Rewrite That Witch
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Chapter 589: The Storm in the Fjords

A storm was building east of the Fjords islands.

Lightning dragged itself across clouds that hung low and dark over the water. Thunder followed, muffled, like something large and angry trying to speak from a very long distance. Heidi Morgan stood at the window and looked at none of it.

She had not heard from Iffy and Softfeathers since sending them west.

She understood the distance. Messages crossed it slowly. But Honey was in the Kingdom of Graycastle, and Honey’s animals could carry a note — all it required was the will to threaten the girl into compliance. The fact that nothing had come was its own kind of message, and Heidi did not like what it said.

She shut the window against the wind.

The situation on Sleeping Island had been worsening for months. After Tilly’s Sleeping Spell, every non-combat witch had moved to her side, and the pattern of commercial activity in the Fjords had proven the wisdom of it: the local merchants hired assistant witches for trade and navigation and canal work, not for fighting. The weak witches’ market value had risen accordingly, and with it their standing. They were no longer a tier below the combat witches. They were equals, or close enough that the difference had stopped mattering.

Then there was the third group.

Damn it, how could I have missed this. Heidi had been focused on the two-way division — combat witches against assistant witches — as if those were the only two forces on the island. But more and more ordinary people had been immigrating. The Fjords merchants had brought them. And those people knew only Tilly, trusted only Tilly, had been shaped entirely by Tilly’s influence since arrival. A third constituency, owing nothing to Heidi.

And Tilly went out among the islands as a guest and a dignitary, especially since Thunder had aligned with her, while Heidi sat here counting what she had lost.

She’s selling the witches’ home to ordinary people. The thought made Heidi’s vision narrow. Bit by bit. Integration as a word for dilution. If this continued, replacing Tilly Wimbledon was not going to be a political problem. It was going to be an impossibility.

She had been thinking about leaving — taking the combat witches, requesting passage on the Charming Beauty, relocating to the Western Region. But Camilla always found excuses. Always had some reason the ship wasn’t available, some prior arrangement, some protocol. For a dying witch, a stranger from Wolfheart, no doubt the Charming Beauty would materialize within the hour.

Her door opened.

Skyflare came in fast, anxious in a way that was unusual. Of all the witches who had followed Heidi, Skyflare had been with her the longest and was the steadiest.

“My lady. Something urgent.”

“Say it.”

“A new witch arrived on Sleeping Island. Her name is Annie. She’s from the Kingdom of Wolfheart.”

“So?” Wild witches found their way to Sleeping Island. It wasn’t remarkable.

“I’ve met her before.” Skyflare’s voice dropped. “She was — she was the one. The one the Bloodfang Association dealt with.”

Thunder cracked overhead.

Heidi felt something cold move through her chest, and then her mind began working very quickly. “That’s impossible. You must be mistaken — same name, similar face.”

“I thought so at first. But she looked exactly like the Annie I remember. Iffy cried the whole way for her, wanted to go back — I remembered the face because of that.” Skyflare’s jaw tightened. “And Annie brought Iffy with her, originally.”

“How could she—” Heidi grabbed her by the collar. “Did you let her go?”

“No, my lady! I did what you ordered! I swear—”

Heidi looked into her eyes for a long moment, then released her.

“What’s her condition?”

“She was carried into the palace. She seems to have a cold plague infection — serious. The keep already sent for Della.”

Della could not cure a cold plague. She could dull pain, slow panic, help a patient settle. That was something, but not enough. Heidi paced.

“Is Tilly on the island?”

“She left for Twin Dragon Island two days ago. Something about preparations for the sea exploration.”

Heidi stopped.

“Bring Nightfall. Send Shaji to gather more information — Shaji hasn’t seen Annie, so she won’t be recognized.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The rain started while Heidi waited. It struck the window hard and steadily, and she sat at the table in silence while Skyflare and Nightfall stood aside and did not speak. The tension in the room was thick enough to press against.

Rapid footsteps in the corridor. The door opened, then shut again. Shaji leaned against it, peeling off her soaked coat and straw hat, and exhaled.

“Annie is asleep. Della says it’s not good — the cold plague has infected her lungs. It’s been going on for a long time.”

“And Camilla? What does she plan to do?”

“Send Annie to the Kingdom of Graycastle. There’s a witch in the western region who can cure any disease. She says they’ll leave once the storm breaks.”

Heidi felt like laughing.

One hundred gold royals for a round trip on the Charming Beauty — that was what the ship cost to hire through One-eyed Jack, and Camilla always had seventeen reasons why she couldn’t accommodate Heidi’s requests. For a useless stranger from Wolfheart, the ship would sail within the day.

And there was a second problem, worse than the first. If Annie reached the western region and found Iffy, everything would surface. Everything Heidi had ordered. Everything she had arranged.

She could not allow Annie to leave the island. She could not allow Annie to speak.

She breathed once, steadied herself, and turned to Nightfall. “The Seed of Peaceful Death. You can control when it activates?”

Nightfall’s face went uncertain. “Yes, but — why—”

“Because she’s a traitor of the Bloodfang Association.” Heidi cut her off. “You don’t need the details. Just understand that she cannot be excused.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Tilly? If a combat witch dies and it traces back to us—”

“The Bloodfang Association takes care of its own traitors.” Heidi’s voice went sharp and flat. “If we hand her to Tilly, do you think that naive girl will punish her appropriately? Are you questioning my order?”

Nightfall flinched. “No, my lady. I’ll take care of the traitor.”

“Don’t activate the seed immediately. Let her board the Charming Beauty first. Let her die at sea — a cold plague death, nothing suspicious. The crew will dispose of the body in open water to prevent infection. No one will look twice.”

Skyflare adjusted the hood of her cape. “If anything happens to Annie while she’s aboard, Tilly and Camilla will suspect us regardless.”

“Which is exactly why we’ll visit her now, in daylight. Shaji has already learned that a Wolfheart witch is sick. Is it not natural for the association that represents Wolfheart to come and pay their respects?”

Heidi opened the door. The wind and rain came in all at once, sharp and cold.

She walked out into it without breaking stride.

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