The Coven's Sacred Oath

Chapter 3

I’m sitting in my room reading our grimoire, trying to see if there is anything in here about how to bring to surface any active powers. But everything I read is things I already know from my mom. Patience is key for this kind of thing. But damn, my shoulder hurts and it would be nice if I could at least heal myself. It’s been a few hours of reading through the grimoires before I give up. I need to eat something; all this reading and practicing has made me starved. I place the books on my nightstand and get up to leave. Dizziness takes over and I stumble and catch myself on the wall, the feeling I have had all morning and afternoon intensifies.

“Agnes! Agnes! Hurry! Come quick!” I hear shouting outside my window. I steady my breathing and the dizziness fades, the pit inside my stomach is lit up like a volcano ready to explode. I walk to my window and see two middle aged witches talking to my mother.

“She’s over here, and she is hurt badly.” I see them walk to the gates and move towards the forest.

Curiosity makes me want to follow them. “Meow” I hear my black cat down the stairs. She follows me just about anywhere. She’s my familiar, which is like a protector in the sorts. She warns me if there is evil around, but she mostly just sasses me and begs for food.

I walk past her and pet her head, I pour some food in her bowl and dart out the house. I walk through the gate and in the direction, I seen them head. The cloak on our coven shimmers as I walk through.

“Here, she’s over here.” I heard a voice say.

“What happened Darla? Oh my goddess, what in the world.” I hear my moms voice, shocked by whatever she is seeing. I move closer trying to be as quiet as I can, when I spot them up ahead. My mom is bent over someone and whispering something. I take a step and crack a twig under my shoes, I dart behind the nearest tree and hope nobody seen me. The whispering stopped and I wait a moment before I build up enough courage to peak again. They are working again, I see my mom rubbing herbs on this person, when she moves away, I cover my mouth and gasp. The woman she is helping is inured beyond anything I have ever seen. She has huge gashes in her neck and abdomen, blood pours from her eyes and mouth. She’s breathing but slow shallow breaths, I see her green orb dimming each time she struggles to breathe.

“We were out gathering herbs like you asked, and we stumbled across a small hut. We thought nothing of it and went about our business. When we got separated that’s when we heard her scream. We ran and found her but did not see what caused her injuries. She was mumbling but we could not make out what she was saying. We brought her back here as soon as we could. Do you think it could..”

“It’s possible. She has not been seen in almost 11 years, I thought she was dead. Do you see here, burn marks. A specifically arranged pattern I have only seen a handful of other times. We need to bring Merissa back to the coven, quickly. She will only be safe there if she has been in fact marked. You must have spooked her off when she heard you coming. Good job girls.”

My mother levitates her from the ground easily and moves her with them. Seemingly unbothered by it, the girl is still completely still. I follow them back to the coven and sneak in before the shimmer stops. They take her to the medical hut and I seal it off, but because I am my mother’s daughter I can get through the spell.

I feel a burning in me, I have sensed it since I laid eyes on Merissa’s injured body. Could it be my power? I feel myself gravitate towards her slowly, I see my mother and the other leave the tent going to get the witch doctor. I walk over to her, she is not much older than I. We were in the same school and she helped me with my herb potions. The burning intensifies and I reach out and touch her hand. I feel the fire burn through me and into her, like a warm bath soothing the skin. I look at her neck and see my magic heal her from the inside out, I feel all of her injuries and each one my magic heals. Slowly working it’s way through her, I can feel her become stronger, her breathing evening out. She no longer looks in pain, she looks peaceful.

“Clara! What are you doing in here!” My mother raises her voice as she sees me standing next to Merissa. She walks up to me and places her hand on my shoulder.

“Oh my goddess, Clara! Did you.. did you heal her? You did it? Oh my goddess this wound is perfectly healed. How! How did you tap into it?” She looks at me with a proud smile.

“I..I’m not sure. I followed you to the woods and when I seen her I felt a burning sensation.”

“You what? Why would you follow me, that was dangerous Clara. You cannot ever do that again!” she warns and then sighs.

“Continue.”

“I seen you come in here and it felt like I needed to be close to her, so I followed again. I’m sorry. Then when you left it was like my magic was calling out to her, so I went to her and touched her hand, it was like a burning but warm sensation flowing through me to her. I watched her heal, I could feel all her injuries and also feel when they were healed. Her breathing evened out right before you came in.” my mom looks at me with that proud mom look and hugs me tight.

“I’m so proud of you Clara, even if you did it going about it the wrong way, she will now live because of you. You need to rest though, that must have taken a lot of magic to heal her.” I notice then that my hands are shaking, and I feel faint. She helps me to a chair where I slump over, I feel my eyelids becoming heavy.

“It’s ok Clara, sleep for now. I will get you home, don’t worry.”

I drift off into a dreamlike state. The nightmare of my childhood replaying over and over in my head. Harper. Evil. Kills good witches. Harper. Evil. Kills good witches.