Jungle Witch

Outside, the soldiers waited for him with a restrained Tenshi, who was pale and clammy. His dark eyes were wide and darting between Lord Bura’s Manor and the gates. He’d probably like nothing more than to run as far from this house as he could. Naveen couldn’t blame him really. Bura’s memory still haunted this place.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Tenshi shouted.

The annoyed looks the soldiers gave Tenshi told Naveen that he’d said the same thing over and over since his arrest.

“Yes, you did,” Naveen answered, keeping his eyes on Tenshi. “You brought an angry griffin into the city. Lady Ebony Desai has consulted with Priest Sundar, Chetan, and Gensha to decide your punishment, and they agree that you should use your afternoons to repair the damage your stunt caused.”

“I have to work. I have a wife to take care of,” Tenshi reminded him with a sniffle. He added as if it was a mantra, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That’s why the repairs will be done in the afternoon,” Naveen said, emphasizing the last word. This guy was really getting on his nerves. “You can work in the fields during the morning. I’ll clear it with my family so you won’t lose your job.”

Tenshi’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected promise, but his mind kept looking for a way to get out of the work. “But...I don’t know how to do repairs.”

There was a spark of temper in Naveen’s eyes making his voice snap a little when he said, “We’ll find someone to teach you.”

The thief swapped back to anger, unwilling to admit defeat yet. “That witch has no right to punish me for anything. This isn’t her district and never was.”

Naveen took in a breath and did his best to keep himself restrained. A day or two ago, he’d have just pounded the bloody bastard. Speaking through clenched teeth, he said, “This is not a debate. You will do the repairs every afternoon until they’re done. If not, you’ll leave the city.”

Deciding it was best not to argue with an angry Mista - it was never wise to cross that family with all its power and money - the thief nodded and was released. No one worried that he’d run away. The ultimate punishment for anything less than murder or treachery was banishment anyway. If he did run, he just wouldn’t be allowed to come back.

With that duty taken care of, Naveen went in search of Commander Abhay to inform him of these events. Naveen was surprised when he didn’t find his commander in the training grounds or at his house. None of the soldiers seemed to know where to find Abhay either.

Finally, Naveen went to see Chanda, Abhay’s childhood friend who’d made Ebony’s clothes. Her shop was, as usual, busy and full of chatter. Again, he didn’t see his commander, but figured that Chanda would know where to look for him. She always knew where Abhay was. Naveen even had his suspicions about why she always kept track of his commander, but never spoke of those out loud.

She saw him and smiled. Today, Chanda wore a tan skirt and a bold red shirt that left her midriff uncovered. Her dark hair was pulled up and held in place with a flower clip.

“Naveen, hello,” she greeted easily. “I didn’t expect to see you for a while yet. What with the griffin incident and the commander being out of the city.”

“Hello, Miss Chanda. I’ve already handled the griffin situation,” Naveen said quickly so he could get to the part he really wanted to question her about. “Commander Abhay isn’t in the city?”

She shook her head. “No. That young man, Jay Sharma, came looking for him and asked for his help. The two of them headed out towards the jungle a few hours ago.”

Naveen nodded, glad to finally have some clue where to look. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Naveen.” She hesitated then asked, “How is Lady Ebony doing?”

“She’s fine.” And because he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to anyone other than Abhay about it, he added, “Not what I expected her to be. Instead of a monster, she’s more like....” He searched for the right word. “...like a very angry human.”

“Angry?”

“Well, can you blame her? The people of this city chased her out when she was only a child simply because they were afraid of what she might become.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “I assume you’ve heard the rumor going around?”

“That she helped kill her father? Yes, Abhay told me about it.”

“It’s true. I think that we’ve been rather harsh on her,” Naveen admitted with some reluctance.

He didn’t like being wrong, but he felt he should defend Ebony at least once. Maybe if others stopped thinking of her only as Bura’s daughter, they’d stop being so terrified of her. He hoped it would work out that way. Ebony’s reputation was not one she’d earned, and that mattered to him now.

“She just seemed like a nervous and blunt girl to me,” Chandar agreed easily enough. While Ebony had made her nervous during her fitting, the Jungle Witch hadn’t done anything to terrify her.

Naveen nodded, trusting that Chanda and the other girls in the shop would spread the gossip. “I need to go speak with Commander Abhay. Thank you.”

He turned and raced out. There was so much to do, he didn’t have time to walk. First, he had to inform Commander Abhay about the griffin. Then to see his sister about what Ebony needed.

Naveen found Commander Abhay on the other side of the farming fields, standing next to Jay at the forked part of the road. Because of a new addition the two men had been making, it took a moment for Naveen to realize it was the same road they’d taken when they retrieved Ebony nearly seventeen days ago.

Next to them stood a large lizard-like creature that Naveen had never seen before. All of them were examining what was looking like a very large log cabin. Klonji were up on the building spreading something that looked like mud in between the logs. On the ground, griffins and bears were pulling logs out of the jungle.

“Commander Abhay,” Naveen called out as he ran up to them. Doubling over, he tried to catch his breath. His eyes still on all the strange things around the house.

All three of them turned when Naveen called out.

“What is it Naveen?” Abhay asked, wondering what had Naveen running.

Doing his best not to stare at the lizard-like creature, Naveen forced himself to stand at attention and place his right fist over his heart. He began his report. “Sir, there was a griffin within the city walls...”

Abhay listened without comment until Naveen had finished. “It sounds like things have been busy today.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I’m glad to hear that everything was worked out. When I get back to the city, I’ll arrange for the thief’s punishment to begin tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” he managed as his eyes drifted over to the lizard creature then to the klonji on the house.

“It would have been terrible if your soldiers had harmed Goldwing,” the strange lizard creature said with a hissing tone.

Naveen’s muscles tightened as he restrained the urge to run. “Who is that?”

Abhay smiled in approval. Naveen’s voice may have had a quiver to it, and his muscles shook, but he wasn’t running. A vast improvement in Abhay’s opinion.

“This is Sith the Basilisk, Ebony’s guardian.” Abhay looked over at Sith. “I’m sure you remember my trainee, Naveen Mista.”

“Of course.” The basilisk gave a slight bow. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

“You were there when we first met Ebony,” Naveen said as he remembered the voice that spoke from the shadows for that meeting.

Sith nodded. “Yes.”

Jay tilted his head with a grin. “I see you’re opinions of the klonji have changed since the last time you were out here.”

“I had to make a choice,” Naveen replied slowly. He was examining the nearly finished building. “What is that for?”

“It’s a surprise,” Jay replied, turning to look at the building too. His eyes softened slightly. “For someone special.”

Abhay looked at Jay with surprise then smiled as if just realizing something.

That didn’t really tell him much, but Naveen didn’t have time to press for details. He had to go talk to his sister. “Sir, with your permission, I’d like to go. I have one more thing to take care of today.”

The commander gave Naveen his attention again. “What would that be?”

“Ebony said that she could find Lord Bura’s missing journal if she had the help of the darnot staying with my sister. I want to ask Esha to bring the darnot to the Southern Manor.”

“That’s a good idea,” Abhay agreed, nodding with approval. “You are dismissed.”

Naveen rushed off. He didn’t want to waste any time. Even the people shouting at him for bringing Ebony to Rivera didn’t slow him down. There wasn’t time to deal with them.

He raced right by the guards standing by the gates of his family’s manor without so much as a wave. The butler barely had time to open the door before Naveen got there, his breath coming in heaves.

“Hello, Kishan,” he greeted the butler on his way to the stairs. “Esha is in her room, right?”

“Of course, young master,” Kishan’s voice had to raise on the last two words because Naveen was already on the second floor.

Naveen didn’t give him time to say anything else. He was up the stairs and racing for his sister’s room. Just down the hall and around a corner. There it was. Without knocking, he threw open the door.

“Esha, I need to talk to you.”

The moment the words were out, he doubled over. Looking up between his bangs, he saw his sister sitting next to a window with her husband, Var, standing behind her. Across from them, stood a stranger with long blond hair and solid black eyes.

“Naveen, what is it?”

Esha stood, looking concerned. It was rare for Naveen to wear himself out this much for anything other than training. She gestured for him to come take her chair.

He shook his head. “No. I’m fine. Just need to catch my breath.”

Finally he stood straight and saw that Var was next to him with a glass of water. With a grateful smile, Naveen drank it in one big swallow.

“Thank you, Var.”

“Tell us what you need so badly,” Var ordered in his usual quiet manner.

Naveen looked over at the stranger. “You’re the darnot.”

He stood and bowed gracefully. “Yes. My name is Kurt. It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Naveen.”

“I’ve seen eyes like yours before,” Naveen commented as he looked at Kurt’s eyes again. They were just like Ebony’s, “but the girl who has them is a wit...wizard...She’s a wizard.”

Kurt looked incredulous. “Impossible.”

“No, it’s not.” Naveen shook his head and turned his attention back to Esha. “I got distracted. What I came here to talk about was bringing you and Kurt to the Southern Manor.”

She looked appalled. “You want me to go into the Jungle Witch’s house?”

“Ebony said that she’s having trouble finding the journal she needs because it’s transformed into something else. She told me that the quickest and easiest method for finding it will be to use the darnot’s suppressing abilities. But, you have to stay within Kurt’s range at all times.” He looked at his sister’s belly where her baby grew inside her. “She doesn’t want to ask you to come to the manor because you’re already stressed.”

Now his sister merely looked confused. “What?”

“Ebony isn’t cruel or mean. Not really. She knows that you’re afraid of the manor and of her, so she doesn’t ask you for anything. She...” He searched for the right words that would make her agree. There was no other choice. “She doesn’t want to put your baby at risk by upsetting you. Esha, there isn’t another choice. Not if you want a chance of having the answers in time.”

His sister sat down and stared at her clasped hands. Finally, her eyes narrowed. The Mista blood ran strong in her, so like her brothers, she had a very determined temperament. “Let’s go.”

Var’s eyes widened. “Esha...”

“Naveen is right, Var. I have to do this if it will help.” She placed her hand over her stomach. “For our baby.”

Her husband sighed. “You’re right, of course. But, I’m going with you.”

“Yes, you are,” she replied in a way that said she hadn’t considered leaving him.

Kurt put his hands in the pockets of his cloak. “I’m curious to meet this Jungle Witch, so let’s go now.”

“She’s not a witch,” Naveen snapped out, surprising himself. “Sorry. It’s just that...I’ve gotten to know her and she finds being called a witch insulting.”

“She really does hate humans, doesn’t she?” Var asked, tightening his arm protectively around his wife.

“Yes, but can you blame her?” Naveen still felt strange defending Ebony, but it was the right thing to do. Especially after the way he’d been treating her. “Can you imagine being nine years old and realizing your father is evil? To know that you must sacrifice everything to protect others from what you love most? Then, in the middle of all that grief, being chased out of your own home by the people you sacrificed to protect?”

Saying all that out loud made Naveen feel like a real jerk. All this time, he’d been treating her like the enemy when she’d been part of their salvation. And, ignorance wasn’t an excuse. Commander Abhay hadn’t known that she’d helped him the night Bura died, but that didn’t stop him from treating her like an innocent woman. She had been innocent. The city had deemed her guilty for crimes she hadn’t yet committed, because they were afraid she would commit them later.

“I suppose she has a right,” Var admitted. “We should hurry. The sooner we get Ebony what she needs, the better for Esha and my child.”

Naveen led the way outside. Now that he wasn’t in a hurry, he noticed the crowd of people being kept away from the gates by the soldiers. A few days ago, he agreed with them, but now everything was different. Absently, he wondered if they even cared that Esha’s baby depended on Ebony.

The crowd shouted at them but were ignored. They had more important things to worry about right now.

As they walked through the city towards the Southern Manor, Naveen noticed that the city was very quiet. News had spread that Ebony had helped kill her father. That raised some question as to whether she was evil or not. Some he knew were determined to hate her, but hopefully, those were in the minority now.

The crowd standing outside the Southern Manor was much smaller than it had been.

Naveen opened the gates to let his sister, brother-in-law, and the darnot inside. The manor was silent as a tomb. Looking around, Naveen saw that the library door was cracked open a little and something was moving inside.

He walked over and pushed the door open. “Ebony?”

Ebony turned from the books she was glowering at to glare at Naveen. “I haven’t found anything yet.”

“I know. I brought help.” He opened the door more so that Esha and the darnot could come inside.

Ebony’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your sister?”

He nodded. “You said that the darnot could help, right?” At her nod, he continued, “So I asked Esha to come here with him.”

The darnot stepped towards Ebony, offering his hand. “My name is Kurt. Nice to meet you.”

She took the offered hand. “I’m Ebony.”

“The wizard, right?”

She nodded slowly.

“But your eyes are that of my kind?”

“My mother. I have mixed heritage,” she explained without any of her usual hostility. Kurt wasn’t human after all.

No one spoke for several heartbeats. Finally, Esha placed a hand on her belly as she said, “What do you need from us?”

Ebony looked around the library then at the darnot. “I need you to walk around so that all of these books are within the range of your suppression powers for at least a moment.”

“Let’s get to work then,” Kurt said as he offered his arm to Esha.

Knowing it was his way of making sure she stayed within the radius of his suppressing powers, Esha accepted the arm.

“Why are you already glued to each other?” Ebony asked them. “Your change isn’t until tomorrow.”

“Don’t want to take a chance,” Naveen answered.

They finished up the first floor and were just beginning the second when Esha placed a hand on her forehead.

Var was next to her in a flash. “Are you alright?”

“Just a little dizzy,” she replied, rubbing at her temples.

Ebony watched the couple for a moment. They seemed really happy together, making her heart squeeze painfully. Which was ridiculous. Why should she care if she never had what they had? So what if her father and mother had loved each other as much as Var and Esha seemed to. She didn’t need that. But, some part of her wanted it.

“Maybe you should sit,” Var told Esha, as he placed a gentle hand on her forehead to check for fever.

“She can sit in Lor...I mean my bedroom,” Ebony offered, noting that Esha did seem a little pale. “It’s this way.”

Ebony led the way through her father’s office and out into the upstairs hallway. Turning to the first door on the right, she opened it and stood aside. Var and Kurt helped Esha into the room. The pregnant woman sat on the bed and took a few calming breaths.

“Sorry. Being here stresses me a little,” Esha apologized with a small smile.

The Jungle Witch shook her head. “It causes me stress, so I don’t expect any more form you.”

“Why does it stress you out?” Kurt asked, confused. Reminding everyone that he wasn’t from Rivera, or he wouldn’t have had to ask. “Isn’t this your home?”

Ebony shook her head. “No.”

Hearing the anger in her voice, Kurt looked around for something else to talk about. He saw the paintings hanging on the wall and wondered over to them. The moment he was within three feet, The drawer under her mother’s painting shook and changed shape into a book. The leather bound book and her mother’s paintbrush fell to the floor with a thud.

Ebony raced over and picked both item’s up. The brush, she set on her nightstand while her eyes stayed on the book. Running her fingers over the leather cover, she opened it. Her father’s precise handwriting covered the pages.

“Is it...” Esha let the sentence end there, afraid to ask.

“Yes,” Ebony answered, her eyes skimming over the pages. “It’s all about your family curse. Every inch.”

Closing her eyes, Ebony shut the journal again. She hated this. The journal had answered several mysteries, including how Lord Bura suppressed the curse. She opened her eyes and looked at Naveen, who was standing in the doorway.

“I need to speak with your father.”

Naveen looked at the journal in her hands then at her pale face. With a nod, he led the way out. Ebony followed silently behind Var, Esha, and Kurt. She wanted to say nothing yet. Not until she had it arranged so she only had to say it once.

As they walked out the gates of the Southern Manor, she noticed that the mob was smaller than it had been. Probably because they’d heard about her little confession.

The walk through the city was accompanied by whispers and pointing as she passed by. That at least wasn’t unusual. Ebony ignored it.

Her eyes trailed over the people as she tried to keep herself distracted from the upcoming meeting with Lord Devdan. For the first time she noticed a specific amulet that several women in the Southern District wore. Many of the women that had them were coming out of taverns in the company of men or going into them alone.

“What is that?”

“What is what?” Kurt asked her.

“The amulets that those women are wearing?”

“It’s an anti-pregnancy charm,” Esha answered after looking at what Ebony was pointing at. She had a disapproving tone as she scowled at the women. “Wizards add healer magic to a pendant and it keeps the wearer from getting pregnant.”

“Is something wrong with the pendants?” Ebony asked, not understanding Esha’s hostility.

“No, just the women that would display them so obviously.” Esha looked away from the women. “They are very...easy women.”

Ebony still didn’t understand, but she let it go. This was something Esha seemed unwilling to talk about, and she didn’t want to push the pregnant woman

She glanced at one of the amulets again, wondering how they did that. Healer magic was a gift to a select few from the goddess Chesed. How had wizards been able to use that even a little bit?

The thought of magic brought on another thought. She hadn’t gotten around to asking Kumar about his being a morph yet. She puzzled over this up until the Western Manor came into view.

The crowd here was smaller too, she noted. The shouting wasn’t as heated either. All she could think was that the Mista family would hate her more than the crowd after this meeting.

Naveen lead the way inside, and no one spoke.

The butler, Kishan, was at the door. “Welcome back Master Naveen, Mistress Esha.”

“We need to speak with my father,” Naveen said as the others began sitting on the couches.

Ebony remained standing, too nervous to sit still. It occurred to her that she had no reason to be nervous. What did she care if these humans decided to hate her even more than they did already? It didn’t make any sense. Not that it mattered, because regardless of what made sense, she did care.

Devdan came into the room. “Naveen, I didn’t expect you here today?”

“It was kind of a last minute decision,” Naveen replied, and gestured towards Ebony. “Ebony wanted to speak with you.”

“Oh?” Devdan turned, giving her his full attention.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. “I found my father’s journal with the details regarding your curse.”

He stood a little straighter. “You can break the curse.”

“I haven’t read it all yet, but I should be ready to attempt it by tomorrow.” She took another breath. “That’s not what I came to tell you.”

“Then what did you want to say?” he asked, bracing himself for whatever bad news she was about to deliver.

“I know who placed the curse on you.” She couldn’t look any of them in the eyes, so she looked just over Devdan’s shoulders.

“Your father knew?”

She nodded slowly. “He knew because...”

“Because?” Naveen prompted.

Closing her eyes, Ebony sighed. “Because he did it.”

The entire room was so silent, she could have heard a ghost’s whisper. Then Devdan exploded. “What do you mean he did it?”

“I mean he cast the curse,” she snapped, her temper rising in defense. “The journal contains details on how the curse was placed, not how he suppressed it.”

“You...” Naveen started to shout, but bit off the words.

Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths to keep control of his own temper. He would not yell at Ebony, he ordered himself. It was not her fault. She was not the one to cast the curse. She wasn’t even born when it first started. So, he would not yell at Ebony.

He repeated that until he had himself under control again. Then, slowly, he said, “Can you undo it?”

She nodded, temper still snapping in her eyes. “Most likely.”

“What do you...” Devdan started.

Naveen cut him off. “Don’t yell at her, Father. It’s not her fault.”

Ebony gave him a surprised look. Then, for the first time since he’d met her, gave him a real smile. It only lasted for a moment, but Naveen felt a little warm knowing that he’d done something to earn that from her.

Devdan opened his mouth while his eyes narrowed at Naveen.

Ebony spoke before he could say anything. “I’m sorry. I really am, but I’m not my father. This is not my fault, and I won’t let you place blame on me for Bura’s crimes.” She shifted to make her way towards the door again. “I need to read this journal. Meet me tomorrow at the edge of Basilisk Jungle, and I’ll make the attempt to break the curse.”

“Why me?” Devdan demanded, a little sullen.

She paused with her hand on the door. Glancing back, she gave him a very patient look. “Because you bear the core of the curse. To lift it, I must take it off you.”

Esha stood and made her way towards Ebony. Kurt followed to keep her within the range of his suppressive powers.

The pregnant woman said with iron in her tone. “We’ll all be there. This is a family curse, so the family will come.”

Ebony could respect that, so she nodded. Naveen moved to stand next to her. He would have to come with her of course, since he was still technically in charge of keeping an eye on her. Turning, she walked out the door with him right behind her.