Chapter 4
Korvex
Her hand was delicate, soft within mine. I didn’t know how she had done this. I was able to move, to speak. She was intent on leading me somewhere, and I was intent on letting her.
She led me to her van. I didn’t know what these contraptions were and had only seen them from a distance. Only heard them spoken about, never known what they even looked like inside.
Tucking my wings behind me, I let her push and prod me into the back of the van. She complained about my size, saying it was the only place I could fit. Inside the back of the van were several tools and equipment. This witch must do something with her hands.
Climbing into the front seat, she said, “Try to hold on to something.”
I did my best to stay upright as she sped through the town. I leaned forward, looking out the front window. She jumped in surprise at it. I hadn’t seen the town like this before. There were lights and people everywhere.
With her left hand, she made contact with one of my horns, causing a shiver to roll through me as she pushed me backward.
“Get back, you’re not glamored!”
I huffed and sat back in the van, still trying my best to watch the town as it passed us by. Her brown hair shimmered in the setting sun as she glanced around, checking traffic before pulling into it. She kept catching my attention as we went out of town. What a beautiful witch.
Eventually, we came to a stop. I had lost track of the turns she had taken, but knew we were outside the populated portion of the town.
She hopped out of the van, and I whirled around to the back door, waiting for her to reveal herself again. Both doors whipped open, and there she stood, still with panic on her face.
This witch was one of the more handsome women I had seen in Everlyn.
Her cheeks were round, just like her bottom.
Her blue eyes were piercing as they looked me over, up and down several times.
It was the same look she was giving me before she had woken me.
I had an urge to touch her and see if her skin was as soft as it looked.
“Let’s get you inside,” she said as she motioned toward a building.
Horror filled me. Countless of my brethren stood mounted across her yard.
“My people!”
I ran to one of them, placed my hand across the creature she had trapped and put on display. I could not feel its essence. This demon had stolen them!
“No, no!” she frantically ran to me, her hand cradling mine. “They’re just stone! They were never… I didn’t! It’s just stone! I… they… I carved them! They aren’t real!”
I glared at her.
“I promise, I did not kidnap anyone. I made all of these. They were just rocks before I shaped them.”
Squinting, I tried to understand.
“You… carved them? Are you a stone witch?”
She gave a weak smile. “I am, but I didn’t use magic to carve them, I just… used a chisel.”
Looking back at the perfectly carved creatures, a few of them did have marks on them from where her chisel had done its work. She carved the stone. They were not like me.
No, I was still alone.
Her hand pulled mine away, tugging me to follow her toward her home. I didn’t know why I was letting her pull me around. Something told me I should let her. Those soft, delicate fingers wrapped in mine as she led me inside.