A night to remember

An icy shiver ran down Lily's spine as the chilling whisper left the creature's lips. The foreign tongue echoed ominously around the room. Sasha, stunned and bloodied, looked at the lifeless form in horror.

"May the ancient oak tree spirits shield us," Sasha murmured, her fingers tracing a pattern in the air as prayer. With a steadying inhale, she shifted her gaze to Lily, who clutched the creature with an unconscious grip.

"Let go, Lily," she muttered urgently, cautiously prying Lily's fingers away from the creature. She wrapped it in a white linen cloth, her hands shaking as she did so.

With a deep breath, Sasha leaned over Lily, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the pallor of her skin and the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

She gently placed two fingers on Lily's neck, feeling for a pulse.

"Lily..." her voice trailed off as she felt nothing.

Panic surged through Sasha's veins as she realized Lily had succumbed to blood loss and the trauma of the ordeal.

The healer's hands trembled as she checked for a second time, her fingertips cold on Lily's frigid skin.

"No, no," Sasha whispered dejectedly, her voice hoarse with anguish. "Not after all this."

A single tear slid down her cheek as she closed Lily's lifeless eyes, her heart heavy with grief. She laid the blanket over the body, concealing it from view.

Sasha swallowed down the lump in her throat and turned her attention to the wrapped elf spawn. She couldn't bring herself to look at its malformed features, tainted by its unholy lineage.

she placed the creature in a small wooden chest, adding some of the herbs from her collection hoping to purify this malevolent creature.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Sasha slammed the lid shut, her hands shaking. She felt a hollowness in her chest as she bound the chest with a coarse rope, sealing it away.

The healer's footsteps were heavy as she carried the accursed thing out of the room, her heart weighing her down with each step. She knew what she had to do next.

Through teary eyes, Sasha lit a pyre in her backyard, its flames dancing in anticipation of the grim task.

With shaking hands, Sasha placed the chest containing the elf-spawn's body on top of the pyre. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions: grief, guilt, and the ever-present dread that lingered in her bones.

As she pivoted towards the entrance, she noticed Aerovind, the young lad, observing her with a perplexed stare.

His yellow eyes were locked onto the sight unfolding before him - the blood-stained table in the interior, Lily's lifeless figure and Sasha's face etched with deep sorrow.

He attempted to articulate his thoughts but found himself at loss for words. The healer directed a pained look at him.

Sasha's voice trembled as she spoke. "boy, my child, you must never speak of this night. Not to anyone, understand?"

Overwhelmed by sudden terror, Aerovind was besieged by the resurrected memories of Thorgar.

The brutalities committed by the Morang flooded his mind like a relentless storm, creating a chaotic symphony of horror in his thoughts.

His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to escape, with a swift pivot, he spun towards the exit door.

He bolted from the healer's cottage before she could finish her words, leaving only the echo of his fear behind.

"HELP! HELP!" Aerovind cries echoed in the open air as he darted toward where the guards were stationed. They were still within the jarl's quarters, dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

The sight of them hoisting up their leader's body was met by the approach of a bandaged boy, rushing headlong in their direction.

"What in the name of the twelve divines!" bellowed one of the guards, startled by the boy's sudden appearance.

"eh lad! What is wrong?" The burly man sheathed his sword, his eyes darting between the frantic Aerovind and the sign of panic dancing across the boy's face.

Aerovind gasped for air, struggling to catch his breath. "I... I... saw..." he panted, pointing frantically back in the direction of Sasha's cottage. "a women... she... she's... she's a killer!" The words tumbled out of him, barely coherent in his panic.

 The guards exchanged worried glances. "Calm down, lad," said another guard, a woman with a cool demeanor. "Take a deep breath and tell us what you saw, precisely."

Aerovind's chest heaving, he managed to choke out the words, "I-I saw her... she... she had a body... and she...was making fire, she is a witch of some kind."

 The guards exchanged skeptical glances. "A witch, you say?" The burly guard crossed his arms over his chest. "Ain't no witches in these parts, lad. Settle down and think a moment."

 However, the female guard narrowed her eyes. "Show us what you saw, Aerovind. We'll get to the bottom of this."

She took him by the hand, her grip reassuringly firm as they followed him back to Sasha's cottage.

 As they approached the cottage, plumes of smoke still curled from the dying pyre. 

upon entering they saw the horrible corpse of Lily and blood everywhere

 The healer's cottage reeked of blood, death, and the acrid stench of burnt flesh. The guards stopped short at the sight of Lily's mutilated body.

Sasha's herbs had done little to mask the stench of the Elf-spawn's burned corpse.

The burly guard, Eirak, retched and turned away, while his partner, Gunnhild, steeled herself and pressed onward. "Sasha!" she bellowed. "Show yourself!"

The healer emerged from the backyard, her eyes wide with shock and fear. She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.

The guards took in her disheveled appearance, her hair matted with sweat and strands of gray unraveling from her braid. Her robes were covered with Lily's blood.

 "What is going on here?" demanded Gunnhild, her gaze darting between Aerovind, Sasha, and the gruesome scene before her. "and by hjlard beard what is this!"