Sanctuary: Grove Haven Commune, Book 1

Conversations of Magic

"So she's been doing it from then?" Asked Morgana as they sat. Amy and Greg had told her and Seamus the entire story. "Yes." Said Greg still mystified by all this. "We were lucky." Seamus, "We new from the time we could talk." "So its true, magic is real?" Asked Greg, "As real as you are sitting there." Said Morgana. "We're Witches, we hail from lines of such." Said Morgana softly, "Look we know this must be hard for you." Said Seamus, "But your daughter is magical." "We've been feeling stirrings since you arrived." Said Morgana.
"What?" Asked Amy, "We're part of a community of magical people." Said Morgana, "Our community is made up of people who were born with such powers." "We have a place of safety for people like us." "Think about it." Said Seamus, "If magic is real, and you know its real then you must know that there need to be places where we don't have to worry if magic breaks out."
"But how could we have a child who's magical, if we aren't?" Asked Greg, "Sometimes, a child is born to parents with a mutated gene." Said Seamus, "Sometimes a sensitive child is born to normal parents." "They are the ones who see things but don't do magic." Said Morgana.
"But this place?" Asked Greg, "Its real, and magic is real?" "Yes it is, and our community is." Said Morgana, "Its undetectable by any means but magical." "We also do things in the shadows." Said Seamus, "We erase memories if we need too, we help new magical families move here." "Are there communities all over then?" Asked Amy.
"There's one in every state." Said Seamus, "If we had known that." Said Greg, "I am also wanting to know why they were and are so lax." Said Morgana furiously, "In our community we know when magic is being done outside us." "We also know those who choose to live outside our community and can recognize magical, signatures as it were." Said Seamus covering Morgana's hand with his own. "We knew you were here, but we also knew you were disciplining her, so that she wasn't just doing magic all over the place." "That's why we haven't investigated." "But those people in California should have investigated at the first flare of magical activity."
"But we all do things differently I suppose." "And there are communities for specific kinds of magics." Said Seamus. "Different kinds of magic?" Asked Greg, "Oh yes." Said Morgana, "There aren't just witches, there are, well all kinds." "Aoife don't do that." Said Seamus as he rushed over and tugged on the little girl who had begun to float. "I want too daddy." She said, "Well you can't." Said Morgana.
"But what about her health?" Asked Greg. Morgana and Seamus looked at each other. It was Morgana who sighed, "Some magical kinds aren't, well human." "Witches are human, sort of, we have human bodies and human weaknesses, we just have magic." "But there are Faeries and elves, Werewolves, and others." "They often don't develop the same as human or witch kind."
"You mean to tell us that our daughter isn't human?" Asked Greg, "Its a definite possibility, especially since you and she don't look alike at all." "Sometimes, human parents will have a child that is so rare and powerful but not human." "The way she's developing suggests that she's an immortal being."
"Immortal?" Asked Amy, "Witches can live comfortably for about seven to nine hundred years." "Vampires can live to be a thousand, werefolk, werewolves, werebirds, live into their fife thousand mark." "There are those however who are immortal." "In either case, the longer  one lives, the slower the development."
"What is this community?" Asked Amy. "Its a community where we are safe." "We still have to worry about norms finding out about us." Said Seamus, "Norms?" Asked Greg, "You have to pardon Seamus, he means normal people, mundanes." Said Morgana, "People without magic." She said at their confused faces, "We still need to live in secret." "Our community allows us not to live in secret."
"Are there people with magic who decide not to live in the community?" Asked Greg, "Some but not many and they are under very strict rules." Said Seamus, "You have to be prepared to not let your magic show." "That means no giving it away."
Greg and Amy looked at each other, "With Kendall that, wouldn't be an option, not now anyway." "We tell her no don't use magic but she still does." "She was diagnosed with autism and epilepsy." With a thin hand Morgana touched Amy's shoulder, "I'm not saying that those things aren't real for us magical folk, but we live, on the fringes as it were." "Even the most conservative magical being must be allowed to be free every now and again." "they are visitors to our community." "The point is that she might not be autistic, and those, seizures you describe are probably prophecies." "She might be wandering the spirit world and have dreams." "She might even be telepathic and since you aren't." She waved a hand.
"It would be like two foreign people trying to communicate and getting nowhere." Said Seamus, "Imagine  an Italian family trying to communicate with their daughter who on the outside might look partly like you, but she's Indian and speaks Hindi." Greg looked crestfallen, "she might speak one or two words of Italian but she's really speaking in Hindi and you don't know it."
"Its not your fault." Said Morgana, "Really powerful beings speak telepathically, from the moment they are born." "Werewolves especially but other kindreds do as well."
"So what do we do if she has another of those, those, whatever they are?" Asked Amy, "The seizure medicine isn't working, or it sort of does." "It suppresses her." Said Morgana, "The reason why things are milder is because she's surrounded by magical beings." "If it happens again simply do as you have been, assure her, but with actions more than words." "Hug her, rock her, stroke her hair, coo gently without speaking, croon or hum." "Don't speak to her, just be." "As far as the rest, why don't you come visit Grove Haven." "We know everyone and can mind call easier than you can email." "We don't have electricity there anyway, it, messes with Faeries and some Elves." "They cannot be around iron, so no steel either." "We live by magical means."
"Visit?" "Can we?" Asked Amy, "Certainly you can." Said Morgana as Aoife came running up and babbling in Irish. She was gesturing wildly back the way the girls had been playing on the swings. "Come with me." Said Morgana.
They ran to the swings and saw Kendall standing, staring into space. She let out a piercing scream and collapsed. "God." Said Amy, "that happens during the day, but not often." "Its because we're here." Said Seamus, "Magic calls to magic." "things have been mild, but we just did a working to keep people from seeing and hearing us." "She would be sensitive to it, and her power awaken."
Morgana was sitting beside Kendall, her hand lifted above her forehead a few inches. "Just as I thought." She said quietly, "She's having a vision." "This activity is very traumatic, her brain overloads, and this results." "Whatever else she is, she'll be a powerful prophetess one day." She bent forward whooshing and gently crooning. Her vivid blue eyes went wide then silvery.
"I'm inside her mind." she said in a flat voice, "I can communicate with her." "But I don't want to break the vision." "Ah there now, you see she's coming out of it."
Kendall sat up and looked directly into Morgana's eyes. Morgana sat there for a moment, "She knows I speak like she does." Morgana explained. "No speak." Said Kendall out loud. She went right back to staring at Morgana. "She says she doesn't understand why her mommy and daddy don't speak like she does." "She says she is upset because she tries to make them understand, but they don't."
Tears filled Amy's eyes and Greg cleared his throat. "Here." Said Morgana, "Link your hands with me, then one of you with the other hand touch Kendall."
They could hear her. Her sweet voice, her singsong lilt, her accented cadence that sounded like the hills of Ireland. "Try to think clearly." Said Morgana.
"Mommy is so sorry." Thought Amy. "Daddy is too." Thought Greg, "I don't like it when you don't talk to me this way." Kendall's clear thought easy and effortless flowed into their minds. Greg winced. "Do we know what the vision was?" He asked, "She saw fire apartments you are living at." "She saw you dying." Amy gasped. "Its only one possible future." Said Morgana"
"I want you to talk this way all the time." Said Kendall. they all laughed, "Mommy and daddy can't talk like this all the time." There was the overwhelming feeling of sadness. They felt it like a blow. "I know." Said Greg mind to mind, "But mommy and daddy will take you somewhere where we might learn." Overwhelming boundless joy, "Tomorrow?" She asked, "Not tomorrow, this weekend." Thought Amy, "But you must promise something." She thought then winced. "Mind calling can strain sometimes if you aren't used to it." Said Morgana, "We know you like magic sweetheart, and I know its hard because you can't talk like mommy and daddy yet." Thought Greg. "But you can't use magic."
A wailing screaming sound in their heads and crushing sadness, depression and despair came next. "Kendall." Said Morgana mind to mind, "Its only  when you are just with mommy and daddy." She glanced at Greg and Amy who nodded. "You will come very soon to a place where magic is allowed." Thought Morgana. "But until then you must be a good girl." Kendall agreed. Then Morgana broke the contact. She spoke alone with Kendall for a moment and then she stood up.
"She's tired now, you should get her home, visions are very taxing on the body." Amy scooped Kendall up and Greg thanked Morgana and Seamus. "If you want to see what a magical house looks like." Said Seamus, "What are your plans Thursday?" "Nothing." Said Greg, "Then come to dinner." "Meet our other children." "Kendall might be a powerful being, but you'll see how we handle magic even in a mundane house." "We have one linked to the community since I work as a nutritionist." "I see clients in my home." "So the magical and mundane houses are linked."
One their address had been plugged into Greg's phone Seamus said, "By then we might have a way so that you can at least call to her mind to mind if she has another vision."