4. In the rain

They actually kicked her out of the castle, the Grand Master wasn't kidding about that. Sky ended up on those empty streets again, but this time she was alone. Other witches leaving the castle hurried somewhere to hide from the downpour. They didn't look at her and didn't call her with them. Sky felt like there was an invisible wall between them. She wasn't one of the guards and she wasn't one of the prisoners. She wasn't welcome here! So what was she supposed to do, lay down and die?

She wouldn't do that. Even if she felt like crying, Sky appreciated the second chance she was given too much to give it up.

She went down the street slowly. She had no idea where she was going, but standing there was just too cold.

Sky walked slowly, hoping that someone would just come and save her… It was naïve, but she'd been unlucky for so long she had every right to hope for some luck! After all, she didn't do anything wrong, she wasn't really a criminal! None of this was her fault...

Alas, destiny was deaf to her pleas. Nobody looked at her, all doors and gates were closed. The rain got so strong Sky suspected nobody would be able to see her through the window if they looked out.

The lower she got, the smaller the houses around her became. There were no gardens here, and no place to hide. Her plan, the only one she could think up right now, was to get to the market she saw. It was empty because of the rain, but there were tents there, so she could at least find some shelter. And if she got lucky, she'd get some food, the markets in two worlds couldn't be too different!

Sky was sure she was alone on the street – up until she heard a man's voice behind her back.

"Aren't you cold in that little dress of yours, pretty witch?"

Those words couldn't be interpreted as friendly in any case. That was the thing she dreaded! Sky wasn't ready for this… But she had to deal with it. She didn't want to run, because she could easily fall and break her legs on those roads. Her plan was to use the same strategy as on the ship: to pretend she was a powerful witch and scare him off.

But when she turned around and saw the man walking to her, all courage left her at once. Because he wasn't human – and unlike witches, he didn't look human.

He was tall, he'd tower over Sky easily – he was at least two meters tall, or maybe more. And he was only half human, while the other half of him reminded her of a goat. There were hooves on his feet and horns on his head, his body was extremely muscular and covered in brown fur, his face long with large mouth and yellow teeth. His greenish eyes, observing Sky, had horizontal lines of pupils.

He was walking to her calmly and confidently. He had to know she was a witch – most women were witches here. But hey, he wasn't a human himself! And she probably looked pathetic enough to attack.

She had to run, that was the only hope left for her, and she just couldn't. It wasn't only about exhaustion or fear of slipping. She felt like a rabbit caught in a snake's gaze. She had no power to look away! She was smaller than him, weaker than him, and he felt it as good as she did. The only thing Sky was left to do now was to start walking back slowly, step by step.

He could easily reach her, but he didn't, he was walking as slowly as her. He was playing with her! Why wouldn't he? He was the obvious winner here, he was in no rush. The rain would hide anything he would do to her eventually.

"You're new here, huh?" he smiled, and his teeth looked even creepier than before. "Need some help?"

"N-no, thanks, I… I'll be fine…"

"Oh come on! No-one should be alone on the first day here. Especially when the weather's so nasty! Come with me, pretty one. I'll find a place in my house for someone like you."

"Thank you, but I'll pass. I… I'll be fine!"

It didn't work, of course, but Sky didn't really think it would. She just had to say something and try to stay polite about it, so she wouldn't have to blame herself for provoking him… If she lived long enough to blame herself.

The goat grew tired of waiting. He moved forward sharply – and grasped her hand. Deep inside, Sky knew it was coming, yet she still shrieked, she moved back, trying to break free. But it was useless: her power was nothing next to his. It was like her hand was caught by a metal claw.

The situation obviously entertained the goat. While Sky was trying desperately to break free, he eyed her body like he already owned it. Initially he wasn't so confident, he knew there was a chance she'd use magic. But now he knew she wouldn't, and he was even enjoying her helpless struggle.

"Save your energy, little one," he laughed. "I'll show you a better way to use it. Don't worry, you'll thank me for this later!"

He pulled her closer, his teeth were next to her face now, and she could smell his foul breath. Sky knew she shouldn't anger him, but it was just too much for her. Before she knew what she was doing, she slapped him across the face.

He froze, but only for a moment. He was shocked that such a tiny creature dared to oppose him. But a moment later his shock was changed with anger, and Sky had to pay. He hit her with a fist to her stomach, hard, knocking the air out of her completely. Sky gasped and doubled over in pain, her mouth remaining wide open in a desperate attempt to catch her breath.

She would've fallen at once, but he didn't let her. He still held her by the hand, but only to attack again, this time kicking her into the same spot with his heavy hoof. That was just too much for Sky: her eyes rolled back into her head, and though she didn't pass out, she wasn't completely conscious either.

He let go of her, and she fell onto the wet ground, her body twitching in pain. She couldn't move away, she couldn't even open her eyes. All Sky managed to do was moan softly and try to get up, but she immediately fell back into water.

The goat bent over her, she could smell his breath. Next thing she knew, his hands were all over her, squeezing her breasts, stroking her face, trying to push her legs open.

"Nice," he commented. "Really nice! You are quite a… Hey, what the…"

His disgusting touch disappeared, Sky heard some weird noise. Startled by this, she managed to open her eyes, only to discover the goat was no longer next to her. He hung in the air, held tightly by… plants? It seemed impossible, yet it was true. The goat was tied down by dark green vines, and no matter how hard he tried to break free, it was no use. He was in the same position Sky was in mere minutes ago: he was the weaker one, while his opponent was unmistakably stronger.

The vines weren't just holding him down, they seemed to be strangling him. First he screamed, then his voice grew quieter. The goat went limp, but he wasn't dead, he was just out of breath. That was when his opponent finally showed herself.

She didn't look scary at all. Actually, she appeared even weaker than Sky! She was short and shapely, very feminine, with soft gentle face and short blond hair. But the main difference was that she was confident! She knew what she was doing, and she wasn't afraid.

She was the one controlling the vines. When she stepped closer, Sky could see that her dress was made of yellow flowers and large green leaves. It was beautiful, long and yet revealing enough to show her impressive cleavage.

When she was sure the goat was barely breathing, she eased the vines, and he fell into a puddle like a bag of dirt.

"Had enough?" the blonde asked grimly.

"You'll be sorry for this," the goat groaned, rubbing his neck.

"If I am sorry, I can always kill you. Now run before I changed my mind!"

The goat, in spite of his brave talks, wasn't taking any chances. He got up and started running away clumsily. Soon the rain hid him from their eyes.

That's when the blonde went to Sky and stretched her hand to the fallen girl.

"Hi," she smiled. "I'm Beata. And it seems to me like you really need a friend right now!"