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Chapter 25
"Finally,” Muma Padurii said. “I’ve been waiting for so long to be released from this tiresome spell. And this ignorant woman here didn’t even question why a goat would be so needy.”
“Well, that’s an insult to Vincenta. She was caring even at the castle.” I crossed my arms at my chest.
“Just my luck to hide in the one goat who had a delusional human for an owner,” said Muma Padurii as Gabriel helped her stand. “My back hurts like hell.”
“How did you get stuck in the goat’s body?” Solomonarul asked.
“After you left the second time, Vedoma paid me a visit and threatened me with a time-reversal spell. Those are the worst. I knew it would be but a matter of her temper before she finished what she vowed. Thus, I chose to hide in plain sight. I followed this wide-eyed pair.” Muma Padurii pointed at Gabriel and me. “And found their goat to be a great choice. I only needed to say a short incantation and a light touch to get out. But this one didn’t shy away from spreading her arms and almost choking me.”
“Excuse me, but I was hugging you,” I retorted.
“Well, it felt more like choking.” The old woman didn’t back down.
I wanted to explain in detail the difference between a hug and choking, but Gabriel grasped my hand and shook his head. Indeed, explaining something to Muma Padurii seemed pointless.
“We bear good news,” said Solomonarul. “Vedoma is dead. Milady here killed her.”
“I didn’t exactly kill her,” I said.
“This scrawny little thing killed the sorceress?” Mother of the Forest scrutinized me.
Yep, medieval times still didn’t bode well with tactfulness.
“Indeed so,” said Solomonarul boastfully. “She took her stone before the witch died, so she has vanished now from all time.”
Suddenly, Muma Padurii didn’t look so well. Her face turned pale, and her knees buckled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“My powers… My ancestral powers are returning to me. You truly defeated her,” Muma Padurii said with an astonished look on her face. “I never believed the day would come. I wish to stay more, but I must hurry. I need to save the forest from complete extinction.”
“Muma Padurii, we have a request,” I said. “We did indeed remove Vedoma as a threat, but my husband had his fate sealed. We ask if you might know thevampyrspell. And also, is there a way to not sacrifice a firstborn?”
“And is there a way to revert a sealed fate?” asked Gabriel, still hopeful.
Mother of the Forest looked at Gabriel with such pity it seemed like she’ll cry any minute. “She altered the course of your life, young man. You don’t even know what awaits you. But your wife does. Her eyes have seen what we all knew as the prophecy. And even if Vedoma is not among us, you still must bear the prophecy’s consequences. But first, do you have a loaf of bread and a slice of cheese for this old lady? I’ve been eating grass for the past months.”
“Yes, yes,” said Gabriel. “Let’s enter the house.”
After everyone settled at the table and Mother of the Forest ate everything to her liking and gulped two wine goblets, she was ready to speak. “Young man,” Mother of the Forest addressed Gabriel. “It pains me to say it, but a sealed fate is irreversible. The other choice is death. At the same time, the part concerning a firstborn was Vedoma’s way of interfering with the prophecy. In reality, you need familial blood. Anyone in your family can act as a sacrifice.”
“I cannot let that happen. I’d rather perish than let someone in my family become a sacrifice.”
“Unfortunately, if you refuse to become avampyr, many will continue to try and, given the grueling transformation, will die in their attempts. And even if someone succeeds, no one, even the fates, can predict how human frailty combined with the strongest powers in The Other Realm would lead to.”
“And you.” Mother of the Forest turned to me. “You wear a stone that doesn’t belong to you. You’re lucky to have been able to use it even once. The seer who helped you must’ve been strong. It reeks of Vedoma’s spells. Though few know this, besides Vedoma’s wrongdoings, she also took care of time. She was what we call a Time-Keeper.”
“I’ve heard of such a term in connection to Vedoma before,” I said.
“She had to take care of the path if she wanted to use it,” said Mother of the Forest.
“How?”
“She kept scrolls of all the traveling artifacts spread across history, as well as of the humans who traveled through time.”
“Oh, so that’s how she knew I was here,” I said.
