The Witches Fated Mate

Fall of The Winter Coven

Marissa

“Gentle my dove, gentle.” My mother spoke in a soft tone, as I was trying to help her in the garden. I had a habit of yanking the flowers a little too roughly, shredding the petals, and she was always reminding me to slow down. As we worked side by side, I was overcome with a feeling of fear.

“Mama?” I said, moving closer to her.

“You’re safe love.” She murmured as she added more flowers to the basket between us, the sound of nature going quiet all around us. A dark cloud was growing nearer to us, and we had been working for days to help our high priestess to prepare for impending attacks. I didn’t understand all of it, but I heard them saying some witch hunters were coming after us. We got the rest of the flowers we needed and headed into the house. “Quickly,”, She said as she took my hand and led me inside. We wrapped the flowers into bundles and stacked them near the door with the few belongings she had packed. She stopped and looked around before kneeling to help me fasten my cloak, a knot forming in my stomach.

“Shut it out Marissa. Like I taught you.” She soothed as tears began to fall from my eyes.

“I can’t mama. It's too strong.” The fear of all the witches weighed heavy on me and I couldn’t catch my breath, my emotions overwhelming me. She held her hands out palms up, and I placed my own in them. Closing her eyes she held my hands in hers for a few moments until the fear began to fade away.

“Focus on the calm. It is your anchor, your magic is yours. Nobody commands it except you.” She said, and I nodded, closing my own eyes. The sound of an explosion followed by screaming startled us, and she stood up, slipping my backpack onto my shoulders while she grabbed out other things. “Come.” She commanded, and I followed her out of our home. We saw thick smoke billowing into the sky at the far end of the village, flames engulfing several buildings. We turned the opposite way, weaving through the streets as several witches ran towards the fire. We made it to the edge of town between the last house and the woods, where the other families were gathering. Pulling me along, my mother greeted the others as we got there.

“Here are the flowers for the spell.” She spoke to Priestess Ella, who took the flowers and headed off with them towards the fighting.

“Is everyone here?” High Priestess Yvonne asked, looking around. “Where is Melody?” She surveyed the crowd and a man stepped forward, holding a little girl in his arms.

“She went to hold the barrier. She said she would meet up her later, but she wanted me to get our daughter to safety with the others.” He said.

“Good. Keep her daughter safe.” She said as another explosion sent more flames and smoke into the sky. She nodded to him and motioned for everyone to gather closer to her.“I am going to open this portal to our sister coven to the south. They will shelter and protect you while we fight here. We will come for you when it is safe. Until then, it is important to keep your little ones close, keep their magic alive in them. They are the witches who will restore the Winter Coven to its fullest one day.” She smiled warily and moved her hands in a circle, opening a portal to our safety. As the families went through one by one, the man with his daughter vanished from view. My mother clasped my hand as the fear began to take over once more.

“Breath, little duck. Focus.” She said as we walked forward into the portal. I turned back as the last of us came through and High Priestess Yvonne closed it, the fear subsiding as we felt a rush of calm run through us. I turned and looked around as we stood on a beach, the waves crashing into white sand. Several people stood nearby, holding lit candles as we stood together.

“Welcome to Coven Blue,” she said warmly.

“Blue?” I said out loud, my mother immediately hushing me.

“Blue like the ocean and the sky.” She laughed as she looked at me, her eyes sparkling. “We were named by a child like you. When our coven was hunted down by witch hunters and had to scatter, we reformed here, and she suggested the name. It probably helped that I was her grandmother.” She winked before addressing the crowd once more. “We have shelter for you all and warm food. Once we have you settled we can discuss what happens next.” She turned and led the way as we all fell in line and followed her. The sounds of the ocean faded slightly, but still could be heard as the sand changed to a jungle. We made it to a clearing filled with small huts, their doors and windows opened to the fresh sea air. As we filled into their village, we were greeted and led in different directions, several of us shown homes we could stay in, each serving their own hot meals. We ate in relative silence, my mother holding my hand, as the family who took us in told us about their coven. Once we had finished, my mother settled me into bed and I closed my eyes, listening to the ocean waves in the distance as sleep began to lull me under.

Sometime in the middle of the night I woke with a start, the overwhelming sadness taking over. I lay in bed, tears streaming down my face without knowing why, and strained to hear as hushed voices in another room spoke. It took me a few moments to realize it was my mother speaking with Yvonne and Ella from our home coven.

“She’s gone?”

“Melody gave her life for us. She killed the witch hunters.” Yvonne spoke.

“All of them?” My mother whispered in shock.

“All. It gets worse though. They were being led by some witches.” A hushed gasp sounded around the room. “Chaos magic. They wanted something. They defiled her body to get it.” Ella sounded angry.

“What happened?” My mother asked as I crept closer to the door to hear better, crouching against the wall.

“They kept throwing firebombs, lighting up our houses and other buildings. We fought but they outnumbered us. She pushed ahead of the rest of us and cast a poison cloud, stopping most of them in their tracks, but as the poison spread, the hunters near the back of their militia shot arrows into her. She faltered and as we rushed towards her lightning rained down from the sky between us, cutting us off.” Yvonne spoke calmly but the sadness in her was still overwhelming.

“Lightning?”

“They had witches with them. Chaos magic. They were helping the witch hunters.” Ella spoke up.

“To what end?” My mother’s voice was confused and shocked.

“We don’t know. Melody turned towards us, arrows sticking out of her, and used the last of her energy to create a barrier between the rest of the village and her. She fell as soon as it was done. We moved to dismantle it ourselves, but it was too strong. I have never seen a barrier like it.” Yvonne spoke like the memory was ages ago instead of this same night.

“She must have tethered it to something.” My mother suggested as Ella spoke up once more.

“They desecrated her body. They tore into her chest, removing her heart and then her eyes as well. Whatever they wanted, I couldn’t say. We retreated to the seaside immediately after.” A feeling of horror pushed the sadness down, and I felt sick as the emotions overwhelmed me.

“My dove. Come to me.” My mother's voice called out softly, and I emerged from my hiding space, running to her open arms. She held me close and wiped my tears, holding my hand in hers as she soothed. I looked at the women seated around the table, tear streaks on their faces, as I felt my mother’s calm spreading through me.

“She is verysensitive to the feelings of others,” Priestess Ella observed.

“She is an empath. Like her grandmother.” My mother responded. “We are still learning to focus it, filter out the emotions of others, but she still gets overwhelmed by too many emotions at once.” My mother explained while she continued to soothe me.

“It will come with time and practice,” Yvonne responded. Kissing my forehead, my mother held me close, and I felt the calm radiating from her.

“What will happen now?” She asked.

“We will rebuild. We have to.” Yvonne answered.

“We need to release Melody’s spirit and bless the land in her honor. Then we can rebuild.” Ella added. I closed my eyes as they spoke about the plans for the coven and felt myself drifting off to sleep.