Phoenix's Tales - Chapter One

The story of a young witch

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My name is Melina Blackeye. I live in a tower in the middle of nothing. Where is that nothing, you may ask. Well, it's in the land of Iroma kingdoms. The three kingdoms in war. I live next to the battlefield and they bring me wounded knights and brave people.
I am also a witch. I was born from a mother-witch, but my father was just a knight, serving in one of the kingdoms – Karalom.
Karalom isn't the biggest kingdom, but it is known for its really good farmers and farmlands.
I live alone. My mother was slain by kingdom Iomus' knights, because, well, she was a witch. Iomus people don't like magic at all, they use only their weapons and even their bare hands.
They know about me, but now they are too busy planning their attacks.
Actually, I don't worry about that.

I am still young. I am 24 years old, but I'm still studying magic. I'm not even in a hurry, because I have about 200 years left to live. Maybe longer, I don't know.

All my days are boring. Just sitting in my room and reading.
When I don't study, I like reading about adventurers and dragons...I really want to go on an adventure like those I read about.

I heard about many magical creatures roaming the forests and the mountains. I heard about centaurs, unicorns, werewolves… And many times I have been thinking of grabbing my staff, putting on my black hood and going to see all of them.

I'm not afraid. I don't fear almost anything. I ate a spider when I was 7. I punched my father in the face when I was 8. I rode a wolf one time, when I was 12.

But still, there is something I fear of. Drowning. That's how they murdered my mother.

Here's how I lost her :

One day. A normal day. Nothing happened. But suddenly the door of the tower where I live now was smacked down by three strong men. The showed no mercy to all our books and shelves. When they were done destroying all we have, they tied us. They injected something in our hands and we fell asleep.

When we woke up, we were in a cold cage inside a cave. Two men came, unlocked the cage door and told us to move. They weren't gentle at all. They kicked us, when we slowed down, because we were tired and we didn't know what was happening.

After ten minutes walking we faced the Big Gate, which was leading to the throne hall. Other guards opened it from inside, but it looked like being opened by itself. Like with magic.

I remember getting kicked again, because I was so impressed from the view…the beauty of the gates and the whole kingdom. I felt like flying out of reality.

In the next moment we were facing the king. He was about 50. He was covered…literally covered with jewels and golden necklaces, that I couldn't figure out – if he was fat, or there were just too many things on his body.

He didn't say much. He only said "Cut her mother's head ! Lock the little one in the underground prison ! Don't allow visitors !"

All happened immediately. Guards took me by the hand and started dragging me on the floor to my loneliness. I screamed and shouted against them, but they seemed like they didn`t care.

I found myself crying in my prison room. It was so cold… my skin was white… My eyes were bleeding. I couldn't hear anything, except the guard's breathing. He was breathing so rhythmical, so I figured out, that he was sleeping. But what could I do ?

I went near the cage's door and looked around. The prison was empty. No prisoners at all. What were they going to do with me ? Let me starve to death ?

Just when I thought about that, a man came and gave me a wooden bowl, full of rice. He didn't seem very old, but he had many ages behind his back. He didn't say anything and he just walked away.

I ate all that was in the bowl. But suddenly the thirst for freedom became very strong. I looked around and I wanted to make sure, that no one was watching me right now. No. No one was.

I thought of using magic, but I was 14, I didn`t know much about magics, I just knew something about different creatures and herbs.

A crazy idea ran trough my head.

I took the wooden bowl and started to fret it in order to make something like a cod. With that cod I could unlock the cage door.

It wasn't easy at all, but finally I made it. But there was a more difficult step to do – NOT to break the cod.

I started to "dig" in the keyhole. It took me about half an hour to success, but finally I did.

Unfortunately the guard woke up and saw me running to the exit. He stood up and ran after me in order to catch me and bang my head on the floor to death. Or at least I thought so.

When I was in front of the prison door, he was right behind me. I started pulling and pushing the door, but it didn't open. That was the moment, when my heart was about to explode. I thought he would raise the muzzle of his gun to my head. But he didn't. He just pushed me aside gently, reached the keys from his pocket and unlocked the prison door. I was so surprised, that I stood there and watched the man in the eyes. Few seconds after that he pushed me trough the door and said : "Go ! Go, fast !! There's a hole in the kingdom wall south from here ! Walk near it and no one will see you !" I nodded and ran as fast as I can, until I found the hole in the wall. It wasn't big. It was big enough for a dog or a fox to get trough. I kneeled and got on the other side of the wall.

I was free ! I was really free ! I thought of running wherever in the forest, that was nearby, but I stopped. I wanted to save my mother. But how could I ? I just went outside the walls, that kept me in prison. No. I thought, that I must save my mother.

I went trough the hole again and I noticed, that I'm behind a big village house. I thought, that I could find a hood or something in the trash next to the door. I didn't , but I saw a strange hat next to the window. It was inside, but the window was open. It seemed like no one was inside. I grabbed the hat and I put it on.

Then I heard a loud noise coming from the center of the village. I went behind a house and tried to look around. There was a perfect view of everything. I saw many people shouting against the person standing in front of them. It was her. It was my mother standing there freezing, because, obviously they tried to drown her in cold water. I could tell that, because I saw the huge pool with water next to her. She looked so weak. Her life was flying away. But they didn't stop. They were preparing the gallows.

I knew what's next. I covered my eyes. I wanted to shout against those...tyrants, but I knew, that if I did that, they would cage me again, or even kill me in public... like my mother...

I couldn't do anything. It was too late. There was nothing left, except to run away and never come back.

And so I did.

I remembered where our tower was. I went there and what I found was a huge mess. That wasn't a big problem. It was much easier to tide it up, compared to the things I had to do before I came.


So that's how I lost my mother. Sad story, indeed. But after that I didn't think about it much. At least I tried.

I thought, that they would send knights to search for me, because I wasn't where they wanted me to be. They didn't. But they actually "used" my magical powers to heal their warriors few years after all that with my mother and me happened.

You may wonder what happened to my father. Well that's not a story as long as the one for my mother. He simply died in war. That's all.

I didn't like him very much. I actually didn't at all. He was just a normal human, fighting on Iomus' side.

However. I'm not thinking much about the past. I "look" in my future and I don't mean looking in the crystal ball. I would like to see all with my eyes.

Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true some day...