Oakhaven fell silent that winter. The fever returned, but there was no one left who knew which root could stop it.
"Do you deny the Mark?" Miller barked, pointing to a small, star-shaped birthmark on Elara’s shoulder. In the mythology of the inquisitors, this was the Stigma Diabolicum —the spot where the Demon had touched her. Witchcraft, Mythologies and Persecutions (Demon...
Elara was led to the iron-barred carriage as the sun dipped below the horizon. As she looked back at the forest, she didn't see a demon. She saw the trees swaying in a rhythm older than any scripture. The tragedy of the "Witchcraft" era wasn't found in the presence of evil, but in the systematic destruction of ancient knowledge under the guise of "purity." Oakhaven fell silent that winter