"Thy bold bluff peasants will do more than hint," Phagia assured him. "At the last, they'll lash thy torn and bleeding carcass to a stake, and pile fagots about thy feet, bundles of sticks as high as thy legs, and thrust a torch within them! Then wilt thou truly scream, as flames mount up to sear thee!" And she turned away, sobbing.
Cordelia faced her brothers, trembling with emotion. "Small wonder that Papa and Mama are so angered with folk who speak against witches!"
Magnus nodded, his face set like rock.
Gregory stepped forward shyly, and knelt by Phagia. "Is this why thou didst seek to chase us? Because thou didst fear we would summon folk to hurt thee?"
Phagia's head turned about, eyes staring at him. "Nay, little lad! Poor little lad! 'Tis from another cause—the one that made me hide myself away, where none would find me!"
Gregory frowned. "What cause is that?"
"Not the hurt that they did me," Phagia explained, "or that I did them; but hurt that was done to them because of me."
Gregory shook his head, not understanding.
"Done because of thee?" Magnus came up. "Who did it, then?"
"Lontar." She shuddered at the sound of the name. "Even in his youth, he had determined to work evil in every way he could. He courted me; 'Why should not two witch-folk wed?' quoth he. 'How much stronger will their wizardly get be!' Yet I knew him for what he was; his evilness fairly oozed from him; he reeked of it. 'No,' I said, and 'No,' again, and yet again; but he would not heed, till at last he sought to pursue me through my cottage door, and I slammed it into his face. He fell down, stunned, whiles I bolted the door and collapsed
against it, shaking. When he came to his senses, he could but rave—for warlocks cannot make locks move of themselves, praise Heaven!"
Gregory shared a quick glance with his two older brothers.
"What might he do then, but rail about my door? Yet that he did—and most puissantly. He laid a curse upon me, that anyone I might befriend would die, and in a fashion most horrible. I did credit him not; but within a fortnight, everyone I'd counted as a friend lay dead, and in a manner most repulsive. They lay… No!" She squeezed her eyes shut, clamping down on the thought before it could form fully in her mind. "I shall not speak of it to children!"
But enough of it came through to make the children glad she'd buried it—a brief, disgusting mental image of limbs, separate and partly flayed, bare bones sticking out. Even Geoffrey shuddered, and Cordelia gave a little cry before she pressed her hands against her mouth. Gregory let out one bleat of fright and dove into Cordelia's skirts. She hugged him, staring at the witch, who lay sobbing, struggling within herself. They could see her back and shoulders stiffen. "Nay! I will not! Children, thou hast mis-served me quite, stirring that foul memory up from the depths of my mind, where I had buried it!"
"We are most truly sorry," Cordelia murmured, and exchanged glances with her brothers. They pooled thoughts quickly, in a way that Mama had taught them; it kept anyone from outside the family from hearing them.
She could not be truly wicked.
Nay, not if she doth seek to hide this sight of horror from our minds.
In truth, she could not.
Aloud, Cordelia said, "Is that why thou didst seek to send us from thee?"
. Phagia nodded. "And 'tis why I came here to the forest. For seest thou, children, when I saw folk who'd been my friends from childhood lying dead in so repulsive a manner, I turned away, and resolved that never would I have a friend again. Deep into the forest I fled, and in its gloom I built mine hut—and oh, children, I assure thee, 'twas hard, so hard! I was a lass in the first bloom of womanhood, when folk most dearly need others, and I ached for company, and for young men's arms! Yet I did not weaken in my resolve; I stayed within my thicket—and oft did I bethink to seek mine end!"
"To slay thyself?" Cordelia gasped.
"Even so." Phagia nodded. "Yet I withstood temptation, and did live. Thus have I done for fifty years; here still I dwell, and my food is roots and berries, wild thyme, wild greens, and what little else that I may hunt or gather. Ever and anon comes one who would befriend me; yet have I spurned them, even as I sought to drive thee from me."
"Fear not," Magnus assured her, "we will be thy friends, aye, but only for some hours few. What harm could come to us in time so brief?"
"An we unbind thee," Cordelia asked, "wilt thou undertake not to harm us?"
Phagia swallowed her sobs and nodded.
Gregory stared at the knot of vine. Slowly, it untied itself.
Staring at it, Phagia sat up slowly.
The vine rose up, swaying, unwinding from about her.
"I thank thee," she breathed. "Yet heed the voice of wisdom, children. Flee! Get thee hence from me!"
"We shall bide only a short while," Magnus assured her.
"Fear not; we now are warned." Geoffrey grinned. "Let any dare seek to harm us!"
Phagia smiled in spite of her dread. "Four such doughty children must needs be proof against such evil." She shook her head in amazement. "Yet be mindful, thou art but bairns. How wilt thou fare against the power of a wizard grown?"
The children exchanged another glance. It wasn't necessary to remind each other not to tell her about the Witch of the Red Hill, or about the old sorcerer under the mountain. They all knew better than to let any grown-up learn about them. They'd never believe the children anyway—and if Mama and Papa ever found out, they'd be very upset.
"I think we may withstand such threats," Magnus said carefully.
"Nay, better." Geoffrey grinned like a wolf cub. "An we discover that foul wizard, let him guard himself!"
"Thou hast too much pride," Phagia chided. She stood up slowly, painfully, and brushed the dead leaves off her skirt. "Eh! But my bones ache with age!… Be not too unafraid, children. Beware—thou art but bairns."
"And we are hungry." Gregory tugged at her skirt. "Canst spare us morsels?"
Phagia looked down at him, and her face softened.
Then, with a wordless cry, she threw her arms wide. "What
matter? Mayhap 'tis even as thou dost say—mayhap thou art proof against the horror! Nay, let me for an hour or two enjoy thy company! Come, children—let's find food!'"
The children raised a cheer and followed her off through the woods as she hobbled away toward her hut.
But in the shadow of the leaves behind a root, two small figures exchanged glances, and shook their heads.
"She is truly a nice old dame." Gregory snuggled down under the blanket and closed his eyes.
"Ouch! Haul thine elbow from out my ribs!" Geoffrey snapped.
"I did not mean to." Gregory inched away from him.
"Then tell him thou art sorry," Magnus commanded from his other side.
"Sorry," Gregory sniffed.
The room was silent.
"Geoffrey…" Magnus said, with grim warning.
"Oh, well enough! 'Tis all right, Gregory," Geoffrey growled.
"She truly seemed to take delight in our guesting," Cordelia murmured from the narrow bed on the other side of the spare room.
"Aye, once she was satisfied she'd warned us, and done all she could to scare us away," Gregory agreed.
" 'Twas a good supper," Magnus sighed. "What meat was that the pie contained?"
"None," Cordelia said, with the complete certainty of the beginning cook. "'Twas naught but nuts and tubers, so cleverly combined the taste was like to fowl."
"Not foul at all." Gregory lifted his head, frowning. "'Twas good."
"Nay, wart," Magnus said fondly, "she means the bird, not the-bad."
"She's nice to guest us," Geoffrey sighed, "though I'd have liefer slept outdoors."
"Then go," Cordelia snorted. "I doubt not Robin and Kelly will guard thy slumber."