The Witch's Summoning

He moaned against her breasts, lighter and airier than he had ever been. His eyes opened to find his fingers disintegrating into tiny particles as if he had never belonged there in the first place but nothing was present to cause him harm or upset as he smiled, holding Ursula's hand as long as possible, kissing the backs of her fingers as if she was a queen rather than a witch who had brought him there, kind of, against his will.

"Is the..." Brian struggled to get the words out. "Is the spell going to wear off? Am I leaving now?"

That felt wrong to say but it was a kind of leaving that he had no control over, no matter how much he wanted to say. Something had slotted into place with him in the arms of the witch, although he would not have gone so far as to call it love. It was something, however, and something that he wanted to see the development of, how it changed and pushed him on to want to see what the future held, the sweetness of it with one who could hold so much promise for him.

"Unfortunately," she sighed, confirming his fears, "you will return to where you came from. I did not think to hold you here with a longer spell, dearie, but I hope that there will be more to come for the two of us... Times are strange, after all, and the kingdom is not all that large."

Brian nodded, kissing her tenderly, cupping her face, stroking the line of her jaw with one finger down to her chin.

"I hope I get to see you one day," he said, fading more and more, his lips the last to go. "One day... One day, I will find you..."

If the spell had not worn off so quickly, he might have been able to tell her where to find him but the chance to do so faded with him. In a moment, he was gone, gone back to his home and his bed and whatever other adventures lay in wait for him there, though the two of them were left with lingering memories of one another to hold them fast and warm in the seclusion of the night.

She touched her lips, the warmth of him fading, though her passions had been more than satisfied there, even though she wanted more time with him. The last traces of the spell were snatched up just enough as she exhaled a sigh of great relief, finally given what she had been craving for so long, a smile on her lips as she traced his path and location down to a certain town in a certain part of the kingdom. It was not much of a lead to go on but it would have to do.

"One day soon, Brian," she whispered, capping the lantern so that the flame spluttered out. "One day..."

And one day would have to be soon enough for the witch and the man.

One day.