Sorcery and the Witch

Chapter One: The Veil Between Us The rain in Hyderville didn't fall; it fell on the side of the house. It was the sound of wet wool against the cold iron hinges of the bell tower, a rhythmic thrumming that made the air seem heavier than it actually was. Inside the small, cobblestone town of Hyderville, life moved at a measured pace, dictated by the silence between the hundred-year cycle of storms. Elara sat by the window, her fingers tracing the pattern of the ivy growing over the porch railing. She wasn't supposed to be here. The "Old Secret" had been whispered about for three generations: the witch who stood at the edge of the village, the one whose name was never spoken aloud. But tonight, the village was different. Across the river, far out in the mist-laden woods, a shooting star had appeared. It wasn't a meteor. It was a frozen star, heavy with the weight of history. A hundred years ago, the evil had come, and the community had gathered under a b...