The Goddess's Chosen

Lost Son

Whitlock. The name bouncing around in my head for a moment. He looked relatively young to be a witch hunter. “How old are you?” I blurted out. Trying to make sense of the last name. “19” he said calmly. 19....that is how old Selene’s son would be. He does look like her a bit, same eyes, and maybe the same nose, but it has been so long since I have seen her. Whitlock also wasn’t a very common name, and it would be the biggest coincidence if he just so happened to be a Whitlock, 19 years old, and resembled Selene and not be her son. But it did not make sense. If his mother was a witch, why is he a witch hunter. I know he was young when his father took him, but why would his father be a witch hunter after being married to a witch and k********g her child? “Who is your mother?” I asked, needing to find out if he really is her son. Gabriel huffs. “Your kind killed her when I was a baby. My father barely escaped alive.” He sneered and spit on the floor. His father must have lied to him. We never would attack mundanes, and I am pretty sure he isn’t even a mundane any way. “We don’t attack mundanes.” I said, matter-of-factly, earning an eyeroll from my guest. “Right, like I would believe your kind over my own.” he stated. My frustration and anger were growing. How can he be so daft? “What do you know, you’re so blinded by hatred that you’d kill an innocent witch just to sate your bloodthirst.” I said and walked out of the room. I needed to speak with the girls. Maybe we can come up with a spell, or a potion for him to tell us the whole story as I doubt that he will tell me willingly. He clearly holds a grudge against us because of his father’s lies. As I opened the door to our apartment, Clara, Rachelle and Ava all jumped up and rushed to my side. “Is he awake?” Ava asked. I nodded. “Did he tell you his name?” “who is he?” Clara and Rachelle added. I rubbed my face and ran my hands through my hair. “I think he is Selene’s son. He said his name is Gabriel Whitlock...” I said, and Ava and Rachelle's hands flew to their mouths simultaneously. I walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of root beer and leaned against the counter. “Well, what all did he say? That was Selene’s son name, I remember our mother and talking about it, being as unusual as it is for a witch to give birth to a boy.” Ava said, and Rachelle nodded in agreement. “He said our kind killed his mother and his father barely escaped with him.” I said, taking a sip of my pop. I loved the way the carbonation tickled my mouth as I took a sip. It is not often I drink pop, but I always had a soft spot for root beer, it was my favorite. “That doesn’t make any sense.” Clara says, “why would he say that?” I shrug. “Best I can guess is his father ran off to join the witch hunters and brought his son along and fed him lies. He hates our kind...his own kind, and he doesn’t even know who is really is.” I say, feeling a pang of sadness for him. He doesn’t know who he really is, I cannot imagine anything worse. I got to grow up and practice my craft before my powers came to me, but he never had that chance. Do males witches even have powers. I wished that there was an elder I could speak with. “Hello, earth to Cas...” Clara was waving her hand in front of my face, bringing me back to the current situation. “Sorry, I was just thinking.” I mumbled. Clara nodded, this was a strange situation and they all looked up to me to figure out what to do. I never had any proper high priestess training; I don’t know how to handle these situations. “I was wondering if there was a potion, or a spell that we could use to see into his mind. To see if we can see all of what he knows, I will give him another chance to open up, but he hates us. I don’t think he will give us any more information willingly.” I said, taking another sip from my can. My three companions look between each other. “There may be something.” Clara said. “I remember my mom talking about a potion that could allow someone to see inside of another's mind, but they had to both drink it and lie next to each other and have their hands tethered together with hemp and bird feather.” she said, clearly trying to remember more details. “We can look through some of the books, I think I saw a library when we first got here, you can go try to talk to him again while we look.” Rachelle offered. I nodded, gulping down the last of my pop, and setting the empty can in the sink.  

     The three of them went to search the library, while I quickly made a roast beef sandwich with mayonnaise and pepper for Gabriel. I grabbed a can of cola and brought it over to the room he was in. When I walked into his room, he was staring at this ceiling and counting down from ten. “I thought you may be hungry, so I brought you a sandwich.” I said, standing beside the bed. “I don’t want it.” He said, just before his stomach let out a low rumble. “Sure, you don’t, here.” I said, untying one of his hands. Gabriel gave me a look of apprehension. “Why are you untying me, aren’t you scared I’ll hurt you?” he asked. I shook my head. “Not really, I am gaining control of my powers, I could knock you back if need be. Plus, I don’t want to feed you.” I said, untying his feet so he could sit up. He sits up, slightly stretching his back. I handed him the sandwich and the unopened can of cola. “Its not poisoned or enchanted, if that is what you’re thinking. I want answers, but I want them willingly.” I said, pulling a chair beside the bed. He grunted, or laughed, but I couldn’t tell which. I sat there for a minute while he ate his lunch and drank his pop. Once he was finished, I set it on the floor beside me and leaned forward, with my elbows on my knees. “How long have you been hunting witches?” I asked. He eyed me suspiciously before answering, “not long, you were my first target.” He said. “I have trained my whole life, but my father finally let me out into the field.” I nod. “Your men killed my entire coven, save for me and my three sisters.” I said, bowing my head, thinking about my mother. “They killed my mother, burned our village to the ground.” I say without looking up at him. “You call us the monsters, but my coven has never lifted a finger against anyone, and you slaughtered them.” I say quietly as tears roll freely down my face. Gabriel let out a laugh. “Your coven killed my mother.” He said. I shook my head. “No. I am sure I know who your mother is, Selene, right?” I asked, and the look on his face confirmed my suspicions. “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK HER NAME, YOU FILTHY WITCH!” he shouted at me. I sat up, unbothered by his shouting. “Your mother, Selene Whitlock, high priestess of a neighboring village, took her life ten years ago because her husband took her little boy when he was a baby. She searched for you every day for eight years. Her magic turned wild, and she came to my mother for help.” I say, now standing. “YOUR FATHER KILLED YOU BY TAKING HER, NOT MY PEOPLE!” I shouted at him. “Lies from a witch. All your kind does is lie.” he said. “My mother was a human, and your coven attacked our home because learned something that she shouldn’t have.” he said. It was my turn to laugh. “There is a potion that allows us to see into each other's dreams.” I say, pacing the room. “You can see that I speak the tr...” “NO!” he shouts. “I will NOT take any of your potions so that you can brainwash me into betraying my father!” he said, reaching for the last strand of fabric tying him in place. I stretched out my hand and willed the nature sprite to make vines grow from the head and foot board posts and tie his free hand and feet back down. Thankfully she came through and did it for me, though she did not appear. “What the hell?” Gabriel mumbled while fighting against the vines now constricting his movements. “I told you I would do knock you back if I had to.” I said. “I do not want to hurt you; I want to know the truth.” I said, trying to gain his trust is the only way to get him to agree to the potion. “If my coven was responsible for your mother's death, and they covered it up, I want to know about it.” I said, once again taking my seat beside the bed. He stopped fighting and looked at me cautiously. ”You expect me to trust you?” he snarled. I shook my head no, “no more than I trust you, but I want to know what happened, don’t you?” I asked. He looked up to the ceiling, clearly contemplating my offer. “If you are not a witch, the potion won’t work any ways.” I say, leaning forward again. This catches his attention, as he turns his head back towards me. “And if it does work, my mother was a witch and my whole life was a lie.” He says, more of a statement than a question. I nod in response. Truthfully, I didn’t know if it would work if he was a witch or not, I took a gamble, and it seemed to work. “Fine.” was all he said to me. “I’ll drink your stupid potion, when it doesn’t work, you will know the truth.” he said, lying his head back and drawing his eyes to the ceiling once more, counting backwards from ten. “Why do you do that?” I ask. “It helps with anxiety. My father told me that when I feel anxious, and like I am getting upset, count down from ten as many times as it takes to calm down.” he said, not looking away from the ceiling, then continued counting from where he left off. I nod and bend down to grab the plate and can that I set on the floor. “I will see about this potion, and I will be back.” I said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind me.  

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     I got back to the apartment and washed the dishes and rinsed out the cans and sat on the couch waiting for them to get back. I laid my head on the arm of the couch and allowed my eyes to close. I must have fallen asleep because I jumped with a start when the three of them flung the apartment door open and yelled for me. “I’m here, I’m here.” I said raising my right arm, and slowly sat up. “We found it!” Clara rushed to the couch and sat beside me clutching an old looking tome to her chest. “That library was amazing!” Rachelle said, flopping down in one of the armchairs. Ava came in a moment later, holding a bottle of water. We sat there discussing the potion and what we would need to make it. There was a lot of herbs that I had not heard of before, but again, potions were not my strong suit. Clara and Rachelle seemed to understand the potion, what was in it and how to make it. It would only take a couple of hours, and they could grow everything they needed between the two of them. Once we had a plan and they began making the potion, I had gone over everything that I had learned from Gabriel when I brought him his lunch. I was met with anger and confusion, making all of us anxious to know his side of things. “You were right about it not working if he isn’t a witch thing, by the way.” Clara mentioned as we sat in silence, digesting all the information. Good, I thought, at least I didn’t actually lie to him. My thoughts shocked me. Why do I care if I lie to him or not? He tried to kidnap or kill me, then again, he doesn’t know the truth, only what his father told him.  

     After a few hours later, Clara and Rachelle came to me holding two identical beakers with a vile smelling, brown potion. “Before you ask, yes, it is right, no we cannot change the smell, and I hope it tastes better than it looks.” Rachelle said, as they handed me the potions. Ava came to me, holding the hemp and feather braided rope that we need to tether our hands together. No going back now, I thought, as I walked to Gabriels room with my companions behind me. Time to show him the truth. “Gabriel, are you awake?” I ask, as Clara opens the door for me as my hands are occupied. He grunts an answer and I set the beakers on the nearby table and turn the lights on. “What stinks?” he asks. “Our delightful drink.” I say as I untangle his right hand from the vine, I had wrapped around them earlier. “Oh good.” he mumbles, and I urge him to scootch over. “We have to drink and lie down. Ava will tether our hands together with this rope, and if it works, you will know the truth, and if it doesn’t, we will.” I say, making it sound way simpler than I expected it to be. Clara brings the beakers over that I had forgotten on the table, and hands one to me and one to Gabriel. I raise mine up, like a cheers, before throwing my head back and gulping it down in one go. It was as putrid as it smelled. Like dirty bog water and feet. I gagged as the thick, luke-warm liquid slid down my throat. I heard Gabriel gagging beside me and we handed our beakers back to Clara as Ava came over and tethered our hands together while reciting a prayer to Hecate. “O goddess, protect these witches, your daughter and son, as they travel the dream road together. Show them the truth and enlighten their spirits. I pray to you, o Hecate.” As she finishes the prayer, she finishes tying our hands. “Good luck.” she said and rubbed my shoulder. I adjust to a more comfortable position beside Gabriel as I can feel my eyelids growing heavier and heavier.  

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“Where the hell are we?” Gabriels voice makes me open my eyes. We are in an open field, one I recognized from my village. It worked. He is a witch. I thought to myself. I sat up and looked for Gabriel. He is already walking around, now dressed, unlike his physical body back in the apartment, looking wildly at everything. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?” he screams, rushing over to me and yanking me up from my sitting position. “It worked...” I said, and his releases his hold on me, backing away. “This is a field near my village.” I say walking around, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze. It had to be close to fall, because while the sun was warming, the wind was cool, and the smell of decaying leaves filled the air, the long, golden colored grass blowing in the breeze. I turned to Gabriel; he was looking at his hands in disbelief. Suddenly I had the urge to walk in the direction that I knew my village to be in. “Come on, follow me.” I said to Gabriel, and I put my hand on his arm and turned him in the direction I wanted to walk. We walked in silence for about ten minutes, before he turned to me. “You are sure that this would not have worked if I was not a witch...” he asked, not looking away from his hands. I nod my head yes. “Yeah, Clara even verified for me.” I said, glancing over at him. He was a handsome man when he wasn’t being a hostile jerk. His dark hair, long enough to blow in the breeze, but not going past his eyes, his squared jaw and 5 o’clock shadow just added to his attractiveness. In any other situation I would probably have drooled over him, but this was important, and I could not allow myself to have those kinds of thoughts. After another few minutes, we walked into the bustling square of my village. I could tell it was my village, but it looked...newer, and I knew this had to be roughly 18 years ago, as I don’t think we could go farther back than how old I was, as I would not have had those memories. As we walked through the town, no one seemed to notice our presence. Following my gut, we arrived at my house. I saw my mother through the window, she looked a lot younger, but still as beautiful as the last time I saw her. I froze in my tracks, and Gabriel stopped beside me. “Your mother?” He asked, following my gaze. I nodded. Shaking off the sudden sadness I felt, I continued farther. We walked into the house and I walked towards the kitchen where I had seen my mother. The house was clean, and there were no pictures of me and my mother, which made sense, because when we walked into the kitchen, I could see my mother's full body and she was very, very pregnant. She was pouring tea for a woman sitting at the counter, cradling a baby. We walked around and I could recognize the woman as Selene. Gabriel rushed over to her and I went to stop him but he stopped beside her and she did not even notice. “MOM?” he yelled, waving his hand in front of her face. “MOM?!?” he yelled again. “She cannot hear you, my son.” A soft feminine voice with a thick Greek accent came from the hallway. I knew it was Hecate before I turned around. “Goddess.” I say, bowing my head. She was gorgeous, wearing a long flowing black gown that seemingly had stars sewn into the fabric that shone every time she moved. Gabriel looks stunned. “Goddess?” he questioned. Hecate nodded. “Yes, my son. You are special. One of my exceedingly rare, very few sons.” she said, as she walked, no, glided over to him. He backed away cautiously. “What is this?” he muttered, looking over to me. “She will not harm you, Gabriel. She is our goddess, the mother of all witches, and we are her children.” I said, turning to look at him. “Your mother was a very powerful witch, Gabriel.” Hecate said, walking over to Selene who was now bouncing baby Gabriel gently in her arms. “What Cassandra said is true. Your father stole you from her when you were only a year old.” She said, reaching her hand out and stroking Selene’s hair. Selene seemed to notice this, as she stopped bouncing the baby for the briefest moment, then continued. “Your father knew what he was doing. He wanted to steal you away because he knew how powerful you would become, especially if you had met with the girl from my prophecy.” Hecate glanced at me, smiling sadly. Gabriel looked from her to me, confusion apparent on his face. “Why would he do that?” he asked. Hecate shook her head, “only he knows his intentions, maybe he thought that the prophecy would not come true if my son and daughter never met. Maybe he thought he could train you to hate us, your true family, enough to kill your other half.” Now she was walking towards my mother. “Two of my most special daughters, killed because of your fathers greedy and selfish actions.” Hecate was growing angrier and her voice made the house rumble. Both women looked around, still not seeing us but they can sense something had just happened. “You need to understand, Gabriel, we are not your enemy. We are family. I know some of my children have chosen darker paths, but they can be saved. They choose not to listen to me anymore, but they will listen to you. You two together will start revolutions. Bringing my children together. Witch hunters are hateful, they despise us because they cannot understand our power. They steal our potions, learn our spells, but they do not have our power.” Hecate's voice was growing desperate. She clearly wanted Gabriel to see our side, to let go of the hate he has harbored for our kind for so long. “Cassandra, Clara, Ava, and Rachelle can help you understand your powers, help you find them, hone them and master them.” now she turns to me. “Cassandra, you are a high priestess by blood, my blood. Please, on the next full moon, please oversee his ascension. His gifts are waiting to be unlocked.” turning back to Gabriel, something catches her eye and she glides over to him and pulls a necklace from under his shirt. “THIS?” she bellows, and ripped the necklace from his neck. “HEY?” he yelled reaching for the necklace. “This is to block your powers, who gave this to you?” she questioned, tightening her grip on the necklace. “My father gave it to me, said it was passed down through the generations in his family, it's an old family heirloom.”  Gabriel said, giving up trying to take the necklace from Hecate. “This was used to bind my powers for centuries, it made me weak, practically a mortal.” she said, her anger growing once more. “When you awake, this will be gone, and you may feel dizzy as your powers surge to you, just because you haven't found out what they are, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I must go, and so must you. Take care my children, I will be seeing you again very soon.” she promises, and then disappears.