately to bury them. The anguish and guilt that came with them almost dragged me to my knees. I had been so careless, I should not have given into the sweet embrace of sleep. All in the village knew what was to come that night. We were all prepared and yet… And yet she was still taken from me!
The thought of what might happen to her in the hag’s foul grasp had my hairs standing on end. The thought of the marrow being sucked from her bones chilled my soul. I would not let it happen. I refuse!
It was time to bring the hag’s reign of terror to an end. Not just for my sake, but for all those who had lost loved ones before and those still to come.
I had taken little with me on my hunt. I was not even sure if what I had brought would be enough to slay her. All I had was my axe and my wits. Not much by far, but it would have to do.
I continued my slog through the stagnant waters in no particular direction, hoping that the tales held true. If one wished to seek the hag, you only needed to desire a meeting, and you would be guided to her. I was confident that my desire was strong enough.
I travelled for what seemed an eternity. The sun had long since slipped from the sky, bringing with it a perpetual gloom, and then suddenly my journey was over. For not one hundred paces ahead of me, a crude wooden fence topped with an assortment of skulls appeared. Just beyond the unsettling fence, nestled amongst low hanging vines, twisted and covered in thorns, stood a shabby weathered hovel. Its appearance made my skin crawl. Horrific talismans and charms shaped from bone decorated the hovel’s exterior.
I could see a warm and inviting glow from the single window that faced me. I felt it tug at me as if it were casting a spell. My grip on the axe loosened, and I took a step forward, crossing the threshold into the hag’s lair.
My instincts screamed at me to be on my guard. Warning me to remember my purpose. A thread snapped, and I was myself once more, the warm glow no longer inviting. I steeled myself and crept up onto the porch. Slipping across, I peered in through the window. Careful so as not to disturb the bones that swayed and rattled on the silent breeze. My breath caught at what I saw inside.
The hovel’s interior was a cramped room occupied by all manner of odd and devilish things. Jars, filled to the brim with strange things that made my stomach churn, crammed rough-hewn shelves that covered almost every inch of wall space. A variety of herbs and roots hung down from the rafters in bunches. Dusty tomes and scraps of parchment lay in piles, open and strewn about. Stubby black-wax candles burnt low sat throughout the room, the source of the meager glow. A black cauldron stood at the heart of the room, with a fire raging beneath it. Colourful vapours curled up into the air as some unholy concoction bubbled and stewed within its bowels.
My eyes widened in horror as my gaze swept across it all and settled on the back wall. There, pressed up against the wall, were several crudely constructed cages. Frightened creatures cowered within them and there amongst them, curled up in a tight ball, slept my daughter.
I thanked the gods that she was still alive. My thanks quickly turned to white-hot rage.
What fiend would lock an innocent child in a cage?
As the thought transpired, a hideous, hunched decrepit woman draped in filthy rags entered the room from an unseen entrance. I watched as she moved about the room with what seemed no particular purpose to me. With her back turned, I slipped from the window and hoping to catch her off-guard; I prepared to kick the door in. But before I could do so, the door silently swung inwards of its own accord.
I faltered in the open doorway, unsure of what to do. The hag had not seemed to notice my presence.
Now is my chance.
I stepped across the threshold and knew I had made an error in judgment. I could not take one step further.
“Ah, it would appear I have a visitor,” the hag cooed with her back still turned.
She did not seem imposing or dangerous, but as she turned to face me, I swore that even the shadows seemed to shrink back from her in fear. My grip tightened on my axe and I swallowed, despite my resolve. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as her withering gaze focused on me, stripping away layers of flesh and bone to reveal my soul bare before her. I could not suppress a shiver.
“I know what you have come for, but I know not the reason.”
She beckoned my body forward with a single gnarled, talon-tipped finger.
“Why now, after so many people before you have turned a blind eye?”
The door slammed shut behind me.
“Speak, mortal, and perhaps we can come to an understanding.”
A mischievous smile snaked across her wafer-thin lips, making my skin crawl. I attempted to raise my axe, and her smile soured.
“That crude weapon is useless against me.”
She snapped her fingers, and my grip loosened. The axe clattered to the floor. I looked at the hag in disbelief and horror. Victory slipped away with the axe.
“Perhaps you need some incentive to loosen your tongue?”
The cage that held my daughter opened, and she drifted through the air, coming to rest above the bubbling cauldron. The hag watched me like a cat toying with its prey. My legs trembled at the sight of my daughter teetering on the brink of death.
“Now, answer me. But know that if you do not convince me, I shall boil your child and suck the marrow from her bones before your eyes. And after I have devoured her, you will wish you had perished alongside her.”
I opened my mouth and words spilled forth like grain from an upturned sack.
“She is all I have left in this world. She is my most precious and cherished treasure, and I would do anything to see her prosper and live a long and happy life. Please, I beg you, spare her life.”
I held my breath, awaiting my judgment. The hag’s icy stare never left me. Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity as I waited for the hag’s decision. Abruptly she snapped her fingers and my daughter drifted through the air, coming to rest in my empty arms. Her small body nestled deeper into the crook of my arm, as if sensing my presence. I shuddered in relief.
“Thank you.”
The hag held up a hand.
“She is not freely given. This is merely a bargain, a trade of sorts. I will ensure that you and your own prosper in life, but know that your bloodline from this day forth is bound to me. I will call on your kin whenever needed, and none shall ignore me!” Her voice was firm as steel. “This is the pact we make.”
Not seeing any other way, I gave a curt nod. The hag clapped her hands together.
“It is sealed, then.”
I felt a searing pain on the back of my hand. I glanced down and saw a brand in the shape of an eye etched into my flesh. An identical one was visible on my daughter too.
“Return to your home and never forget what has transpired here.”
“I doubt that I ever will.”
The hag grunted in amusement. The door behind me swung open. I did not look back until I was beyond the ominous fence, but when I did, all that met my gaze was the choking swamp. My mind spun with everything that had transpired as I stared in disbelief.
I felt my daughter stir.
“Papa?”
“I am here. Everything is going to be alright,” I said as I brushed her hair from out of her face. Her dazzling green eyes stared back at me. I gave her a reassuring smile and began the journey home.
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