August walked slowly toward the village, unsure of what she’d find. Umbrella in one hand, her other shoved in her hoodie’s pocket, she trudged in the rain with Bimala and Kirin by her side. Bimala, the necromancer and her travel partner, looked at her, worry carved into her features.

    “Are you okay?” She touched August’s arm.

    “I’m fine.” August kept her gaze ahead. She leaned on Kirin’s body. “Just a little shaky.”

    She didn’t say much more than that. All she could think about was the moment when Miss Clementine told her of her task. How only a few weeks after Arabelle’s disappearance, the citizens of this town witnessed the fearsome witch with the golden braid decimating their home. She couldn’t believe it was her at first, so Miss Clementine suggested she go see for herself. But it couldn’t be Arabelle, it just couldn’t be...

    As she wrestled with rhyme and reason, Kirin seemed to notice her unease. He nudged his beak towards her and blinked, imploring her to be honest.

She turned to him as her hand trailed his furred and feathered body. “Okay, okay, I’m not fine. I’m sorry, I just...”

Bimala rubbed her arm again, offering a warm smile. “Hey, it’s alright. Whatever happens, you have me and Kirin with you."

August nodded. Bimala's kindness was expected and appreciated, but ineffective. Here, in the rain and wilds, guilt seemed to cling to her as if it had no where else to go. She could’ve done something, anything, those few months ago…

Kirin nudged her, looking at her with his big, clear eyes. Her familiar was a griffin, and he had been with her ever since she found him with his wounded wing all those years ago. He had been with her through thick and thin, just as Arabelle had.

As they walked, the path opened up and small homes started to appear. Or rather, what used to be small homes. They were merely charred structures now. August noticed Bimala’s eyes were wide.

    “What’s wrong? Do you see anything?”

    “Sorry,” Bimala’s expression became stone-like. “There’s just… so many of them…”

    August realized that she meant the ghosts.

    As they entered the more urbanized part of town, it greeted them with charred buildings that were half of what they once were. What was once a church, a bank, a school, a bakery, was now an ashen shell. What was once a thriving town, was now abandoned, dilapidated rubble. Bimala started whispering to the spirits. 

    “They tell the same story.” She rubbed her tired eyes. “A witch with a golden braid… I’m sorry, August.”

    “It’s fine, Bee. Did you ask them how it happened?” She looked down at the ground, one hand drifting over Kirin’s feathers.

“They all say that it happened suddenly and without warning. One said she was just cooking dinner, and then their house was consumed by flames.”

    August looked at her, blinking with surprise. She thought aloud, “That’s strange. Do you think that she used some sort of combustion spell and the town just instantly exploded? But that would take a lot of blood. I thought she was smarter than that.”

    “Maybe she isn’t working alone?” Bimala suggested to the ghosts. “No, they say they didn’t see anyone else during the attack.”

    There was a pause as the two witches became lost in their own thoughts.

Then, it was decided. “Maybe we will find more clues elsewhere.” 

They trekked toward the center of town, which seemed to be the area with the most damage; the ghosts told Bimala that it was once a small but pleasant park with a fountain, and now it was a large pit of blackened stone and cement. A few yards away, off to the right, a small trail of blood led away from the pit. It somehow withstood the rain, as if staining the cement.

“Looks like a combustion spell to me.” August watched the rain patter against the wretched scene as if trying to wash the destruction away. She took a breath as she felt her throat closing up again, stones settling in her stomach.

“She can’t be far from here. A spell like this would take a lot out of a witch, even one like Arabelle.” Bimala started toward the blood trail.

    “Actually, do you want to…” August hesitated. “Do you want to find more ghosts while I follow the trail? They might be freaking out after what just happened.”

    “Are you sure? I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Bimala touched her arm again.

“I’ll be fine." Her voiced cracked slightly. I just want to see her again. Alone. “I should be able to handle her when... you know.” She swallowed, blinking a few times and looking down at the ground. She turned away before Bimala could answer. 

“Come on, Kirin.” He had been following them, listening for a clue all the while. He clicked his beak and walked alongside August, flicking his tail in a farewell to Bimala.

    She followed the blood trail, entering the decimated streets leading out of the center of town. A mouse blindly moving into the cat’s claws. Kirin sensed her worry. He touched her cheek and they looked into each other’s eyes. I’m here. I always will be. His thought entered her brain. She smiled, but it was tinged with something like grief.

    There was a sound around the corner. August’s head swiveled and her body turned. There in the crumbling alleyway was a figure. It stepped forward to reveal a face of Roman features and russet brown eyes, framed by plaited blonde hair, trailing past the collarbone.

“Arabelle?”

    The woman didn’t answer. She took August by the arm and led her to a secluded corner, right next to what was once a cafe. The arm the woman used to grab her was wrapped in gauze. Kirin followed, staying quiet.

    “Arabelle? Wait- please, why--”

    “Shh.” Arabelle locked onto August’s watery blue eyes and touched her brown, shoulder-length hair. August noticed she was shivering, the vibrations of her twitching muscles echoing in her own as they touched. Her expression twisted, tensed, and to August’s utter shock, she hugged her and wept on her shoulder. 

    Did August even know who this person was anymore? The person that destroyed a whole town, and yet was sitting here, weeping. Nevertheless, she hugged back. As they pulled apart, they both wanted to make their cases.

    “Arabelle, please, why have you--”

    “It’s been so long! I have to tell--”

    A pause. A breath, and a quivering lip.

“August?” 

“Did you do this?”

Another pause. There seemed to be a mad, almost iniquitous glint in the other woman’s eyes, despite her recognition of August. Her heart sank, weighed down by heavy stones.

“That’s what I came to tell you!” Arabelle was smiling now. “I’ve finally found the answer!”

“The answer… to what?”

“The answer to eternal life!”

August was at a loss for words. She thought Arabelle’s fascination with immortality had been just that. A fascination. What happened that twisted it into an obsession?

“And what is that?” August tried to keep her voice level.

“Human souls.” Her dark eyes seemed alight, her speech growing faster. “Do you know where the people’s ghosts are?”

Kirin sensed the growing tension and tried to put distance between them. He communicated with August, saying, Whoever this is, it isn’t Arabelle. She has been consumed by madness. Even if she weeps at the sight of you, this new Arabelle doesn’t care whether you live or die.

August’s brow knotted up as she looked between her familiar and the woman. “I’m not a necromancer, Arabelle. I don’t know.”

“But you had a necromancer with you, correct?”

“She’s not here to tell you.”

“Why keep secrets, August? I thought you loved me.” Arabelle wasn’t smiling anymore.

    That’s when the tears finally came, streaming down her cheeks. “The Arabelle I know and love wouldn’t go around destroying entire towns just to achieve something that’s unachievable!”

“But it is achievable! Don’t you understand? The power of the human soul is powerful enough to grant eternal life--”

“That doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t wrong and immoral.” August, despite the tears, carried a growl in her voice. Betrayed by the one who wanted to use immortality to save lives. And yet here she was, destroying them. August knew she was better than this.

Arabelle’s hands curled into fists at her sides. “I thought you would help me. We could’ve made the elixir of life like we wanted to when we were kids. Don’t you want that?”

August gritted her teeth. “I thought we moved past childish dreams. I don’t want it if it means this.” She gestured to the destruction, with the rain falling steadily. 

“Then I don’t need you anymore!” Now she could see Arabelle’s fists emitting steam, glowing with heat. Instincts took over.

Kirin! In a split second, he allowed August to mount, then he swooped into the air before Arabelle could strike her.

Looking down, she could see Arabelle’s hands stop steaming as she fell to her knees. The combustion spell had weakened her. She still looked dangerous, so August and Kirin went to retrieve Bimala, who wasn’t too happy about August leaving Arabelle alone. 

The rain had soaked them by now, and they approached the scene with caution. They turned the corner,  hearts beating heavily in their chests.

Arabelle was nowhere to be found.

The End