Release That Witch

Nightingale did not know how long she had been here, but when she woke up, she found her hands were bound behind her against a stake along with her waist and legs. She struggled to move, but yet she was bound so tight that her body was attached to the stake and got stuck.     

When she tried to use her power, she could not sense the familiar feeling that she felt every time she induced power—the magic power was disconnected. Nightingale looked down and caught the sight of a crystal prismatic stone hanging around her neck hangs.     

"You've woken," said Cara, as she walked over. "How do you feel about Petrifying Venom? Nightingale, you know I reposed great hopes in you, and I meant it. Yet, you've disappointed me."     

"..." Nightingale drew a deep breath and said, "You kept the God's Locket of Retribution from us. Cara, do you actually know what you're doing?" Their respected mentor chained her own people with the exact lock that was used by the church to hunt down the witches. What made her angrier was those who stood aside and showed no hint of dissent. [Damn it!] Nightingale cried out in her mind, [haven't you found you've turned into those whom we hate the most?]     

"It's just a way to punish some kids who're out of control," Cara said with no regards, "and Nightingale, you're the one who needs to be punished. Or... shall I call you Veronica? A girl who fell from a noble and became a witch, yet still dreams of reclaiming her nobility."     

"I don't understand what you're saying."     

"You've disappointed me. I thought you'd stand on our side when Wendy saved you from the chains of the noble. Now, take a look at what you've done. You mean to gut our foundation when Holy Mountain is within our reach." Cara shook her head and sneered. "Take your sisters to a prince? Either you have been chained too long to live without a master to enslave you, or... you plan to sell them to the nobles for your nobility."     

"All I've done is for my sisters." Nightingale damped down her rage, for she knew that curses and abuses made no difference here. "All I want is they'll suffer no more tortures on the Day of Awakening and live a better life, in warm shelters and with enough food. I don't mean to interrupt your plan, and yet they deserve a chance to choose their own life. Many things are changing in Border Town now, and the design of the steam engine that I showed you is one of them. The engine could run itself and hold the enormous power that'll save us from the labor of fetching water from the mountain stream.     

Cara sneered and said, "This is what you mean?" She turned and pulled out a wad of parchments from hands of a witch who stood behind her, waving in front of Nightingale. "I admit the drawing is too difficult for me to understand, but a lifeless thing built by a pile of cold irons could run itself? You take us for ignorant kids!"     

Walking towards the brazier, she tossed the parchments into fire.     

"No!" Nightingale cried out in vain, witnessing the drawings turning into ash in the brazier.     

"You've run out of my patience, I'll give you one last chance," said Cara as she pulled out an iron spike with a hot red tip. "If you confess in front of all sisters of the Witch Cooperation Association that you've been deluded by nobles, I'll spare your life and punish your gullibility with whipping. Otherwise, I'll drive this spike through your heart and nail your body on a stake as a warning," she said word by word, "and don't waste my last bit of mercy. State your decision."     

Nightingale watched the spike moving towards her, along with the hot wave from the tip. She knew that she was no longer the young girl that she used to be. The girl who had been too weak and coward to stand up and resist. She was Nightingale, a witch with great power that even death would not be able to make bend her knees.     

She closed her eyes, waiting for the last moment. Somehow, Roland appeared in her mind.     

"Stop it!" The shouting surprised her, and she opened her eyes, seeing that Wendy walked out of the crowd and said to Cara, "Mentor, please have a look at the bandage bound on your arm. We've seen so many departures over the years, and you want to add one more with your own hands?"     

"Why, did she deceive you too? Wake up, Wendy, those stories are lies."     

"I don't know." Wendy shook her head. "I'm not intending to leave for Border Town with her, but I think she's right in that we deserve a chance to choose our own life."     

She turned to the crowd and asked loudly, "Is there anyone who wants to go with her?"     

There were no replies and the crowd fell into silence.     

"So let her go by herself," Wendy said. "She didn't undermine the Witch Cooperation Association, and I won't watch you kill her and do nothing."     

By now, Nightingale had fully understood what Wendy meant. Wendy did not believe her words either. That was why she stood aside as Nightingale wanted her to persuade other witches. Though disapproving her idea, Wendy who was a kind and caring person would never let her friend die under such circumstances.     

The crowd started whispering together about what Wendy had said before some other witches stood out.     

"That's right. If she wants to go back to the outside world, let her."     

"Too many lives have been taken by the church and pains. Respected Mentor, please reconsider."     

"Shut up! All of you!" Cara's rage soared. "What if more girls follow her after we let her go with impunity? What if she betrays us and sells our location to the church? There'll be nowhere to run!" Hardly did she finish speaking before she shoved the spike towards Nightingale. But Wendy was faster, she wove a strong wind that blew Cara away.     

Then she tossed out a coin, and with a wave of her hand, she cast a rapid airflow that wrapped the coin and dashed to Nightingale. The airflow disappeared instantaneously when it neared Nightingale, and yet the inertia of the coin carried it further, hitting right on the God's Stone of Retaliation that hung on her neck.     

The hit broke the crystal prismatic stone into pieces.     

"Traitor!" Cara struggled to her feet and screamed. She extended both her hands pointing at Wendy and Nightingale, and out of nowhere two snake shadows appeared, one of which opened its mouth and bit hard on Wendy's hand, but yet another that aimed at Nightingale missed.     

The ropes slipped onto the ground, keeping a shape of binding, but Nightingale was nowhere to be found.     

Cara broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of the opponent's ability, and instantly she aroused all her power to summon demonic snakes. Glittering with various colors, the snakes poured out from her chest, forming a wall of snakes from which she retreated hastily.     

Yet Nightingale was faster.     

Taking one step... only one step forward, she emerged right behind Cara, holding out both of her hands, she put the spike that would have been driven into her heart by Cara, directly through Cara's body.