Chapter 2261

"That was horrible, Roger!That was the worstvision I have ever had. I thought it would consume me! It was too powerful!"

"Can you talk about it? You said nothing thewhole time. Your eyes were almost always rolled back in your head. You held yourself so rigid I couldn't move you. I could only hold you down and protect you as best I could. You nearly bit your tongue clean off, love. That was a bad one. The worst one ever."

Glenda moved her tongue around in her mouth. It was fine now. The healing potion had been a potent one. They had been saving it for a dire situation.

She almost chuckled. That was pretty dire.

Glenda put a hand around Roger's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She could feel the tension leaving his body as she reaffirmed her love for him. She pulled back and really looked at him. He looked exhausted. Dark circles hung from his eyes. His hair looked a little greyer. Lines of worry etched his face in new ways.

"I'm sorry, love,"she said."That was trulyterrible. The vision consumed me. I was forced to watch it thousands of times. So much death! So much fire!”

"Can you speak about it?"he asked gently. Hewas holding her like a piece of fine pottery.

"I'm fine now, Roger. My strength is comingback. You look like you need your own rest. Have you been awake this entire time?"

Roger nodded."Yes, but that's not important. Tell me what you saw."

Glenda nodded and then started, at first worried speaking of it would start it over again. She had been a seer her entire life, and for the first time she was afraid of her powers. Afraid of what they showed. But she started slowly, and when nothing happened it flowed out of her like puss from a deep wound. Roger listened attentively and never interrupted once. When she finished her description and repeated what Maeve had done and said to her, her emotions surged and overwhelmed her, and she started sobbing into Roger's shoulder as he held her tight and ran a hand through her hair.

"Shh, shh!It will be all right, hon. Stay calm. Wedon't know what this means yet. You know how your visions can have meanings we don't see. It's okay. We're okay."

She stopped sobbing only when she had no more tears to shed. She was drained. She didn't think she would even be able to stand. Roger, always ahead of her, somehow knew this.

"Lie here. Let me cut you off some choice bitsand feed you. You haven't eaten this whole time. I tried to feed you, but I was afraid you would choke. I managed to get water into you, but that's all."

As soon as he said it, Glenda felt her hunger. She was starving and her limbs began to shake with the need for food."Gods yes, please. Feed me!"

Roger grinned at her and turned to carve off hunks of meat from the spitted pig. Glenda groaned in pleasure as the crackling skin of the pig crunched between her teeth followed by the sweet and juicy meat. She barely chewed before swallowing her bite. She tore off another chunk and almost swallowed it right away.

"Easy, hon!Take it easy! Chew your food. You'llchoke!”

Glenda growled but tried to chew more. The juices poured down her throat like the sweetest wine in the world. Roger turned back to the fire chuckling and poured a mug of tea from the tin teapot sitting at the edge of the fire to stay hot.

He handed her a mug."Careful, it's hot. This is the last of the tea Bitty gifted us. I think this is a good enough occasion to finish it, wouldn't you say?"

Glenda nodded and continued to tear into the chunk of greasy pork in her hand. She paused long enough to sip the tea. The heat and flavour of it felt like a balm to her soul."We have to find out where she bought this," she managed to say between bites and sips.

They sat and ate in silence. Roger's head was bowed, and he stared at his boots. She could see he had little left.

"Thank you, love," said Glenda into the silence."I don't know what would have happened if youhadn't been with me."

"You would have died."

Glenda blinked at the abrupt answer."What? No! Never.”

Roger turned his head and looked right at her. "You would be dead. It wouldn't leave you. Doyou remember crying out for me to help you?"

Glenda shook her head. She had no memory of that at all.

"You pleaded with me at one point to kill you.Do you remember that?"

Glenda could only stare at him in horror.

Roger blew out air. "You did. I thought I was going to lose you." Roger laid back on the ground, put his hands behind his head, and looked up at the passing clouds.

Glenda put down her empty mug and wiped at her eyes."I'm sorry, Roger. It... it was truly terrible. The fire and all those lives, gone in an instant."She lay on his side, with her head on his chest."But the worst was Maeve. Every time I went through it, I knew she would be there at

the end. With her face. And those eyes. Plus, that sneering voice. She saw me in the vision. I know she did. And her words would change a little. Sometimes she would say 'Hello, Little Glenda. Having fun yet?'Other times she would say, 'You again? Like what you see?'I swear she was there. She was somehow in my vision, sharing it with me. Over and over."

A loud snore came out of Roger startling Glenda, and she lifted her head to stare at him in surprise. Her face softened and she brushed some of his greying hair from his face and watched him sleep. The worry and strain on his face faded and in time the face she knew so well was back again, sleeping soundly.

"I love you dearly, you foolish ranger. Thankyou."

It took two more days, but Glenda was finally strong enough to walk into Eastwold. Roger carried the bulk of their gear and insisted she not overexert herself.

"I'm not some damsel in distress, dear man."

"You were."

"Yes, yes. I know. That was the first time."

"And look at you now. You've lost weight. Youknow you have."

"Now I'm just spryer. You'll be Hades bent tokeep up with me in bed now, mister."

"Sounds like a challenge. I accept," laughedRoger. Up ahead the town gates loomed. Roger looked around for guards, but the gate was deserted. No one stood on the walls. He looked for smoke from chimneys, but the air was clear.

"Aren't you afraid of breaking my frail bones?I'm so dainty now."

"Honey, I'm gonna break new ground fillingyour holes. And since when have you ever been dainty in bed?"Roger pulled a small piece of wood from his pocket and suddenly it expanded into his ornate long bow. With years of practice, his fingers felt for the magic bow string to prove to himself it was there. His weapon was a wonder. The bow looked ornate but had no string to speak of, nor did he carry arrows. When he used the bow, he conjured arrows from the ether and the magic of the bow

replaced the need for a string.

Without breaking stride, Glenda pulled her pouch of spell components free from her robe to hang at her belt. She eyed the gate with Roger. Words weren't necessary. They both saw the lack of guards at the gate as a problem.

"Sense anything?" Roger asked.

She always sensed the grimoire, but Roger didn't mean that."Nope,"she said and felt the air with her sense."Wait, yes, I do. It's faint but getting stronger."

"Witchcraft?"

"Yup. Feels weak though."

"Weak?"

"Wrong word. New, maybe."

"Dammit."

"Drop everything here? By the road?" askedGlenda, but Roger was already walking to the side to place their packs behind a large circular

boulder.

Roger stood up and looked around the area."All the animals are gone. I can't sense a single animal within a mile."

"Ugh. I was really hoping these days werebehind us."

"Because of Daniel?"

"Of course because of Daniel. And his witches.He's a powerful force of good in this world. I had hoped..."

"That hunting witches was over?"

"Yes. I know. A foolish dream of a naïve girl."

"Honey, you are anything but naïve."

"Hmm. True. But I can hope, can't I?"

"You and me both. Shall we?"

Glenda looked toward the town gates a few hundred yards away."Yes. Let's get this over with. After that vision, I'm prepared for

anything. Nothing could be as bad as that."

"Are we just too late this time, you think?"

"Are you asking if the delay my vision causedmeans we missed an opportunity to save lives?"

"Yes."

"No,I don't think so. This is new, but not thatnew. A figure a month has elapsed since the tom e took over."