AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And it’s a miracle that something hasn’t happened already to make her suspect the truth,” Rhi chimed in. Her voice shook with the tears welling in her eyes. “You’ve run out of road, Kerri. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s the truth. And now Wren deserves the truth, too.”
I watched as my mother’s resolve crumbled. She seemed to diminish in an instant, all the air and fight and anger whooshing out of her. She dropped her head into her hands. I held my breath, unwilling to push her now that it seemed she might finally give in. When she raised her head again, her face looked more tired and defeated than I’d ever seen it. It scared me, but the fear was pale and feeble compared to the burning curiosity that eclipsed it.
“Mom?” The word was an invitation that she finally accepted.
“Wren, our family—the Vespers—we’re witches.”
The words hung in the air between us, echoing in my brain, which refused to make sense of them.
“Witches,” I repeated weakly.
“That’s right.” She sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, resigned at last to letting it all come out. “For centuries, for as far back as our family history has been documented. When the Vespers settled in Sedgwick Cove, they did so because they were guided here, to a place where they could practice their craft safely.”
“But it wasn’t only that,” Rhi added, crossing over to us and coming to stand behind the bench. “Sedgwick Cove itself is a very special place, a place where natural energies surge and come together, where the veil between worlds is very thin. Practicing our craft here enhanced our abilities and strengthened our spells. Here we were more powerful. Here we could truly test the boundaries of our own capabilities.”
The words had a learned-by-heart sound to them, as though Asteria had whispered these very words into their ears as they lay their childish heads upon their pillows—a bedtime story that was at once legend, and truth.
And now Persi added her voice to the recitation. “And then others came, drawn by the same promise of power. Some came with good intentions, and others with dark. Ever since then, we have stayed here, to expand the light, and to banish the dark.”
“Witches?” I said again, because my brain couldn’t seem to process any other word but that one. “What… exactly does that mean?”
My mother looked too dejected to answer. Luckily, Rhi was there to help. “There are nearly as many traditions and ways to engage with witchcraft as there are witches in the world, so that’s not exactly an easy question to answer. Anyone can decide to take up a form of witchcraft, just as someone might decide to take up a hobby or convert to a new religion.”
“You make it sound like a fad,” I said.
“That’s because some people treat it like one,” Persi said disdainfully. “Anyone can cast a circle or complete a charm. But whether it will hold any power for them is an entirely different matter. Abilities and affinities matter, as does commitment to learning and growing. A witch may find herself to be powerful without a family history of magic, but it’s very unlikely. Mostly she’ll just wear dark eyeliner and start a TikTok for attention.”
“That’s not the kind of witchcraft you’re talking about in our family, though,” I said. “Nothing about what just happened here tonight was a social media trend. There’s no hashtag for that shit.”
Persi threw her head back and laughed. “Exactly. In our family, witchcraft means powerful hereditary magical abilities. The kind of abilities that will surface, whether you seek to develop them or not.”
“Wait so… does that mean that I have them, too?” I asked. I’d hoped to sound excited, but it came out a bit dubious.
“Undoubtedly,” Persi said.
“Probably,” Rhi added cautiously.
“Well, which one is it?” I asked. “Undoubtedly or probably?”
“Do we really need to get into all of this at three o’clock in the morning?” my mother mumbled into her hands.
“Of course we do! I just found out I might have, like, magical abilities! Do you really expect me to—”
But Rhi held up a hand, and there was a warning in her eyes even I couldn’t ignore in my excitement. “This will be a more fruitful conversation if we can have it in the morning, after everyone has gotten some rest and a little time to think,” she said. I wanted to argue with her, to say that no sane person could actually sleep after finding out something like this, but she threw me a look that was so pleading and earnest that my next question died on my tongue.
“I just… okay. Yeah, this can wait for the morning,” I said, more grudgingly perhaps than I’d ever uttered a sentence in my life. “But… I do have one last question.”
“Okay…” my mother said warily, with an expression on her face as though she expected me to strike her, instead of simply ask a question. I noted the expression, and tried to soften the question as much as I could, while still asking it.
“You said that Asteria sent a message—that you had to expand the protection to cover the whole garden. What did you need to protect us from?”
I didn’t imagine it. All three sisters traded a swift but significant look that communicated more than most people could have expressed out loud. It was Rhi who finally answered.
“You remember we told you that Sedgwick Cove is a special place—one in which magic has the potential to be more powerful?”
“Yeah.”
“Witches aren’t the only beings who want to take advantage of that. And so, we have to work our magic carefully, and protect ourselves. Creating a circle is like creating a door—anyone can walk through it if you aren’t vigilant.”
