“Athena?” Her grandmother called, breaking her train of thought. Her grandmother walked into the living room looking older than she had ever before. She had always radiated youth and longevity, but today she looked like an aged crone. Her vibrant black hair was now streaked with white. Her skin looked papery, and she moved almost feebly.
“Oma?” Athena gasped. “What’s wrong? You look…”
“Gia is battling. Can’t you feel the Earth? The Darkling is draining the energy from Gia, and it’s taking a toll on me,” her grandmother responded. Referring to the Earth goddess which Athena’s grandmother’s power was centered from.
As an Earth witch. Athena’s grandmother was one of the most powerful Earth witches alive and if the Darkling could drain power from the Earth to change her appearance in a matter of hours this was a serious warning. Gia the goddess of Earth would fight the darkling, however, it appeared Gia was losing.
Unlike most witches in the coven, Athena was strong in all the elements. This could be extremely overwhelming at times. She had mastered pushing all the elements out so they won’t overpower and consume her and only letting in one at a time. Until she could control them all better.
“I did a reading, the Tower appeared to us from the goddess,” Athena whispered, feeling the truth in her words and the warning.
“I got a text from Aurora. She had a vision this morning at the same time the fog appeared. She is on her way in from the cabin.”
The cabin was their place of retreat where they did their advanced spell work. It’s also where the coven would meet. It was their most sacred ground. “How long until her arrival?” Athena questioned, pacing across the living room.
“She should be here soon. Athena, stop pacing and go to the kitchen to get some chamomile tea to calm your nerves,” her grandmother stressed, rubbing her forehead. “You’re making me anxious.”
“I’m sorry, Oma,” she sighed. “But as the new High Priestess this isn’t good, they will be looking to me for answers…”
“Athena Diana, your mother didn’t name you after double goddesses because we thought you couldn’t handle anything. We knew you would be strong… Your mom foresaw your power and rise before you were born. You will succeed.”
“Wish she had seen enough of the future to save her and Dad,” Athena mumbled.
“Thena,” her grandmother said sadly, shaking her head. “Nothing could change your parents’ fate. Unfortunately, when death calls someone home there is no stopping them. No matter how strong your mom’s power of prophecy was, she can’t stop death.”
“I know, Oma,” Athena replied, bowing her head, hiding the tears that had escaped.
Her grandmother pulled her into her arms. The warmth of grandmother’s body felt like sunshine on a warm summer day. She smelled like fresh grass and wildflowers. She always smelled like Earth. In the distance, the front door banged open. “Aurora’s home,” she whispered in Athena’s ear.
“Finally,” Athena sighed in relief. “She can tell me what she saw.” She added pulling away from her grandmother’s sunshine.
“Athena, Mother!” Aurora yelled rushing into the living room. Athena took in her appearance. Her normally calm and serene aura was now jumbled and dark. “Athena, thank god,” she breathed, looking at her with relief.
“Aunt Aurora, what did you see?”
“The Darklings are coming. They will be here very soon. Athena, you have the biggest battle ahead of us. It will be your biggest challenge yet.”
“Okay, how do I beat them?” She mumbled.
“I’m sorry the vision is still blurry. Things aren’t set in stone…” Aunt Aurora whispered, looking at Athena from the corner of her eye. “You must call the coven together.”
“I already have. Mel is telling everyone to meet at the cabin, soon,” she replied. Athena couldn’t put her finger on it, but Aurora was looking at her suspiciously. Athena had a feeling deep down inside she wasn’t telling her everything. It wasn’t like her Aunt Aurora to keep things from Athena.
“Good girl.”
“I did a reading; I pulled the Tower…”
“That would match with my visions…” Aunt Aurora said, staring off into space as she twisted a lock of her golden hair. Aurora only got that distant look when she was seeing things they couldn’t see.
“I thought your visions were vague?” Athena questioned suspiciously.
“They are,” Aunt Aurora mumbled, examining her hands.
“We should be headed to the cabin. I’m assuming you told Mel to have the coven meet there within the hour?” Oma questioned.
“No,” Athena said, still watching Aunt Aurora. “But Mel knows that when I said call the coven meeting she knew I meant now.”
Aunt Aurora glanced up at Athena. Her Aunt’s sky-blue eyes connected with her golden ones searching for what appeared to be answers to an unknown question. When she didn’t get it she quickly looked away.
“Okay, we can take my car,” Oma said.
“Car?” She questioned. They normally walked, in fact, they always walked to the cabin.
“It will be quicker and safer, I think,” Oma replied. “Especially with the Darklings attacking the Earth.”
“Alright,” Athena agreed neglectfully as she followed her grandmother and aunt out of the house. As she stepped off the porch and her feet sunk into the dirt. She instantly felt the pull of the Earth. The ground sunk beneath her feet. Athena could feel the darkness draining the energy and life from the Earth. Gasping, she clutched her stomach trying to gain her strength as the strong pull from the bleakness overwhelmed her. The world spun around her. It felt like invisible hands had reached up from the Earth and were sucking her into the ground. She could feel herself slowly sinking in like slow-moving quicksand.
“Athena?” Her grandmother rushed over to her side grabbing hold of one of her arms as her aunt grabbed her other arm. “You can feel the Darklings stronger now that you’ve touched the Earth? Gia is fighting the Darklings, but it’s weakening.”
“How is that possible?” Athena gasped, nausea overwhelmed her.
“I don’t know.”
“We must hurry…” Aunt Aurora said, as the two of them half carried her to the beat-up car parked in the driveway. The moment she entered the car Athena started to feel a bit better. The strong pull had loosened up, however, her stomach and head still spun.
Her grandmother got behind the wheel as Aunt Aurora climbed into the passenger side. They pulled out and were off. Athena closed her eyes and tried to focus away the pain that was still centered in her solar plexus and took deep breaths. She fingered the chakra bracelet around her wrist as Athena calmed her mind. Balancing her powers again. Slowly Athena felt the air around her calm.
“We’re here,” her aunt’s voice called pulling her back to reality.
Athena gathered her courage to step out of the car again. She glanced out the window. The cabin sat on the border of the woods, the fog was still leering at the edge of the woods. Mel was waiting at the entrance of the cabin door looking out at her, Mel’s face pale as she glanced between Athena and the eerily dark woods. She seemed on edge and her aura was a jumble of emotions.
Taking a deep breath Athena opened the car door and stepped out. She focused all her energy on putting her feet on the ground without getting sucked in. As her feet hit the ground she didn’t even feel the atmosphere change. The warm air was sucked from the space like a vacuum. A dark figure emerged from the fog and woods. With the long dark robes and hood covering its face, she could feel the darkness roll off it in waves. The others had yet to notice it. The power it illuminated sucked the air from her lungs, the figure’s head snapped up and its glowing red eyes stared straight back at her. Athena gasped and the ground spun.
To be continued…
Savannah M. Kammer 