A dark haired figure stepped out of the shadow of the trees, sweeping a cloak around itself. The air was chilled in the winter breeze, and a thin layer of snow covered the earth. The trees were tall and dark, casting long shadows upon the white ground. In the distance, a storm thundered, and flashes of lightning lit up the sky. One of these flashes lit the figure’s face, and the angular face of a woman was revealed beneath the dark, curled locks. Another figure came into the clearing, but its gait wasn’t as smooth as the woman’s, and the steps faltered as the figure tripped over tiny tufts of snow and piles of dirt. His hood was swept back by a stronger wind, revealing shoulder length blond hair, a curved, babyish face, and dark, almost black eyes. The woman held out a hand, and the man kissed it, cradling it between his own.
“Have you located it? Do you know where it is?” the woman’s voice was soft, but harsh. Cruelty lingered beneath the false sweetness, tainting her otherwise pleasing appearance. She stepped closer to the man, reaching out and grasping his thick shoulder with her outstretched hand. The man’s face curled into a smile that didn’t fit his complexion in the least, rather making him appear like a foolish, ugly baby.
“Madam, I have the location, but, Madam, it is very difficult to reach, guarded by the most terrible things…” his voice, which was raspy and slightly awed, trailed away, as though expecting her answer,
“Terrible things are my specialty Hans, you of all people should know that!” and she snapped her fingers. Two creatures fluttered out of the forest. At first they looked like large bats, but as another flash of light lit the sky, their faces were revealed to be that of dead, half-rotted people; empty, dark holes where their eyes should have been. “My frinshkas should have made you aware of that.” She pushed her hair absentmindedly behind her ear, and continued, “now that we know where it is, we must have a child, preferably a girl, to fetch it for us.”
“A child, Madam? But wouldn’t it be more prudent to simply get it ourselves?” the smile faded, and Hans began to wring his hands nervously, and the woman’s eyes flashed dangerously,
“Many protective spells are useless against children, therefore, though it will require more time, it is more prudent, as you put it, to get a child. I will need a baby, the younger the better, we will train her, teach her how to protect herself, tell her that whatever we ask her to do is right, she will be our secret weapon, and she will never imagine that we are false. We will pose as her parents, so we will need a blond, or black haired child, find me the perfect one Hans, or you will join my other faithful servants…” She let her voice trail off menacingly, making a slight gesture toward the frinshkas.
“Of course, Madam, I live to serve you.” Hans bowed slightly, and then turned away, tripping over another tuft of snow as he went. The woman looked up at the starry sky, as though looking for something, then, with a sweep of her cloak, she turned back to the forest and walked slowly toward the trees. At the edge of the tree line, she glanced back and snapped her fingers, and the frinshkas flew over to her, their wings flapping soundlessly through the air.
When another flash of lightning lit the sky, she and the creatures were gone, and somewhere in a town far away, a young woman screamed as a hooded figure murdered her husband, and then her.
Neighbors rushed to the house, but found only the two bodies of the couple, their clothes soaked in blood. But, however hard they searched, the neighbors simply couldn’t find the three month old baby girl that had been the talk of the town. It was as though the baby had disappeared with the wind that blew the storm away from their homes.