Eventually, she found herself face to face with Greya who, having discarded the bowl, brought her in for a tight hug.
“You did so well,” she said, smiling reassuringly.
“Thanks, I think,” Ena said warily.
“Don’t worry about all that at the end. It will sort itself out. It’s an honor to be given a rare Gift. I should know,” Greya added jokingly, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “It just means your path to serving Gaia is unique. The important part is that Gaia found you worthy, and now you can fully join the Coven and follow your path. I’m so proud of you,” her sister said warmly, pulling her in for another hug. And despite her own confusion, Ena did feel a little reassured.
“That psilovenom stings like a bitch, doesn’t it?”
Ena turned around to see Perse as he approached them. He smiled widely and gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder.
Ena laughed, feeling some of the tension drain out of her. “Absolutely.”
“I’m proud of you too,” he said, bringing her in for a hug of his own. Perse, as Greya’s betrothed, had always been like a bigbrother to her. His kind hazel eyes and joyful presence helped calm her nerves, too, but she was still unsettled.
Slowly, the witches began to filter out of the Grove and back towards their homes. Following Greya and Perse, Ena started down the path back towards the village.
She knew she should feel elated at having successfully completed the Summoning, but that same dread that had haunted her earlier in the day returned, only now it was worse. She had a Gift, a rare one. But she couldn’t use it. Her path was no clearer than it had been before. Did that make her upset or…relieved? She wasn’t sure.
She turned around to look back at the empty clearing; the embers of the bonfire and a stain of blood on the ground were the only signs of activity that remained. Then she turned to look into the forest. She could see only darkness, but her Knowing told her there was more there, so much more, just beyond her view.
It was as if that unknown called to her, urging her to come seek it out, the same way her Gift had urged her to use it. As if it was telling her that this path, the one she walked back to her Coven, was not all there was. But she didn’t know how to take that first step, or which direction to go. So instead, she turned back and continued on the well-worn path to her village, following her sister.
Chapter Three
Enaawokethenextmorning with the mother of all headaches. Head pounding, she sat up and reached for the cup of water on her bedside table, but it was empty. She was much too tired and in way too much pain to walk downstairs and get water from the cistern, so instead, she held the ceramic cup in two hands and reached down into her Knowing. She could feel the particles of water that surrounded her in the air, like tiny, invisible drops just waiting to be brought together, and she spoke.
{Aqus}
Slowly, the water condensated from the air, filling the cup. Once it was full, she brought it to her lips and downed the water in seconds. Feeling more hydrated, but slightly more tired from the use of her magic, she slowly got out of bed and trudged downstairs to the kitchen, grabbing a large shawl to wrap herself in along the way.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Greya greeted. She was sitting at the large oak table that filled half of the room, a needle and thread in one hand and a black eye mask in the other. She placedher sewing project on the sturdy, knick- and dent-covered table as she looked up at Ena. Six simple oak chairs surrounded the table, all of them tucked in except for the one right next to Greya, as if she had been expecting Ena any second and had prepared it expressly for her. The smell of freshly baked biscuits filled the warm air, but Ena’s stomach was currently immune to their charms.
“Mmhmm,” Ena grumbled in reply.
“The lingering effects of the psilovenom are no fun, huh? Remember after my Summoning? I threw up for hours the next day.”
“Don’t talk about throwing up,” Ena pleaded as her stomach turned at the thought.
Greya laughed. “Sorry. Here, I thought you might feel this way, so I made you some peppermint tea.”
Greya stood and walked to where a large black kettle sat on a small shelf built into the hearth. Grabbing a simple mug, she poured Ena a cup of the fragrant peppermint tea and handed it to her.
“Thanks.”
Grabbing the cup and breathing in the warm steam, Ena took a cautious sip and felt her stomach begin to settle. She moved to sit down at the table in the chair Greya had set out for her. Grabbing a biscuit for herself, Greya joined her. Ena watched silently as Greya grabbed the crock of butter and slathered it onto her biscuit, followed by a heaping dose of blackberry jam. The thought of eating anything right now was abhorrent, so Ena eyed her sister skeptically as she ate.
“That mask is beautiful,” Ena said, when she finally finished and went back to her sewing. The center of the mask had a sturdy piece of tan leather folded over the center to form the likeness of a beak, and Greya had intricately stitched white feathers around the eyeholes using silver thread to make it looklike the face of an atra owl. Greya had always loved the rare birds and certainly embodied their wise elegance. It was the perfect choice for her Samhain mask.
“Thank you,” Greya replied proudly. “Have you finished yours yet?”
“Not yet, but almost. I can’t believe Samhain is less than a fortnight away. I was so focused on surviving the Summoning, I almost forgot.”
“Is Cris coming this year?” Greya asked innocently, feigning intense focus on her mask.
“I’m not sure,” Ena replied cautiously, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading.
“You know, now that you’ve completed the Summoning, you’re free to handfast and start a family,” Greya said.
