Rachael Lavania – Supreme Enemy of the Fairy Realm

The highly experienced Stacey Kent sighed while only a short way into her session with a client whom she had been trying to help for nearly four years.

“You’re not improving. I have to say it. Your actions which are all tied to decisions that you make are consistently telling me this. Aren’t they?” She then sighed again. “Rachael? Are you even going to talk to me today?”

Rachael looked at the ground and mumbled, “I’ve found what I want. I… I have a drawing of it.”

“Oh. Well come on then. Would you like to give it here? Let me see.”

Rachael slowly dipped into her bag and took out a rolled-up piece of paper. She paused for a moment while Stacey looked kindly at her and said, “of course, I don’t want you to feel forced to show me.”

“I’ll show you,” said Rachael. “I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

She then handed the paper to her therapist who adjusted her glasses and uncovered the paper to reveal a rather dark and sinister drawing, but one that was clearly done with a lot of passion and attention to detail.

“Okay. So, you’ve drawn a fairly classic looking witch here. And she’s reading from a piece of paper. Interesting. I’ll soon ask you what your thoughts and feelings were before, during and after the project, so let your old friend, Mr. Subconscious absorb that while I give you my own initial reflection on this. Okay?”

“Yes. Okay, sure.”

“Right then. So, the quality of the picture itself is really good. It’s definitely to be admired. That’s the positive aspect. That and the fact that you are using art to express what’s inside you. The iconic witch in black robes can stand for a great variety of things but in your case, I see the remains of a restricted, micromanaged and later neglected girl who is now an adult but likes to use fantastical ideas to express her need for independence and power. But perhaps you also want to bring harm to your primary care givers because they mentally abused you and deprived you of love.”

Rachael was silent and looked down with a sad face at her shoes.

Stacy then continued in a low and soothing voice. “It’s been terrible for you Rachael. Your father overdosed and died just over four years ago and before making it to his funeral, your mother did the same thing to herself.”

Rachael then mumbled again, “that picture doesn’t just represent me. It is me. I’ve learned the art of Energy Harnessing. It’s dangerous and rare. There is also a very old and dangerous form of it. I had to tell someone, so I’m telling you.”

“And why learn all that Rachael? What’s your fascination with witches? How did you feel while you went about that drawing?”

“Terrible but excited. Very excited. I unlocked a secret door in discovering that the way of the witch can still be chosen even in this day and age. There is a great sense of freedom and power about it but it does come at various degrees of cost both to the person pursuing the life of a witch and often, other persons in their life. Yourself for example, Stacey.”

Stacey looked intrigued and said slowly, “go on.”

“Well, to become… I suppose you could say, fully fledged, I, or one who, um, follows the way of a dark or black witch…”

“Dark or black. Okay, let me just stop you there for a moment, Rachael.”

“No, just let me finish please. This isn’t easy to talk about. To really live as the type of witch I intend to be, it is, well, recommended I suppose you could say, to start with a victim. But if that victim is close to you, the power you can achieve through victimising them is all the… um, you know, greater.”

“So, are you saying you intend to victimise me, Rachael? And in what way precisely? Remember that if you confess that you intend to harm me, I will have to terminate our session and report you. Therapist and client confidentiality can only go so far, so be careful, Rachael. You know I’d hate to lose you after so much time spent together in this room over the past years.”

“I’m so sorry, Stacey.” Rachael then began to tear up. “I have a medal that I intend to leave on your grave as a sign of gratitude for your sacrifice, unwilling though it be. But when I sacrifice you, that will be the first of three milestones accomplished in the life of a Dark Witch, also sometimes called a Witch of Conquest. The three milestones, ‘V.A.C.’ stand for Victim, Apprentice, Conquest. Do you see where I’m going with all this? You will be my victim, if I can bring myself to sacrifice you. Then I will need to find an apprentice and through her, I will find an enemy to conquer. I’ve thought about it a lot. My enemy will be those stuck up and closed off people called the fairy kind. I will use my power to overthrow the Higher World and become its new Supreme Ruler.”

She then began writing on a new piece of paper. Having studied some other languages, the words Victim, Apprentice, Conquest were written in Old Norse and Latin: ‘ᚡᛁᚲᛏᛁᛗ, ᚨᛈᛈᚱᛖᚾᛏᛁᚲᛖ, ᚲᛟᚾᛩᚢᛖᛋᛏ. Victima, Discipulus, Victor.’

“Rachael, it’s painful to hear you speak of such strange things. I need to know if you genuinely intend on harming me or yourself or anyone else. Is it something you just fantasise about or that you actually intend to carry out? Attempting to sacrifice a human being is no easy task. You’ll be caught and most likely charged with a life sentence in prison. And for what Rachael?”

“I have a real love and admiration for you, Stacey! So, this is going to be brutal! But I’m about to use the…” She then started crying even more pitifully but managed to continue what she was saying, “the darkest form of energy harnessing!” She then sniffled and reached for a tissue.

“Oh, I see. So, you think you need to use witchcraft on me so that you will then be an accomplished witch? How silly Rachael. And even if you could do such a thing, what a waste! That would be gravely unethical and would most likely haunt you for the rest of your life. It could easily lead you to suicidal thoughts. Think about it. You are glorifying the way of the witch in your mind but it is lonely, ugly and a waste of a young life.”

Rachael then looked at her with a kind of sorrow mingled with guilt. Stacey felt her entire body tense up and go rigid. She was about to speak but her mouth also froze and she couldn’t even move her eyelids to blink. She was locked in a stare with her client and felt tears building up both in her own eyes and in those of Rachael.

Rachael then experienced the sheer panic and repressed screams of Stacey who was now fully paralysed and feeling her life being mysteriously crushed and pulled forcibly away. The tension and horror were now so great that blood slowly issued from under her eyes. Her body then went into light convulsions but she still couldn’t move. Only her body as a whole was moving by shakes and tremors. The viscerally horrifying experience and agony continued for seven full minutes.

Rachael was then heard to say in a panic, “it’s not working as well as I’d hoped! I have too much compassion! Too much empathy! Oh, come on Rachael! You can do this!”

Her face then became less compassionate and Stacey watched with chilled terror as the strange face of Rachael went slightly darker before suddenly breaking into a wicked smile as she stood up and looked down at her victim. It was the added shock induced by that evil look that caused Stacey to experience a swift heart attack that soon led to her death.

Rachael heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s over! I’ve done it,” she whispered to herself. “Oh, my dear victim! I will forever be grateful to you! You have empowered me!” With another wicked smile, she calmly stood up and left the room.

She went to her favourite hideout in Epping forest which she named the Hideaway Kitchen. There she slowly and solemnly lit her candles and got into her black robes and placed her traditional pointed hat on her head. She was now a true witch with frightful power and would continue down her dark path until she achieved her other two milestones: Apprentice and Conquest.

The Forming of Raven Eagle-Bane

Alisha Byrne, a lively and spirited Irish girl, always loved singing folk songs to her younger brother, writing in her secret notebook and going on long walks to her favourite tree that she would either sit against or climb up into and sit high up, dangling her feet and taking in the crisp woody air, deep within the nearby forest.

Her younger brother Thomas, was only allowed to see inside her Secret Notebook once a week. She would then spend the rest of the week adding to it, usually while in the forest. It was a long way to the forest and Thomas was still a little young and scared to go with her but she always promised that she would take him with her when he was a little older.

She would sometimes bring forest items back for him such as leaves, acorns, twigs and branches that were suitable for him to make homemade weapons from.

One day, she wanted to go to the forest earlier than usual. It was a Saturday and she decided to see if she could bargain with Thomas so as to get him to do her morning duties for her.

She saw him leaving the breakfast table. “Wait. Tom!”

“What?”

“Wanna see an extra page of the Secret Notebook today? How about two extra pages? Come on now, lad.”

“Yeah! Obviously. Let’s see.”

“Okay! But…”

“Where is it?”

“I’ll show you in a minute but you just need to do my morning duties for me, okay?”

Thomas sighed annoyed. “Noooo! Just show me, Alisha!”

“Nope. Only if you agree to do my duties. That means feeding the cats, sweeping my room and the kitchen, and putting the washing out. That’s all.”

Thomas grumbled and paced up and down.

“Come on Tommy. I need an answer.”

“Okay, fine! I’ll do your jobs. Now show me inside the book.”

Alisha took him outside and revealed the beautiful notebook with its velvet green cover and gold edged pages.

She saw her younger brother’s face change from being grumpy to very happy and excited. His eyes beamed and slightly twinkled with joy as she sat down next to him and slowly opened the book.

Inside, she showed him a page in her attractive and elaborate handwriting about Alchemy. The title was written with a gold gel pen and the text was written in green gel pen. Below the text was an intricate illustration of alchemy that featured a mixing vessel, two potion bottles and various natural ingredients.

“Wow!! That’s so good Alisha!” said Thomas. “I really love it! I love the drawing too! Okay, what’s on the next page. You can uncover it now.”

“Sure. Here were go.”

The next page featured another drawing; this time a strikingly beautiful woman with a very welcoming smile. It was titled, ‘The Lady of the Hideaway Kitchen.’

Thomas said, “it’s good Alisha. But next time, can you do a man with a sword? Or a bow and arrow?”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

She then turned one last page for him. It featured a poem.

Come To Me Alisha Byrne

Your footsteps wonder which way to turn

As you tread thoughtfully past the aged tree and the green fern

It is for far more than an ordinary life that you truly yearn

As ideas of power and greatness your mind does ponder and churn

Once in a blue moon, an ordinary girl goes on to great things – now it is your turn

Oh, how much I have to give you and how much you have to learn!

So, come to me, come to me, Alisha Byrne

“Oh, I get it,” said Thomas. “The picture of the woman is your new fiend and she wants to teach you alchemy.”

“Very good Thomas! That’s exactly right! But she is expecting me soon and I really mustn’t keep her waiting. That is why I wanted you to do my morning jobs for me.”

“Okay, okay, go! I’ll do those jobs. Make sure you are on time for her and then tell me how it went when you come back.”

“I will! See you later Tommy boy!”

Alisha then ventured back on her familiar pathway to the ancient and beautiful Epping Forest.

She took her small bag, an apple and cheese sandwich wrapped in clingfilm and her precious green notebook with her.

The journey seemed quicker than usual because she was feeling happy, walking briskly and was so looking forward to seeing that energetic, charming and wise lady once again.

When she arrived at her favourite tree, she waited and looked around. It wasn’t long before she heard the forest lady’s voice. “Ah. There you are again, Alisha. Do you have any ingredience with you?”

“Oh, no. Sorry, I forgot about that. Or, well I mean maybe we can find some together?”

The lady smiled. “Go and find some and then we’ll create something beautiful. Go on. Off you go.”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, okay, sure.” Alisha then went off to gather some small flowers, berries and plants that could be used for that day’s lesson in the wonderful art of alchemy.

When she returned, they both went to the lady’s rather strange dwelling which was partly made of stone and partly of wood. The back part of it was a hollowed out area of a small hill. The entire structure was quite camouflage because she had covered it in moss, branches and leaves. But it felt cosy with it’s little fireplace and other adornments and Alisha was always excited to set foot inside it.

“Well done Alisha,” said the lady as the girl emptied all the ingredience that she had gathered onto the table that was made of wood but had a flat stone on it and various mixing materials. Nearby, there were various glass bottles; some with liquid in them and others that were empty.

The lady then added several of her own ingredience to those that had been gathered by Alisha. “Time for mixing,” she said and began placing the water, powder and ingredience into a little bowl. She was taking her time grinding and mixing carefully. It looked intriguing, colourful and delightful.

But Alisha who was a fairly impatient and impulsive girl and generally, quite short tempered, looked with an indignant expression at the lady as she was mixing and said, “hey! Don’t just bring me here to watch! Give me the mixer! I want a go!”

“I would scold you if you were my apprentice, Alisha,” came the lady’s rather unexpected reply, “but since you are not yet my apprentice, I will neither be harsh with you, nor let you mix the potion. There is an art to it. You don’t just stir it like a pot of porridge.”

“Well… whatever! Let me be your apprentice then. At least then I don’t have to miss out on y’know, like, all the exciting stuff. And I don’t mind a bit of harshness. You can give out to me all you want, woman.” She then hit the table with her fist. “Well? Come on! Don’t just stand there and ignore me!”

The lady sighed. “But Alisha, it’s complicated.”

“Stop mixing away in that bowl! Make me your apprentice and then give me a turn! Come on! I haven’t got all day to be doing petty arguing in the woods with a slow, weird lady in a rat’s hole of a house.”

“You are not listening to a word I say, are you Alisha?”

“Okay. What?”

“Ah. I like you. If only you could become my apprentice. Young, passionate, Irish, with flowing red hair and a fiery temper! The only complication is that I am a witch. So to become my apprentice, you would then be under the tutelage of a witch.”

“Bugger! I knew it! So you’re a witch?!”

“I am indeed, Alisha.”

“Oh, for goodness sake! No then! I’m leaving right now. I’m going home to my little brother and parents.”

“No problem, Alisha. You know where to find me and there’s just one last thing I wanted to mention before you go…”

“What?”

“Well, I’ve carefully made some robes with a lovely hood and a small greenish coloured knife that has undergone a lengthy process of enchantment and has six properties. The robes and knife are the correct attire for apprentices. My own robes and hat are kept in a safe place. I have not been wearing them so as not to frighten you. But if you do not claim this position as my apprentice, I will find another girl who will. And do you know what she and I will do together, Alisha?”

“No. Tell me.” But the lady cleverly let some suspense build up before answering. Alisha then said, “come on! What?! Are you going to go around together stabbing bunny rabbits or what?”

“I will send her life essence to what is known as the Higher World and there she will make friends with the Firstborn Princess and assist her to return to her life on earth which she loves. My apprentice will then assist me in taking control of that world so that it goes back to sharing its benefits with the human race once again. She will serve at my side me as my Righthand – the one who executes all my wishes and who will one day inherit all my knowledge, wisdom and power.”

“Are you finished yet?”

“Yes Alisha. I am finished.”

“Well that’s the biggest load of…. poppycock I’ve ever heard!”

The lady smiled but there was a crafty twinkle in her eye. “I look forward to finding my new apprentice. She will be given extremely interesting lessons that will keep her up at night with how fascinating they are and many exciting tasks that will keep her busy and gradually, she will ascend all the way up the fourteen levels of witchcraft. The potion I am working on now is called Advanced Nixalmania. If it’s done correctly, it can transport the life essence of a human to the other world, but the original formula can only do this briefly which is why I’m now working on a more advanced version of the substance.”

“Well, good luck with all that. I’m going home. But what’s your name anyway? You never told me.”

“Just call me the Forest Lady or the Lady of the Hideaway Kitchen, like I said before, Alisha. If you want to know my name, you need to be willing to serve under me and if you do that, you yourself will be given a new name by me that will only be used when you are on Witch Errands – tasks that are carried out in the capacity of a Witch’s Apprentice.”

Alisha was silent for a moment before saying, “hu. Interesting.” She then walked towards the exit of the forest. She had to admit that it felt tempting to join the Forest Lady but the obvious problem was that she was a high profile Dark Witch.

But all the way home she couldn’t stop imagining another girl getting the beautiful hooded robes and amazing little knife. That girl would get so much attention and have such an exciting life, with so much knowledge, abilities and power. Meanwhile, she herself would miss out on all of it because another girl would take the place that could have been hers and that she rejected.

The next few days, she was quieter and more irritable than usual. She ended up keeping the Forest Lady’s true identity a secret. There was no way she could tell little Thomas or anyone else that she was involved with a witch and the fact was that she hadn’t quite resolved just yet to stop seeing her.

The Forest Lady on her part remained clam, cunning and patient. She continued making beautiful potions and made sure to create strongly scented ones, and allow the delightful odours to float out into the forest. Some smelt like a combination of rich flowers mingled with spices, incense and fresh woody accords.

Sometimes she saw Alisha in her favourite tree looking at her while she went about her business. Now and then, Alisha, driven on by curiosity would call out to her and ask if she had found a new apprentice yet. But the lady no longer spoke to her or let her into her Hideaway Kitchen. It was made clear to her that their friendship was at an end because she had refused to join her in the life of Witch and Apprentice.

The lady also took the delightful looking enchanted knife outside to wash and polish it, just so that Alisha could see it from her favourite tree. It glimmered and sparkled when a ray of light that shone through the trees glanced off it’s incredibly smooth blade.

With a sigh, Alisha climbed down from the tree and set off home once more. But as she reached the exit of the forest she suddenly burst out into loud, pitiful and angry sobs because she knew in her heart that all she really wanted was to join the mysterious witch and become her apprentice. She felt that she could no longer resist the temptation. The power, the sweet potions, the hooded robes, the new name, the beautiful knife. She wanted all of it.

She reasoned with herself that even if she attended lessons in witchcraft and wore the apprentice attire, she could still keep that entire dark part of her life a secret.

Her heart suddenly leaped with excitement and joy when she realised that it might be possible after all and that she could probably get away with it. Her dark dream and fantasy was about to become real. And she would not let some other girl take what was so clearly destined for her.

But she should still wait one more day before rushing into such a big decision. It would be painful, but prudent. Once she joined the witch, there would probably be no going back.

She slowly continued walking but the overhead clouds became darker and darker. Next came rain, a flash and a roll of thunder. It was clear that if she didn’t turn back to the forest, she would be caught in the storm on her way home.

It was then that she made her decision. She would go boldly up to the Hideaway Kitchen and offer herself up to the service of the witch.

The rain suddenly began falling heavily as the sun’s light became obscured behind the thick, grey clouds. Again, there was a bright flash of lightening which was soon followed by another ferocious boom of thunder.

Alisha ran back into the depths of the forest, her teary eyes wide open and her red hair and green dress flowing behind her as she dashed through the storm towards her new life of darkness.

She was greeted by a wicked smile and after prostrating herself on the ground before the Dark Witch, she pledged her life and service to her using a formula that was provided for her.

She was then clothed in black, and given the enchanted knife. Lastly, she also received her new name. “In the capacity of my New Apprentice, you shall no longer be called Alisha Byrne, but Raven Eagle-Bane.”

Raven then rose and drank one of the potions that gave her a huge blast of energy and cast all her fears away. It caused a dark fluid to flow from her eyes and in that moment, she was told to say the words, “I give myself to the darkness.” The Witch shouted at the top of her voice. “Say the words!!”

Raven then blurted them out. “I… I give myself to the… darkness!”

“Well done Raven. Now. My name is Rachael Lavania and you are my true and devoted Apprentice.

And so began the new, hidden and dark life of poor, foolish Alisha Byrne. As often as she was able to leave for the forest, she would attend lessons in all kinds of witch related things. And she tried desperately never to let Thomas know that she was now Raven Eagle-Bane.

The Dark Witch would use her apprentice to slowly gain more and more power and support so that one day her third milestone might be accomplished: to conquer the mightiest opponent imaginable. To overthrow the Higher World.

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