Chapter Nineteen

The sun peeked through that afternoon, drying the land, its warm rays pushing the last of the gray clouds out of sight. Maria continued to tend to those who were wounded, but even the worst smiled and joked with her as she came to them. They were strong and resilient, determined not to let Scarletta's creatures get the best of them. Maria paused in her work and turned to Mido, taking inventory of her supplies.

"I need agrimony," she said to him. "This forest is bound ta 'ave some. Could ya bring me some?"

Mido sighed at the menial task presented to him. Maria placed her hands on her hips and he cracked.

"C'mon, witch," Mido said, beckoning to Calliope. "Witches are good at these things, right?"

Calliope joined Mido, hesitant. "I've never been much of a potionist," she admitted.

Mido smiled crookedly at the delicate woman at his side. "That's all right," he said. "We'll learn together."

Calliope followed Mido through the forest as they searched for the herb Maria requested. They gathered berries casually as they hunted, tossing them into their mouths. The crisp berries popped with ease between their teeth.

"So," Calliope began as she peered through a grouping of weeds. "You know a lot about witches, now. Tell me about humans."

Mido shrugged. "What do you want to know? You must know more about us than we know about you."

Calliope shrugged. "What's it like to be mortal?" she asked.

Mido pondered his answer for a moment. "Not very exciting," he admitted.

"How long do humans live?"

"Depends."

"On?" Finding nothing, Calliope straightened, and they continued onward.

"How unlucky you are."

"How about someone who is lucky?"

"A lucky mortal human could probably live sixty years."

"Sixty?" Calliope looked to him in shock. "That's old, right?"

"I'd say so."

"I'll probably never get to be that old."

"Your immortal," Mido reminded her.

"But that's if I'm lucky."

"I think you have some luck on your side," Mido said.

"How old are you?" Calliope asked.

Mido whistled exasperatedly. "I'm almost at the end of my life," he said.

"You are?" she whispered. Her eyes were soft and sad.

Mido laughed. "Do I look that old?"

"I don't know what old humans look like," she muttered, turning away and continuing her search.

"We look frail and grey and sickly," he explained to her.

"Well," she said, looking him over carefully. "I guess you don't look that old."

"That's a relief," he said and smiled. "I'm twenty-eight."

Calliope wasn't sure what to make of this information. "Oh," she said simply. "Twenty-eight years."

"Born on a stormy spring day," he said casually. "Or, so my mother always said."

Calliope smiled, stopping when a familiar plant caught her attention. She picked it carefully and showed it to Mido. "Agrimony," she said.

Mido examined the plant and shrugged. "If you say so. Looks good to me."

Calliope and Mido retraced their steps through the forest as Mido explained more about humans and human traditions. He told her about birthdays and babies and elders and death. His eyes sparkled as he waved his hands in conversation.

"What happens when you die?" Calliope asked, her curiosity sparked.

"Well, I guess we go to heaven," Mido said.

"What's heaven?"

"It's a place high in the sky, I suppose, where God lives. When we die, we go to his kingdom."

"What's it like there?"

Mido shrugged. "I don't know. I'd like to think there's a lot of ale and beautiful women." Mido turned to Calliope and winked. She raised an eyebrow, and he continued, seriously this time. "No one really knows. But, they say it's better than being here. We stay there for all eternity."

"Who says that? How can they know that if they haven't been?"

"It's in the Bible. The priests tell us that."

"What's that? What are priests?"

Mido sighed with a smile. "The Bible is a book that God wrote. Priests are the people that tell us about God. They spread his message to everyone."

"God wrote a book? Have you met him?"

"We meet him when we die."

Calliope let Mido's information sink in. "If you haven't seen him, how do you know he's real?"

"Well, I guess we just know he's real because that's what we believe. We have faith that he's there."

Calliope thought this over quietly. "Do you think I'll go to heaven when I die?" she asked.

"Of course."

"God doesn't mind that I'm a witch?"

Mido smiled. "I think he'd make an exception for you. He loves all good people."

Calliope returned his smile, grateful that he had warmed up to her. She wanted to be good; for him and the villagers. She didn't want all their efforts to be in vain. She wished she could help them in their war against Scarletta, but she was wary of her powers and what would happen to her. Mido saw the concern fall on her face.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her quietly.

"Just that I want to be good," Calliope said. "I want to help, but I'm afraid I won't be able to."

"Don't worry," he said. "You don't have to help. We're here to help you. We're going to get rid of Scarletta once and for all. You'll never have to worry about her tormenting you again."

Calliope watched the ground as they walked. She felt Mido take her hand in his. He pulled her chin up and she met his gaze. She noticed the sparkle in his emerald eyes and they looked into hers.

"I promise you," he said. "Everything will be all right." Mido hesitated and pulled away. They neared the edge of the forest. "Not that you have any reason to trust me," he continued. "But, I hope you do. I'll do what I can to make sure Scarletta doesn't get you back."

"I've done horrible things to your kingdom," Calliope said.

"I guess you'll just have to help us rebuild."

"The kingdom will not be kind to the idea of me being around."

"I think they'll admire your courage and strength."

When Calliope didn't answer, he stopped and turned to her. "Coming?" he asked. Calliope nodded. Mido watched her hair blow in the breeze as she followed him back to the abandoned hut where they had made camp. He supposed she wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe she was a good witch after all.