Everybody knows about the Island of Perun: The silly old legends of its healing waters, which are impossible to altogether dismiss when one considers the people of Perun themselves—with their gleaming white teeth and supple limbs. The brazen, easy way they go about life, like there is no problem that they cannot handle. The flagrant indifference towards life beyond their borders, neither loving or hating the way that people seem to age and progress beyond them.

The beauty of the island’s rolling farms and towering houses that were borderline castles. Grass that looked like a glossy carpet that blows and shimmered, even at night. Especially at night. Black trees, wind curled, and water bitten. This place was made of old money; the taste of it sat on every tongue like a film of stale sugar.

The eastern side groaned like old beasts turning in their sleep. The people of the island always had a saying. “Come for a while, stay forever.” The island hated that sign.

...*

...

These are the things people said to Lena Borkov after her mentor died:

“Oh my gods, I’m so sorry.”

“You poor thing,”

“What a loss,”

“What a terrible, terrible thing.”

“You must feel so lost.”

“If you need anything, let me know.”

“You’re so strong, how do you do it?”

How did she do it?

That was a good question.

Lena asked herself the same question that first morning: How do I do this now?

The answer was she didn’t. She couldn’t. There was no way that she could continue on like nothing happened. Mentors were a very big thing in her commune, they were more important than parents, they formed a witch’s practice and completed her bond with magic. Now that her mentor had been killed in a hospital by a delirious patient, suffering from dragon sickness, Lena was left with so many questions.

Lena sat alone on a bench outside the restroom on the ferry, arms full of her luggage as she looked out at the horizon. She wanted to get a fresh start. She was starting to go a little stir-crazy. All of these up-and-coming witches looking at her with pity. So close to finishing her studies and completing her magical bond, just to be deemed untouchable.

Fractured, damaged goods.

That was what people thought about her. It was evident, even if they were too polite to admit it to her. She could not stay there any longer. She needed something new. The rolling hills of red glass that looked like eternal flames, easy breezes, and salty sea air held on indelible appeal to them. “There it is!” Someone shouted. It was a magnificent sight to see. Paintings and weathered news clippings didn’t give the behemoth in front of them the justice she so rightly deserved. She heard collective gasps as two of the other groups of newcomers ran to the railing to get a look at the place.

Lena stayed on her bench. She was just eager to get off this damn boat. The constant cycle of nausea she had been going through was tiring. She would see the sights when she could plant her feet on the ground.

...*

...

David had disappeared seven months ago, today. They never found the body, they wouldn’t even look. Alexei was outraged when Genevive had tearfully told him the news. David Kostyyk was part of the Island of Perun’s military engineering sector, and one of Alexei’s oldest friends. Alexei was a formal naval officer who was now using his talent for general delinquency, and other warlord shenanigans, but David was still as straight-laced as ever.

So when no one had any answers other than the usual litany: he was always an oddball, he hated this island, are you sure he didn’t just leave?

Alexei didn’t think, generally speaking, the military police would be so blasé about on of their own but Lillith had reminded Alexei of the decades of missing men and women that tainted the island’s history. It seemed that after the first initial panic, flagrant indifference settled down and things went back to idyllic picture of an island that it always was.

Alexei decided to fund search efforts after that. They had continued for four months. Genevive was the one to call it off. She had lost hope. Alexei stopped for her sake and her sake only. Every time they came back without a clue of what happened, something broke inside of her.

He hated the dulled look that he saw starting to glaze over her eyes though, the look that diminished into emptiness by the time it hit seven months. The island had a way of doing that to people, Alexei was sure of it.

It dimmed the fire inside of people, the pain, the anger, all of it morphed into indifference and sometimes that made Alexei feel a little crazy.

“What’re we doing today?” Lillith walking into Alexei’s tent and taking a seat opposite his desk, nodded at the bound-leather agenda book on his bed.

“Haven’t decided yet,” Alexei replied, “Which was true. A migraine had been threatening to make his life miserable since he woke up today. So he was more or less in a constant fog.

Lillith gave him expectant look, like she was annoyed that he wasn’t ready to give her orders yet. “There are some people coming in on the ferry. You want us to impose our moving-in tax?” She supplied.

In the interest of getting people out of his hair for the moment, Alexei said, “Just go observe them for now. We don’t want anyone running back to the mainland before we can collect.”

“Yes, sir.” Lillith rolled her eyes and left.

Alexei was left there, with the silence that he so desperately wanted.

Things still felt off.

The migraine set in like storm clouds that finally decided to rain down their fury on the populous below. Alexei closed his eyes and groaned. Beware of the woods and the dark, dark deep.

It was a line in an old children’s folk tale that his mother used to tell to scare him before bed. He didn’t know why, but the last few times he had one of these migraines, the line came to him. He hated it so much. Alexei’s mouth tasted like metal. His tongue felt like the desert. Alexei shut his eyes, waiting for the migraine to pass. Each day he waited longer.

Once it had finally passed, he got up. It was one of those days where Alexei needed a drink.

...*

...

Lena struggled with two large bags of luggage. Her hands ached as she lugged them over the bump on the ramp and down onto solid ground. The Island of Perun was more beautiful than any painting could capture, that was already something that Lena had determined. The air was so clean and crisp that she felt like she had never taken a proper breath of fresh air in her life. The town looked like something from a travel catalogue. The smell of apples and cinnamon wafted through the air.

Lena smiled. ‘Yes, this was exactly what I need.’ She thought to herself.

A new start.

The town was bustling but clean. Cobblestone and brick storefronts lined the roads next to the docks and shipyard. Carriages adorned with gold and silver pulled some of the richer Island residence along. Lena took in another deep breath. She had a busy day ahead of her, her application for a small house hear the woods had gone through successfully, but she needed to go pick up the key from the housing office and give them the first payment, get a few job applications, grab food and finally go home.

The general chaos of moving in wasn’t that Lena wasn’t used to. It was a little bit overwhelming, especially when she was doing it by herself. Once Lena got into the groove of things, she got all of her work done super fast.

The nap that she took afterwards was borderline glorious. She crashed in her new bed, sleep instantly claiming her. It would have been perfect if she didn’t have a nightmare.

...*

...

Fog curled into the woods, all of its tendrils like tiny hands claiming all of the land. The trees that made up the woods reached up like gnarled appendages of an old beast.

Lena stood in the middle of a forest, so cold that she felt like any movement might break her. Lena felt isolated here. Like no one would be able to hear her if she screamed. She shivered, hugging herself and trying to generate some warmth. The fog was getting closer. Lena took a few steps away. Dead leaves crumpled and twigs broke under her feet. A million little whispers invaded the sound waves. Each one saying something indiscernible, but still making her feel off kilter.

A sweat broke out on her forehead even though she was colder than she had ever been before. ‘No, no, no.’ She thinks to herself. She felt like she should be anywhere but here. Her urge to flea was overwhelming but there was no escape in sight. No matter how much Lena ran, the fog was clipping at her feet, and the sensation of being watched grew stronger and stronger.

Lena’s mind was all over the place, but it slowly unified into one thought.

Get out of here.

...*

...

When Lena woke, she was covered in sweat. Her palms were slick and hot. She let out a small choked sob. A second ago, she had been in a state of pure terror. Her heartbeat slowly started to return to it’s normal rhythm. “Motherfucker,” She muttered under her breath.

Despite the panic in chest, she had been well rested. She hadn’t had a nightmare since she was a little kid. If she was more superstitious, she felt well rested. She hadn’t had a nightmare since she was a little kid. If she had been more superstitious, she would have considered this a bad omen.

Lena wiped her shaky palms off on the blankets. She forced herself up and changed her rumpled up dress. It was a good thing that she had packed all of her clothes neatly.

As she got dressed, she made a mental check list of what the rest of her day was going to look like. The first thing that she was going to do was go to the local tavern and find a hot meal and a drink. Try and soak in the cheer the locals exuded. Lena took in a deep gulp of air as she walked through the door. She should be excited and ready to explore.

Now she was shaken.

She kept looking over her shoulder, as if she was expecting someone to be there. The feeling of being watched didn’t subside yet. Much to Lena’s chagrin. That feeling did not subside once she got into town. Lights from torches and firefly lamps made the cobbled streets almost illuminated. Lena tried to let herself get lost in the din of people drinking and laughing and being merry. The evening was good. People were going about life without a worry in the world. The draw was almost intoxicating, to surround herself by people, to let herself get lost while still being seen by enough people that fog couldn’t come out and grab her.

The tavern had a sign with a dragonfly and swirling ball of light ornately decorated on it. The picture was partially painted, partially carved by expert hands. Warm light flickered in. The tavern smelled like a home kitchen, apples and chicken and cinnamon and honey. Lena’s stomach grumbled, and suddenly she forgot about the knots that had been in her stomach. She so desperately wanted something to eat.

Lena was glad that she had saved up enough coin for the house payments and a weeks worth of food. She sat down at a table and was immediately met by a cheery grin. A bright and bubbly blonde girl in a bar maiden’s outfit stood across from her with a small pad of paper in one hand, a pen in another hand. “Hi, how can I help you?”

“Hi—um what’s your special for dinner?”

“We’re doing chicken and apples today.”

“That sounds great, can I have a pitcher of mead too?”

“Of course, darling. Sounds great.” She wrote everything down and then told her that she would bring her the meal as soon as possible. Lena smiled and nodded, minding her own business so that no one paid much attention to her. She wanted to shrink into nothingness, but unfortunately this didn’t happen. Someone sat down next to her and she felt like she was going to die after that.

Lena glanced up quickly, an eyebrow raised. A woman sat there, her gorgeous red hair done up in a rich up-do. She looked way too rich to be in a place like this, although the tavern is cozy and warm and smelled like home, it was kitschy and clearly decorated on a budget. Not somewhere that an upper-class woman who looked like she should be in a painting would be. “Can I help you?” Her mouth tasted dry and bitter.

“Hi,” The woman bit her lip. Her eyes were brilliant and unnerving. It was clear that she was studying Lena, which made her squirm. “You’re new,”

“Is it that obvious?” Lena asked sheepishly.

“Yes,” The woman smiled, “Don’t worry about it though, it’s a good thing.” Her cheeks tinged pink when the woman continued, “You just have a kind of beauty that we don’t normally see here.”

The first time that Alexei saw her, he felt like his heart had stopped. She was talking to Genevive, both of them seemed enthralled by the conversation that they were having. Alexei had no idea what they were talking about, but Genevive was never so engaged in a conversation with anyone.

Alexei took a swing of the glass of whiskey that he had been nursing. He was still recovering from the migraine headache he had earlier. He didn’t much feel like going to talk to anyone.

Despite that, he still looked at Genevive and this new woman with a twinge of jealousy. He watched as the new woman drank and ate. She were a well-worn blue coat with ornate stitching and a plain white dress. Alexei felt some sort of magnetic pull to her. Like just looking at her gave her some sort of power over the whole room. He couldn’t help but feel curious about her. He wanted to know who this woman was.

Genevive caught his gaze, leaning back in her seat. Alexei took a swig of his whiskey. Genevive raised an eyebrow. Alexei gave her a simple nod. The message was clear.

Recruit her.

......*......

It had been three and a half weeks since Lena Borkov had moved and things had been going surprisingly well. Genevive Safin, the woman she had met in the bar on her first day there, had offered her a job. Even though Lena had enough money to get by for now she so desperately wanted to get the job search out of the way first. So there was instantly a weight lifted off her shoulders.

Relief evident.

Genevive smiled, “Great.”

She pulled a blank folded scrap of parchment out of her pocket and unfolded it. Next, she fished out a pen from her coat pocket and asked for her address so she could pick her up. Lena did and started to walk home.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that Lena realized how stupid she had been. She had been so excited to get a job offer, she hadn’t even asked what this job was. What if she wasn’t qualified and made a fool of herself? Worse, what if this wasn’t legal?

“Fuck, you’re so fucking stupid.” She whispered to herself. The moon shone bright in the sky tonight, illuminating the places in the path that weren’t as well lit.

The wind twisted and curled lazily around her. Not so cold that it was biting at her, but not anywhere near warm. Lena kept looking behind her. She felt eyes on her. There was never anything there.

When Lena got home, she had crashed. This time were no nightmares. Just exhaustion claiming her thoughts.

Getting up in the morning was easy, like there an energy in the very air that made her feel ready to take on the day. She kept herself busy with unpacking the few things she had and tried her best not think of all of the possibilities of how this job offer could go wrong. What if her employers had a thing against witched? What if her unstable grasp on her craft made something bad happen? Lena had to swallow back a wave of nausea and panic. When there was a knock at her door. “Coming,” She called.

She wiped her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress. Lena ran over to the door and flung it open a little too excitedly. Genevive was on the other side, as beautiful and put together as the night before.

“Hi,” She grinned, “I hope you’re having a good morning.”

“I am,” Lena wrung her hands hoping that she wasn’t too obvious about how anxious she felt.

“Good,” Genevive seemed to immediately catch Lena’s anxiety. “Are you sure?”

“Um, yeah.” Lena instinctively stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her. “I just—” She felt sheepish “—I feel stupid. I realized that I didn’t ask you exactly what the job was.”

“Oh,” Genevive laughed. The sound was light and melodic. “Sorry about that, I should’ve explained it actually. It’s nothing too bad, we just need a general worker at our camp. Sorting things. Delivering messages. That sort of stuff.”

“Oh, okay.” A camp? Lena only had more curiosity. Like Genevive was intentionally vague. Too late to back out. Genevive opened the carriage door and beckon for Lena to climb in.