I think I sat there crying the whole night, because when I finally heard those voices, the first rays of sunlight were already piercing through the leaves. At first, the whispering scared me, and I looked around in confusion to see if someone was there. But apart from me and Yelwa's lifeless body, I was completely alone. Then I finally realized the sound was coming from that small, inconspicuous birch tree that Yelwa had leaned against. I carefully approached the tree. Yes, there really were voices, each whispering their secrets, until only one remained. Beautiful, melodic, quiet. It said something I couldn't understand. In that moment, I thought perhaps it was speaking the ancient language Yelwa had so often told me about—the one her name came from. Who knows.
All it took was a gentle pull on the lowest, springy branch, and it came off in my hand. It happened exactly the way Yelwa had said it would. I felt her close to me. I felt her soul pulsing in my hands. I no longer cried. I embraced the staff and held it close for a while.
I tried to cover Yelwa with at least a stone cairn, but I didn't do a great job. I could only find a small amount of material nearby, barely enough to be called a grave, but it was better than nothing. Even though I knew her soul was still with me, it was hard to leave her like that. Her cold, bloodied body with a lovely pale face. But I had no other choice. I looked back one last time and promised myself I would one day build her a proper cairn and return to this place every year. I didn't keep that promise. I never came back.
Dejected, I trudged through the forest. I knew I had to reach Virsel, but I had no idea how far it was or how to get there. Who knows—maybe it was on the other side of the world. But that didn't matter. I had to get there. I had promised her.
And so, I kept trudging on until I finally emerged onto a roughly cobbled road. I simply chose a direction and waited to run into someone I could ask for directions. Only then did I start to realize how hungry, thirsty, and exhausted I truly was. I leaned more and more on my staff until my body finally gave out. I collapsed hard onto the smoothed stones. I couldn't even stand. I just curled into a ball and fell asleep.
I was woken by bouncing and rattling. Still weak, I sat up and rubbed my eyes, red from crying. I was sitting among baskets of vegetables, wrapped in a worn-out cloak. I squinted into the light and saw a tall figure sitting on the driver's seat. I couldn't think of anything better than to croak out:
"Hello? Where am I?"
The figure turned around in an instant. It was an older man with a large moustache and short-cropped hair. A smile flashed beneath his whiskers.
"You're finally awake! You've no idea how worried I was about you, girl!" he called out and pulled the reins to stop the draft animals.
"Where am I? What happened? Who are you?" I mumbled, still half-asleep.
"My name's Tib. And you?"
"Esme," I whispered timidly.
"And to answer your other questions—you're in my cart with the turnips and cabbages. I'm on my way to the market, you see. As for what happened, I found you curled up on the road. It was a horrible sight. You were all pale, covered in dirt, and worst of all, drenched in blood! I panicked—I thought there was a poor murdered child lying in the road. I thought, what kind of world do we live in, where even children get murdered? So, I went to check on you and found out you were still breathing! I was overjoyed. I loaded you up next to the vegetables and tended to your wounds. Luckily, most of the blood probably wasn't yours. I just bandaged the cut above your eye. I took off your bloody clothes, wrapped you in my cloak, and let you sleep."
I looked down at myself and only then realized I was completely naked. I modestly pulled the cloak tighter and maybe blushed a little. Then I suddenly remembered something and cried out in panic:
"What about my staff?! Please tell me you took it!"
"Well, yes. At first, I thought I'd toss it in the bushes, but even in your sleep, you held onto it like a baby clings to its mother. You wouldn't let go, not even a little. It's over there." Tib explained and pointed to the staff, which to my immense relief was sticking out of a basket of apples. I grabbed it immediately and clutched it to my bare body.
The man just nodded. He had a kind expression. "Looks like you've been through something pretty awful, huh? If you want to talk about it, I'll gladly listen. But if you don't, I won't pressure you. It's none of my business. Just one thing—do you have any parents, or someone close I could take you to?"
I shook my head.
Tib just nodded again and smiled at me.
"Well, let's start by getting you to the market and finding you some clothes. Then we'll see. How's that sound?"
Again, I responded without words, just a soft nod.
Before we finally reached the market after several hours of travel, I gave Tib a brief explanation that I needed to get to Virsel. At first, I was shy about explaining why. I was afraid he wouldn't believe me. In the end, I decided he deserved an explanation. I didn't mention Yelwa or anything else from my story. That was the last thing I felt like talking about. So, I simply told him I was a witch and needed to get to the Academy of Mages in Virsel. He looked at me a bit sceptically at first, but I think he accepted it quickly enough. Ordinary people had usually only heard rumours about mages. I had only heard whispers myself. From what I understood, there were very few mages, and most were recruited into armies. But Tib had no reason not to believe me. The fact that I clung so fiercely to my staff probably explained a lot. So, he just accepted it, and maybe even wanted to help me all the more because of it.
The first thing he did at the market was buy me some cheap coarse clothing. It was a dull grey colour, itched all over, and didn't fit very well. I must have looked terrible in it, so Tib also got me a rather nice belt.
And that's where we said goodbye. Tib had to ask around first to find the way to Virsel, since he didn't know it himself. He learned it would be a few days' walk along the main road. He advised me that maybe someone would give me a ride if I asked nicely. He clearly felt uneasy and upset about leaving me alone like that. And deep down, I truly, truly wished that kind greengrocer would come with me. I was scared and desperately wished I could hold Yelwa's hand, and she would protect me. But all I had left was her soul. I tried not to show how I felt so it wouldn't be harder for Tib. He had no choice—he had to return home that same day with the money he'd earned.
I managed a small, sad smile and thanked him for his help. He pressed a few copper coins into my palm, patted my head, and wished me luck. I left him behind at the vegetable stall. I turned back once more to wave goodbye, but a crowd of buyers had already gathered around him, and I couldn't see him anymore.
My journey afterward was long, tiring, and quiet. During the day, I trudged along the road, and at night I usually curled up in some bushes. Luckily the nights were warm, but every morning I woke up more sore, more tired, and sadder than the day before. My only companion was my staff. I often talked to it about anything and everything. I must have looked pitiful. Maybe that's why most people passing by barely gave me a glance. A few times I tried asking for a ride, just as Tib had advised, but all I got were frowns and shaking heads. At least a few of them sold me some food.
I had no idea how many days I'd been walking, but my legs were beginning to give out. My feet were blistered and bruised, and every step hurt. Luckily, fortune finally smiled on me when some knight—at least I think he was a knight—gave me a ride for the last stretch of the journey. He was very kind and wanted to help however he could. When we arrived in Virsel in the evening, he took me straight to the gates of the mage academy, which he told me was called Ashkantt.
So, I finally arrived at my destination and fulfilled the first promise I made to Yelwa. Now the second one awaited me—one I had completely forgotten about along the way. But I decided I had to keep that one too, since I had promised. So, from the very first day at my new school, I started to smile and laugh. In a way, it was pleasant. Others smiled back at me, and I quickly found several friends. Over time, I almost believed my smile was real.
Before I knew it, three years had passed. I enjoyed my studies, and those years were overall quite good. But they could never compare to the time I had spent with Yelwa. Back then, I had lived in poverty, but I had been truly happy. But now it was enough just to pretend.
Everything changed, however, in the middle of my third year. It was just after the midterm exams, and most of my classmates were in a great mood—except those who had failed, of course, but I wasn't among them. I had some of the best results in the class.
I was in the common room playing cards with some friends when professor Nekenghem walked in and tapped his staff on the floor three times to get our attention. That was enough for us all to fall silent immediately. No one wanted to get on Nekenghem's bad side.
"All first years gather around me," the professor called in his booming voice. A small group began to form around him, and some students ran to the dormitories to call the others. Others went back to their activities and began chatting in hushed voices.
Once all the first years were gathered, Professor Nekenghem began explaining something. We had just finished a round of cards, so while the deck was being shuffled, I listened to what he was saying.
"Starting next semester, you'll have a new classmate. He'll have additional lectures to catch up on the material, but otherwise, he'll be in the same class. His name is Kerluk."
"Kerluk Batui," a boy's arrogant voice called out.