Chapter 4

Sacrifice

Fisher tossed and turned in his bed as beads of sweat the size of pebbles. The only thing that went through the Celtic Man's mind was the fact that his mother would probably die some time tomorrow. However, the real thought haunting his mind would be the fact that he wouldn't be able to help her since he never found out how she had died. He woke up and walked around the land he once knew as his home. He crept around making sure nobody would've been able to hear him as he looked around for a place to reflect upon the things he might have to do to protect his mother, however, when he came near the kitchen, he noticed a flickering glow of a candle. He followed the light and saw a candle burning on the table, melting the wax that covered the wick. Several inches away, he saw his mother, sitting at the table, mixing a bowl filled with herbs and berries. She peered over the bowl and gave a little smile when she saw the Celtic man.

"Ah, I see ye're awake now. Had trouble sleeping, had ye?" She said with a caring mother's tone

"Aye. Too many troubles in me mind." Said Fisher as he sat down on one of the table's chairs.

"Ye should nae worry so much. A handsome man such as yerself should nae 'ave a wrinkle until he's near death." She said, joking.

Fisher gave a little grin "What are ye preparing?"

"This? Hmmm... Would ye like to be shown what I do with these crushed 'erbs?"

Fisher nodded, slightly hesitant. He remembered that his mother had always created these potions, which would've made him feel better within a small amount of time. In fact, she has even shown him several of her skills before she passed away.

"I've given the girl ye brought in a taste of thy mix. She should feel better by mornin'." She said as she took the bowl off the table and headed for the exit. She turned back to Fisher and smiled "Well, did ye wish to follow or not?"

Fisher gave a small grin as he stood up from his seat and followed his mother as she walked out the door with the bowl containing her preparation inside.

*****

It was still very early in the morning for the moon was still visible yet it was still very dark. Fisher could feel the cold dew from the grass making his legs wet as he walked down the hill towards the little village. Most of the huts windows were shut firmly with screens of sticks to keep away intruders and the light of the rising sun. However, along the beaten paths that had been thread upon around the small buildings, Fisher noticed the glimmer of a candle's flickering light. The light came from a house, which strangely enough, still had it's windows open and people were clearly waiting inside. Fisher could easily see the young couple struggling to stay awake as they waited for someone to arrive.

"The pour souls, they've been 'waitin' for me all this time, they must be stavin' for rest. Come, We should nae make them wait a moment longer." Said Fisher's mother as they made steps towards the front door.

Fisher saw his mother knock gently knock on the door, with the bowl of mixture in her other hand. She held the bowl close to her chest with both hands. As the door opened, she bowed her head at the couple in respect, presenting the bowl to them. They both seemed to have what was left of tears still sliding down their faces. The woman took the bowl from her and smiled at her with extreme kindness.

"Thank you Celeste, we are in your debt for helping us like this." Said the young woman.

"There is no need for yer thanks. I simply want to see yer child grow up to be a very healthy man." Celeste added with kindness and stepped away.

Fisher followed her with an odd look on his face.

"Ummm... Mo.. I mean, Celeste, why have ye given these kind people the concoction you have taken time to prepare?" Fisher said, curious as ever for he had never known of what his mother had done when he was a child.

"Look into the window." She said as she stopped in her tracks. Fisher looked back and saw a young boy, sick in bed with the same red marks young Joy had been covered with. He saw the couple sitting by the side of his bed as they fed him the potion.

"'E 'ad the same sickness as poor Joy?"

"Aye" added his mother "'E's been sick for several weeks now. Young Joy on the other hand 'ad been abandoned as soon as her spots had appeared. Her parents had burned their hut, thinkin' thy Devil's curse would've been lifted."

"Aye, I knew...." Said Fisher

"Oh, Ye did now?" Asked his mother suspiciously.

"Ummm... Aye, of course. She had told me everything before she had lost consciousness." Fisher said with a relieved look on his face. 'Good thinking Fisher' he thought.

"Hmmm... If that be yer tale." She said as she turned around and began walking up the hill once again. "We should head back home, the children will awaken soon."

Fisher nodded and simply followed his mother back up the hill. However, his mother suddenly stopped and a look of terror appeared on her face. She stared ahead several seconds and yelled out in fear.

"NO!!! FISHER!!! TIMOTHY!!!"

She ran up as quickly as her legs could take her. Fisher was simply surprised by her actions and tried his best to follow. But suddenly, Fisher sees what she had been worried about. The same men who had been in town today, the same men who were going to let little Joy die, they were at the house, torches in hand as the speaker stood up as the leader once again.

"Ladies and gentlemen!! The time to purge the foul Demon's evil will come from the purity of the flames we carry!!! Let us celebrate as this cursed home be brought down by god's judgment and the cursed girl will no long infect any man with her foul curse!!!!"

The small mob before him cheered until some people noticed Celeste rushing to the scene. She was welcomed with a quick blow to the head by one of the village's strongest men. She fell, losing consciousness. Fisher could see what had happened and rage began to fill his stomach and reached out of his throat and came out with a primal yell.

"MOTHER!!!"

Fisher took out his sword and stabbed his mother's attacker through the chest. As he pulled the blade back out, the man fell to the ground, coughing blood before his last breath escaped his mouth. The villagers looked on in terror and hate as they all saw what fisher had done. The speaker grinned as he saw the man who had punched him out standing before a mob of people. he then began to speak.

"EVERYONE!! This man is clearly an emissary for the Devil himself. We must destroy him before another drop of an innocent person's blood paint the holy fields we presently stand upon. For God's will, WE MUST FIGHT!!!"

"Aye, ye've gotten ye'rself in quite a situation 'ere Fisher...." Fisher said as he thought out loud.

A mad villager lunged at Fisher, but Fisher took him out by hitting his head onto a rock at his feet. Fisher then decided that it may be best to just plough through the crowd of people. He created a path through the crowd as he now stood at the centre. Fisher swung his sword around, making anyone back away in fear of losing a limb.

"Ye cowards!!! Ye can nae even fight me one man at a time!!!" Fisher stood in a fighting stance, ready to fight off anyone who came close. He then saw the preacher lowering a flaming torch onto Fisher's old home. "Oh no ye won't!!!" He yelled as Fisher grabbed his crossbow and shot an arrow through the man's wrist.

The preacher yelled out from pain as the arrow was left there, halfway penetrated through his forearm. The crowd suddenly ganged up on Fisher in that moment where he had been distracted and began to beat him. His mother had been starting to re-awaken when she saw Fisher being kicked around. She saw blood trickling down his forehead and parts of his clothing had begun to rip and were covered in a mixture of sweat, mud and blood. She looked on and suddenly felt as though she should say something. She summoned up all the courage she had and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"STOP IT!!!" She said as the crowd kept kicking him. "I SAID STOP IT!!!" She shrieked even more loudly. The crowd began to pay more attention to her and so did the preacher as he pulled the arrow out of his forearm.

"What would you have to say that could stop us? You are just as guilty as this man for protecting the cursed." he said as he walked towards her. "What could you say that could stop us from bringing about the order God had wished for this world."

"I-I..." She said as she thought hard of a way to get everyone through this. She looked at Fisher's eyes as he tried to get back up to his feet. "I would like to make a confession."

"What would we want to confess? If you're looking for a priest, than you better go to a church, for I am just someone who volunteers to bid God's will."

"I, I want to confess that I have been the one cursing the children. I want to confess to everyone that, I am a witch"

Gasps could be heard echoing throughout the crowd and in the middle of it all, Fisher shook his head in disbelief for he knew that she had only said that to save her children.