Coven of Blood

Chapter 1

"You are old enough now." 

I roll my eyes, stabbing at my food with the harshness I feel. 

"You always knew this day was coming, Nevaeh, I don't know why you've suddenly decided that you no longer want this." 

I bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from saying something Mother would critiscise me for.

 She moved before me, snatching another vial of herbs and tipping the content of it into her steaming cauldron. 

A Green Witch. The greatest in the coven, actually. 

I'd grown up watching her pluck flowers and sniff herbs. Her wrinkled face un-moving as she stirs her concoctions, only twisting her face into a pleased smile the moment the cauldron releases its plume of pink haze. 

"I'm just saying..." I begin, shifting my legs beneath me, "What if I spend a few more years training? Would that be such a bad thing?" 

Mother grunts her response, her grey eyes flicking to me briefly before resuming their intent stare on the green weed in her hands. 

"When you landed on my door step all those years ago, I knew you were the one promised by the Goddess herself. There had been prophecies about you since the origin on the coven. The child with milk-white hair, with eyes as dark as the pits of Hell. You are destined to fulfill that prophecy, Nev, whether you like it or not. No amount of scrolling on your phone, or attending pathetic human parties, will guide you off of your course. Now, you can sit there and pout, or you can get your arse up and get packing."

I groan, pushing the plate away from me. 

"Are you not at all upset that your only child is leaving to go and probably get herself killed fulfilling some ancient crap written by a very dead Witch?" I snap, fixing the woman who raised me with a harsh glare. 

"You are not of my womb, you were brought to me by the Goddess. I knew from day one what would happen to you, and so did you. Now, would you prefer if I turned you into a slug?"

I jump to my feet. She definitely would turn me into a slug. 

"Okay, okay. I'll go and pack."

Mother looks pleased with herself, while I adorn an angered frown. I stomp up the narrow staircase of the cottage and into my tiny room. 

During yesterdays midnight clan meeting, the head Witch had informed Mother that I was ready to begin my duties. I would be shipped off to some remote location and live amongst the Hunters, where I would perform my divine duty of helping my Hunter conquer the ever growing vampire problem. 

It was in my blood, the Witches would say, I was destined to be the most powerful Vampire killer beside my assigned Hunter. 

Every millennia a Hunter and Witch is born. Their entire lives are spent trying to find each other, and once they do, when they are connected during some ritualistic seance, they become the most powerful beings to walk the planet. 

I'd heard the stories growing up. Mother had been there to protect me against the Vampire that had murdered my true family, and since that day a hatred so pungent had writhed beneath my skin for the blood-sucking beasts. 

I didn't mind the prophecy, in fact it had stirred me on during all these years. Yet now, having reached the age of twenty, I felt an anxiety I hadn't experienced before surrounding my next stage in life. 

It was time for me to move out of this cottage and begin the perilous task of killing vampires. 

I drag the suitcase out from beneath my bed and begin throwing odd items of clothing inside. The Hunter location had not been disclosed just yet, so I had no idea what climate I was dressing for. This made the task of packing extremely hard. 

"How's it going up there?" Mother calls, the familiar sound of the black cat Winston purring in her arms. 

"Fine." I snap, launching myself once more at the over-flowing bag as I attempt to get the zip finally done up. 

"You know, you have magic for a reason..." Mother's voice trails off. 

She was always trying to get me to use my gifts whenever possible. It wasn't that I was opposed to using them, its just, having had to acclimate to attending school with humans I'd become hesitant at using  my gifts for such menial tasks. 

The first week of school I'd floated a book over towards my desk, and the snotty nosed kid beside me had had a panic attack, screaming Devil at me. 

Since then, Mother had ensured I only practiced my gifts inside the house. 

I tried again to close the bag using my ass, to no avail. 

I sighed heavily, closing my eyes briefly and willing the cold lick of air to stream from the open window and towards the bulging bag. Opening my eyes, I watched as the barely visible curl of air darted towards the suitcase, slamming into it before tugging on the zip. In a matter of seconds, the bag was closed. 

I released the air, allowing it to dissipate into nothing.

I was an Elemental Witch. The only one in my coven, and notably in the world. We were rare, so rare that the last elemental witch had been appointed the Queen of all covens some hundred of years ago. 

The coven had been ecstatic when I'd landed on Mother's doorstep some ten years ago. 

I swiped up my phone and hit the call button. 

Crux answered the phone immediately. 

"Are you ever not on your phone?" I say, perching on the edge of my bed. 

"Nice to speak to you too." Crux sighs, "You all packed and ready?" 

"Yep. It would be so much more helpful if somebody actually told me where I was being sent." 

Crux was a Hunter. He'd been born in the local town to two dentists. We'd met at school, he'd been a few years older, but there had been something in me that had been drawn to him. We'd caught eyes in the corridor, and I had felt as though the whole world had turned into slow motion. 

I'd realized then what he was, as had he with me. 

Unlike me, Crux had had no idea what he was until Mother had found him and taken him into the coven. 

Since then we'd been inseparable. That was until he was sent to this mystery location to train amongst the other Hunters...

I'd known since first seeing him that we were destined to be partners together. Mother had, as had the coven. We were destined for each other. 

"You know I'm not allowed to tell you the location, Nev." 

I sigh dramatically, willing a flame to tickle the tip of my index finger. "All these stupid rules."

Crux chuckles. I'd missed him. He'd been gone for three years now. 

"You better get used to these stupid rules. There's loads of them here. I've got to go anyway, martial arts training, then we're hitting the streets to kill some bloodsuckers!" 

I scrunch my face in disgust. "Have fun." I say sarcastically, though I know he will indeed be having lots of fun killing those monsters. 

"Hey, I'll see you soon." He says, and I can hear the smile on his lips. 

"See you soon." 

The phone disconnects and I fall to my back. Staring at the ceiling I count the cracks, listening to the distant hum of Mother's singing. I'll miss being here, safely tucked away in the dense woodland. 

Though I can't argue that a small part of me is feeling that invisible tug towards Crux. 

We belonged together, it was in our blood.