The Coven

2

Lyssa

I was lead into the Consul's office, near the back of the building. I was a large space with rows of bookshelves and a desk made of mahogany, all carved with protection and prosperity runes.

"Take a seat, Altimissia," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs on the one side of the desk. I quickly sat down.

"Allow me to say how much I truly admire your craft, my dear," Madame Consul explained. "You are a very powerful witch."

"Thank you, Madame Consul. But I believe Robbi and Bella are more skilled. And we're certainly more powerful together-" she cut me off.

"You know what I love about our craft?" she took her seat across from me, and reached into one of the desks. "The collective has the capacity for great power, but each individual has just as much potential. That is what I see in you, Altimissia," she removed something from the drawer and quickly slipped it into the pockets of her robes. 

"In me?" I found myself replying. "What about my sisters?"

"If I am being brutally honest, your sisters are too reckless for this coven. In fact, Miss Latimer and Miss Laveau use our craft as if it were something frivolous, and use it for their own reasons instead of protecting the coven. You, however," she rose to her feet. "You understand the reasoning behind our coven. You understand how we must protect a great many people from outside threats. Your sisters do not understand the gravity of these situations the council is brought to deal with,"

"Like Jessie's disappearance?" I asked. She hesitated for a moment, leaning on her desk.

"I ask, Altimissia, that you do not repeat any of this to your sisters. For their safety and yours," she said, before taking a deep breath. "Jessamine's disappearance is a delicate situation as we believe it was orchestrated by Witch Hunters,"

"Not demons?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"I thought all the hunters were killed years ago," 

"Some new faction, a group of young and religious individuals, have started making appearances. Take that young man who was chained to a fence and left for dead in Chicago. He was of our blood." She walked around the desk to kneel in front of where I sat. 

"I would like to give you something, which I hope, will aid you in your craft and help you grow," she said, and pulled her hand from her cloak. It was a dagger.

"What is that?" I asked. It was a beautiful silver dagger, the blade made entirely of glass. The handle was carved with the symbol of the Goddess; a waning, full, and waxing moon all interconnected. I could feel the energy pulsing from it.

"A very powerful artifact. This is believed to have been wielded by your ancestor, Morgan Le Fey," she took my hand and clasped my fingers over the handle. "This is your birthright, dear girl. And with this, you will become more powerful than any of your sisters could have ever dreamed," she said. "However, you must tell no one you have this."

"I won't say a word," I replied, slipping the dagger into my cloak pocket.

"Good girl," she said, helping me to my feet and leading me towards the door. "And remember," she said as she ushered me into the hallway. "Bless the Goddess,"

"Bless the Goddess," I replied as the door closed behind me. 

I walked back to the chambers where the girls were waiting for me, feeling the outline of the dagger in my pocket. I spotted Robbi and Candy were in the midst of a conversation with Kadir and Daniel was sitting not far away, flipping a coin in his fingers. Bella and Tomas were nowhere to be seen.

"Ready?" Robbi asked when she saw me.

"All good," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets to hide the dagger.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" asked Candy, rising to her feet. 

"Just had some questions about Jessie to help in the investigation," I lied. They looked relieved, but said nothing else. "Where's Bella?" I already knew the answer.

"She ran off with Tomas, no idea where they went," Robbi explained, looked at Candy with an amused expression.  

"Then she can portal home herself then," I said, walking towards the massive fireplace and, hand in hand with my sisters, stepped through the portal.