Coven Of Catastrophe: Book 3 in the Lorna Maximoff Series

Maiden, Mother, Crone

Agatha came back before Rio did, and it was obvious things hadn't gone well between them. 
Agatha was leaning with arms crossed against a tree.
"Hey..." I gingerly came up to her, "So you and Rio..."
Agatha wasn't looking at me, maybe that gave me an odd sense of bravery.
"You never mentioned you had an Ex. She's um..."
I tried to find the right words,  "she's interesting."
Agatha glanced at me once over.
"How come you never mentioned her?" I asked.
Agatha sighed, it was slight but I still noticed.
"It's...complicated," she said, "you'll understand some day."
In truth I think a part of me could already understand.
Loving people was hard...falling in love was harder. And scarier.
Not that I would know of course. But...my mind wandered back to America.
"Hey Agatha?" I asked.
"Yes, Lorna?" she replied, sounding somewhat exasperated.
I struggled to find words that would articulate what I wanted to ask her.
"Um, well I was just wondering how...how you knew when you, you know...loved Rio?"
Agatha peered at me suspiciously.
I cringed, how was I talking to Agatha Harkness about love. I expected her to laugh, or tell me to mind my own business or something, or even straight up deny they were in love. But we were passed that.
"Well we were...acquainted first." Agatha said, "and then..." she paused like love was a word she hadn't been acquainted with in a long time.
"I suppose it just grew to be something more."
Somehting more...
"Right." I muttered, "But, how did you know? Weren't you afraid she might not want something more."
Agatha studied me for some time.
"What's with all the questions," she asked, clearly diverting the conversation from herself.
"No reason." I replied quickly, "Just curious."
"Mhmm." Agatha gave me her trademark eyebrow raise, the look that either said "I don't believe you," or "watch out". In this case it was the first one.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with that little friend you were telling me about?"
"How did you-"
"I know everything dear." Agatha drawled. A blush crept onto my cheeks.
"We're just friends." I insisted.
Agatha arched a single brow.
"A friend huh."
I blushed even harder, "yes a friend, not that you know what that would be like." I snarled back.
"Careful dear." Agatha wanted with a haughty smirk.
"I'm not afraid of you Agatha." I retorted, irritated that she still seemed to exude such power.
"Well you should be." She said with an evil smile, and then after a moment, "Does this friend have a name?"
I bit my lip, "America." I said quietly, "her name is America."
Agatha chuckled, "My, how patriotic."
I glared at her, "She's not even from this universe," I said, strangely defensive, but a second later I wish I hadn't said anything.
"Agatha's eyes grew slightly wider, "So this is the same girl scarlet dearest tried to steal power from, fascinating."
I felt a rush of anxiety, "Don't get any ideas." I said, "If you so much as step one foot near her-"
"I have no interest in other universes dear," Said Agatha, "I'm perfectly fine in this one."
"Well good, cause you'd never stand a chance at getting her power anyways. I'd stop you."
Agatha smiled smugly, "Whatever you say dear."
I felt a tiger if irritation, she never took me seriously.
"Alright; I told you about my person, now you tell me about Rio."
Agatha's eyebrows twitched, "Lorna for the last time-"
"Yeah I know you won't tell me, but atleast tell me what you're feeling, please Agatha."
Agatha bit her lip indignantly
"You're a stubborn thing you know that?"
"Yeah I know," I replied with a smirk.
"It's a long story." Agatha told me.
"Well I sorta guessed that after what she said, I mean about loving you. She said you were her scar, that means something doesn't it?"
Agatha glanced at me again, "I thought maybe I could forgive her, but what we had, there's to much hate there now..."
I didn't believe her, but I understood her.
"I know what you mean, but I think maybe...the people we end up hating, it's because we once loved them so much. That's why it hurts."
Agatha worked her jaw, "Is that how you feel about Wanda?"
The question caught me off guard, my stomach twisted.
"I don't- I...it's complicated." I said finally.
Agatha snorted, I relized it was sorta hypocritical for me to say that.
"I am angry," I admitted, "What she did...what she tried to do, even if she was corrupted by the darkhold it hurt. It still hurts, and miss her, and I love her, but I think a part of me also hates her for what she did. Or at least for leaving me."
Agatha observed me, and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.  It was something my mother used to do.
"I believe you'll see her again." She told me.
I pulled away with tears in my eyes.
"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of...I mean I waited for her. At first I thought maybe she'd come back, but...either she's dead...and I'm alone. Or she's alive, and she doesn't want me...so I'm still alone."
"You're not alone." Agatha said, the words seemed to surprise even her.
"I mean, obviously you're not." She gestured to the coven to cover her tracks.
"I think a part of me will always feel alone." I admitted.
And I knew Agatha felt the same. Same story, different century...
Suddenly I felt off.
"Agatha...do you, do you feel something strange?"
Agatha eyed me, but then her head jerked in the other direction.
There was a noise. "It's the seven!" I realized.
Agatha grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to where the other are.
"Agatha why do they want to kill you, who are they?!"
Agatha was dragging me back along the path, explaining as she went, "When I killed my coven...I spared their children...biggest mistake as you can see."
We reached the others "Okayyy...moral of the story, kids, is always finish what you started."
Said Agatha, she grabbed her jacket and put it back on, "Also mercy is overrated. All right, everybody pack up your shit! Let's go!"
We ran further down the road, only they were enclosing us on both sides.
"What about a hexenbesen?" Asked teen.
I had no idea what that meant.
"Brooms! That's a horrible idea!" Agatha exclaimed.
"Do you have any better options?!" I asked her.
The other pulled branches and began doing some sort of ritual to make the brooms work.
"I don't need on, I can fly with my powers." I said.
"Your coming with m!" Agatha said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me with her.
Just then one of the seven jumped on teen, I blasted her off quickly. The others began running, Agatha dragged me along with her and I jumped on the broom with her.
"Hold on tight!" She ordered. And I had to grip her shoulders so I didn't fall off.
"This is crazy!"
I screamed, as we rode higher and higher, up into the sky underneath a red moon.
"This is amazing!" I muttered, still holding on tight to Agatha. For a moment it was peaceful...then the gravity changed, and we went pumping downwards.
"Agatha what's happening?" I screamed.
"It's the road, it's forcing us down!"
We were all screaming, falling, I was bracing onto Agatha for dear life. She managed to right out broom second before we would've hit the road.
"It's the next trial!" I yelled, pointing to a cabin in the woods.
just then one of the Salem seven appeared before us. I screamed and cast a shield of light, we slammed through her and fell on the ground. My sheild had helped, but we still had to run to the cabin, Agatha shut the door behind her.