Hannah recovered well after that confrontation with the wizards and, finally, was able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing we wouldn't have trouble for a good while. Although, as I told her, the possibility always existed that scattered enemies remained… or that new ones would emerge.
Our battle became famous. Two mages against more than a dozen. The only real inconvenience was that we killed the village wizard, but it's not like that caused a major problem. Struggles between wizards were common; for a city's local wizard to die in such a manner was not exactly unusual.
The city leader came to thank us with gifts for having rid them of that evil wizard—a courtesy he undoubtedly would have offered us even if we had been the ones who lost. Anyway, he tried to "reward" us by offering the position of local wizards, the very same position the deceased had enjoyed.
We rejected it.
It was nothing more than an attempt to replace a loss without giving us anything we actually wanted. We didn't plan on taking that wizard's place; we would continue as we had so far, working when we felt like it and leaving when we didn't. In the end, the chieftain had to leave disappointed, though there was nothing he could do about it. We had already proven to be much more powerful—and dangerous—than the wizard we had killed. He wouldn't dare provoke us in the slightest.
At most, he tried a more subtle strategy: tacitly pushing us toward the role, inciting others to treat us as local wizards and granting us certain privileges, hoping that, without realizing it, we would end up accepting the position. A clever plan… were it not for the fact that we would leave once the campaign was over.
Of course, just because we didn't accept didn't mean the city would remain permanently without wizards. Others could take that place: some sought it actively; others were simply passing through, stayed, and ended up reaching an agreement with the leaders and nobles.
In fact, the city experienced a great mobilization of wizards—both temporary and permanent—thanks to us. We were strange wizards, with uncommon methods and knowledge, and now there was also a "legendary" battle associated with our names. Many came to see us, meet us, and exchange knowledge.
For that reason, we were invited to many gatherings, which in a way were also parties among colleagues: people at a similar level… although, after the last fight, Hannah's level and mine had risen even higher. And we were already quite high up.
Back to us.
We were at home, having a quiet breakfast, chatting without haste. Even so, I noticed Hannah was a bit down, perhaps pensive. It was then that she asked me the question that was tormenting her.
"Would they really have done it?" she asked with a mix of intrigue, anguish, and nerves. "The thing about using me to… have children."
"Hmm… very likely, yes," I responded calmly, gesturing with my wooden spoon as I ate rice pudding. "Just like everything else they said. Their auras were quite perverse. They were very evil wizards; I don't doubt they were capable of it… or that they had done it before."
"But… why?" she asked, indignant, unable to understand how anyone could stoop to that. She knew bad people existed, but being the direct target made her feel attacked, defenseless, and vulnerable.
"I'd say for two reasons," I held up two fingers. "Deep down, they are the same: the pursuit of power. One is emotional, the other is practical."
"How so?" (Hannah)
"Which one do you want to hear first?" (Red)
"The emotional one?" she asked, hesitating.
"You are a recognized witch and you were their enemy. A problematic enemy. You are beautiful, young, and capable," I explained coldly. "Raping you, breaking you, and turning you into an object would have given them enormous satisfaction. Feeding their egos, sating their perverse minds."
Hannah shuddered at the thought.
"And the other?" she said quickly, wanting to change the subject, hoping for something less twisted.
"The same basis, but with tangible goals. A beautiful, young, and capable witch… but here what they seek are results. Your children would be strong, powerful, with special abilities—or at least that's what they believed. They expected you to give birth to many, to raise them as apprentices or slaves. In short, a way to accumulate more power… and, on a more subjective level, to leave a 'better legacy'."
Hannah nodded in silence. We continued eating, though I could see that the information still left a bad taste in her mouth.
In the end, silence was worse than talking about these things. And Hannah, sooner or later, would end up clearing all her doubts.
"There were some women who mentioned it too…" she said cautiously. "How would that work? Were they talking about the same thing?"
I was, for better or worse, her primary source of information whenever something escaped her understanding.
"Well… yes. They would do exactly the same thing," I replied bluntly. "And unless they've discovered a way to grow a penis, they would most likely let one of their apprentices, or some random man, rape you to get you pregnant. Then the process would remain the same."
The bluntness of my words made Hannah shiver; her skin crawled immediately.
"It's horrible…" she murmured, processing that even other women were capable of such a thing.
"Don't think this only happens here or only in this era," I clarified. "There are people like that in every time. Remember the lineage theories? Even in our world, there are those who seek the best genes, and forced procreation is, from a cold point of view… effective."
Hannah remained silent, letting my words sink in. She felt her worldview darken a bit more. Then she looked up and gazed directly at me.
"Would you do it?"
There was uncertainty and worry in her voice.
"Be more specific." (Red)
"The thing about capturing a girl and getting her pregnant…" she faltered. "I mean, if you had captured any of the witches who attacked us…" She hurried to clarify, nervously: "I'm not judging you. They were horrible people. I just want to know… if that is normal. If I should accept that it is something… acceptable."
I leaned back in my chair, thoughtful. I didn't take the question lightly.
"I don't think so," I finally answered.
I noticed her release, without realizing it, a small sigh of relief.
"I mean… some weren't that old or that ugly… but…"(Red)
"And if it weren't them?" she insisted. "Any pretty enemy you have. Or not even enemies. Would you use that method?"
"No," I said firmly. "But not for the noble reason you might be hoping for."
She looked at me, attentive.
"I wouldn't use the 'baby factory' method for a simple reason: I don't seek that kind of power."
"Why?" (Hannah)
To her, it made sense to think I was someone thirsty for power, aspiring very high. She saw me train her harshly, experiment without fear, throw myself into absurd adventures… she even remembered that time I ended up with a disfigured face.
"Because I already have more power than many can even imagine," I replied calmly. "At least, I wouldn't do it with that intention." I remembered the spiders. The elves. Perhaps I was lying… a little. "More than a wizard seeking to increase his power, I am something like… a collector. Or the director of a great play."
"How is that?" she asked, confused.
"Let's just say if I ever did something remotely similar, it wouldn't be for power," I explained, "but for some greater goal. Not necessarily a logical one." I gave a lopsided smile. "Maybe I just want to form my own Quidditch team with my children. Or see what would happen if I filled an entire year at Hogwarts with only my rowdy redheaded kids."
I winked at her, managing to pull her out of her tension, if only for an instant.
"Though of course… that would be complicated with just one woman," I added with mock seriousness. "Unless she's willing to give birth in litters."
Hannah looked at me, caught between horror and amusement. And, for the first time since the conversation started, she let out a nervous laugh.
"But would you do it?" she insisted.
I shrugged.
"Yes… if I had a rival who caused me enough trouble to infuriate me, but not enough to kill her," I admitted. "I would fuck her, humiliate her... dominate her... but the part about the children is different. They would be my children, and I wouldn't want my revenge against their mother to affect them... I think."
I looked at her with a crooked smile.
"If you want to know if I'm a monster like the ones who attacked us… yes. But a very particular one. The kind who knows how to mix sleeping pills into the rice pudding."
I pointed to her bowl.
Hannah tensed instantly, staring at the food, trying to perceive any strange effect in her body. She only relaxed when I burst out laughing. She threw her spoon at me in retaliation.
...
My answers didn't give her the peace she was looking for. Not entirely.
Hannah already knew how to ignore many things. She depended on me, she was aware of it, and in a way, she was grateful to have me by her side. She could accept my shadows… but thinking about a future together required something more than just my words.
And those answers didn't come from me.
With our enemies defeated and the constant arrival of wizards and shamans to the city, Hannah began attending more gatherings, especially those that were "witches only."
It was there that her worldview changed… or rather, expanded.
They were meetings between witches and noble ladies: influential women, suppliers, or allies, admitted out of respect or convenience. Not everything revolved around magic or the events of the jungle; they also spoke of everyday matters.
It was in one of those meetings that Hannah dared to ask about more intimate topics: love, romance, relationships.
The others looked at her with curiosity. They were all older; at Hannah's age, the most one could aspire to be was an apprentice. The group was diverse—women from distant lands, marked by pilgrimages in search of knowledge and power.
The answers were varied—some personal, some second-hand—but they all plunged Hannah into a state of deep contemplation.
There were those who mocked with contempt the men who tried to court them, cursing those who believed they had a chance with them. Others recounted darker stories: apprentices whose masters used them as concubines and who, after their masters' deaths, inherited their positions; in their cases, their bodies and servitude had been the bitter cost of knowledge.
Stories were heard of witches who lived in absolute isolation, visiting villages in secret only to become pregnant before returning to their solitude. Others told how their masters paired them with other apprentices in search of stronger lineages—stories that, at times, bordered on the taboo of incest. There was even someone who remembered leaving as a girl only to return, now a woman, for the boy she had always loved.
When Hannah asked about wizards with multiple partners, the talk became even more complex. The "noble ladies" spoke of their lives as wives of lords who kept several women under their roof. Some witches, especially those married to Muggles, swore they would castrate their husbands at the slightest betrayal, while others resignedly admitted to their husbands' affairs. There were those who confessed to being part of a group of apprentices whom a wizard took as wives; now, facing the old man's imminent death, their loyalty coexisted with anxiety over inheritance and future disputes.
Some women explained what benefits they received in exchange for accepting polygamy, whether through cultural imposition or personal convenience. Others, on the contrary, detailed with irony the extravagant—and almost impossible—requirements they would demand to accept such a life. And, of course, there was no lack of the witch who laughed scornfully while boasting of her "flock": a reverse harem composed of beautiful males, from handsome men to innocent boys, of which she was deeply proud.