Page 2

Chapter Two

Ena stood in the center of the Sacred Grove.

Towering evergreen trees guarded the edges of the large clearing, their steadfast presence a balm to her nerves.

The skirt of her white silk gown, made especially for this occasion by her own hand, fluttered in the gentle breeze.

It was long-sleeved with a modest neckline, but it fit her like a glove.

The waist was tapered to accentuate her curves, and the edges of the sleeves were detailed lace, as was the neckline and hem.

A long row of buttons went all the way up the back, and for once, she wore a decorative, lace-detailed corset underneath rather than a bodice over top.

She looked up at the sky through the gap in the trees to see that the sun was setting, casting the sky in a dusky purple, but around her, it was already dark in the woods. She Knew animals were beginning to stir beyond where she could see, emerging and prowling as night began its descent.

A giant bonfire sparked and crackled behind her, lighting up the sea of faces encircling her, watching her—waiting.

She had spent the last half hour intricately braiding her long, dark-brown hair into a tight bun, knowing it would likely slip loose anyway before the Summoning was complete.

Regardless, she felt beautiful, strong, and strangely calm as she looked out on the faces of her Coven, men and women she’d known her whole life, who stood around her in a circle with their hands joined.

They each wore a black, hooded robe that hid their faces and bodies from Gaia.

Ena was to be the sole focus tonight. Looking to her left to where Greya stood, she gave a slight smile of reassurance, letting her sister know she was okay.

She couldn’t make out her face, but she Knew Greya smiled back.

As the last sliver of the sun dipped below the horizon, she turned to face Heran, who stood beside her in the center of the circle.

The matriarch of the Coven smiled kindly at her.

Her wrinkled face was softened by the firelight, but her gray eyes were sharp and cunning as ever.

Her gray- and brown-streaked hair was tied back in a low knot at the nape of her neck, but her strong voice rang out across the clearing, at odds with her aged appearance.

“Kneel before Gaia, child,” she said, as she took Ena’s hands and helped lower her to her knees.

Ena lowered herself to her knees, facing Heran, who reached behind her to accept two silver ceremonial chalices in her hands from another witch, who promptly returned to the circle.

One chalice, decorated with an upside down crescent moon above three teardrops, a symbol of the blessing to come, contained the blood-red mixture concocted by Greya.

Ena had been there herself when Greya had slaughtered the goat, harvested its blood, and set it to boil with cloves and dandelion root over a fire made from ash wood.

Ena closed her eyes and tilted her face up as Heran slowly poured the contents of the chalice over her forehead. She felt the thick blood drip down her face, smelling of iron and herbs. She resisted the urge to lick it away from her lips and instead pursed them tighter so none could get inside.

“Mother Gaia, Giver of life and Bringer of death, she who maintains the Turning of the seasons and celestial bodies, and balances the Light with the Dark, accept this witch to your service, so she may use her true Gift as you intend.”

Ena slowly opened her eyes, blinking away drops of blood that rested on her lashes.

She knew what came next.

Heran handed her the second chalice. This one, decorated with the three phases of the moon representing the Goddess Gaia, was filled with a dark-red wine laced with the venom of the psilosnake she’d killed just hours before.

Ena took the chalice and lifted it to her lips.

The first sip was sweet, mixed with a hint of blood from her lips.

The second sip was bitter, the venom burning as it coursed down her throat.

Bile rose in her throat and she actively fought the urge to vomit.

Afraid she’d lose her nerve, she breathed through her nose and tilted her head back as she downed the rest in one large fiery swallow.

She felt the chalice slide from her hand as her eyes rolled back and everything went black.

***

She was nowhere. She was everywhere. She felt her heart beating acutely in her chest but she had no body.

She felt the wind on her skin as she, too, blew through the leaves that remained on the trees.

She Knew life was around her—she felt it throbbing in the dirt—but death and decay drained her also.

She felt the bugs crawling on her skin, which was crumbly, black, and moist. She felt a bird fly through the tendrils of her white mist hair as they condensed in a sky of deep blue.

She felt claws rip at her throat, and the blood leaking out, draining, draining, until her lungs were still.

Then she felt them expand again, her first breath filling her like an ocean wave.

She burned through the land, leaving ash in her wake as she split the ground in two, her chasm swallowing everything whole.

She felt joy and laughter as she bubbled with the streams. She felt agony and despair as she cried with the rain.

Her veins were the tree branches and the river’s winding path, just as her sweat dripped down, turning to ice as she froze and thawed, then boiled and steamed.

There was so much to do, so much to Know, so much to be.

She had no idea how long she remained this way. Being and Knowing and feeling a million things at once. It was interesting, it was new, and she forgot why she was here.

And then came a blinding light. Or was it a void?

It was so bright, like staring at the sun, and yet it was the darkest black she’d ever known.

The warmth of it enveloped her, making her shiver.

For a second, she was terrified. She felt utterly exposed and at the mercy of the unknown.

Her life could be forfeit before she could even gasp and she would be nothing but humus underground.

But then she felt it enter her—and all at once, she felt unutterably safe and peaceful. She heard a voice that made no sound speak to her, and she couldn’t quite make out what it was saying, but she Knew it in her bones.

Here was her purpose. Here was her path.

***

She woke up lying on the ground, the chalice she’d dropped rolling gently away from her outstretched hand. She slowly sat up, gradually getting her bearings, and there was Heran, smiling warmly down at her.

“Rise, daughter of Gaia, and join your Coven.”

She took Heran’s outstretched hand and stood, feeling off-kilter from the venom and, honestly, the wine too.

How long had she been out? It had felt like a while, but the sky was still the same tinged dark blue as when she had drunk from the chalice.

The wind whipped the flames in the bonfire next to her, and though she should feel relieved to have awoken feeling relatively normal, she was still trying to grasp what had happened, the memories of what she’d seen and done slipping away like a dream.

Heran looked behind her to where Greya approached them, holding a wide wooden bowl filled with water from the Sacred Pool between them. The bowl was worn smooth with age, but clearly had been oiled and well maintained.

“Place your hands in the bowl, Ena, and we will see what Gaia has Gifted you,” Heran instructed.

Cautiously, Ena placed her fingertips into the cool water. It felt refreshing on her warm skin. Heran did the same, placing her fingers in the bowl on the other side, and closed her eyes.

“Reach down into your Knowing, Ena, and we will see what arises,” Heran said.

Ena did as she was told, closing her eyes and reaching down into her innate sense of Knowing, that sense which was Gifted to all witches upon their birth.

It was her Knowing which allowed her to read the signs of the life around her and gave her a witch’s intuition.

Only now, quieting her mind and reaching down into it, she felt something new.

Something that hadn’t been there before.

She reached for it like she would her Knowing, and it began to grow like a vine, spreading through her like wildfire, filling her from her fingertips to the soles of her feet. And she Knew.

It was her Gift.

It multiplied inside her, making her feel strong, powerful, and it pushed her to do…something. She wasn’t quite sure. But the pull of the power was alarming. She quickly felt lost to it and struggled to reign it back. She didn’t know what letting it grow would do.

Just as she felt a bolt of terror at her own lack of control, Heran gasped and withdrew her fingers from the water. The sudden change broke Ena’s concentration, and her Gift melted back down to where it had come from.

“ Visanis ,” Heran whispered.

Small gasps echoed around the circle, breaking the eerie silence that had governed her Coven up until now.

“W-what?” Ena asked, her eyes flying open to find Heran staring at her, her brow wrinkled with concern. “What’s that?”

“That’s your Gift. It is not…common among witches.” Heran was staring at her intently now, a cautious look on her face. “How did it feel, child?”

“It felt…overwhelming.” Ena struggled to put into words what she had felt when she touched her Gift. “It took over, like I was being swept away by the river’s current.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that. Visanis is a powerful Gift, and it can be dangerous. You will need to control it.”

“But what is it? What can it do?”

“It is a Power of the mind. It can…enforce your will, your desires upon another.”

“A Power of the mind? But I thought witches did not have those. Powers of the mind are given by…Iblis,” Ena said the last word quietly, almost a whisper. She was now acutely aware of the other members of the Coven fidgeting and looking around at one another cautiously.

“They are. Clearly, this is an exception. I will need to look into the Coven histories and commune with Gaia to understand this more,” Heran said, her brow wrinkling in thought.

“But for now, I encourage you to not draw on your Gift until we figure out why Gaia has given this to you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Heran,” Ena said obediently. If her Gift had Heran this concerned, maybe that was for the best.

“Good. Then the Summoning is complete. Blessed be, Ena.”

“Blessed be, Ena, daughter of Gaia,” the witches around her chanted.

The circle slowly dissolved around her as the witches pulled back their hoods and came forward to congratulate her.

The faces of those she’d known since her birth, lived with her whole life, for the first time were filled with a trepidation she had never seen before as they cautiously patted her arm or hugged her.

Some offered tentative smiles and encouragement, while others avoided her completely.

Summonings did not usually end on such a confusing note.

Eventually, she found herself face to face with Greya who, having discarded the bowl, brought her in for a tight hug.

“You did so well,” she said, smiling reassuringly.

“Thanks, I think,” Ena said warily.

“Don’t worry about all that at the end. It will sort itself out.

It’s an honor to be given a rare Gift. I should know,” Greya added jokingly, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“It just means your path to serving Gaia is unique. The important part is that Gaia found you worthy, and now you can fully join the Coven and follow your path. I’m so proud of you,” her sister said warmly, pulling her in for another hug.

And despite her own confusion, Ena did feel a little reassured.

“That psilovenom stings like a bitch, doesn’t it?”

Ena turned around to see Perse as he approached them. He smiled widely and gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder.

Ena laughed, feeling some of the tension drain out of her. “Absolutely.”

“I’m proud of you too,” he said, bringing her in for a hug of his own. Perse, as Greya’s betrothed, had always been like a big brother to her. His kind hazel eyes and joyful presence helped calm her nerves, too, but she was still unsettled.

Slowly, the witches began to filter out of the Grove and back towards their homes. Following Greya and Perse, Ena started down the path back towards the village.

She knew she should feel elated at having successfully completed the Summoning, but that same dread that had haunted her earlier in the day returned, only now it was worse.

She had a Gift, a rare one. But she couldn’t use it.

Her path was no clearer than it had been before.

Did that make her upset or…relieved? She wasn’t sure.

She turned around to look back at the empty clearing; the embers of the bonfire and a stain of blood on the ground were the only signs of activity that remained.

Then she turned to look into the forest. She could see only darkness, but her Knowing told her there was more there, so much more, just beyond her view.

It was as if that unknown called to her, urging her to come seek it out, the same way her Gift had urged her to use it.

As if it was telling her that this path, the one she walked back to her Coven, was not all there was.

But she didn’t know how to take that first step, or which direction to go.

So instead, she turned back and continued on the well-worn path to her village, following her sister.