“It’s a private and rather delicate manner,” Carol murmured.
She waved a hand. “Follow me.” She led us deep into the mansion, to a sunroom decorated in sunflowers. A bit on the nose, but okay. Everything was white, yellow, and blue, and the room looked out at a garden in the backyard. She gestured toward a small table. "Please, have a seat." She joined us, and a moment later Hildy appeared with a tea service.
When Hildy slipped out of the room, Khat poured us each a cup and handed them out. “Tell me, what's this private and delicate manner?”
Carol explained everything. From Alice’s vision to my dream, the trouble with the mother and child, the dwarves, and the gnomes. With each part of the story, Khat looked more and more troubled, until Carol finished with what happened with the older woman and her demand for my powers.
Hildy took a slow sip of her tea, and then her gaze locked with mine. “Since our last visit, my sisters and I've done some research into Karma and her powers. Do you know what we found?” She didn’t wait to answer. “Not much.” She must have seen my disappointment because she continued. “However, there's a spell we can do to try to see the truth of this woman’s words.”
My back stiffened. “Let’s do it. If you’re willing.”
She laughed. “Of course we’re willing. The last thing we need is some psychopath gaining powers as dangerous as yours.”
Setting down her cup of tea, she motioned for us to follow her. I placed my cup without ever having taken a sip. Tea seemed to be the thing these witches did with company.
“Hildy,” Khat said, “Tell Cleo, Sacha, and Orchid to join us in the backyard with the components for a truth spell.”
We followed her into the backyard, stopping in a clearing partially surrounded by the woods.
The clearing was lush and vibrant, and the surrounding trees provided a canopy of deep green. The sun shone through the branches, creating a dappled pattern on the ground. Wildflowers bloomed in all directions, their colors bright and inviting. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and sunshine.
A short time later, three women walked across the yard, looking about as different as I could imagine.
Cleo was an older woman with long yellow hair, glasses, and hippy outfit. She had a cheerful disposition and seemed to be high as a kite. It was clear that she was one of the more powerful members of the coven.
Sacha was young and had long black hair that she kept tied in a tight braid. She wore a leather jacket over a black dress and boots, giving off a rebellious vibe. Orchid was a curvy woman with bright pink hair and electric energy that emanated from her very being. She wore a flowy dress that hugged her curves in all the right places.
The four of them set up a circle of stones in the clearing and set four orange candles in the center.
Cleo stared at me behind her giant glasses and then walked straight to me, destroying my personal bubble, and placed her hands on my cheeks. I looked at Carol for help, only able to move my eyes as the woman squeezed my face, but then jerked my gaze back to Cleo as she spoke. “You have such power, but sadness too. Don’t ignore the sadness, great one, because sadness isn't a bad thing. It is emotion, like happiness, and gratitude, and shouldn't be ignored.”
Okay… “Uh, thank you.”
“Ignore her,” Sacha said, her monotone words making me uneasy. “She doesn’t understand personal boundaries, and that not everyone wants to know the things that we see.”
Orchid laughed and shook her head. “These two are the best when it comes to truth spells, but not so much when it comes to parties.”
Khat sighed. “Okay, start the fire and put the ingredients in the flames.”
They did as she said. Sacha lit the flames with a wave of her hand. Cleo placed a handful of white sage on the fire and said, “Let this sage purify us and our intentions.”
Sacha put her hand into a pouch that she'd brought with her and pulled out a small amount of powder. "Dragon’s blood resin." She tossed it onto the fire and the fire erupted into a burst of red flames as the Dragon’s blood resin hit it. The smoke from the fire filled the air as Orchid added a pinch of cinnamon to the flames. The scent of the burning herbs was intoxicating, and I got a little bit lost in the moment.
Khat motioned for me to watch as the smoke filled the air, taking on a deep red hue. The scent intensified, and I could feel its potency even from where I stood, slightly back.
Orchid took a bottle of wine from her bag and poured it into a small silver chalice. She passed the chalice around the circle, and each of us took a sip. The wine was strong, but it had a sweet aftertaste that lingered on my tongue.
As we drank, Khat chanted in a language I didn't understand. Her voice was low and rhythmic, and it echoed through the clearing.
At last, Khat spoke in English, her voice filled with power. “Show us the truth of Karma, of Emma. Show us what binds her. What promises. What lies.”
A vibration rolled from my feet to the top of my head so intense that I would've let go of the people holding my hands if they hadn’t gripped me so hard. As vibrations continued, my anxiety built. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be what they'd wanted to happen. I tried to open my mouth and voice my concerns, but my teeth chattered, and lips clamped together. I couldn't speak.
Khat’s voice rose again, “I see strong bindings. Powers tied to you. Power that will change on the night of the full moon.”
“What she said was true?” Carol asked as she eyed me worriedly. She'd voiced the exact question I had rolling around my head.
Khat shook her head. “I don’t know if what this old woman said was true, but I do know that you’ve been bespelled by magic in some way. Powerful magic.”
