Trust
Living here with Rabbi has been like a dream for Susannah; a dream she never wanted to end because of the way he took care of her. He kept his promise well enough just as he’d said, he made love to her every night, he surrounded her with tenderness and he also gave her gifts from whatever he stole from the markets. Although Susannah always felt flattered by his gestures, she liked the gifts the least because she’d always been taught by her mother never to take things that didn’t belong to her, but Rabbi wouldn’t stop stealing, and because of her love for him, she chose to overlook that selfish part of Rabbi.
The day came when she decided it was time for her to go home. She realized she’s been here for two weeks and as much as she doesn’t want to leave, she knows she can’t stay here forever, her mom would have expected her to return with the ingredients by now and even though she doesn’t have the ingredients, she still has to return anyway so they can find another alternative to the barrier.
The both of them lay in embrace under a tree that day, enjoying the evening breeze that blew in the same direction as the flowing river.
“Rabbi, I want to tell you about an important decision I made today.”
He furrowed his brow. “What is it?”
“I’ve decided that it’s time for me to return home.”
“Home? Why? Isn’t it so soon for you to return?” The tone of his voice made Susannah know that he was not pleased at all with her decision, but there was nothing she could do; she’d already made up her mind.
“I’ve been here for two whole weeks Rabbi, nearly three. If I don’t go home soon enough my mother would definitely get worried, and I have to tell her about Priya.”
“Priya? Oh, that’s right, you told me about the witch you came here to see, I’m sorry about your loss but can’t you stay for at least a bit longer? Your mom won’t miss you for another couple of more weeks you know.”
“You don’t understand Rabbi, its not just about my mom missing me; the safety of my home is at stake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I was supposed to come here to find rare ingredients with Priya that would help my coven create a spell for a new barrier to protect the drawls from attack by humans. The one we created 200 years ago has weakened over the centuries, now our home becomes more vulnerable by the day if it remains unshielded, that’s why you see that I have to return home, my mother and the sisters of the Virani would be waiting earnestly for the ingredients now, I have to go home to tell them the truth so we can find another alternative on time.”
“This barrier protecting your home, will you still be able to create it without the ingredients?”
“We can still make the spell, but the ingredients were meant to strengthen the barrier, the time the last barrier was created we still had a wizard with us, now we don’t have much in terms of power that’s why those ingredients were so important. Now that we can’t get them, we’ll just have to make do with what we have and hope the humans do not find out our secret; else the Virani is doomed.”
“Wow! This is a very big secret you just shared with me dear. Don’t worry, I will make sure to keep it, I’ll never let any harm come to you Susannah, I promise.”
“Thank you, I know you won’t that’s why I trusted you. If you ever want to visit me any time in my home, the gates of the drawls are always open, the barrier should be penetrable to humans by now, it won’t harm you because its weak now.”
“I will later, but first we have to get you home to be with your people, we will travel before daybreak tomorrow; that’s when the town is least active, I’ll get you to the border by the time the sun comes out.”
“Thank you so much Rabbi, I will not forget these times I have spent with you, I look forward to the day you will visit the drawls; there’s so much I want to show you.”
“Indeed, there is, I cannot wait till the day I will reunite with you again my love.”
**********
Early the next day as planned, Rabbi and Susannah set off to begin her journey back to the drawls, they passed through the lower town, and like Rabbi said, the villages were quiet; merchants were just opening their shops in marketplaces, and buyers and traders hadn’t yet flocked the grounds like they would later in the day. It was an easy escape, as they only had to hide in one of Rabbi’s secret corners so the guards on patrol would not see them and thereafter, they passed through the small villages inhabiting the Kingdom of Bandaria before they reached the border, and there, Susannah and Rabbi said their final goodbyes, sharing one last kiss before they parted ways. It was an emotional moment for Susannah, as she never thought that she would miss anyone in her life this much.
Susannah arrived home three days later after the same gruesome journey through the dark forest, her mother was the one who first spotted her when she was outside gathering some herbs for a potion. She jumped for joy upon seeing Susannah returned home safely, after nearly three weeks, she was already beginning to fear that Susannah had been found out and executed immediately, she ran towards her and embraced her as soon as she saw her within sight of the drawls. Susannah told her all about her experience in the human world, leaving out the part about Rabbi (that special memory was hers alone to keep), and Gabrielle’s happiness was short-lived when she heard all that had happened to Priya. A ceremony was held that evening to honor the departed soul of yet another Virani sister, and then Gabrielle gathered the sisters to discuss an urgent matter within them, the barrier.