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I tensed in my chair. “The Imperium Council chose to control the way we worshiped, in order to control our people. They’ve been playing this card for a long time, convincing the coven they’re doing this for our benefit. We thought the Imperium Council we’re facing now was the worst, but they’ve been doing this for all of history.”
Beau frowned. “I do not put my trust in the Imperium Council of our modern day, but I do believe the council did what they had to back then in order to keep our people safe, even at the cost of our culture. You must understand the extent of the witch trials back then. Mother Miriam settled in what is now Germany with her children in the 1300s. The coven grew their numbers there, and witch families spread across Europe until the 1600s, when the worst of the Würzburg witch trials were taking place in what is now Germany. It was one of the biggest mass extinction of witches in known history. Over nine-hundred people died as a result of these trials. The Miriamic people were forced to gather anyone they could and migrate to America. Anyone who stayed in Europe was killed at the stake.”
Lucas’s hands curled into fists. “Regardless of their intentions, it’s still wrong, because it wiped out our cultural identity. Our cultural practices and knowledge were stolen from us.”
“That’s why we adopted our ceremonies from ancient open practices, like Samhain and Yule, that pre-date the coven,” I realized. “We were never able to develop a unique culture, because it would be stripped from us if we did. It’s a miracle we managed to hold on to these pagan rituals at all, even if they aren’t completely ours.”
“It is wrong,” Beau agreed. “But sometimes, people are not given a choice. Tension grew when the witches petitioned to join the first iteration of the United Supernatural Union, before the Great Supernatural War eighty years ago. The angels and the fae objected, and the witches had to water down their culture further so the angels wouldn’t slaughter them. The angels had already stolen pieces of our culture to get us to convert. They made Santos out to be a devil in their lore, in order to demonize him and make us abandon our god. Ultimately, we were able to hold on to our deities, and a few pagan rituals, but many of our other cultural practices died.”
“It’s clear there’s much that needs to change,” I stated. “We will win our war against the priestesses, and we will make sure the coven knows of this history. We will bring back the old practices we lost.”
Lucas held up his white sage bundle. “In the meantime, should I return this bundle to the Hawkei?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana. “As long as you commit to sourcing your herbs ethically, that is all we ask. We have traded sage with your people in the past, but our war is over, and things are changing. The witches must be more careful about their religious practices if they hope to mend relations with the Elementai—especially after the witches sold us the Omnimotus curse that infected our Familiars, started a pandemic in the tribe and killed many people several years ago.”
“We’ve heard of the curse, but what was it exactly?” Lucas asked.
“The Omnimotus curse was a horrific spell from the Miriamic Coven purchased by members of a Hawkei resistance party, intended to target the Familiars of powerful Elders to overthrow them,” Luana explained, while her father interpreted aloud. “It is a spell used in war that doesn’t affect other witches but can harm other magical races. It takes a strong witch or warlock to cast the curse—not just anyone can do it. If cast properly, it causes another’s magic to turn inward and become deadly. It acts as a viral disease and can spread to members of the same magical species. Since Elementai magic is drawn from our Familiars, the curse was designed to target our magical creatures, which in turn killed the Elementai they were bonded with when the creatures perished. Luckily, we were able to eradicate the plague, though not before it claimed many lives.”
My heart sank deeper the more she explained. “Who would sell you such an awful thing?”
I was horrified that anyone from my coven would harm another community like this, only I could think of several people who would sell a curse in a heartbeat and not think twice about it.
“Priestess Stella was trading with the Hawkei—nightshade for unicorn hair,” Lucas pointed out. “I wouldn’t put it past her or any of the priestesses to strike a bargain for a curse like this. If it takes a powerful witch or warlock to cast, then Priestess Stella fits the bill. That must be how she got her hands on the unicorn hair in the first place to start nightshade production. Then once she had enough product, she turned to trading the nightshade itself.”
“This is wrong,” I insisted. “How many other people has our coven hurt? This needs to end.”
Luana looked at me when she signed. “You need to heal your people first, because you can’t do this alone,” Chief Cauac said.
Lucas shook his head in disbelief. “We have so much to learn, and we won’t let our coven continue to sit in the dark and act as if our actions don’t impact other people. Once this is over, we’re going to learn all we can about other cultures and share that knowledge with our people so we don't harm them again.”
“I agree,” I said. “We aren't our ancestors. We can’t undo the harm they've done. But we need to do better.”
Chief Cauac interpreted everything we said, and Luana signed back to me. “You can make reparations once your own people are united, because a divided tribe cannot help anyone, only cause harm. When the witches have come together as one, we can all contribute to the path of peace. Go to them. Find your Wands, and bring your coven back together.”
“We will,” I promised. “We don’t know how to thank any of you enough—Beau for your information about the Mortana Wand, Chief Cauac for welcoming us into this wonderful place, and you, Luana, for educating us. You’ve all been so kind.”
“We only want to help,” Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana.
Beau stood and reached out to shake my hand. “I’m glad all my research has finally culminated in something useful. I no longer wish to use the Mortana Wand for myself, so I’ve been more than happy to pass this information along to the two of you, as I trust you will use it for good. I hope that one day peace is restored and I can return to Octavia Falls to open my wand shop again.”
“We’ll do everything in our power to make that happen,” Lucas promised. He reached out to shake Beau’s hand, but Beau hesitated and reached into his pants pocket.
“Take this,” Beau offered, drawing out a clear cushion-cut gem. “I keep gemstones on my person at all times, as is the nature of a dragon shifter. It’s nothing valuable—just a simple quartz—but I’ve used my power on it, and the gem will help amplify your Mortana abilities.”
Lucas took the gemstone and couldn’t tear his gaze away from it. “Wow. Thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing,” Beau said with a wave of his hand. “I’m only happy to help.”
“I speak for myself now when I say that if we can be of any help, please let us know,” Chief Cauac offered as he stood. Luana signed something to him, and he added, “My daughter is a certified healer and a medicine woman. She works at the hospital in Hok’evale as a midwife. If you or any witch needs medical attention and can’t get it inside your coven, she is more than willing to help you get it here.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I told her. “We don’t currently have medical resources, so we’ll let you know if we have an emergency.”
“Nad…” Lucas gave me a pointed expression. “We have medical needs outside of emergencies.”
It felt like too much to ask. Ever since the kidney transplant, I’d been feeling much better, but I still had a host of meds I had to take—namely, immunosuppressants to prevent my body from rejecting Lucas’s kidney. I’d be on them the rest of my life.
My friends had been paying off a shady fae pharmacist in France near the borders of Malovia all summer to get my meds. It was cheaper than dialysis for sure, but my medication was eating into Grammy’s savings. I had a problem asking anyone for help with my health, but I promised Lucas I’d be more honest about it.
