Waves crashed on the deserted island, the roaring of the sea joining the hushed murmurs plaguing me. Wet sand clung to my bare feet as I set out from my landing point, leaving the stolen rowboat settled firmly on the beach. The isle was a small, easily missable piece of land, empty of all but scant trees, a great multitude of rocky outcroppings, and, according to the whispering silver locked upon my wrist, one of the most powerful witches in the land.
A Dominissa.
I couldn't say why I'd come. I was well aware this would more likely than not end with me right back in imprisonment, if not worse. But there was an absence. Of pride. Of power. Of control. Of everything that made up a Dominissa's being. And because of it, against all my better judgement, here I was, trudging across the damp, abandoned sand.
In no time at all I'd crossed to the opposite shore, just as empty and barren as my arrival point had been.
<i>"Look up."</i> The bracelet suggested. I diligently complied, catching sight of a lone figure standing far atop the nearest rock formation. Her skirts billowed around her surprisingly not-enormous frame, while her eyes remained steadily gazing out to sea. I watched her for a little longer, wondering if she'd even noticed my presence. I turned my attention to the formation's face, took a deep breath, and began to climb.
The voice encouraged me throughout the ascent. The broken chain, attached to the bracelet from whence the voice emitted, clinked against rock face. With each metallic tink came a soft assurance that I was almost there; my destination just a bit farther. Upon reaching the top, I pulled myself over and nearly fell down an entirely different drop. An enormous chasm, carved straight into the top of the rock, stretched before me, wider than 10 of me and far too deep to spot the bottom.
More than a little anxiously, I rapidly scooted backwards to safety, the skittering of rocks ringing out my presence. I saw the woman jump in surprise, then turn in my direction and let out a guilty-sounding gasp.
"Are you alright?" She called, rushing towards me. A bell shaped necklace, strung across her neck, chimed gently in the wind. "I'm so sorry!"
Immediately she began dusting off my clothes and smoothing down my hair, yammering apologies all the while.
"I was supposed to lower a rope, but..." She took her hands off me to gesture at the sea helplessly. Spotting an opening, I shifted out of her reach. I wasn't exactly used to such a vigorous grooming. Besides, judging by the noticeable layer of fat lining her limbs and neck, thick, flabby thighs barely covered by her skirt, a round, pudgy, and almost pregnancy-resembling middle filling out her simple, home-spun tunic, and the bloated butt that stuck put from her sides enough to see from the front, I was certain she was a witch. I'd be finding no comfort from the hands of one of them.
<i>"I told you to lower it</i>yesterday<i>."</i> The bracelet unexpectedly rumbled, making me jump. To my further surprise, the woman's neklace carried the voice's message word-for-word. An ominous twinge of annoyance was evident in it's tone.
"I already go up and down this cave for you six times a day, so <i>I'm sorry</i> if I forget an extra time!" The woman retorted. "Besides, she's fine!"
She looked at me, still on the ground and gaping open-mouthed up at her.
"You are fine, aren't you?" She asked uncertainly.
"Did you just yell at a Dominissa?" I whispered, slightly awed. In my experience they tended to make things explode even if they <i>weren't</i> already angry with you.
"Everything else is huge, so she might as well keep her head small." The woman said defiantly.
A quiet 'hmph' sound echoed through my inner ear, but with an unexpected note of fondness underlining it.
"We better get started then," the woman said, placing her hands on her hips and looking at me expectantly.
"Are you going to tell me why she made me cross the ocean on a rotting plank of wood now?" I asked sharply. Something in how matter-of-fact she was acting was getting to me. "Or how about why a Dominissa is somehow out here in the first place?"
"I'm getting to that," she soothed unsuccessfully. "And to start, all you need to do is close your eyes and-"
"Close my eyes?"
"Yes."
"Standing in front of a cliff?"
"Well, you should sit down first-"
"Why? Am I going to fall over or something?"
"You know, this would be much easier if you just closed your eyes for a few seconds."
I fell silent. The last thing I wanted to do to a witch was take my eyes off her, but stalling was only delaying the inevitable. Sighing, I sat down, crossing my legs and shutting my eyes.
Nothing happened.
"Do I-" I gasped, cutting my self off.
For the first time, the voice was more than a vague noise. I truly sensed the mind behind it; the vast consciousness that radiated power in all directions. The being it was attached to felt like a mountain, impossible to overcome, stretching on without end, a force of nature capable of more than I could dream.
Yet here it was, extending a hand towards me, requesting a dance. Seeking my permission even though it could easily sweep me off my feet carry me away. Barely even comprehending the fact I could deny this entity anything at all, let alone my hand, I allowed it to take me.
And then it began to sing.
In moments I was spellbound, wrapped in it's grasp. Delicately, it painted images in my mind, faces and buildings coming to fruition as if they were right in front of me.
<i>"Let me tell you a story..."</i>
For a moment the world teetered, reality competing against the imagery, and then I was swallowed by the voice.
                           *           *          *
Pati was terrified. Her black, slight frizzy hair brushed her father's waist as her olive-hued arms, always a shade darker than her sister's, clung to his legs. The two of them stood in the doorway, helpless to do anything but watch her mother work. The bed she stood over her sibling, the swell of her pregnancy the only remaining natural feature of her appearance.
Enite's warm skin had paled to a fish-like pallor, dark hair matted to her forehead with sweat. With her eyes clapped tight and her breaths coming in slow, ragged gasps, it was clear to anyone that something was terribly, terribly wrong. Most especially Enite's fiancée, who waited outside the doorway with his head in his hands.
Pati's mother had packed on the weight through two pregnancies and hadn't lost a single pound from either. With her blubber encased limbs, thighs thicker than Pati's entire nine year old body, and butt so bloated with fat it blocked the view of Enite's bed, she should have had more than enough mass for her magic to circulate.  Usually, a labor complexity could be solved with a single wave of a chubby arm, pregnancy spells practically her mother's specialty.
And yet, Enite continued as she had been for hours.
Gasping.
Shivering.
Dying.
No one had even spoken of it yet, but Pati knew.
She <i>knew.</i> Every second, her sister was fading ever more away. Endless magic transferring from her Mother's steady hands to Enite's laboring body were useless. And if she couldn't save her, no one could.
It was like Death stood by Pati's shoulder, watching and waiting just as she was. Cold certainty writhed within her like a live snake, constricting her insides as it furiously sought an escape.
Suddenly, Enite's eyes snapped open. Wide, frantic, and gazing at nothing. A weary, creaking rattle crawled from her throat, and then she lay perfectly still. The swirling energy around her mother's hands no longer drifted into Enite, now dispersing weakly into the air. An involuntary sob wrenched itself from Pati, and she quickly snapped up her palm to stifle it.
But it was too late. Immediately her father was wrapping her in his strong arms, already carrying her away.
"No!" She cried, struggling. "I need to see her! I need to-"
Her voice caught, as if the snake had thrashed it's way to her throat, it's fury suffocating.
"You've seen enough." Her father murmured, eyes unfocused. "We've all seen enough."
As they passed under the door frame, something broke inside her. The desperate urge to do something, anything, before it was too late roared to life.
And with the fervent wish for action, the hissing, hating python burst free. Like a lightning bolt coursing through her, a wave of something unknown blasted from deep within, rocketing down her arms and into her fingertips. Air seemed to curl around Pati's hands, and with an immature and uncontrolled manipulation, she repelled herself from her father, sending the two of them reeling in opposite directions.
With a crash, Pati hit the ground, a similar noise coming from her father behind her. But she couldn't think of that now. Hands still buzzing, she bounded past her mother and leapt upon her sister's still frame. Almost instinctually, Pati pressed her tingling, shaking hands against Enite's chest, then her round, gravid stomach. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, with a great, heaving breath, Enite inhaled.
And exhaled.
And inhaled again.
The thumping of her heart resumed with a jolt, blood pumping once more.
It was difficult to tell, but a smidgen of color seemed to return, blood flushing in her cheeks. Pati's hands trembled as she wrapped them around her sister's wrist. Frail and uncertain, but unmistakably pulsing with life.
Soon, Pati felt her mother's body press against her from behind.
"It's not over yet," she murmured, her plump hands gently wrapping around Pati's arms. "Just a little more..."
Following her mother's instructions, Pati allowed more force to flow. The rest of the birth was a blur; Pati essentially serving as a conduit for her mother's wisdom. Shifting out of breech, reducing friction, facilitating further contractions, and finally, bringing the child into the world.
Aa her mother's hands released her to bundle up the silent infant, Pati felt numb. Stress and exhaustion wracked her body mercilessly. But as she looked over her sister's chest, rising and falling with easy, gentle breaths, all of it felt miles away.
Silence ruled the room for several moments after, and then the clamor of her mother's sobs shattered the presence. She rushed over to Pati, who was soon wrapped in her soft arms and pressed against her round, voluminous chest. Soon her father and Enite's fiancée, child in arms, made their way over as well.
Underneath her relief, Pati wasn't ignorant of what had just happened.
Her fingertips still seemed to radiate power she shouldn't have been able to use for another five years.
A limp was obvious as her father approached, hand rubbing his back where he'd been hurled into the wall.
Enite's fiancée's face was almost as terrified as it was relieved.
Somewhere in her young mind, she knew this wasn't the end.
But for now, all she could think about was Enite's hand, gently squeezing hers.