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She daily had to will herself from thinking like her mother. She loved her sisters more than anything. She was sitting in the woods now poring over her mother’s book, trying to find a cure for them, wasn’t she? Though something told her the cure was likely in her mother’s blood. But she couldn’t shut out her mother’s words warning her not to share it with her sisters. Warning her they would not like her if they could read her thoughts. She remembered her mother’s prediction that Gothel was meant to be alone. But how could that be? She would always have Jacob. She would always have the minions. And if she could help it, she would always have her sisters. Mother is the queen of lies. She and her sisters were meant to be together.
Sisters. Together. Forever. That was their vow. If I have to share Mother’s blood, then so be it!
Gothel slammed down her book, frustrated she had wasted the day trying to find a cure when she knew full well she would have to use her mother’s blood. She didn’t know how she knew; she just knew.
“You know because your mother’s blood flows through you like a current.”
Gothel looked up, startled. She quickly got to her feet and backed away from the three young women standing before her in the shadows of the dead weeping willows. They were wearing black dresses with elaborate brocade bodices stitched in silver. Their full skirts hit just below their knees and were trimmed with many layers of tiered lace, accenting their black-and-white striped stockings and shiny black pointed boots.
“Who in Hades are you and how did you get into my woods?” asked Gothel sternly.
“I am Lucinda, and these are my sisters Ruby and Martha. I’m sorry we frightened you,” one of them said with a sweet smile.
Gothel took in the odd young women. They were about the same age as Gothel and her sisters, maybe a year or two older, surely not in their twenties yet. They were identical in every way, including the way they were dressed. They all had long thick black hair that hung in soft waves to their shoulders. Their skin was pale and was beautifully contrasted by their dark eyes and red lips. There was something about the girls that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Of course we are familiar to you. We are all witches together,” said the girl who called herself Lucinda.
Mind readers! thought Gothel, feeling panicked.
“Yes, we can read your thoughts. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. But I promise we don’t mean you any harm. We’re here to help you, actually. We felt your magic in the world when you destroyed the queen of the dead, and we felt your distress. It reached well beyond the many kingdoms to our lands, and we couldn’t help coming to your aid. We want to help you heal your sisters.”
“Heal my sisters? How did you know?” asked Gothel. “Why would you want to do that for someone you don’t know?” She was not at all convinced the strange sisters were there to help.
“So many questions,” said Ruby, laughing.
“We are all witches together. We need to watch out for each other. Help each other,” said Lucinda.
“And what would you want in return?” asked Gothel, eyeing the sisters.
“We would like access to your mother’s books. We specifically would like to learn the arts of necromancy and the secrets of your ancestors’ long lives,” said Lucinda, smiling.
“You’re asking for quite a bit,” said Gothel.
“I’d say any price was worth saving your sisters,” said Martha, though it might have been any one of them saying it. Their voices were all the same.
Martha walked over to Gothel, offering her hand. “I promise you we are here to help. If you don’t want to share your mother’s books, we will still help you. It’s no matter to us. You asked what we would like, and that is what we would like. But it’s not a requirement. We will help you nevertheless.”
“Oh yes! We will help you no matter! I could never imagine what it would be like to lose my sisters. I promise we will do all we can to help you, Gothel,” said Lucinda.
“Yes! We promise!” said Ruby.
Gothel’s head spun as she listened to the sisters talk in succession. She didn’t know what to make of the girls. She had never met other witches before, aside from her own family, and she found it a bit overwhelming to meet so many at once. She realized then how very isolated she had been, living in her own world with no one but her family and minions.
“Wait! How did you get through the thicket?” asked Gothel, wondering how they had broken through her mother’s enchantment.
The odd sisters looked at each other. “We have our ways.”
Gothel was envious of the witches. They were clearly in possession of more magic than she could imagine or possibly wield.
“Do you think you could teach me how to use my magic?” Gothel asked.
The odd sisters laughed. “Of course we will, little witch. It would be our pleasure.” That filled Gothel’s heart with joy. She had finally found witches who could help her learn magic. Witches who promised to help her heal her sisters.
Gothel took Martha’s hand and then took Lucinda’s and Ruby’s, grasping them together in hers. “Would you like to join us for the longest night, and for the solstice? We are having a festival of lights.”
“The festival of lights in the dead woods? I don’t think that has ever happened in anyone’s lifetime. I wouldn’t want to miss that,” said Ruby.
“Of course we will join you for the solstice! It would be our honor!” said Lucinda.
