Folksburywoods

“No! You may be my older sister by three minutes, but I will not stand by and allow you to jeopardize your safety over a fairy myth,” shouted Franny.

“I would like to point out what Hendrik told you when you suggested using the door to fight the necromancer,” said Izba, the magical cat.

“Don’t you get it? Mörken is coming, and bringing a horde of Ratlings with him. As far as we know, he could be here right now. This is no time to play it safe,” retorted the marsh wizard.

“She does have a point, Franny,” said Izba.

“Whose familiar are you anyway, and stay out of this. This is sister stuff,” snarled the hedgewitch.

The twins continued arguing whether Fern should attempt to open the Hölz Hexe and ask for help from the ancient forces of the forest.

“I would ask one of their own. Griselda is the last of Hölzerne Hexe; shouldn’t she have a say in the matter,” said the wise woman as she entered the room.

The twins stood quiet for a moment, feeling ashamed of their thoughtlessness. “You’re right, of course. It should be up to the wood witch,” replied Fern.

The following morning, Fern left for the far side of Folksburywoods and the home of Griselda, the wood witch guardian of the forest.

“Am I dreaming, or does the marsh wizard honor me with a visit,” came a croaky greeting as Fern met the wood witch.

“Greetings, Griselda, Keeper of the Wood. How fare you in these days,” asked Fern.

“The same as the last hundred child. Let us sit and have tea. I have much to know of your adventures,” replied the guardian.

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for pleasantries today, guardian. We must speak of urgent matters,” said Fern.

“What could be so important that we could not sip tea together?” asked the witch.

“Mörken has returned, and he brings an army of Ratlings with him. I have come to ask your permission to open the Hölz Hexe,” the wizard said.

Griselda stood motionless momentarily, then winked at Fern and told her to follow her to the kitchen. “We can eat and talk as we go to the door; tea will have to wait,” said the wood witch, who handed Fern a muffin.

Griselda explained that the door to the Hölzerne Hexe had been sealed ages ago by the high priestess and would be very difficult to open but not impossible.

“My kind left me to keep the door closed from this side. I was instructed that only in the greatest of danger should I open it, or your kind would be held to task, and tremendous suffering would befall you,” said the guardian.

“That’s why you would not let us use it with the necromancer. You knew we could defeat it by ourselves,” said Fern.

“Something like that,” chuckled the witch. “The situation has changed, and the Dark One has become far too powerful for even the Old Ones to stop. He will destroy everyone and everything out of spite,” cautioned the wood witch.

“So I have your permission to open the door?” asked the march wizard.

“Aye, that you do, but it will take some doing, and we need to prepare for the incantation,” answered Griselda.

They arrived at the door and spent the afternoon discussing what would be required to cast the spell for the door to open.

“Tomorrow we begin, and you’ll need all the help you can get, so bring the Wise Woman and Franny, Izba too, and if the old codger Muzhichik isn’t sleeping, drag that stone man along as well,” said the witch.

Fern took a long look at the door, hoping they could open it in time to stop the Dark One from taking everything she held dear, then headed back home to prepare for tomorrow’s task.