Page 19 of Bewitched

“If your mother is a fae, does that mean that you and your brothers are, too?”

“I suppose it does, in a way.”

“What do you mean?”

“We are only half fae. Our father was a Sin Eater.”

“Can you please explain that to me? I have never heard of a Sin Eater before, and I’m afraid I just don’t understand it.” She looked back over her shoulder at him as they rode. The scent of wildflowers drifted on the breeze from her soft hair.

“A Sin Eater helps the dead by absorbing their sins.”

“Absorb? How? Why?”

“A Sin Eater eats bread and drinks ale or wine off of the chest of a corpse. My brother, Darium is a Sin Eater, just like our late father.”

“Oh my. That sounds horrible! Why would anyone purposely do that?”

“It is done at the request of the family of the dead one, or the King. The dead are all people who passed away suddenly and did not have a chance to confess their sins. Sin eating gives the dead a chance to go to The Haven in the afterlife.”

“Oh, I understand now. And The Haven is what we would call Heaven. Still, it all sounds so silly to me.” She turned around, no longer looking at him.

“Not any sillier than the rest of us in the family and what we do.”

“Really?” She looked back once again. “I know you have super strength and also the ability to heal yourself. Is that all?”

“It is, as far as I know.”

“What is it that your brother, Zann can do?”

“He... I’d rather let him tell you that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure you’d understand.”

“If you tell me, I promise to tell you what curse it is that my brother Hugh has.” She wasn’t going to stop talking, so Rhys just decided to go along with it. At least he could find out more about her family this way.

“Well, all right. Zann is a shapeshifter,” he told her.

“Really?” She got so excited, that she almost fell off the horse.

“Whoa, careful there.” He put both arms around her now.

“What can he shift into?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.

“Just a wolf.” He shrugged.

She started laughing.

“I don’t think it’s funny. I’m not sure why you do,” he said, not liking her reaction at all.

“I only laugh because my brother, Hugh’s curse is that he shapeshifts into a wolf. Actually, back home, everyone even calls him Wolf.”

Now it was Rhys’ turn to laugh. “I suppose I shouldn’t have been so hesitant to tell you. After all, you’re a witch. You can probably shapeshift, too.”

“Nay, I can’t. Or at least, I never have. However, my mother was a seasoned shapeshifter. She could turn into any animal, person, or even just objects, like a chair.”

“That’s amazing. She sounds intriguing. I’d like to know more about her.”