Chapter 272: A Willow’s Strength
Seeing the crestfallen look on Heila’s face when she learned that Ashlynn had chosen a willow as the tree to serve as the source of Heila’s power, Amahle quickly realized that she’d forgotten how little she knew about the forces at play and the many different things a single tree could mean in different circumstances.
"Oh, honey, don’t go getting a look like that on your face," Amahle said. "I told you that it’s a healer’s tree at heart didn’t I? You think a healer don’t have her own ways to protect her patients? Let me show you something, darlin’, just watch."
"Step back, step back," Talauia said quickly. Her wings beat rapidly as she floated across the room to tug on Heila’s sleeve, pulling her to the side to give Amahle room for her demonstration. "Watch close, Mother is going to show you something special."
Before Heila could respond, Amahle held a hand and began to chant, gathering the energy of the vines wrapping around the cypress trees to power her witchcraft.
"From twisted vine and ancient thorn,
Let weapons of my will be born.
Through blood and pain thy hooks shall feed,
Till every foe is made to bleed."
As she spoke in a steady, formal cadence, dark green and lurid energy gathered at her hand, flowing to her as though it were eager to be used by the powerful witch. When the short invocation finished, Amahle held a wicked whip in her hands.
The whip looked like it had been formed by a vine that was a dark enough shade of green to nearly be black and its entire length was covered with wicked hooked thorns that were tipped in a lurid, almost blood-colored crimson. Seeing its coiled lethality and feeling the sense of sharp menace that emanated from the whip, Heila’s heart felt like it had forgotten to beat while her mind struggled to understand if this was a weapon for killing... or a tool for torture.