C11 White lie

We heard calls from afar. Some had gone into the woods to look for us. It was Ephraim himself who found us. He held his daughter tightly in his arms.

“For God's sake, you're fine. My darling, I was so worried about you.“

Ephraim's relief was immediately replaced by anger and rightly so, I had screwed up. Then we went to the castle, Ephraim wanted to interrogate us. Before Lucia even got the chance to hold her little girl, Ephraim smuggled us into his study, where he gave us a rubdown.

“So that's not how I pictured you two staying out all night and nobody knows where you are. I had sent Claus to your cabin, but there was no one there. So, what the hell happened? Explanation, please.“

Even before I could explain, Larissa took the floor.

“Father, it was my fault. We had started the lessons a little later today anyway. Emily taught me the big trees of the forest and I said to her, let's go out and see them in nature instead of just in a book. Then we got further and further into the forest, even far away from the paths. In the end, we walked back again, but stopped in between. We just lost track of time. Please don't blame Emily for this. She's a good mentor and a good friend.“

Ephraim still had doubts. He walked back and forth behind his large, oak-fogged work table, stroking his beard in the process. He looked at me, then at his daughter, then at me again.

“Is that true, Emily?"

I heard the voice of the little one in my head telling me “lie".

“Yes, it‘s true, my Lord. That's exactly how it happened.“

“Well, then I‘d ask you to pay a little more attention to the time in the future, and you, my dear child, shouldn‘t always be so overzealous. You still have a great duration in which you can become a witch.“

With these words he dismissed us and we went our ways. We had a break for two weeks, after this excitement the child should stay at home for the time being. I had a little cold anyway, despite the fact that it was summer. We witches, unlike vampires and werewolves, can also get sick. But since we‘re powerful in herbs and botany, we heal ourselves again in no time. One afternoon my brother came to me, but he didn't want to know how I was, he wanted to give me a rubdown because of the story the other day.

“What were you thinking when you kidnapped our Lord's child?"

“I didn't kidnap her, Lord God. We just forgot the time and came off the beaten track.“

“I don't know what you're up to, sister, but I'm telling you, this is insane. She‘s a little girl and should be allowed to live in her castle and not be trained by you in vain as a witch. What are you trying to prove?"

“I don't want to prove anything, Claus. What I'm doing here is nobody's business. Don't forget who has the upper hand with us witches. It was me who brought you together with the werewolves and the vampires so that we could all live in peace. So you'd do well not to forget that. Now get the hell out of here.“

“We'll see about that.“

He slammed the door behind him so that my self-woven door wreath fell down. Sometimes I wish he was far, far away. If he was to go to another coven, me and a few others wouldn't miss him. But Ephraim appreciated him very much for his work in the Council, although my brother had something to criticize about every suggestion. And they got along well in other respects, too. Ephraim enjoyed Claus' company more and more. My brother was like an obnoxious parasite you couldn't get rid of. In the two weeks of our separation, Larissa still came to visit me. She brought me some mallow, which she had picked in the garden.

“Here, for your cold.“

“But you're a clever little witch.“

“I have the best teacher.“

I went over to my little kitchen and boiled the mallow in hot water. Then the incident occurred to me again.

“Why didn't you tell your father about our encounter with the goblins?"

“He shall know nothing of it. I'm afraid he won't let me come here otherwise and I want to be a witch.“

“You're right, it was better not to tell him. How did it go after that night?"

“Actually good, very good, actually. To feel the fire in me was grandiose and a true liberation. It filled me from head to toe and submitted to my will.“

“There's a reason for that, too. You were born in the sign of the Dragon, this happens only once every thousand years. Your grandfather, Farold, by the way, shares this fate with you.“

“Really? I didn't know that.“

“Didn't your mother ever tell you?"

“I'm afraid not. When I talk to her about the tribal fathers, all she ever does is chase me away. I don't think she wants to give me any information about it. Why, I don‘t know."

Typical Lucia. Instead of still touching her daughter with kid gloves, she should rather accept the fact that there was nothing left to be done about the girl's fate.

“Enough chitchat, you better get back home before we get in trouble again. It's getting dark again.“

“I miss you Emily and your witch house. When are you going to teach me all those beautiful things again? In the castle, it's so terribly boring, despite my brother and cousins playing with me.“

“Well, in that case. Why don't you come by tomorrow? And then we will begin with witchcraft.“