by Ginger Strivelli

Gwendolyn awoke to find herself tied up in the corner of a dark room. Three other women were bound in the other corners.

Gwendolyn rubbed her head. A dull throbbing pain there reminded her how she'd been captured. She didn't need to ask where she was but a weak voice out of the darkness offered the answer nevertheless.

"We are in the Inquisitor's dungeon," the girl whispered.

"Yes, but why are you here?" Gwendolyn asked, knowing that the child was obviously not a Witch.

"Don't talk to her, Annie!" a familiar voice warned.

"Well, Widow Miller," Gwendolyn laughed, "You're accused of witchcraft, how ironic.”

"You, She-Devil! you should be on your knees praying to our Father, to forgive you for your wicked pagan ways before the Holy Inquisitor finds you guilty and burns you alive, as well you should be”, Widow Miller barked. "We'll all be burnt, witch or not," the fourth woman said.

"Not us, Clara, we are pious Christian women, the Holy Inquisitor will see our innocence and set us free," the widow assured.

"You old fool," Clara laughed bitterly, "has the Holy Inquisitor ever found anyone innocent? He burnt the Abyss at the stake, and she was the most pious woman since Mother Mary herself."

"We are doomed!” whimpered Annie from her corner.

"If we are found guilty by mistake then after our deaths, we will be sent to glorious heaven for eternity," the widow sang.

"After our painfully slow death," Annie said. "That is if we are innocent, perhaps we are all witches and we don't know it. Perhaps, at night, in our sleep, we walk naked through the fields calling the names of the Pagan Gods.”, Clara said.

"Oh, Lord no!" Widow Miller howled. "If it be so, then I pray that the Holy Inquisitor tortures us for weeks, we deserve no easy death."

"You three are most certainly not Witches, any real Witch could see that ... but I fear that the Inquisitor will not. Luckily for you, I am probably the first real Witch the Inquisitor has charged." Gwendolyn said.

"Holy Father in Heaven, the She-Devil admits it!" Widow Miller screamed. Annie gasped and fainted, falling into a heap on the filthy floor of her corner. "She killed Annie! Did you see that?" the widow wailed. "She didn't kill anybody," Clara said, "the girl is breathing, she fainted or fell ill from the cold and damp in this damn room!" "This room is under the church, you blaspheme to call it such." Widow Miller whispered.

"Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery Sun take us to the lasting kingdom," Gwendolyn sang as a Warm torch grew out of her bound hands , then hung in mid-air, drying the damp walls almost instantly.

"Witch!!! she works the Devil’s magic!" the Widow cried, hiding her face from the light.

"Nonsense, your devil would not bother to warm us, the Fire Goddess has gifted my magic. My Gods would not let us catch our death of cold and damp ... or let us starve." Gwendolyn said , plucking four apples out of the air and tossing three to the others.

Widow Miller flung her apple back at Gwendolyn screaming something about poison. Anne still laid unconscious but Clara did take a bite of her apple , albeit a cautious one. "Thank you," Clara said, taking a second more relaxed bite,”I haven't eaten in days." "You may thank Idunn, she sent us the apples." Gwendolyn said. "Now, I must do something about these ropes ... Father Cernunnos, Gods of the animals, forest Lord, send me some creatures to free us from this cord." Gwendolyn called.

Annie stirred and looked up astonished at the torch, then ravenously ate the apple she found at her feet.

Just then a rabbit, a cat and two squirrels came through the little barred window near the ceiling of the room. Annie shivered as the rabbit began to chew on her ropes. Clara gladly offered her tied hands and feet to one of the squirrels. The cat purred loudly as it gnawed at Gwendolyn's ropes but the Widow kicked. the poor squirrel that attempted to cut her free.

"She has called her familiars," the widow howled.

"Widow Miller if you want to wait here, for your Holy Inquisitor to torture you to death, you may do so...I, however, am leaving," Gwendolyn said, scooping up the animals and lifting them to the window. "Now my little ones, fetch me a beast who has the strength to break out these bars."

The Inquisitor's own horse approached the window with the cat, rabbit and squirrels, leading the way. "Stand back," Gwendolyn ordered stepping to the far side of the room herself. The whole window frame, bars and all came crashing to the floor, after the huge horse kicked them in with his powerful hind legs. Gwendolyn scampered up the wall and out the window.

"Clara, Annie, hurry," she urged lending back in the window and offering the others her hand. Clara came first and Annie reluctantly followed. Gwendolyn conjured up five more apples and gave them to the animals before turning to run away. Suddenly she realized that no one was following her. "Clara? Annie?" Gwendolyn called. "I just can't go with a real Witch," Annie said turning to run towards the village.

Gwendolyn frowned at the girl as she ran in the opposite direction, then begged Clara to follow her. Clara did fall into step behind the Witch as they headed into the forest.

Deep in the woods, panting for air, Gwendolyn paused by a huge oak. She hugged the tree as if it were an old friend. Clara fell to the ground exhausted.

"Clara, get up. We can't stop running. Don't you hear the dogs ... no one goes fox hunting on such a cold night, it's Witches they're hunting." "I can't go on. I don't have the strength." Clara cried. "Get up!" Gwendolyn'ordered dragging her to her feet, "here, the tree will lend you it's strength," she continued, pulling Clara’s arms around the same tree she had embraced. "Now listen, it is only a few minutes' run to the stone circle. We can make it!"

"The stone circle!" Clara repeated disbelievingly. "We cannot go there. It's the Devils back door." "Don't be a fool, Clara, the circles are temples built by our. ancestors to honor the Gods ... and even if it was Beelzebub's back door, that's the only place they won't follow us."

"I can't!" Clara sobbed.

"Would you rather be tortured for weeks only to be burnt at the stake? Clara, be reasonable”, she said dragging Clara away from the tree and onward away from the closing sounds of the hunt.

"They are going to catch us," Clara shouted. "Not if they can't see us ... I, Gwendolyn do call upon all the Gods of weather, veil us in a mist as thick as ever!" she sang. "Clara clutched at Gwendolyn's skirts to keep from losing her as the eerie fog rolled in. But as Gwendolyn approached the stone circle, Clara again refused.

Gwendolyn grabbed the hysterical woman by her hands, pulling her through the stone circle, as the hounds' barking drew distressingly closer. On their knees they fought each other for the last few paces as the mobs' hateful voices drowned out the hounds. But when the Witch's back struck a megalith her strength magically returned and she was finally able to overpower the other woman, throwing her into the safety of the circle.

The horsemen advanced until they found themselves on the mound of the forbidden stone circle. "The Witches have entered the circle.” "They seek their master's protection at Hell's back door, surely they will burn now.."

The Inquisitor's strong voice interrupted the murmuring of his men. "Pagan wenches. come out of that cursed place, beg our Lord's forgiveness and I'll see to it that you are baptized and strangled before your stakes' are lit!”

"No, let them roast over a low flame, " a clear voice called.

"Aye!" a chorus agreed.

Clara lay staring at the sky, waiting for lightning to strike her dead. Gwendolyn was walking around the stones, calling on the four winds to protect them.

"My dear Inquisitor," Gwendolyn started, "If I was you I'd flee before one of my Gods strike you dead." An unintelligible grumble of curses answered her words. "Blessed Rhiannon, lend me:your horse once again." Gwendolyn whispered then raising her voice, she continued, "Inquisitor, perhaps you should come in and fetch us.”

"Only a Witch would enter such a place!" he said, genuinely shocked.

"Or perhaps, your very own mount, if I called her!”

"Witch, my horse obeys only my orders. Enough of this. Come hither and beg for mercy!” the Inquisitor shouted.

I, Gwendolyn, do call upon you, Rhiannon's daughter ... into my circle I bid you to enter!"

The horse marched forward, ignoring the Inquisitor's cruel whip, before he jumped off the animal to keep from being carried into the circle. "Shall I call the wolves down from the hills, now?” the Witch asked, carressing the horse’s neck as it came to her..

Only a handful of brief whispers preceeded the mass exodus.

The fog melted as fast as it had appeared. Gwendolyn, Clara and the Inquisitor's horse were alone on the plain. Gwendolyn helped Clara to her feet. "Are you well?" the Witch asked.

Clara only nodded.

"The horse will take you to a castle, tell the guards that I sent you, you will be safe there."

"But, what of you?" Clara asked. "I have others to help." she replied. "But you're a real Witch, you'll be burnt for sure." Clara said.

"Clara," Gwendolyn laughed, "Haven't you learned yet that they can't burn a real Witch?"