“Numerous serious open wounds all over her body.”
This phrase stuck in Ulla’s head. When the doctor said it, she busted into tears like a child. Her heart was aching.
“My lady, I understand your pain. All of us feel the same, believe me, but you do not need to harm yourself. I will leave the pills for you. Mister Matson, please, check her taking medicine. Goodbye,” said the doctor and left the room.
The woman was crying, and the man was sitting near her, embracing her. Thunder roared and growled outside the mansion, reflecting the witch’s mood.
“Ormie, what I have done. What I have done,” Ulla whispered. Her words got lost in the thunderclap.
“Have you said something, darling?” asked Orm.
Ulla looked straight at her assistant. Her eyes, the colour of dark grey like the sea and sky in the storms, were full of tears. After a long pause, she said, “I have done something terrible, Orm.”
“What? Oh, no. Did you kill the princess?” asked the man fearfully. “It cannot be you. I do not believe.”
“No, it is not me! I did not kill Leandra. However, it is because of me.”
“Why?”
“She had come to my hut and asked for help. I should have rejected her!” cried lady Seaworth. “I must find this monster! I must!”
“We must. I will help you by asking maids and other personnel. You will prepare your potions and spells, so go to the hut after sunset. I will find you there,” said the man but then continued. “Now you need to have a rest. Please, try to sleep.”
“Thank you, Ormie,” answered Ulla and stood up from the sofa. “I am in my room. Please, tell everyone not to bother me.”
The woman went away from the parlour, leaving the man alone.
***
The overpowering smell of the cinnamon and dried plants hung in the hot and humid air of the witch’s hut. It was dark: only a single candle and fire emitted a little light. The cauldron was heated by an open fire, throwing grotesque shadows on the walls, and purple steam rose from it. Ulla was brewing potions when someone knocked at the door.
“Orm, come in!” shouted the witch, not looking at the entrée. “I am waiting for you!”
She turned around and saw a figure in a long cloak, which covered the face of the person.
“Today, I do not work with clients. Go away,” said Ulla, unhospitable.
“Even with me?” asked the person in a cloak and took off a hood from the head. Ulla’s mouth slightly opened, and her eyes grew wide: it was Kiara, the Queen of Etherion. Kiara was a woman with beautiful auburn hair, but silver was shining in it. The orange eyes, which Ulla loved the most, were rheumy and red, and dark circles lay around them. Her golden skin paled and looked dull. Kiara looked older than Ulla remembered, as she had merely seen her after their breakup, preferring not to come on royal balls.
“Years was not merciful to her,” thought lady Seaworth. “Or the death of her daughter.”
“Your Greatness, how can I help you?”
“Ulla, call me by my name. It is not the time for ceremonies. I need your help.”
“My help? How can I help my powerful queen? You did not want to hear about magic twenty-five years ago.”
Kiara did not react to the last words and said desperately, “Help me. Please. I know you can do it. Help me find this monster, and I will pay any price.”
Ulla remained silent. She looked at the woman, experiencing grief because of her fault, and her heart ached again.
“I help you, but you will not pay. I cannot take it,” said the witch.
“All magic has its price, as you told me this once.”
“It does not matter now. You need something to know: Leandra was here.”
Kiara looked like the air left her lungs at one moment. Her mouth was wide-open, and Seaworth could see the vein pulsing quickly on her neck.
“Is it you? Is it your poison or spell? Do not dare to lie to me!”
“No. The doctor showed me the bottle with the potion I gave her. It was full, and she did not drink it.”
“Do you know what killed her?” asked the hopeless mother.
“Yes. It was the price. I was rude to her but not cruel. She had paid for the potion by intolerance of her beloved’s touches. Besides, the price had not been forever but the month.”
“A month?”
“Yes. It took you a month to forget me, so I thought your child gave up her love also in a month. No one cannot love the person whose touches leave them serious wounds.”
Kiara froze understanding and mumbled, “No, it cannot be true. Did – did – did her lover torture her by touches? Ah, my poor little daughter!”
Kiara burst into tears, and Ulla came to her and embraced her. The queen, who was shorter than the witch, hid her face in the Seaworth’s neck. They were standing in the middle of the hut surrounded by the purple steam of the potion, and its heavy smell hung in the room when Queen Kiara looked at the witch’s eyes and said, “Her long black hair greyed in one week: it was as white as snow.”
Lady Seaworth closed her eyes, trying to fight back bitter tears.
“I will help you, Kiara, but I need to speak with everyone with a motive. Do you or your husband suspect someone?” Ulla asked.
“Yes. Lir suspects Rory Cloverfield because malicious rumours abounded in the palace, but I think Melinda killed my child. Leandra always disliked her and teased her,” said Kiara.
“Can you arrange meetings with them? Not in my hut or mansion but in neutral territory. I need to make sure about their role in this case.”
Kiara remained silent, thinking about it, and then answered, “I will be trying. The hardest thing is meeting with Rory. His father always protects him, but after my husband’s threats, he hides him like a priceless treasure. Having organised, one of my gentlewomen will come for you.”
“No, it will be better if she finds Orm Matson, my assistant. If I discover something new, he also comes to the palace and finds your ladies-in-waiting.”
Having agreed, Kiara left the hut, disappearing into the misty woods. The hazy sun was slowly climbing up the sky, painting everything greenish-yellow. It was time to return home: maids must find her sleeping in the bed. Ulla went out of the hut, murmured something under her breath and disappeared as if she was never there.
***
Ulla Seaworth did not see Orm for a couple of days, but they had never separated for so long before. Without him, her life was in absolute chaos, leading to a great catastrophe. She was moody, worrying about him, and her maids were afraid to enter her parlours because of her temper. On the fourth day of missing, Matson came back. He entered her rooms, not shaved and in the same clothes, and said, “I know where Prime Minister is hiding Rory.”
Ulla did not believe her eyes, wide open because of shock, but then a muffled scream let her body.
“You are here, coming back to me! I was worrying and thinking someone killed you!!, cried the woman, coming and embracing him closely. “Promise never to leave me alone again!”
“I promise.”
They were standing embraced for a while; the woman was crying on the man’s shoulder while he was whispering calming words to her. But then the room lapsed into the silence, interrupted by the screams of ravens outside the house.
“Now Rory is hiding near the Blackwoods, almost close to your hut. Today, he is going to hunt, and you can lure him to you,” said Orm and then continued. “His father has hidden him because the king promised to kill his son if he hurt Leandra. But if were you, I would not think Rory is that boy.”
“Why?”
“Because he is a fool. He married one of the richest noble ladies but prefered the company of countless mistresses and prostitutes. The princess could not love him because he is handsome but nothing more.”
“Honestly, I feel the same. Rory is just a public person with the reputation of a womanizer, so someone tries to make us think he is guilty. However, we need to be sure about it. Orm, we will take part in a hunt,” said Ulla and started putting the spells on the room. “I am going to ruin your reputation a lit of bit.”
“Will everyone think we are lovers?”
“Exactly. No one will enter this room because I was behaving badly those days,” said the witch, then mumbling the disappearance spell.
Matson and Seaworth found themselves in the witch’s hut.
“Do you know when the hunt is about to start?” asked Ulla.
Orm glanced at his watch and answered, “The hunt has already started.”
They stopped talking and heard the distant noises of the chase.
“My word is the law in this forest. Rory Cloverfield, I command you to come to me,” said the witch loudly. The spell was put, and they needed only to wait.
***
Rory Cloverfield got lost in the woods. He was a twenty-year-old man with golden-tanned skin and sandy hair. Rory was wearing a purple suit for hunting. His valet told him not to chase the deer into the depth, but something attracted him there. Cloverfield was wandering for an hour when he saw a wooden hut. The black smoke rose from the chimney, curling like a long snake. Someone was inside, and Rory thought, “I can order them to help me.”
He came to the door, knocked and heard, “Come in, boy.”
Entering, Rory saw a strange couple in blue. While a woman was wearing clean but bizarre clothes: a long dark blue asymmetrical skirt, a black turtleneck and a knitted cardigan with spots of all shades of blue above it, and knee-length and lace-up leather boots, a man was in a lit of bit dirty but fancy clothes: turquoise velvet doublet with high-waited blue leather trousers and heavy leather boots. The woman's long white snow hair was up and opened her long neck, but the man’s black hair was in chaos.
“They are weirdos,” thought Rory. “I should not have entered this house”.
He heard the door slam behind him with an ominous sound.
“I wait for you,” sang the woman, her companion remaining silent.
“Wait for me?” asked the young man.
“Yes. I want you to answer my questions. My word is the law in this forest, so you cannot lie to me. I will know if you try to deceive me. What is your name?”
“Ha, I am Twinkle,” said Cloverfield. When his straight nose started to grow, he roared. “Witch! What have you done?! It was my perfect nose!”
Ulla laughed aloud and outright, while Orm only smiled.
“I put a spell on you. I have told you not to lie, but you decided to trick me. I return your nose after answering, but you never can lie to me. Did you know Princess Leandra?”
“Of course, I have. Leandra was my only friend,” said Rory irritated. His purple eyes clouded and filled with tears. “Despite her being younger than me, it was easy to friend with her, she always gave good pieces of advice and pitied me because of my marriage. She knew I hated my wife because she was my father’s choice.”
“Did she love you?” asked lady Seaworth and added when Rory looked at her questioningly. “Like a man?”
“No! We were like siblings we never had. Oh, yes, she had sisters, but they were not close. Leandra and I were close, but not in that way. I know she fell in love with someone but never said his name.”
“Alright. Where were you on the day of her missing?”
“I was hunting in the countryside,” replied the young man, his nose growing again. “For heaven’s sake! I was in my mistress house. Her name is Emilia, and she is a lady who lives in the country. I am honest, I swear! The king suspects me because no one can confirm my words. Emilia surely can, but I do not want to publicise our affair. My father and wife kill me!”
“We keep your secret, do not worry. You are free.”
“You have promised to return my nose!” exclaimed Rory.
“Oh. Yes,” said the witch and murmured something. Cloverfield’s nose became as it was. “Go away from my house. My word is the law in this forest, so you will safely get your companions but never tell everyone that you were there and talked with me”.
The invisible force threw the young man in a purple hunt suit away from the hut and closed the door after him.
“What do you think, Orm?” asked Ulla, turning to her assistant.
“We know Leandra loved someone. Moreover, Rory told us she was interested in a man but never mentioned his name. I think it is someone from the lower class.”
“I am also thinking of it. As a princess, she must not have a relationship with not a man or a woman from her circle. We need to talk with her gentlewoman and maid. They might have known something.”
Orm looked at his watch and said, “It is high time to come back.”
“Sure,” said lady Seaworth and mumbled the spell of disappearance.
***
After Rory’s interrogation, she sent Orm to the palace. He needed to meet Kiara’s lady-in-waiting and tell her about their discoveries. The man returned from the castle with the news: tomorrow, they got invitations to Leandra’s funeral, and after it, they could talk to Melinda, the princess’s gentlewoman, and Brielle, her maid.
It was the day of the funeral. Orm and Ulla were in the procession, wearing long white garments, which the witch hated. White made her look like a ghost, almost invisible, but she detested it because white was a mourning colour in Etherion. People of the kingdom preferred bright colours in everyday life and wore white only when someone died. Leandra was buried in a closed coffin. The royal family was hopeless and broken: Kiara and her daughters cried out loud, not hiding tears. The court and ordinary people were crying too because everyone pitied the dead princess, but Ulla and Orm looked at the visitors meticulously, trying to catch the killer.
The ceremony ended, and Countess Larson came to Seaworth and her assistant and whispered, “Now. The second floor, the third room on the right from central stairs.”
Mister Matson and lady Seaworth went upstairs to the second floor and into the needed room. There were four ladies: Queen Kiara, her lady-in-waiting, and two young girls about the same age. They might have been the gentlewoman and the maid.
“Your Greatness”, said Ulla and curtsied; Orm bowed his head.
“Lady Seaworth, Mister Matson, as you are investigating the murder of my daughter, you need to talk to her surroundings. This is Miss Melinda Holy,” the Queen pointed her hand to the young lady in an elegant white dress and then introduced another girl, wearing much plainer clothing, “and this is Miss Brielle Red.”
“Could we talk with ladies privately, my Queen?” asked Orm.
“For sure. I go to my family,” said Kiara, standing up from the armchair and going to the door. Countess Larson followed the woman.
When the door closed, Ulla said, “One of you will talk to me in the room nearby while another will stay with my assistant. Miss Holy, please, follow me.”
The witch and the girl entered the room. They were missing about half an hour when the door opened with a loud slam. Ulla was holding Melinda’s hand, and the girl was crying.
“Orm, she is guilty! The Queen was right: Melinda killed the princess! Take her to the guards immediately!”
Astonished, the man came to his boss, took the girl, and they exited the room.
“Oh, it is terrible, is not it? Miss Holy killed the princess because of her jealousy,” said Seaworth to the maid, sitting in the armchair in front of her.
“I can’t believe my ears. This gal killed our poor princess.”
“Yes, I found out that she was in love with this gardener.”
“Gardener?”
“Yes. I cannot remember his name. Clint?”
“Clark.”
“Ah, Clark. Yes, yes. He was a friend to the princess, and Melinda was jealous about it because they were lovers.”
“You are lying,” said the maid, “Clark loves me. He even killed Leandra to get me.”
The girl smiled as she remembered the sweetest moment in her life, but suddenly she frowned.
“Why have I said it?!”
Ulla laughed angrily, and the door opened again. Behind it, Orm, Melinda and the guard holding Clark were staying and hearing every word Brielle had said.
“Guards, take her. She is accused of the murder.”
***
Seaworth entered the bedroom, detached from the parlour, and sat on the bed. The young girl came after Ulla to the room and froze awkwardly. Her nervous fingers played with her skirt.
“Do not be afraid, child. I understand your fears, but I have no intention to hurt you.”
“You are the witch Leandra visited. I know. After this, she was found dead,” she put her hands on her mouth to try not to slip words. Her eyes widened, and she became as white as sheet.
“Yes, girl, I put a spell on this room. You will say everything that comes to your mind. So, answer, why does the princess dislike you?”
“I always tried to protect her and followed her everywhere, so she could not visit Clark in private. This affair would ruin her reputation, and the king put him to death. I only wanted to save her.”
“Who is Clark?”
“Clark is the gardener. Brielle introduced him, and Leandra lost her head because of love. He is a nice young man but a commoner. Their love was forbidden.”
“Does he love her?” asked the witch.
“I do not know. Clark and Brielle always were together, but then Leandra entered their company. Before I found her missing, I had been so happy. I heard him saying he would visit his aunt in another town because she was ill. I came to princess Leandra's parlour, which was empty. I already informed her parent and guards and forgot about it.”
“Listen to me. I have a plan.”
***
“She persuaded him to kill Leandra just for fun. Your daughter came to his house and told him about the price she paid, but she did not know that Brielle was there. The maid is a psychopath: she laughed at my face during the interrogation. She laughed, speaking about the tortures your daughter experienced. Torments lasted about a week, and then Leandra’s heart stopped. They threw her body into the sea, believing that she had drowned, and the fish ate her. However, the stormy sea threw Leandra to the shore, and people found her,” said lady Seaworth to Kiara and cleared her throat. “I am sorry. If I knew, I would reject her.”
Kiara was crying, and Ulla came to her and embraced her.
“Promise me not to sell love potions to the rest of my daughters. What if their lovers would be the same?”
“I promise. When will murderers be executed?”
“Tomorrow. You must be present. You know the law.”
“I will cut their heads as the law said.”
***
The warm blood covered all her face and hands: Ulla could not cut off Clark's and Brielle's heads in a first attempt, and she did not want to. They must have been suffering as the little princess did, and Lady Seaworth could do it.
"They would find rest neither before nor after death," thought the witch, collecting their blood and cutting hearts from their bodies.
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