Spell Catcher Chapter Two (working title)

Flames licked the towering heap of dry logs, casting elongated shadows across the meadow. The fire lit up a backdrop of pine trees, beyond the clearing, with tough wiry shrubs crowding around their bases. Knots of dark shadows cluttered just out of the circle of light. Wagons and tables ringed the fire butting up against the trees.

“Why are they all standing in groups?” Asked Sienna softly, nervously fingering a ring on her other hand.

The three of us were walking towards the dancing fire. The orange flames seemed to me to be reaching towards the bright stars. Trying desperately to grab the precious jewels that winked at us mere mortals below. They looked like they stretched higher than the trees in the background.

Jenna tapped her front teeth with her index finger while she thought. Before she answered she pushed up her glasses, “it seems to me that the ones on our right are the Four Elders and their assistants and those on the left are the rest of the coven.”

“It looks like everyone showed up.” I whispered. We were nearing the gathering and I didn’t want to be overheard.

The autumn night had started out chilly, but as we made the trek across Winterwheat Field it had turned cold. I could see my breath as I wrapped my arms around my middle for warmth. I decided that the black turtleneck sweater I was wearing wasn’t warm enough.

Jenna and Sienna both wore heavy long coats over matching black turtleneck sweaters. The three of us bought them together last fall as a way of rewarding ourselves for finally being accepted as witches in training. Black stretch pants along with black ankle high boots finished off our outfits.

Sure wish I’d worn my coat. I thought to myself.

As we approached I noticed an unfamiliar odor that seemed to be coming from the direction of the fire. It smelt woodsy and musky like the earth and forest. “What’s that smell?”

Unsurprisingly it was Sienna that spoke first. “That’s patchouli. My mom wears it.”

“Smells odd. But there’s something familiar about it also. Is it mixed with something?”

“I think you mean the rosemary and juniper. Memory and prosperity; strengthen of mind; protection and health.” Jenna stated.

“Wow! How do you remember all of that?” I asked with amazement.

“Study.” She said off handedly.

We all fell silent as we continued to trudge forward. Beneath the roar of the fire, I could hear the soothing chirruping of the crickets and the deep throat call of the bullfrogs from the pond. Small, flying shadows swooped towards the fire only to dart away at the last second.

As we neared I could make out the faces of people I knew. In the Elders group I saw the familiar face of my mother with the three stars embroidered on her cloak. Standing with her was Leeanna Graves clutching a small gray mouse to her neck. Her hood was thrown back and her frizzy hair looked like a black rain cloud floating around her head. Right behind her stood Tomas Summers, my mother’s assistant. He was tall and skinny, towering over the smaller Elders by at least a foot. He had a nervous habit of biting his nails.

The other two Elders blurred before me as I turned to the group on my left and saw ‘her’. Tamora Day, hated enemy of the three of us. Miss Goody-two-shoes, doer of no wrong in the eyes of adults, but snick and backstabber to all others. She stood smiling and laughing with some of her mother’s friends. Her mother stood at her side with one hand resting on Tamora’s shoulder. Not one kid was near her.

My anger level was rising and I could feel my cheeks getting hot. I hated her, and I knew my two friends felt the same. I thought my anger was justified. If it wasn’t for her we would all be Star Twos going on to be Star Threes tonight. I didn’t think mixing the labels of two jars was enough to be held back from advancing. And it would have been funny in class to see lightening instead of smoke, but ‘she’ heard us and went running to the headmaster. Snick, that’s all I could say.

We reached the edge of the clearing and I steered us towards my mom’s group. Her long hair shown a deep red in the firelight and was easy to pick out among the other dark haired Elders. Mom saw us and stopped talking to Leeanna to sweep me up in a tight hug.

“Mom! I can’t breath! Not in front of everyone.” I protested.

Mom laughed a light laugh that sounded like bells, as she let go of me. She left a comforting hand on my shoulder as she greeted Jenna and Sienna. The she turned towards the towering inferno of flames and spoke.

“Sisters and brothers. Let us begin by opening the circle.”

Dutifully we all turned to the east and raised our voices, “Guardians of the Watchtower of the East, I call upon ye to witness this rite and to guard this circle. Powers of the Air, I call upon the essence of the Eagle to protect my journey betweens the worlds.” To the south we chanted, “Guardians of the Watchtower of the South…” So the ritual went until each compass point had been addressed.

“Merry met all,” my mother continued when the echo of our voices died down. “ We are assembled here tonight to advance four Star One apprentice witches to the next level Star Two.”

Clapping started up and mom waited patiently for it to die down. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes were watching the circle of witches ringing the fire.

Excitement was running up my back and it was hard for me to stand still. I caught myself rocking back and forth from my toes to my heels. I looked over to my left, Sienna and Jenna both had goofy grins on their faces and I wondered if mine looked the same.

Eventually the clapping trickled off and my mom looked at the three of us, smiling proudly. “When I call your name please come and stand before me. Tamora Day, Sienna James, Riana Marsh, Jenna Smyth and Baylee Younge.” She paused after every name.

One by one we fell out of the circle to stand before my mother, High Elder River Younge. Her cloak flowed around her, a swirling mass of glistening silver and shimmering deep purple with a small pointed nose and two beady eyes shinning out of the hood. Her ferret Rumor lay around her neck. I hadn’t noticed him before, but it was only logical he would be here. With our backs to the warm fire we shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

The fire’s light danced over my mother’s face giving her a tanned look instead of her usual pale complexion. A straight nose covered one side of her face in shadows as her thin lips smiled down at us.

“After successfully completing a Star One spell you advance to the next level of your studies. From here the combinations get more difficult, the words more complicated and the expectations higher.” She paused so it would sink in. I heard her reciting this speech last week to Tomas and she said she would stop there for dramatic effect.

I almost snickered from nerves, but managed to hold it back. I was so nervous and exited.

“The council of Elders has judged your work and concluded that you are worthy of being called Star Two Apprentice witches. Congratulations Witches.”

My mother stepped forward and slid a purple ribbon over Tamora’s shoulder length black hair. At the end hung two prefect silver stars fused side by side at the tips.

Each of us in turn received our stars. We were to wear these symbols at all times to show the rest of the coven just where we were in our training. It said what we were allowed to do and to know and what we weren’t. Sort of like security clearance.

We stepped back into our places in the circle and my mother went on with the others who were advancing to different levels. I didn’t pay much attention; I was too caught up in my own excitement.

Finally after whining and begging for so many years my mom finally said I was ready to start my training. And what luck it was that Sienna and Jenna were ready at the same time. Age doesn’t matter but character does. Some start as young as ten and others not until fifteen. I even heard that one witch didn’t start until she was eighteen. If you hadn’t shown potential before your nineteenth birthday you weren’t a witch and could never train as one.

I held the two stars up to get a closer look. Fitted tightly together, the points melted together as though they were one piece. I had the first start for six months and I had examined it as closely as I was doing now and I had never seen the tiny red gems embedded in the middle of both stars.

I nudged Jenna with my elbow and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “hey does your stars have jewels in them?”

She had been looking at hers just as closely as I was. “Yes, what color is yours?”

“Blue, yours?”

“Red. What about Sienna?” I asked still whispering in her ear.

She leaned over sideways and I leaned forward as she asked Sienna. I couldn’t hear what Sienna said to Jenna so I waited.

“Black.” She said.

I wondered why all of ours were different colors but that would have to wait because the last of the advancees were settling back into the circle.

Again my mother demanded our attention, “now that everyone has received their stars we must end the ceremony and close the circle.”

The circle broke and brooms were produced. It seemed, although no broom touched the ground that a great dust was being kicked up by the action.

We had not gotten our brooms yet, that was a couple of Stars away, and so we moved back from the busy Elders and other who did have theirs.

“Too bad you don’t have a broom yet, “ sneered a voice from behind.

We all turned to see ‘her’ standing there with her hands on her hips. She wore a red turtleneck and a black ruffled skirt that clashed with her purple ribbon.

“It’s not like you have a broom either.” I said stepping towards her trying to be threatening. Jenna and Sienna stayed where they were, with arms crossed defiantly.

“Your right, I don’t yet, but I’ve already started working on mine. I bet you haven’t even found a branch yet.”

I looked behind to my friends who looked at me with worried expressions. I shrugged at them not knowing what I could say to her.

“I didn’t think so.” And she started to turn from us.

“Tamora you aren’t supposed to start a broom until you are a Star Four," Jenna said smugly and came to join me. Sienna not wanting to be left behind scrambled up to stand beside us.

“My mother says I’m talented and have the abilities of a Star Four, unlike you three, “ she sneered harder.

Sienna spoke up, “your mother’s not an Elder, how would she know what level you are?”

“My mother should be an Elder but her mother won’t let her.” She pointed a pudgy finger at me.

“Hey wait a minute,” my voice was raising. No one talks about my mother. “The only reason my mom would not let your mom be an Elder is because she’s not good enough. Besides,” I continued over Tamora’s sputtering, “the Elders have to vote, so it’s not just up to my mother.” I spat back at her.

“It’s still because of your mother. No matter what you say.”

“Is not.”

“Is to.”

“Is not.” I shot back a second time.

“Enough.” Yelled a deep and commanding voice. Leeanna Graves stepped out of the shadows. Her gray mouse hung on tightly to her shoulder. His nose twitching this way and that was if trying to catch a scent. “Is that any way for Star Two witches to act?”

“She started it,” Whined Tamora crossing her arms over chest.

I just stood there. To tell the truth, Leeanna scared me. I hated the way she talked to my mother. She talked to my mother like she was a novice instead of an Elder. And she rarely spoke to me at all. I would catch her looking at me in an odd way, but she wouldn’t speak to me.

“Is that right, Baylee? Did you start it?” Tonight Leeanna wore a full-length dark blue velvet cape with only her hands and face visible.

I shook my head while I spoke, “no Elder Graves, I did not start it, but I did argue with her.” My mom always says tell the truth and it will all be resolved quickly. It was when you lie that it doesn’t get taken care of the way you want it to. So that’s what I did, I told the truth.

“I see,” she said slowly, glancing from Tamora to me. I didn’t think she saw Sienna and Jenna until she spoke again. “And what part do you two play in this little disagreement?”

They looked at one another and then to me. I raised an eyebrow at them and urged them to speak.

“We both said a couple of things. But it was only the facts.” Blurted out Sienna. “I don’t lie and neither do my friends.”

“Yes they do! They always lie!” Screamed Tamora.

“That will be enough out of you.” Leeanna snapped but she never raised her voice and that’s what scared me the most.

“Yes ma’am.” Tamora dropped her eyes to the grass under her feet, but her face was still beat red.

“Now,” she went on after a few moments. “I want you all to return to the celebration and stay apart of each other. Do you understand me ladies?”

The three of us nodded our heads and Tamora softly said yes. I could see her chubby fists balled up and I knew she was still mad.

As one we turned and shuffled off, three heads close together, giggling from anxiety and looking over our shoulders.

When we felt we had gone far enough we doubled over, our laughter loud enough to draw attention to us.

I was the first to recover and I slapped them both on the shoulder to get them to calm down. Some deep breathes and a couple of laughing fits later we finally get ourselves under control.

We were sitting with our backs to a wagon filled with fruit and there were people poking through it. The sweet smell of apples and oranges reached us as we breathed deeply trying to keep ourselves under control.

“Okay, that was creepy.” Sienna whispered, wiping the tears from her smooth cheeks.

“Not only creepy, but scary.” I shuttered.

“There’s something seriously wrong with Elder Graves and Tamora. I wonder what Tamora is up to?” Jenna said absently.

“I don’t know, but she better leave my mom out of it.” I said through gritted teeth.

Sometimes during the little episode the entertainment had started. Off to the side by the pine trees a small band of musicians had set up. A steady drum beat kept the violin and flute together and I could see a man tuning a guitar sitting cross-legged on the ground before them.

“Jenna what does the purple ribbon signify?” I asked while I watched the dancers spinning and swaying. I hadn’t stopped fingering the small stars since we had closed the circle.

Jenna pushed up her glasses at the bridge of her nose and replied, “growth, self-esteem, insight and success.”

“Well I guess that says something.” I mumbled.

“How’s that?’ Sienna piped up.

“Well, what I mean is learning all this stuff in hard and sometimes I get very frustrated, so it stands to reason that the color of the ribbon would signify something to help that.”

“That was very deep Baylee.” Jenna pushed up her glasses again. “It would seem that we have just had our first lesson as Star Twos.”

“Yuck! No lessons when we are celebrating. Come on let’s dance with the rest of them.” Sienna was up and dusting off her bottom before we even replied.

I shook my head as I followed slowly. I do not dance, I grumbled to myself.