Chapter 6 | Feasting with the Sorceress

   We marched down to the village, with Marcus no longer by my side. A sonorous, lilting kind of music grew louder and richer as we neared the bonfire. The villagers had already gathered by the fire and the atmosphere was noisy and lively. There was a group of people dancing by the fire and another group singing and playing music to them. Wafts of food and wine saturated my senses. I felt at ease for the first time since the last two days that I have been here. 

    Marcus's presence had a calming effect on me, which was completely unexpected. All my apprehensions about him felt unwarranted when I saw him laugh carelessly with his family. The warm bonfire glow transformed his face into a picture-perfect vision.

    "Fancying your fiancé?" Iona giggled as she sat down next to me with a plate full of meat and vegetables which were encrusted or grilled. My food was a bowl of steaming goodness too. Baked potato soup, ham and peas, apple bread, and butter pudding; a wonderful mix of sweet, salty, and smoky. 

    There was a mysterious looking woman studying me with a fixed gaze from near the oak groves where the druids were seated. Her pupils were a strange shade of yellow that glinted by the fire. Her face was pockmarked and coppery. The wind played with her long, flowy hair in a rhythmic pattern, presenting her with a magical aura. I was about to ask Iona who she was. 

    My dad approached us with Marcus's mom and sister.

    "It's time for you and Marcus to greet the villagers together and receive their blessings," my dad said, before walking away with Iona.   

    We were seated on an elevated surface that was decorated with flowers, mistletoe leaves, and berries. Swarms of people presented us with bounties from their farms and gardens. They also brought bones of slaughtered livestock that were cast into the communal fire while giving blessings to us. I wanted to have a conversation with Marcus, but we never got a moment for ourselves. My father and uncles were bothering him with their stories about the gruesome heads that they store as honor trophies, and how they slew their enemies. I was not allowed to call them gruesome though, for heads are considered sacred.

    The peculiar woman with yellow eyes advanced towards us with something in her palm that looked like an opal gemstone. She introduced herself to me as Shadow, a sorceress. I was dumbstruck. Could she really perform magic? Anything seemed possible to me now.  

    "Congratulations! Always keep this trinket in your possession. Wear it on you if possible." She placed the amorphous looking stone in my palm. It looked very ordinary and dull.

    "Thank you, I will," I replied politely.

    "It is no ordinary stone. It will dazzle your eyes when the crystals inside it vibrate."

    "What use is a vibrating or dazzling stone to me?" I asked in disbelief.

    "You will find out for yourself," she said and then paused before asking, "Do you see yourself as a blonde or a brunette in your dreams?"

    Cold shivers ran down my spine when I heard those words. 

    Does she really know what she is talking about?

    "When you are fated to marry someone, it will happen no matter where you were before. Kismet works in fascinating ways." The magical aura around her seemed to strengthen with every minute.

    I blasted her with a series of questions.

    "But I don't understand what exactly happened. Am I dead?" 

    "Which one of us is dead? Alyssa or Allena?"

    "Why did I see Allena in my dream the day I met with the accident?"

    She smiled calmly and said, "You have to find your own answers. I only do what the laws of nature and time dictate me to do. My role is to provide this missing piece to you. Keep it safe because you are going to need it." 

    She was freaking me out. Was I some supernatural creature now that witches and sorceresses handed enchanted objects to me? Is Marcus even able to see this woman? I looked at him anxiously and it drew his attention towards me. He looked at the woman and greeted her casually. 

    Does he not feel anything odd about her? 

    She smiled at him and turned back to me to continue. Marcus turned away again to attend to more villagers that greeted him.

    "Make sure that you make good use of the precious gift of time that you have been given."

    Gift of time?

    "How long will I be here?" I had a lot more questions for her. 

    She ignored my question.

    "Remember, not everyone is given second chances." Her cryptic words did not make any sense to me.

    "Chance to do what?"

    The conversation was interrupted by Selma who came to check on me because I appeared agitated to her.

    The sorceress walked away, into the crowd, and I couldn't see her anywhere.

    "It is okay to feel anxious about the uncertain future with a stranger." Selma put her arm on my shoulder.  

    "Do you know about that sorceress who just talked to me?" I asked her.

    "What about her? She usually doesn't talk to anyone except the druids. People are afraid of her."

    "Why?"

    "She experiments on dead bodies with the druids sometimes; I am not sure what they do but it just feels creepy and shady to me. And to all villagers too."

    "Experiments?" I wondered if by second chance the sorceress meant second life. 

    Did Alyssa die?

    "They study the human body. That's how the druids come up with those healing and strength potions." Selma replied. "The druids and witches believe in the same phenomena, and they work together on gathering proof. Time travel, life after death, interpreting dreams, time dilation, and many such enigmas of life."

    Time dilation? I only learned about it from the Interstellar movie. 

    "What do they know about time dilation?" I asked her.

    "That one week spent in the past only amounts to one hour in the present. So they like to time travel to the past to experience more life while they are still young in the present. They believe the same about dreams. Living in dreams and the past, you can experience more things without losing much time in the present."

    They got it right about dreams! It has been proven that you can dream about a full day of events by just sleeping for a few minutes. 

    Did it mean that only a few minutes passed in Chicago while I was here for almost two days? I needed to talk to the druid again.

    "What was she talking to you about?" Selma asked.

    I did not want to show the trinket to her.

    "She just congratulated me," I said.

    "It seemed like she made some bad predictions about your life with Marcus. You seemed scared," Selma looked concerned, "They haven't perfected their forecasts yet, so whatever she said most likely won't happen. The druids can't even say for sure if it is going to rain tomorrow. They got it wrong several times. You shouldn't get too bothered by her words." 

    "I am just generally worried about this whole wedding arrangement," I told her in a low voice.

    "I was more worried than you when I first met Aiden. You are handling it very well." She patted my back and left.

    Marcus's mother came and asked him if he wanted to leave or talk to more people. He got up to leave right away but I caught his wrist. He looked back at me in surprise.

    "Can I talk to you for a little bit?" I asked. 

    His stern look made me feel uncomfortable. He sat next to me again waiting for me to talk.

    "How do you treat women? Do you believe that they are your equal?" I asked hesitantly.

    I wasn't sure how much an Iron Age man knew about what women's equality meant.

    "I treat them fine I think." He shrugged.

    I waited for him to say more when he just looked at me after that short answer.

    "Well. The pain, blood, and death that women endure to bring babies into this world are remarkable. I love my mother and sisters for that. But I don't believe that women can be called equal per se."

    "Why do you say so?" I asked.

    "There is pain, blood, and death on the battlefield too. Men take far more risks for smaller rewards, train from a young age to fight dangerously. We fake it to be strong until we grow really strong," he stated matter of factly.

    "You think if women are given the same kind of training, they can't be as strong? We are not alien to pain"

    "Possibly." He looked at me like he was asking what was my point.

    "Um. What is your opinion about forced sex? Will you touch me if I didn't want you to?" 

    This was my biggest worry about getting married to him. I did not want to be like the girl in my dream the other morning, to sleep with someone just because he was irresistible. I wanted to be loved and respected.

    Marcus's eyes narrowed.

    "Let me make something clear to you. I have a girlfriend, and she is the only one I am interested in touching. I won't ever let you come near me." 

    His words stung. I should feel relieved, yet his harsh words hurt me deep down. The feeling of rejection and unwantedness is not new to me. Maybe I was expecting more from him and from this marriage.

    I got up from my seat and walked away to my parents. I did not want to talk to him anymore.