13. Common sin

The magic was gone as quickly and suddenly as it appeared. Sky no longer felt it, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't call it back. She'd be upset if she had the time to dwell on it. But right now she had more important things to do.

First she helped Beata, but the Flower Witch wasn't really hurt, she recovered quickly.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Sky asked helplessly. "Is she even alive?"

"Oh, she's alive alright! It would take more than that to stop a Beast Witch. And you used Night Witch magic!"

"Yeah, I guess so… But I can't use it anymore!"

"Pity," Beata sighed. "We could've used more of that right now! As you can see, Verina doesn't exactly have nice temper."

"Should we call someone?"

"The only ones we can call are the knights, and… Well, let's just say they might not be on our side! Besides, I know it'll be hard for you to believe it right now, but Verina isn't really a bad person."

Sky looked at three deep cuts left by wolf claws on her arm.

"You're right, it's pretty hard to believe!"

"I don't know what's gotten into her, she's normally not like that! I can't say we're friends, but I like the fact she's very sincere."

"She was sincere in her desire to cut my throat!"

"Sky, listen… The knights might execute her for this! Can we at least talk to her? I want to know why she did it! We can always call the knights, you know."

"Fine… It's your house after all!"

While Sky went to lock the door and close all windows, Beata took care of the Beast Witch. This time she didn't use mere vines, she made them thicker and stronger, making sure to immobilize the captive completely. They didn't have the time to dress Verina – and they didn't know where her dress was, so now the ropes were the only thing covering her. That was awkward, but they had no time to correct it, because Verina started to wake up.

At first she appeared dizzy, but as soon as she saw Sky, she bared her teeth again.

"You!"

"Yeah, yeah, me," Sky rolled her eyes. "Whom did you expect to see?"

"What have you done to me?!"

"That's a cool question from someone who broke into my house and attacked me and my guest," Beata interfered. "About time you explain this, Verina! Or do you want to talk to the knights instead?"

"She's a Night Witch!" Verina growled.

"So what?"

"I hate Night Witches!"

Before that night Sky would've told her that she wasn't really a Night Witch, she was a human stuck in the body of a Night Witch. But that attack changed everything. She stopped Verina with magic, there was no denying that.

So Sky was left only with one question:

"And? If you hate Night Witches, you should've stayed away from me, not come into the place where I live!"

"You have no right to live!"

"That's not for you to decide. Stupid dog…" Sky grumbled.

"This is getting us nowhere," Beata noted. She turned to Verina again: "Why would you want to kill Sky?"

"Because all Night Witches carry the same sin – the sin of women who care only about themselves! I can't share that island with one of them!"

Verina tried to break free again, but this time the ropes held her down. When she realized she wasn't going to kill anyone tonight, she finally told them her story.

She was sentenced to life on this island because of killing a Night Witch.

Beast Witches had always been known for their hot temper. Verina was aware of that – and she had to admit it was true. She could control herself most of the time, but sometimes the beast in her just broke free. She was a teen when she inherited her grandmother's cabin in the woods, and she chose to live there, away from people she could hurt.

Her mother was different. She was calmer, wiser, and she really cared about her country. So when she was offered to work for the Duke, she accepted it. At first, everything was fine, but it didn't last. She wasn't the only witch in the Duke's council.

There was also a Night Witch there – a powerful and proud woman. She didn't give a damn about the country and she didn't want to serve. She agreed for that position only to gain influence, she had her own plans for the Duke. Verina's mother tried to stop her and paid for it: the Night Witch killed her.

Verina couldn't accept that. She swore to her mother never to break the law, but with her mother's death that oath lost its power. She didn't even control herself, she was too young to fully understand her powers. That was most likely the thing that saved her. The Night Witch was strong enough to fight her off, but she didn't expect such a violent and cruel attack. Verina killed her in one blow.

She didn't try to hide or deny anything after that. She admitted her crime and expected to be executed for that. Ironically, she was saved by the very Duke her mother was trying to protect. After the Night Witch was dead, her magic lost its power over him.

He couldn't let Verina go, it would cause too much outrage among people. But he could save her life by sending her to the Witch Island – forever.

Once she ended up here, she immediately checked if there were other Night Witches living next to her. She already believed they were all vicious and selfish, she wasn't sure she'd kill one if she found her, but Verina had to know for sure.

Luckily for her, Night Witches were rather rare, and there weren't any on the island. She could live in peace – until Sky showed up. The old rage woke up in Verina immediately, it blinded her, forcing her to attack without much thinking.

"But how did you know Sky was here?" Beata asked in surprise.

"Remus told me!"

"And you listened to him?! Verina, it's Remus we're talking about! He's the worst bastard there is among knights!"

"So what? He was right about the Night Witch!"

"And he wanted to use you against her!"

"But why would that Remus want me dead?" Sky frowned.

"It's not about you, Remus hates all witches," Beata explained. "He's an evil freak who wants us dead. But the law forbids that, and our Grand Master Arrius is actually a good man, he's very strict about laws. That's why Remus tried to kill us with our own hands! Do you realize how much fun he'd have if you succeeded?"

Sky already didn't like that Remus, but he wasn't here – and Verina was. She had to deal with the Beast Witch first, whether she liked it or not. So she took one of the knives from the shelf and went to Verina.

"What are you doing?" Beata asked, instantly alert.

"She's going to kill me, what else?" Verina smirked. "That's what Night Witches do! Go on, do it!"

She tried to act all tough, but she immediately shut up when Sky pressed the knife to her neck. It wasn't a real blow, and the blade didn't press hard enough to even draw blood.

"I can kill you," Sky commented. Even she was surprised by how cold her voice sounded. It wasn't magic this time, it was just some inner strength she didn't know she had. "But I won't. Remember that moment next time you decide that all night witches are the same!"

She moved the knife away – only to cut the ropes holding Verina down. Beata gasped in surprise, but it was too late to stop her.

Sky knew it was a huge risk on her behalf. But she had to take it! Both she and Verina were to spend their lives on this island, and they were young, they couldn't avoid each other for years! So instead of turning around in fear all the time Sky decided she should learn the truth here and now.

First thing Verina did was get rid of the ropes in annoyance. She jumped to her feet in front of Sky, she looked like she was ready to strike, her claws out, her muscles tense…

But she didn't. It was clear in her eyes that she went through major inner struggle, but she didn't attack. Verina took a step away from Sky and looked at her in annoyance.

"Just so you know: I don't like you!" she announced.

"I can live with that."

"But I don't like Remus even more. Beata's right, your death would make him too happy. Just… stay away from me!"

"I didn't even know you!"

Verina wasn't listening to her anymore. She walked to the door like she didn't even care she was naked. But she stayed human long enough to deal with the lock. After that she turned into the wolf again and ran into the night.

"You think she'll come back?" Sky asked thoughtfully.

"Nah, Verina may be weird, but she's very honest. But… that doesn't mean another person won't kill you tomorrow, our island is full of surprises!"