The Death Song of Evanore Frock

Chapter 5- Omisha

I looked up from the letter, shocked.

I had no idea my mother had sent this letter, or even, "She invited you to Camp Odyssey?"

The Arch Mage nodded, "And I went, every year since."

Confused, I asked, "But, I never saw you there, how?"

"A simple glamour spell. Only your mother knew, and I asked her to keep silent. You should remember me, I was councilor Bucky."

Surprised, I had to go over my memories of the slim ginger-haired councilor. A glamour would be simple enough to hold for a man so powerful, so it's no surprise he was able to but... "Why didn't you say anything? Introduce yourself? Why did you hide?"

He pointed to the picture, to the smiling faces. "This camp was never about me. It was about the kids. Evanore Frock gave them something many of them had never experienced- the freedom to embrace themselves. To be surrounded by people who will accept and love you is a gift beyond measure. You could not have killed Evanore. Evanore lives in every kid that went through Camp Odyssey. Evanore was a spirit of love and compassion and acceptance. No spell could destroy that."

My thumb ran over the frame, the welcome sign above us. Quietly, I said, "While I was trapped in the coffin... I was thinking about my camp... and I was worried about..." more scared than anything of the answer, I had to take a deep breath before asking, "What happened to it?"

Maxwell squeezed my hand, "When you went missing, campers and parents alike came in support to find you. As the trail went cold, a few parents and I took it over. Though we renamed it when it reopened."

A small smile appeared, "Camp Evanore, in honor of the young lady who inspired so many to accept themselves."

For the first time, I smiled, a real smile and embraced the Arch Mage around his neck. Not exactly a witch custom but for the first time, I felt like myself. "Thank you for not giving up on them."

He didn't respond for the longest time, wrapping his large arms around me. While imprisoned, I had held onto the camp. Begged the goddesses that even if I was to never be free, the camp would continue. Somehow.

But time dragged on, and I had forgotten the reason I created it in the first place. Love and Hope. To feel accepted and not alone. It wasn't just a camp, it was a home for everyone.

Maxwell reminded me of that.

I was no longer Evanore. No. My sisters took that from me. Who I was. But it was now my turn to figure out who I was going to be. It would take time and healing, but I had an eternity to figure that out.

And I wasn't alone.

Maxwell seemed to notice the change in me as he broke the silence. "We found your sisters."

My heart sank and the room became dizzy, "What? Where?"

"They shifted their coven to some secluded mountains in the north. We have captured them and we are investigating their coven estate. But that's not what I came here to tell you."

"Then what is it?"

He seemed hesitant to tell me, letting go of my shoulders and instead faced me completely, put his strong but kind hands on top of mine. "There was a discovery and I thought you might want to hear it from me before you get it from the mirrors." He took a deep breath and patted my hands, "We found unmarked graves around the covens estate."

I wasn't sure I was breathing. If my heart still beats, I was sure it would have stopped in that instant, "How many?"

"Dozens." He answered quietly, "They are still finding new bodies as we speak."