The Eve of the Battle

The moon was brighter than he ever remembered; the wind stood still and there was a feeling of anxiety in the air. Hennis was deep in thought as he stood by the stream staring to the heavens; he couldn’t shake his feeling of unease. Brayden had been missing for some time now and he knew well and good that damn witch was behind it; but come Hell or high water, he fully planned on regaining his son this time tomorrow.
They had rode all night and both the horses and men were tired and this was as good as any place to rest for the night. Losing his son was not an option and this time would be the last time that witch would ever put his son in harm's way again; her death would be swift and this time there would be no mishaps.
“Did you see anything?” he asked Luka as he approached him. “She is near and she is not alone; I cannot see Brayden, she must have the unseen spell around his aura.” It was concerning to Luka that he was unable to break through the spell and see at least a glimpse of him but he also knew the power behind the Scarlet Witch. “She knows we are coming; this will be no easy task, Hennis.” Taking a deep breath of the refreshing night air, Hennis turned to Luka, “ you don’t think I am aware of what we are up against? She will barter for my son’s life, of this I am sure; but make no mistake, Luka, she will lose this battle for I intend on slicing her head off of her pathetic little body myself and displaying it on a post in front of the castle!” Hennis growled.
Luka wished he had as much confidence in this pending battle as Hennis did but his visions showed him otherwise. Confusion within what he had seen left him with a feeling of despair; there were too many missing pieces, too many things that made no sense and he knew he had to make Hennis understand what was coming. “There are dark clouds surrounding you; her power is so strong I am unable to determine what that means in respect to this battle. We must proceed cautiously; this must be thought out thoroughly. If we make haste decisions we will lose; do you understand Hennis? This is no time to rush into a battle recklessly.”
Stroking the long beard that covered his chin, Hennis remained quiet; in thought. He knew Luka was right; Harper was strong and if she wasn’t alone that made her even more powerful. “Who is with her?” was all he responded. “Her brother and an elder; that is all I can see,” Luka told him matter of factly. It was a fact that combining forces with other witches made them more powerful as a whole; a fact Hennis had not overlooked, but he also prepared for it. Seeking further guidance from the warlock counsel, Hennis knew what he was going up against; therefore, he partook in the protection potion they created for him.
Beheading her would be his only way to ensure her death; getting that close to her was extremely dangerous and hard to do, but that is what his guards were for. There were only three of them, yet he had a small army beside him; and Luka would prove to be most useful in conjuring helpful spells to get him close enough to do it and, if not, the counsel gifted him with a secret weapon to aid him.
“Retrieving my son is non-negotiable; I cannot lose. I would suggest you use your trickery on helping our cause and leave the worry to the witches,” he snapped as he stormed past Luka.
Taking a deep breath and turning both his attention and body towards the stream, Luka’s mind was racing. Many battles he aided in over his time but never had he felt this uneasy with any of them; maybe it was because of who they were going against, maybe it was the fear of secrets being revealed or maybe it was both. Either way, he must find a way to help defeat the witch or their own demise would surely come and if not in death than at a much heavier cost.
His visions did not show death of the body; moreso of the soul and this made no sense to him. Maybe Hennis was right; maybe he needed to stop focusing on the vision and figure out a victorious strategy. Beheading the witch and getting Brayden back was Hennis’ main goal, but for Luka it was securing the secret.
Regardless of her death, if Brayden or anyone else found out his true heritage the demise of the entire kingdom was at stake; and this was something Luka could never allow to happen.
He bent down and began to gather sticks and leaves to build a small fire; he must ask the Warlock Spirit Ancestors for guidance. As his fire began to grow, the smoke began to swirl in a circular motion floating upwards towards the full moon. His words were soft and muffled as he began his chants to his ancestors asking for guidance. Keeping his eyes closed and his head lifted towards the bright lights of the stars he felt a gust of energy pass through him. Startled at the feeling he opened his eyes to notice the moon that just a minute before shone bright white was now a blood red with orangish circles around it.
His heart began pounding loudly in his chest as he knew it was a clear sign of death to come. A bold move on the part of the ancestors; a sign that everyone would be able to see, including the witches. Panicking at the sight, Luka jumped to his feet and began running towards the tents that sheltered the warriors. Reaching Hennis’ tent, Luka grabbed the piece of the tent that was used as a door and threw it back. “Hennis, you must see this!” he exclaimed.
Noticing his demeanor, Hennis stood and walked outside of the tent. The dark blood red moon was high above their makeshift haven; even a mortal knew what that meant, but Hennis had no intention of letting it deter him from his mission. “This doesn’t mean anything to me except a clear sign of my victory; death will come to the Scarlet Witch once and for all,” he said with a hint of a smile. “Don’t you see, Luka? The ancestors are on our side! Even you cannot deny it.”
Disbelief came over him as he took in Hennis’ words; did he really believe this was a message from the ancestors of his victory? His delusional thoughts were sure to get them all killed; Luka had to figure out a way to stop this. The stars were aligned and not in their favor; a fact Luka knew deep in his soul, but how was he going to convince Hennis to retreat?
“Hennis, you cannot be serious! The ancestors have spoken and this message is not in our favor. A red moon? For all to see? Including the witches? You don’t see that it is a warning for us?” His agitation was clear and duly noted by Hennis, “pish! The moon is blood red; scarlet! She is a scarlet witch! It is a warning to her; not us! And I shall not let the ancestors down for tomorrow victory will be mine.”
“Hennis, I worry your interpretation of the sign will get us all killed; including Brayden. I need more time to figure this all out; we must put off the final trek of our journey into the witch’s land. If even for a day; I need to prepare.” Luka knew trying to convince Hennis to retreat would fall on deaf ears so the only thing he could do was at least try to conjure some extra spells that would allow them to live another day. His powers were nowhere near the magnitude of the scarlet witch; especially when she had the powers of two others beside her. It will take some deep rooted strong spells; and Luka wasn’t confident enough in his abilities to truly believe he could come up with something that powerful, but he had to try. He still had time to go into the surrounding forest and gather the wild herbs he would need; he just hoped he would be able to find enough to render it effective. Time was of the essence and it had almost run out.
There was so much more at stake here; and it seemed he was the only one that understood that. Hennis’ stubbornness was nothing new to Luka; but this was something he could not let him go into without added protection.
His chest was puffed out; arrogance in stance and feeling more confident now than before, Hennis slapped Luka on the back, “go, rest now, for tomorrow we bring my son home with the head of the witch on my sword.”