Pumpkin Spice, стр. 15
When Edith met with Esthrum it was love at first sight. In her mind Sybil questioned whether the Mapap used dark magic to trick Edith into loving him, but that could not be. Their child must be born out of true love in order for the worlds to merge. Edith loved Esthrum, and Esthrum her. Their love was so strong in fact that the Mapap, who was typically by the books and not very understanding, allowed Sibyl to wed her love and remain in the human realm. “What does it matter? Our worlds will eventually merge together and our peoples will once again be united!” Esthrum proclaimed.
Their wedding was blissful. The most wonderful day of either Sibyl or Madok’s lives. The entire town saw them off from the church, which of course was the portion of the ceremony Esthrum excused himself from. The proceeding party saw Madok’s workmates dancing up a storm, his sisters and parents in a frenzy. Not a soul was sober. None save for Estrhum. He watched the family closely. The smiles were contagious to all but him. He lived for purpose, and currently his purpose was to wed Edith, and impregnate her.
It was the stroke of twelve when Eshtrum approached Edith on the dance floor. She asked if he wanted to dance, he had no response. He knelt to one knee and removed an engagement ring from his jacket pocket, he asked for Edith’s hand in marriage. She gleefully accepted his request and embraced him in a long loving hug. The party grew happier, one married couple and another engaged. Everyone was joyful, everyone that is with the exception of Sybil. She took a seat at her table and watched on as the family she loved embraced the man who would be the destroyer of mankind. She watched on knowing that it was all because of her.
Two weeks after marrying Madok, Sibyl discovered she was pregnant. The newlyweds were beside themselves! Madok considered taking a job in an adjacent town, there was more crime and a larger population, but the pay was substantially greater and they could live in a much larger house giving their child the best upbringing possible. Sibyl wasn’t sure about the move, rather she was unsure if the Mapap would approve, and so she talked Madok into holding off on making any rash decisions until after his sister’s wedding.
The wedding day of Esthrum and Edith had arrived quicker than Sibyl had hoped. No less than a month after proposing they were to wed. On the morning of the wedding Esthrum had requested Sibyl visit him at his house. It was four hours until the ceremony. She of course did as her Mapap asked. He closed the door behind her and thanked her for all that she had done. In his words Sibyl had “Saved the witching world.” This of course was not true. She had ruined the human world. He then proceeded to tell her that on the first full moon after the wedding she would have to return to the witching world and continue her duties on the council. Sibyl was in shocked and outraged by this. Esthrum had told her she could remain the human realm and she was now pregnant herself. Esthrum told her she could not give birth to the child! He ordered her to have the fetus destroyed by whatever means necessary. Any child born in union of man and witch without the Mapap’s blessing will be born a still birth, so the scriptures read. Sibyl asked for Esthrum’s blessing, but he would not allow it. The witching realm needed a complete council during his absence and so Sibyl must return to her world.
Sibyl was at a crosshair and did not know what to do. She couldn’t sleep at night, during the day she would venture out on long walks and when she returned home her eyes were swollen from the tear shed. Madok would ask her if something was troubling her, but of course she could not explain. Then one morning the answer came to her. Not in a thought, not in a vision, and not from a friend, it came from her child within her. She woke up that morning, as any other, made her way to the kitchen to make some tea. That was when she felt the kick, her child kicked within her. Her unborn child was much too young to have been able to kick, but it had and she felt it! This was a sign and she took it as such. She would remain amongst the humans, but what of Esthrum? The Mapap would never allow it, he already ordered her to return and the full moon was approaching. She’d have to move away and hide. She had to convince Madok to take the position in the other town. He was smart and dependable, any township would lucky to have a constable such as Madok, so she was sure the position would still be available for him. Once Madok returned home she would discuss the move with him. That was when she heard it.
There was a slow knock at her door. An eerie sensation rushed through her body. She reached for the knob and turned it gently. The metal hinges creaking as it opened. When the door was fully ajar, she could feel a rush of heat towards her. It wasn’t from the sun but from the torches lit outside. A mob of townsfolk waited for her on her property. “There she is!” A resident shouted, “KILL THE WITCH!!” he continued. Madok raced to his doorstep, he grabbed his wife and rushed her inside. He hugged her and kissed her then looked