When I regained consciousness I was somewhere I didn’t recognize. I was laying on a hide bed, in a small log cabin. There wasn’t much around, just a rough wood table, some chairs, and a small chest at the end of the bed.

  As I was glancing around a small paw slammed into my forehead. “Mow!”

  “I didn’t mean to get shot!” I said defensively, “I was surprised by the fact that there was a fucking Witch Hunter watching over the girls. One with the Graves logo on their gear.”

  “Murrrr.”

  “I know that’s impossible, that’s why I was distracted,” I retorted. “Where are we?”

  Peeling back the pelt that was draped over me I tried to sit up, only to be wracked by pain. Looking down I realized that someone had removed my shirt, but thankfully left my pants. I was just able to make out a thick linen bandage wrapped around my middle, covering my wound, before I collapsed back into bed.

  “You really shouldn’t be moving around,” a quiet voice said from the doorway. Turning my head, but keeping my body as still as possible, I could just make out a woman standing there. It wasn’t until she shucked her light green cloak, and hanging it next to the door, that I got a good look at her. She was about my age, late twenties at the most, had frizzy red hair, freckles, and brilliant green eyes that practically glowed. A sign of magic.

  Kaylee instantly hopped down from my pillow and went over to brush up against the woman, occasionally nuzzling at the bottom of the basket in her hands.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d ever wake up,” the woman announced as she pulled the blankets off the windows, letting light into the tiny cabin.

  “Where am I?” I asked cautiously. “I’m guessing you’re not with the Graves company…”

  She laughed, a clear bright sounding laugh, before turning towards me. “No, I would never associate with that garbage, you’re at the Melting Snows Coven.”

  I stared at her blankly. “Where?”

  “The Melting Snow coven. The girls brought you here a couple days ago, half dead on the back of a horse. They claimed you saved them from Graves, but collapsed on the way out. Sound familiar?”

  “So far,” I said. I placed a hand against my abdomen, pressed against the wound, and forced myself to sit up. The woman took half a step forward, obviously trying to prevent me from straining myself, but she gave up before arriving at the bed.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked, wincing at the pain.

  The woman sighed, and placed the basket she was carrying on the table, “Three days.”

  Kaylee instantly jumped up on the table and stuck her head into the basket. She grabbed something in her mouth, then quickly disappeared under the bed, mewing happily.

  “Well, I appreciate your help Ms… but I should probably get out of your hair,” I declared, trying to struggle to my feet.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The woman tsked and instantly pushed me back onto the bed. “My name’s Clara, and you’re not going anywhere until you’re much better. I can't have you opening that wound up again and dropping dead just outside the coven.” She gently prodded the bandages, checking my wound. “What exactly were you thinking, attacking the train like that? You must have known it was risky.”

  “I had my reasons,” I replied quietly.

  As soon as she was done checking my bandage Clara stood up and checked on my shoulder. Before she could touch it I flinched back and placed a hand over the large, foot wide purple-blue blotchy patch of scarred skin. Clara gave me a disappointed look, but still backed off.

  “You can’t help me with that one, no one can,” I told her quietly.

  “Is that what caused the void within you?” Clara asked casually.

  I turned violently towards her, pulling at my wound and nearly falling out of the bed. Clara just clicked her tongue and pushed me gently back onto the bed and started double checking the bandage.

  “You know?” I asked in surprise.

  “Of course I know, the entire coven knows. How could we not with the story those girls told, and the fact that your body rejects healing. Some of the others wanted to throw you out the instant you arrived, not everyone agreed. We don’t know what you carry, only that it’s dangerous,” Clara explained.

  Pulling a chair over to the side of the bed Clara sat down and looked me in the face. “Although I don’t believe you're a diabolist, no demon worshipper would have risked their life for the kids, you’re going to have to earn my trust before you’re allowed out of here… If you’re allowed out of here,” she told me sternly. “Now, I doubt you’ll tell me about that wound, based upon how defensive you are about it, but how about you start by telling me something simpler. What’s your name?”

  “Zoey, Zoey Claiborne,” I answered quietly.

  “And why did you come to Oregon? Don’t tell me it was just on a whim.”

  I stared at Clara for a long moment, trying to figure out how much I should trust her, when Kaylee stuck her head out from under the bed, licking her chops. “Mow!”

  “You only trust her because she fed you for the last few days,” I growled at her.

  “Mrrrrrrrrr…” she shot back angrily.

  “You’re familiar is quite loyal, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve seen such a strong bond,” Clara said, interrupting our argument. “When you arrived she tried to protect your body, it’s one of the reasons I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  I glanced down at the tiny grey cat, who looked at me smugly, “Meow!”

  “Fine, I’ll tell her,” I relented. Shifting slightly to relieve the pain in my side, and allow me to look Clara straight in the face, I told her, “You’re right, I didn’t come here on a whim. A couple weeks ago I met a fortune teller who told me if I wanted to find my destiny I needed to head west, as far as I could go.”

  Clara raised an eyebrow. “I assume it was a trustworthy reading…”

  “She was no charlatan, if that’s what you’re asking. A well established, and well known soothsayer back east. Normally you would have had to book an appointment with her months in advance, but she sought me out. Insisted it was important.” I rubbed the back of one of my hands with the opposing thumb. “I didn’t have any other plans, so I trusted her words.”

  “You were willing to drop everything, and follow her advice?” Clara asked.

  “I didn’t exactly have anything to drop,” I replied with a self-deprecating smile. “I brought everything I own, and everything I care about with me on the train.”

  A sad “Murr” echoed out from under the bed, and a small paw tapped me lightly on the back of the foot. I started to reach down and pet my cat, but the sharp pain in my side stopped that very quickly.

  “I believe you,” Clara declared, pushing her chair back and walking over to the table. She grabbed the basket and placed it on the now open chair, within my easy reach. “I brought some provisions for you. Since we can’t mend that wound manually you’ll have to eat, regain your strength, and recover naturally. I wouldn’t recommend you get up, unless you want to reopen that wound of yours, but if you do please don’t leave the area. There’s an outhouse just a couple feet from the front door, but I wouldn’t go further than that. If you do, I cannot guarantee that the coven’s goodwill will continue. Got it?”

  I nodded meekly. “Got it.”

  “Good. I need to go tell the others you’re awake. If someone does come visit before I return I’d be cautious, not everyone wants you here,” Clara warned. Grabbing her cloak, and throwing it around her shoulders the young woman stepped out the door and vanished into the woods outside the cabin.

  Kaylee stuck her head out from the bed again, and stared towards the door. “Mew,” she declared.

  “You’re only sad she’s leaving because she’s been the one feeding you the last few days,” I told her as I pulled the basket closer, taking out a loaf of hard bread and water skin off the top. As I took a bite Kaylee took a swipe at the back of my foot to show her displeasure, but didn’t put any effort into it. “Even if she is nice, we shouldn’t get comfortable. You know what happened back east, I have no doubt they'll kick us out once I’m mended.”

  Kaylee stepped out from beneath the bed and nuzzled my foot, allowing me to reach down and just barely scratch the top of her head. No matter what happened the two of us would find a way to survive. We always did.

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