“No-one starts out evil. We start pure, good, uncorrupted. Then the world sets in.”
“We get ravaged by winds and destroyed by waves, until nothing but raw flesh remains. Scabs cover the wounds we carry and then we pick at those scabs, irritating what was already there, until nothing but hatred remains.”
“Hatred is the end. It’s the end of me, and it will be the end of everything. That is my promise.”
“A promise I make to you.”
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The war had raged on for years by the time it reached the little town of Žinkovy. Churches of varying degree had been trying to gain control of Bohemia for years and it had finally sparked a war that would likely last years more. Famine had left its scars on the people and no-one in the town was capable of fighting against the onslaught of horrors waged upon them when soldiers marched through forcing the people to a religion of their own making or die at the end of a sword tip.
The little town had escaped the reaches of churches for most of its lifetime, practicing mostly in herbology and beliefs of powers to be from old wives tales. Alzbeth hadn’t really participated in any of those, mostly providing her family with breads and other baked goods. They were good to trade for meats with the animal farmers. Her husband had been dragged into the war a while ago, most likely killed as word had traveled the area he was assigned to had been burned to a crisp. Alzbeth had no way to find out as letters were impossible to get passed forward due to the raging war or would cost an arm and a leg to get anywhere.
Klára played with her hay doll in the grass near the waters. Alzbeth prayed her daughter could live a peaceful life, unaware of the dangers and pains of this world. She smiled at the beaming sun, happiness radiating from the little girl. Not a care in the world, tranquility floating through her veins like a warm summer breeze.
Alzbeth watched as a sword swung once, blood splattering over a hay doll, slowly staining the river a bright red. She blinked once and everything was on fire, shattered, ruined. The bright smiling sun was covered by thick black smoke, making Alzbeth choke on the air as it squeezed her lungs. “The war” – She breathed as her mind slowly regained control of what was happening around her. Yelling and blood curling screams echoed outside, she could hear the soldiers commanding others. “Pagans!” – They murderously screamed as the screams of children, women and men could be heard ringing out as they met the end of a sword. Alzbeth jumped out the window, running to the nearby bridge, hiding under it as the heavy footsteps marched above her.
She didn’t know how long she spent under that bridge, but her toes turned to prunes as the numbness took over. The sun had turned to dark clouds hiding the sky from the destruction. Alzbeth stumbled through the black soot filled grass, finding the horror she first saw on the beach. She collapsed, dragging the limp, lifeless body of her daughter to her arms. A large slash, that no longer had any blood to pour out of it, stained the white dress a dark deadly red. The numbness slowly turned to a gut-wrenching pain, Alzbeth felt like her insides had been taken, turned around and suddenly she violently threw up. She no longer could see past the tears, a headache piercing through her whole body, as she picked up her daughter.
Somehow Alzbeth made it to the water. She laid her lifeless daughter in the water, slowly watching her float away. The clouds turned darker, lightning striking across the sky with loud booms as Alzbeth screamed out her pain. Dark tendrils escaped from her hands as she promised murder to the man who had caused this war in the first place.
“I promise you, my dear, I do.” – Alzbeth whispered to the winds.
2025 Emilia Hietikko © All Rights Reserved.
