The Carpathian Mountains

Summer, 2095

The woods were dark and no moon shone through the canopy of branches that led deeper into the trees. Utter silence accompanied her as she made her way along the uneven path. Tree roots teased her steps and she stumbled more than a few times along the way. Rumor told the tale of the forest itself being alive. She shivered, imagining the tree roots trailing along behind her, only to suddenly wind around her legs and drag her away to some horrifying place from which no one ever returned.

Uneasy, she continued, a lantern her only source of light. The shadows seemed even larger, more sinister because of the frailty of her small light. How she wished any of her armed guard could have traveled here with her, but none of them would have agreed. Nor would they have held back their findings to her husband, the Regent. This was a meeting no one could ever know about. Especially her husband.

The hut came into view a little while later. Her body sagged with relief. She had been afraid she'd be lost or that one of the ravagers that would occasionally make it through the Regent's protection would feast on her. That terrified her less than the meeting she was about to commence with, honestly.

The door opened even before she raised her hand to knock. The stench hit her first. It smelled of rot and stagnation. She gagged and forced her eyes to look upon the hag grinning at her, the yellow and blackened teeth sharpened to razor-like blades. The old woman was short, her cornrows covered in bits of grass and leaves. Her yellow eyes gave the impression of a cat, but that couldn't be. Shapeshifters had fled this sector long before the protection spells had been cast.

"Lady Olivia." Her voice came out as withered sounding as she looked. "Why you here?"

"I have need of your services, Ivana."

Ivana stepped aside and allowed the Regent's wife to enter. Olivia gazed at the surroundings and barely suppressed a shudder. Woodland animals, all in various decomposing states, lined the walls. Jars and containers of strange things littered the only table in the room. A cooking fire centered the space. Something bubbled in the pot suspended over it, the stench making Olivia's eyes water.

"Tell Ivana what you seek."

Olivia blinked. She turned back to the hag and tried to focus on her quest instead of the smells assaulting her. "I need to know if any of my children will inherit the title of Regent. My husband's family have been Regents since the founding of the protection spell in 2016."

"Then why worry?" The hag became sly, her movements cagey. "Unless you have reason to think otherwise?"

Her maid had warned her she must be truthful. Lying would only get her cast out with no answers.

"None of my sons have shown any magical aptitude. My daughter is only three and too young to know for certain if she's inherited any gifts."

Ivana came closer and sniffed her. She cringed, swallowing bile. Disdainful eyes locked with hers. "You are human. No magic."

How could she tell just by smelling her? Did magic have a certain odor? Or was it a gift the old woman had?

"No, I am not magic born, but I do have power, just a different type of power."

"You ruthless." Ivana nodded as if this were good. "You afraid of losing all that power. No child with magic, no title, no power."

As much as she wanted to deny it, it was the crux of her dilemma, for the most part. "And afraid of losing my children's birthright."

Ivana laughed, the sound ugly and loud. "No birthright. A Regent is whoever pass the test of choosing."

"My daughter will pass that test." Nicolette had magic. She knew it in her bones. The child differed from her brothers. She spent hours amusing herself with things none of them could see.

"You bring things I need?"

Olivia pulled the leather bag out of her coat pocket. Inside were bits of cloth with her children's blood, her blood, and her husband's blood. It had taken considerable effort to gain these things without suspicion.

Ivana pulled a bowl from under one of the carcasses and used what Olivia thought was her overcoat to wipe it clean. She collected several vials and then sat by the fire and began to measure the contents of the vials, throwing them into the bowl. Next went in the bits of cloth Olivia had collected. Ivana motioned her over and she reluctantly went. Before she understood what was happening, the hag had sliced Olivia's palm open and let the blood drip down onto the concoction between them. Smoke billowed up and Olivia smelled the awful odor of burnt flesh. She gagged and staggered back, but the old hag stared hypnotically into the mixture, her lips moving wordlessly.

"A child of the Regent will inherit the power." The words tumbled out, the sound of her voice hollow. "She will be more than a witch; she will be everything."

Pride swelled inside of Olivia. She knew it, she knew her daughter would inherit her father's gifts.

"Be warned," Ivana interrupted her rejoicing. "The path is not clear. I see two daughters, but the spirits do not say which girl."

Rage burned through Olivia. That girl. The one her husband had brought into their home, the one who reminded her every day of his infidelity. The girl she wanted to beat until she stopped moving, stopped breathing. That child would not inherit the title of Regent, no matter what Olivia had to do to stop it.

"Ruthless," Ivana chuckled, her laugh echoing through the tiny cottage.

"When it comes to my family, yes, I am."

"You bring Ivana her goodies?" Excitement bubbled in the worn face.

Olivia cringed, but she reached into her coat and pulled forth four tiny kittens. She feared for their fate, but it was worth it to know about the viper in her home, the future treachery.

Ivana snatched the kittens from her and stuffed them into one of her many pockets. "Go now. You have what you need."

That she did. This trip was worth all the hardship of getting here. She bid her goodbyes and started the trek home, her mind whirling with ways to separate her daughter from the bastard girl she called sister.

Nicolette would be the next Regent.