by J. M. Taylor
I walk for quite some time before I notice something red on the white ground. I bend down to examine it. It is blood. I look up and see another spot, and then another. I follow the trail, and when I begin to hear sounds coming from that direction, I start to run. Something in my bones tells me to be worried. A voice in my head urges me to hurry.
The blood stains are larger when I finally reach the end and find Flynn. He is still alive but injured, breathing rapidly and whimpering. I scoop him up into my arms and cradle him.
“Flynn, what has happened to you?”
Suddenly, it’s hard to breathe, and I can’t help but cry as I try to examine him. There isn’t any evidence of bite marks. He doesn’t appear to have been mauled. Under his ribs, the blood is warm on my hands. He cries out when I touch near it, so I rock him gently and try to comfort him. The cut looks clean and even. Maybe a sword? No, not deep enough. It must have been a knife. It is the only explanation, and the wound is fresh. This means someone is in the woods.
I turn to run with Flynn in my arms, back to the cave where my mother is cooking and laughing with Silas. I need to tell her. But I only manage a few feet before a fair-haired woman lands in front of me.
She is wrapped in a heavy shawl with a metal brooch pinned at her shoulder. The head of a wolf in front of a large round moon is etched into it. I recognize it immediately because my mother had a similar one on a chain she had worn around her neck for years after my birth. She had cried when she finally decided to remove it – the final act of separating herself from all she had ever known.
The sight of the woman is mesmerizing, a confirmation of sorts that my world is real, that everything I had ever been taught to fear is for a reason. After all these years, I am seeing a woman from my mother’s old coven for the first time. They have never gotten this close before.
I am so taken by her that I fail to see the bloody knife in her hand until it is almost too late. Flynn is still in my arms, so my movement is limited, but I manage a short burst of fire in the woman’s direction. She easily dodges it and makes her way toward me, a look of triumph in her eyes.
I must find somewhere to place Flynn. Glancing down at him, I can see the life fading from his eyes and my heart breaks. If I put him down, he might die alone. If he remains in my arms, we will both die.
I look up again, and the woman is closer. She is moving slowly, cautiously, but she is determined to kill me.
Panic rises in me as I try to back away, but I stumble and fall. Flynn lands on my chest, yelping from the pain it has caused him. My back hits the ground with a thud, sucking the air from my lungs. The woman hovers over me, and I know my death is imminent. She raises the knife and curses my mother’s name.
In one blurry instant, a shadow overcomes her, and she is gone.
My heart is pounding, but I can breathe again. I lift Flynn and place him carefully beside me. I make sure he is still alive before leaving him there and getting to my feet. A dull ache pushes across my back where I hit the ground. My head pounds. The earth feels uneasy beneath me. Everything I had eaten earlier returns as burning bile in my throat. My entire body shakes as I retch violently, emptying my stomach of its contents.
When I look up, I see Ronan in the distance. Surrounded by towering trees and clean, white snow, he is crouched over the now lifeless witch, devouring her shredded neck. Her shawl is in tatters by her side.
He sees me watching him and is horrified. Within an instant, he is standing before me, trying to comfort me. “I’m sorry you had to see that. You were in trouble. I only intended to stop her from hurting you, but once I tasted her blood, I was overcome with thirst. Forgive me.”
I’m watching him speak, ramble really, as he’s upset that I’ve seen him feeding, but I can only concentrate on the blood covering his lips and chin. He notices me staring and attempts to wipe it off.
I am still numb from everything that has happened, but I’ve not forgotten Flynn, my injured friend. “I need to get him to my mother. She has magic that will save him, but only if he’s still alive by the time she sees him. And I need to warn her about the coven.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ronan declares.
“No, you move faster than I ever could. Please, take Flynn to my mother and warn her – tell her the coven has found us. I will follow as quickly as I can.”
“What if she isn’t the only one in the woods? What if the entire coven is out there somewhere?”
“I’ll be prepared this time. I promise. I can look after myself,” I assure him. “Please, go. Save Flynn and warn my mother.”
I am hesitant to hand over Flynn. He is covered in blood, and I’m afraid this will be a temptation for Ronan. But Ronan assures me that the witch’s blood was more than enough to sustain him. He will not be tempted. Flynn will be safe. I rub the fur behind Flynn’s black ear and beg him not to die before he vanishes into the woods in Ronan’s arms.
The woods are silent again. The snow has stopped falling. Heat charges beneath my skin and pulses at my fingertips. I move swiftly but with purpose, listening and watching. A small bird dashes from a treetop, and a branch cracks. I hide behind a tree and wait.
Another witch emerges, her dark hair flowing down the back of her gray cloak that is fastened by the coven’s crest at her neck. She is brandishing a sword and walking slowly in my direction.
“I know you are there,” she calls out. “My little titmouse has already spotted you.”
Continuing to hide seems ridiculous. She knows I am here. Taking a deep breath, I walk into the open and face her. We are still several feet apart when she stops. The titmouse lands on her shoulder and chirps. She kisses its beak and then sends it away.
“There’s no reason to run. We have already found you and your mother. Thayna is not far behind with the rest of the coven. It is time for your mother to pay for her crime.”
“My mother did not commit a crime against the coven. I am not the daughter of a man. She broke no laws.” Saying it empowers me. I feel stronger than ever before. I am right. My mother is right. They are the ones who have been wrong all this time. Justice will prevail.
The dark-haired witch is not convinced. “You say your mother is not guilty, and yet you stand before me as evidence of her crime.”
“No, I stand before you as the daughter of my mother Clara, member of your coven, and my father Silas, a son of Lilith once welcome in the coven’s lair, a guest of Ravenwood.”
“That’s not possible,” she speaks firmly like she believes her words, but she stops moving toward me.
“As you said, I stand here as evidence,” I say to her. “Just not the evidence of Thayna’s accusations.”
She waits and watches me as I try to convince her that I speak the truth. “This is not a trick. Come closer and see for yourself.”
Beneath my skin, the fire burns, ready for me to wield it. The woman walks closer to me and says, “I do not believe it.” She sounds less confident now, but I’m not willing to let down my guard. I lift my hands and prepare to surround her in fire.
“Stop,” she says, laying down her sword. “Let me look at you. I will not harm you. You have my word on the Wolf Moon, my word as a witch of Ravenwood.”
I allow her to come close enough to see me clearly, but I maintain my defensive stance just in case she makes any move to attack me.
“I can’t believe what I am seeing. Your eyes – they are so light.”
“I told you; I have my father’s eyes. The eyes of Silas. You knew him once, did you not?”
“Yes, I knew him well. He was a friend of ours many years ago.” She comes closer, never looking away from my eyes. “You have the eyes of your father. The eyes of Silas. There are no others like them. You must be his daughter.” She holds out her hands in friendship and says, “My name is Myrna. I knew your mother well and once loved her with all my heart. The coven needs to know the truth; they deserve to know the truth. I will speak to Thayna before this goes any further.”
&n
bsp; She summons her titmouse, kisses its tiny head, and sends it to find Thayna and the others.
“Have no fear,” she says to me. “Titan will warn her that I have news and return to us quickly.”
“Were you sent as scouts?” I ask. “You and the other woman, the one with fair hair? Were you sent to find us before the others? Or is everyone from the coven already here?”
“The coven is not far behind us. Luna found you days ago and we’ve been following closely ever since.”
Had it not been for Silas encouraging my mother to tell me more about what happened all those years ago, I wouldn’t know who Luna was, but I know now. She’s my mother’s wolf. But why would Luna lead them to my mother? Why wasn’t she still my mother’s familiar? I won’t ask Myrna to explain. I’ll ask my mother when I see her.
Myrna is still talking. She says, “We are camped not far from here, but the coven will be on the move again. The Wolf Moon is rising as we speak and will shine through tomorrow night before descending. There will be no sunrise in the morning, and Thayna’s powers are now greater than they have ever been. She plans to take advantage of this.”
I stand here astonished by this news. The moon will not make way for the sun tomorrow. The Wolf Moon will stay in the sky throughout the day. My mother and I knew nothing of this strange occurrence. We had no warning, and I realize just how close we have come to death.
I speak openly, the words pouring out of me. There is something about Myrna that I trust, and I can’t seem to rid myself of the terrible feeling that Thayna might decide to attack us anyway. “Even if my mother and I leave now, it won’t matter. You have already found us. Thayna knows where we are and has time to kill us if she wishes. Can you stop her? Will telling her about Silas clear my mother’s name and allow her back into the coven?”
Myrna hears the anxiousness in my voice and reassures me. “Yes, I will tell her. Bring your mother to the silver stream that cuts through the forest to the east. It’s time for you to meet your coven. It is your right. You should be one of us now,” she speaks in a lifted voice. She is pleased. “I am looking forward to seeing your mother again. I have missed her. Too long has our coven been broken; too long have we lived in mistrust of one another. It’s time for us to be a true coven again, sisters one and all.”
She searches the sky for her titmouse Titan, but he hasn’t returned yet. He should be back by now with the location of Thayna, but Myrna tries to hide her concern. “I don’t know where he could be, but I’m sure he’s fine. I will find the coven myself. They will be heading for your camp. If Titan didn’t reach Thayna, she may have decided to move ahead with some of her closest allies. I recommend you make your way back to your mother as quickly as possible.”
I look toward the mountain peak where our cave sits as though it has been carved out just for us. My mother is there, and I can only hope Ronan has already warned her.
“You mustn’t worry. Once the coven knows the truth, you will be safe. They will embrace you.”
Myrna’s smile is sincere and comforting. She looks to the sky again before bidding me farewell. There is still no sign of Titan. She takes off into the woods, her sword sheathed at her side, eager to share the news she has learned with Thayna and the coven.
“Go to your mother,” she calls out, turning to look at me one last time. “Tell her the good news. Tonight, our coven will be whole again.”
IV
I am running, running as fast as I can through the woods. Any apprehension I carry is buried far beneath the excitement and relief I feel. We are finally free. The coven will know the truth. My mother will be vindicated.
Night has settled in the woods, and the snow glistens under the dazzling Wolf Moon. It is large and round and beautiful, and for the first time in my life, I don’t dread it.
My heart is so happy I don’t think to take any further precautions. I run through the forest and burst into the opening near our cave where I last saw my mother. I half expect to see her standing there, still kissing Silas.
But Silas isn’t there. Only my mother and she is no longer standing. She is on her knees gasping for air.
A woman with pin-straight golden hair down to her waist is standing over her. I have never seen Thayna before, but I know it is her. She is frighteningly beautiful, just as my mother had described her, and standing nearby, a large white wolf, her eyes glowing blue, like the stone around Thayna’s neck. It’s the stone my mother talked about – the Unakye stone, the one Thayna took from her.
My mother gasps and I watch helplessly as she tries to speak to me. Her eyes are frantic, and her pale lips move but there is no sound other than her choking for air.
Thayna isn’t touching her, but she is forcing the air from her lungs, nonetheless. She releases her only when she notices me. I have naively stumbled upon her long-awaited moment of judgment.
“What is she doing here?” Thayna asks, but none of the women with her respond. “She should already be prepared for the sacrifice.”
“Allow me,” a woman finally says. She is thin, her skin stretched over sharp bones. “It is my pleasure to serve you.”
“No, I will take care of the girl myself.” Thayna is dismissive. “But Lisbeth and Myrna have failed me. Find them.”
My mother breathes deeply. She is in pain, but alive, and the color slowly returns to her face. Thayna notices and gives orders for the women to bind her and then turns her attention to me again.
“We will sacrifice the girl first,” she says. “Her mother should watch.”
Thayna is staring into my eyes as she approaches, and I see from the expression on her face that she recognizes them, the eyes of Silas, my father. She knows who I am and who my father must be. I am no daughter of a human. My father is a son of Lilith, a descendant of those who dwell in the night.
I wonder where Silas could be. Why isn’t he here defending my mother? Has he abandoned us again?
Thayna is still walking toward me. My hands are trembling, cold and useless. I can’t even summon my power. There is no fire beneath my skin. I think I’m going to be sick. The time for my death has come, and so I try to prepare myself. I want to be brave.
“I thought you would be powerful, but I can see that you are not.” Thayna laughs.
Her eyes are turning the color of the blue stone, and I know she is using it against me. It’s cooling the fire within me, preventing me from defending myself. I wonder if she has used it on my mother or if my mother just isn’t strong enough to stand against her with the Wolf Moon in the sky.
Thayna raises her arms and unfolds her hands, and I know it is the end, but I am saved when a loud crackling sound booms from behind Thayna, like a crash of lightning burning its way through a tree. Three women from the coven are thrown through the air. The thin one with stretched skin hits the rocks on the side of the mountain before falling to the ground. The other two tumble down branches of giant trees, their bodies smashing against the cold, hard limbs, barren but for a heavy dusting of snow.
Thayna barely has a chance to turn around before her feet are swept out beneath her. Her head hits a rock and splits open enough to bleed. She is furious. A member from the coven tries to help her up, but Thayna screams and sends the witch tumbling backward.
The witches murmur to each other. It is the first time they have seen Thayna commit such a brazen act against one of their own. They are questioning her authority and their allegiance to her. Their devotion is waning.
The stone around Thayna’s neck brightens with her anger, and the white wolf moves to her side. It is almost as if the stone commands Luna to do so.
My mother is on her feet. She has somehow regained her strength and appears ready to fight. I have never seen her like this. Her eyes are dark, her skin translucent, and with a flip of her wrist, Thayna falls on her back again.
Thayna is furious. She rises and says, “You can’t defeat me, not now. The Wolf Moon hangs in the sky. My time has come.”
She waves her a
rm, and my mother once again falls to her knees.
I am no longer under Thayna’s spell, and my fire has returned. It boils beneath my skin and rages through my veins. I summon as much as I can and hurl it at her. Her cloak catches fire, but she calmly removes it and tosses it aside, never taking her eyes from my mother, who is on the ground gasping for air again.
Thayna stands over her. “You foolish witch. Our coven is strong, and it will be even stronger once you and your half-human child are dead.”
Myrna is not here. Silas and Ronan are nowhere in sight. There is no one to speak for my mother but me. The coven needs to know the truth, so they can stop Thayna before she kills my mother. I will have to tell them myself and hope they believe me.
I clear my throat and ask for their attention. “You must listen to me. I am not what you think I am. My mother is not guilty of breaking any coven laws. I am the daughter of-.”
Before I can say another word, a sharp pain wraps around my throat like a burning rope. I can’t take air into my lungs. I pull at my clothes and struggle to breathe, but it is no use. I see the horror on my mother’s face as she begs for my life, but then the light around her fades, and I begin to slip away.
But in the darkness, I see the shimmer of a blade.
Myrna emerges beside me; her sword is drawn. “Let her go,” she says to Thayna. “She is not the daughter of a man. We have no reason to quarrel with them.”
Thayna releases me from her sorcery, and frigid air finally fills my lungs. It burns, but I am glad to be alive. I rub my throat and concentrate on breathing again.
Myrna is beside me, standing tall and strong. Beneath her cloak, she wears metal armor over leather clothing, and I realize she is much more than a scout. She is a warrior witch. She places her hand on my shoulder and smiles down at me before twirling her sword and marching for Thayna. Behind her, the remaining members of the coven make their way into the clearing, many dressed for battle. There must be at least twenty or more of them, greater in number than Thayna’s surviving dozen.