Abandoned - Coven of Darkness - Story 22 NWS

[Abandoned]

Chapter 11


  The following year, we were forced to cast a few magic spells.  The fence around the cemetery was completed and it would prove to be very useful at that time.  It was a very dark and unhappy time.



  In early summer, 3 hunters followed a large herd of deer into the wood elves' settlement.  They weren't witch hunters, they were deer hunters, but we could not take the chance that they would talk.  The wood elves would not hear of them being tied up and thrown into the river as we suggested.  Well, that probably wasn't the best idea, there was always the slim chance one of them could have survived and escaped.  We were in a pine forest; there was sure to be some hemlock to mix into a nice cup of witches' brew for them.  No?  What about some poison mushrooms?  No?  Well, we would have to think of something else but for the time being, we put them in the fenced cemetery with the forest fellows standing guard.  We were glad when the prisoners realized that calling for help would do them no good.  They tried persuasion to be let go but to no avail.



  It was a hot summer for them with little shade, by fall some days were very chilly with a cold rain, and the nights turned very cold.  We began building a couple of crypts for them to seek shelter in.  It snowed before the second one was finished.  Something had to be done.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 12

  Our prisoners did not fare well over the winter.  They were often sick and needed attention from our remaining herbalist healer.  They ate a lot of food; they wanted it hot.  It was a cold rainy dismal spring; a cold mist rose from the mote and gathered round the cathedral and cemetery; the men were sick again.  They had become a real problem; they were a dark cloud hanging over our castle.  Something had to be done.  There was only one thing to do, magic.



  Sedric, our master magician, had been doing some experiments with minor spells.  He cast a short-term anti-magic spell on himself before going to the cemetery and approaching the 3 prisoners.  A small crowd gathered behind him to watch as Sedric cast a toadification spell on each of them.  It worked without reflecting back on him; there were 3 giant frogs in the cemetery. 





  However, there was a problem.  The spell didn't backfire onto Sedric, it backfired onto 3 of the men in the crowd behind him.  One wood elf and 2 dark elf men were also turned into giant frogs, and the wives were not happy.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 13


  Sedric went back to his spell books hoping to find a reversal spell that would work on the frogs.  From where he stood studying his spell books he could see there were now twice as many frogs as there were before.  The female frogs did not seem happy to have company.





  Since Sedric was having no luck undoing what he had done, the wives decided to take matters into their own hands.  They thought to kiss the frogs and turn them back into the men they had married, but they could not tell which one of the male frogs was their husband.  They did not want the other wives kissing their husband, and to make matters worse, much worse, they did not like seeing how much the male frogs were enjoying the company of the female frogs.  There would have been fireball and lightning bolt spells cast if there was not the risk of them backfiring.  It was not a good idea to mess with a witch's husband.  Witch?  Did I say witch? eager explorer, I meant elf, a dark elf's husband.



  If that was not bad enough, things got even worse.  Within a short time, there were hundreds of baby frogs, baby frogs that grew remarkably fast.  Then there were hundreds of giant frogs.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 14


  Yes, eager explorer, there were giant frogs everywhere and the mother frogs in the mud patches were unhappy, not just unhappy but angry and aggressive.   Who could blame them having produced so many offspring in such a short time, the males' attention was relentless.  Two of the male frogs were seriously injured, but that didn't stop them.





  The mother frogs tried to make a break for it, running from the mud patches, but the males and all their babies were right behind them.  They were headed in the direction of the portal.  The 2 forest fellow guards tried to stop them but were also seriously injured, the female forest fellows fled from the onslaught with their little fellows.



  The mother frogs broke through the portal fence that was meant to keep anyone from entering the portal but that didn't stop the horde of frogs.  One by one the giant frogs escaped into the portal.

  So, eager explorer, we were responsible for the deadly invasion you spoke of.   It's kind of you to say that it was not our fault that our magic failed us, but the fate of the 6 men has hung over us for many years.  Even though there is no chance they or the frogs could ever return, the forest fellows still guard the portal.  A new fence blocks the portal entrance

[Abandoned]

Chapter 15


  So, now you want to know how it is that so many of us are still here, the swamp invasion of Summerset Swamp was many many years ago, long after we came here.  Our Coven of Darkness members had longevity spells cast upon them long before we left the swamp, but a few of those spells have expired already.  Many of the elder wood elves have also passed on and were laid to rest in the cathedral's cemetery.  The old goats are still with us, a successful spell casting experiment.





  Sedric has worked endlessly trying to restore our magic to us.  He did discover that the spells taught to children who were born here do work; the children are too young yet to learn more than just basic spells.  That fact, and now after being told we are on the other side of the world, has us believing that coming here is the cause of our spells working in reverse.

  Coven of Darkness still has 69 citizens, 44 adults and 25 children.  Only a few children are being taught magic; they are too young to be called students.  A few more houses have been built here and there around the settlements but other than that it is much the same as it has been for many years.  The citizens are all heathy and as happy as possible with the dark cloud hanging over us. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 16


  So, that's about all I have to tell you, eager explorer.  We've had no dealings with river boatmen; the 3 hunters were the only ones besides you to discover us here.  We are glad to hear that there are no witch hunters on this side of the world, but the clouds of darkness will forever be over our coven castle and the elven settlement.  They and their forest fellows paid the price for helping us, but all in all it has not been all that bad living here, we've had everything we needed.

 


  Now the dark clouds have gathered again, and a cold autumn rain has begun to fall, eager explorer.  Let me get you a nice hot cup of witches' brew before we say goodbye.

There you go, deary, drink up.  Goodbye, eager explorer.


The End.