The Eldest Marked

1. The Hierophant

There were few things Winona enjoyed more than birthdays. There were fewer still that made her wake up earlier than absolutely necessary. She had set her clock to wake her a few hours before dawn.

The cake came off of the hearth smelling sweetly of honey and spices. She whipped up her favorite frosting up and decorated it before the sun fully rose. Her mother Demeter entered as she was placing the candles across the top. Nineteen candles for her eighteen years, plus one for good luck of course.

"Wow, you made your own cake this year?" Demeter asked. She took the opportunity of less work to brew her tea and sit at the table.

"Of course, I am an adult now after all."

"Whatever you say sweetheart," Demeter teased. "Does the adult plan on eating her cake for breakfast?"

"Well yes, adults make their own choices don't you know?" she laughed.

Demeter ran her left ring finger across the table as if she was striking a match. A plump black and silver salamander popped into existence in the wake of her smokey trail. Before Demeter could grasp it, it ran across to the cake and set its little paws in the frosting.

"Hello Wick," Winona greeted as she lifted it off of her cake. Wick belched out a steady stream of flame across the candles. She placed him back onto the table where he focused on licking the frosting off of himself.

She closed her eyes and focused on what wish she wanted to put forth this year. Most years her wish came true, so she spent much of the year brainstorming what she wanted. This time she wished to see her sister Tabitha again. She moved out two years prior, just as all her other siblings had in their own time. Some returned, but many didn't, Tabitha included. It was a good use of a wish, she thought.

She blew out her candles and opened her eyes. Wick was gorging himself on the cake.

"You could have said something," she said with a laugh as she dragged Wick backwards from the messy hole he made. He snapped back at her with a little puff of smoke. Demeter reached over and ran her left ring finger back down his spine, de-summoning him before he could fight for more frosting.

"I thought he could enjoy some cake too," she said.

Winona sliced the unchewed on portion and they began eating in silence. She looked up to find her mother staring. She had a sad smile on her face that made her nervous.

"I am glad you are my last," Demeter said. "This was always my least favorite part."

"What was, cake?" she asked, even though she knew that isn't what she meant.

"As this is your eighteenth birthday it is time you understand the truth of everything," she said.

Her stomach turned. "Everything is a lot for a chat over cake," she laughed uncomfortably.

She reached a hand to hold hers. "It never gets easier, but if it makes you feel better, everyone else went through this and they have all done fine."

"All of them?"

"Most," she conceded.

"Just get on with it," she said. She closed her eyes just as she did when she wished upon her cake.

"You are not my daughter by birth. You were not born here. None of us were," she said. "This world is not the only one that exists. There exists another world, one where we are from. And you must return there soon."

She opened her eyes and was surprised to find her vision blurred by tears. "Well we never did look alike," she said.

Demeter was dark skinned, dark but rosy like the warm coals she used in a lot of her spellwork. Her hair was black and silver coiled tightly atop her head in a fastidious bun. Where she was warm, Winona was cold. Her skin was all blue toned and purple under eyes. Her hair was a much less put together bun of light red hair. On others, it may have been fiery, but on her it felt sickly. She never questioned their differences, because it never seemed to matter. None of her siblings shared their looks, but she still found their similarities in their mannerisms, in their likes and dislikes, and in their love of each other.

Demeter wiped the tears from her eyes before continuing. "You, and everyone here, are here because your mother or father back in their world made a pact. A pact for their firstborn child to be exchanged for whatever they desired. They got what they wanted, and a few years later you were conceived, and marked in the womb."

"Once marked, the child is taken at the moment of birth into existence here, with all the power the realm provides," Demeter said.

"What did they want?" she asked.

Demeter pulled away and shook her head.

"You said the truth about everything," she said.

"Yes, but generally it causes more harm than good to learn what price your life held. It's a very personal matter," she said. "I promise you will know eventually, but for now we need to get you prepared for your own pact."

"My own?"

"You need to bring a child here, to raise them and train them as I did you. If you don't make a pact of your own before your twentieth year your powers will fade and you will be expelled from here. The realm needs more users to perpetuate its existence. If you do not contribute to it, it will remove you," she said.

"But-" Demeter held up a hand to silence her.

"I have raised many children over the years. I know you want to know if there is a way around it. There is not. There is no one to argue with, it will happen. If it makes you feel any better, you can make a pact with someone young, and they will not have children for many years. But your place here will be safe," she said.

"So this is where all of my brothers and sisters have gone, this other world?" she asked.

"Yes, they all went to make pacts. Some have come back and founded homes of their own, but many are still working out there," she said.

"Is Tabitha still there?" Winona asked.

"Yes, I'm sure she would like to see you when you arrive," Demeter said. "The last time I visited she told me to bring you there when you go."

"Happy birthday to me," she said.

"Eat your cake, enjoy your birthday. Tomorrow we will go to the market to gather supplies for your journey. It's time to prepare."

What a waste of a wish, she thought.