1st 5 Pages June Workshop - Kells

Name: KD Kells
Genre: Young Adult fantasy/gothic fantasy
Title: The Witch Maid

The first time you meet a demon is never memorable. You’ve probably met a dozen in your lifetime and never noticed. It’s how they survive, hiding in plain sight while they drain the life of the humans around them. But when a demon interferes with your life? That’s a different story. 

It was too early to be up. Mama always said a lady shouldn’t rise before nine and the sun hadn’t yet pierced the coal smog hanging over town, but I sucked in a deep breath and knocked on the door. My raps on the heavy wood were the final nails in my coffin, sealing my fate in this miserable house.  

It had been a long time since I’d believed in anything as childish as magic or flying broomsticks — I was practically sixteen after all — but the cobweb-encrusted eaves and crumbling turrets of Black Manor seemed designed to power the rumours that echoed in my head. The ones that whispered old Lady Black was a witch. Poppycock, Papa would have said. Jealous lies spread by people without proper breeding. Would he have been so dismissive if he could see me running to Lady Black for help? Something twitched in the bushes to the side of the door as I leaned to peer in the window, sending my heart racing. 

“I heard she grinds up the bones of babies to use in spells.” Patty had insisted one lunchtime. The teachers were at the other side of the dining room, but she’d kept her voice low. “That’s how she’s still alive. They say she’s over 200 years old!” 

“I heard she captures the souls of any young men that wander too close to her estate. That’s why there’s no eligible bachelors in town.” Melody agreed. 

“I heard she’ll make you a love potion for five pence, but they only work on the boys you don’t like.” 

“I heard her daughter ran off with a demon.” 

“I heard she has a black cat.” Jacinta had said as she drowned her roast beef with gravy. When her opinion was met with silence, she looked up. “What?” 

“Oh Cinny, owning a cat doesn’t make you a witch.” 

“A black one does. They’re bad luck you know.” 

We’d all burst into peals of laughter, and Miss Bloom had scolded us for being so unladylike. But that had been before, when I’d had friends and a future... 

No, I couldn’t let my mind go down that path. I had a job to do and there was no use moping around. This was life now, suck it up as my sister, Liliana, would say. I took a steadying breath and tried the bell, pulling hard on the rusted chain. The sound echoed through the house, far longer than it should have. It made me shiver just thinking about how many forgotten rooms must be inside. 

Without warning, the door swung open. A woman stood there wearing a flour-spattered apron and wielding a wooden spoon. I hadn’t heard any footsteps, how had she got there so quietly? 

She was shorter than me, though that wasn’t hard, with arms muscled from a lifetime of hard work, and grey hair tucked in a braid under a colourful kerchief. This was not what I had expected of Lady Black. She should have been someone refined and elegant, someone befitting the largest estate in Sinwillow, even if it was a run-down old wreck. 

“Yes? What is it you want? I am in middle of making vatrushka!” The woman demanded. 

Not Lady Black then. Her voice was thick with an accent I couldn’t place and I’d certainly never heard of...what had she said again? Vatrushka? In all the rumours, there’d never been one about Lady Black having foreigners in her house. That would have been intriguing in itself, Sinwillow wasn’t exactly known for being a hive of immigrants. 

“I’m Evie... um, Evelyn. Wilkins.” Drats. Mama would be so disappointed if she’d heard that. It was uncouth to introduce oneself with a nickname. Well, I supposed it wasn’t like it mattered anymore, we’d lost our claim to being genteel along with everything else. When the woman shot me a blank look, I had to add, “the new maid?” 

“Oh yes, yes, Adeline said new girl comes today.” 

The woman’s dark eyes bored into me down that hooked nose, taking in every detail of my appearance. My last good dress, the one that brought out the green in my muddy eyes, felt like a rag under the  scrutiny. At least my hair was behaving today. I’d tamed the thick brown mess into two braids at the base of my neck. Liliana had even lent me a hat for the occasion, and all in all, I’d thought I was rather presentable under the circumstances until the woman tsked loudly. 

“No, no good. You are too skinny. We will have to fatten you up.” 

Liliana would have laughed herself silly at that suggestion, I’d never been accused of being too skinny in my life, not next to the slender willow of my sister. I was more like our father – tall, solid, and prone to freckles over my nose. Yet another reason to be grateful for this job, it was far enough away from home that Mama wouldn’t have to look at me every day and see him. 

“Come then, Adeline want to see you.” The woman strode off down the hallway. 

I took one last look down the hill, at the town below and my old life. I could still turn and run, go back to school and... and then what? No, this was the only way if I wanted to protect my family. The door thudded behind me with a thunderous finality. 

“My name is Ludmila, you call me Mila. I am the cook,” the woman said as she led me through a labyrinth of rooms. Everything was covered with a thick film of dust, even the gas light fittings. There was no way one old woman and her cook had use for such an impossible number of rooms. What a waste of space, especially when Mama and Liliana were crammed into a tiny single room back in town. 

“You not bring much with you.” Ludmila gestured at the small case in my hand. 

“Oh. I guess I didn’t think I would need to.” That much was true. My uniform, bedding, shoes, all that would be provided by Lady Black. I didn’t want to tell this woman that pretty much everything else I owned was in the case. There hadn’t been much left to pack after the move, and so many things had been sold off. 

“Smart girl. Not good to form unnecessary attachments. Ah, here we are.” 

Ludmila stopped so suddenly I almost crashed into her. The black door at the end of the hall was just like every other one we’d passed – the only difference was the doorknob looked like it had actually been polished in the last fifty years. I had absolutely no idea where we were, the house was like a rabbit warren. 

“You go talk to Adeline. When finished, I will show you bedroom, then we have breakfast.” 

“Oh, I’ve already had breakfast,” I tried to say, but Ludmila wasn’t interested in my protests. 

“Not Mila’s breakfast you haven’t. Very important meal you know. Cannot be skimping when you will be working so hard.”