Of Fate & Forbidden Desire (The Gatekeeper Duet #1)

24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

How do you say no to a freaking Goddess? - Charleene

B linking, I focused on Eilidh, already missing the calm that had surrounded Hecate. Eilidh quickly summoned a wave of air and extinguished the ring of candles as I stood and stretched. Every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire. Wincing, I forced my feet to move and wobble as I stepped over the spent candles, noticing they had almost burnt down to the bottom. “How long was I gone?” I asked, rubbing at my thumping head.

“Time is not very clear here, but long enough that I thought you would not wake,” Eilidh said, waving her hand and making the candles disappear.

“Is there any way of knowing how much time is passing in…” I paused, not knowing how to phrase my question.

“In the world of the living?” Eilidh finished for me, “No.”

“It feels like I’ve been here for days, but the sky never changes, so it’s hard to tell.” I wondered out loud, looking up at the perfect sky.

“I’ve never had much reason to think about it before, however I suppose you’re right.” Eilidh pondered, tilting her head to the side like a little bird does. “Did you succeed?” she asked, reminding me of what we’d been doing.

“I think so,” I said, turning my focus inward and searching for the small sparks of magic. However, I was quickly met with a whirlwind of power. Spirit, fire and air rushed from my body, encasing it in a tornado with red and silver streaks. My hair whipped about, flicking me in the face and blinding me. The rush of wind through a tunnel is all I could hear as I tried to gain control over it all. Panicking, I attempted to grab at the strands of magic I glimpsed when my hair shifted, but my hands slipped through it, almost like I’m trying to grab water.

“YOU NEED TO COAX IT!” Eilidh shouted over the howling wind that’d joined the cacophony of madness.

“WHAT!” I screamed back, not understanding what she meant.

“DO NOT GRAB AT IT! COAX IT!” She screamed.

Letting the tornado rage around me, I took a shuddering breath and tried thinking calming thoughts. Without realising, I began to hum and the wind dropped slightly, continuing to hum the tune that has always calmed me in times of stress. I watched in wonder as my magic retreated and began buzzing beneath my skin. When the last of the tingling left my skin, I dropped to my knees, exhaustion making them weak.

“Well done, that was brilliant.” Eilidh cheered, rushing over to help support my weakened body.

“I feel knackered, like all my energy has been sucked from my body.” I confided, before a massive yawn took over me.

“I’m not surprised, magic draws from our energy or the energy around us to fuel itself.” Eilidh explained, “You just channelled three magics at once, using your own energy. You should be dead, not just shattered.”

“Oh,” is the only response I could come up with, as I look at the wonder on her face.

“Rest and when you feel up to it, I will teach you how to channel your power safely.” Eilidh said with a huge smile.

Nodding, I lowered myself to the grass, turning onto my back as I went. Closing my eyes I wondered how I’m supposed to rest, when sleep has eluded me since I arrived here.

“Just be,” Eilidh said as though she could read my mind, “do not think about anything and just be still. Feel the grass beneath your fingers and the air upon your skin.” Her voice was hypnotic as I followed her instructions and my body sagged.

“Thank you.” I murmured .

“Do you want to hear more about the Nicniven witches of old?” Eilidh asked and I nodded. I’d love to learn more about them.

“Our Coven began from the holy Goddess Hecate herself. Once during a time of great sorrow for magickal folk, when trials and executions were the norm, Hecate asked a simple woman who lived on the outskirts of a small settlement for sanctuary for herself and her followers. Knowing the price for such an act could end in her death, she hid them all within the barn attached to her house.” Eilidha said, her voice quiet but still somehow echoing around us. Opening my eyes slowly, I watched as she spoke and her words came to life, playing out around us like a film. “They worked in the woman and her husband's fields, for weeks they bonded with the townsfolk. But when the inquisitors came the townsfolk grew scared and soon pointed to the new folk at the farm.”

“Oh no,” I gasped, unable to help myself as my hand covered my mouth in horror. At school we’d been taught briefly of the inquisitors, witch hunts and trials. Atrocities against women of all ages.

“You know of such things?” Eilidha asked, cocking her head to the side as she gazed at me.

“Human schools teach of the various Witch hunts and trials of history.” I told her, watching as she nodded, “At the time I didn't know Witches actually existed.”

She nodded again before continuing her tale.

“When the inquisitors came, Margaret Nic Nevill bade them all to hide in the stacks of hay within the barn and remain silent no matter what they heard. She strode out alone to face the men who had come and stood tall, as her own husband pointed his shaking finger condemning his wife and those inside the barn to death. The inquisitor ordered the townsfolk, who had been summoned to see justice served to the witches who worshipped the devil, to drag all those from the barn and still the women stood firm before the doors, denying them entry.”

“Why?” I found myself interrupting, unable to understand what one woman thought she could achieve on her own .

“She stood and fixed her eyes upon those she'd called friends within the crowd. Beseeching them that no God would want his people killed in his name.”

“And did they listen? Did they help her?” The sad look as Eilidh shushed me is answer enough, as she went on.

“The crowd paused for a moment before the inquisitor demanded they heed his words and not be tempted by the devil's word. You must understand it was a different time then and folk feared the devil more than anything. So when they were told to bind Margaret Nic Nevill they listened and when she was tied to the stake they listened still. That day Margaret Nic Nevill died beneath the dying sun's ruby rays.”

“Oh no,” tears streamed down my face at her tale even though I knew it wasn’t over, “what of the others in the barn?”

“They too died; some on stakes with fire, some drowned in the nearest river but all perished, as Hecate watched on. Rage overtook her at the senseless waste of life so on that very night of All Souls, when the veil between life and death was at its thinnest and the moon had reached its zenith, she summoned those who had perished to the Calva Cairns and guided them back through the veil, gifting them a second chance at life. And, for her bravery and strength, she gifted Margaret Nic Nevill the new name of Nicnevin and hence the Nicnevin Coven was born.” Eilidh bowed her head as her words and the images around us faded from view.

“Wow,” was the only word that came to mind as I stared at Eilidh.

“Our Goddess is both firm and fair, she sees all and embraces the rejected in both life and death.” Eilidh explained, and I found every word fascinating. Of course even living as a human I’d heard of Hecate, but I’d never really known much about her. “Hecate is part of the Maiden, Mother and Crone; she represents all three stages of life and thus we represent her in kind.”

“The Maiden, Mother and Crone,” I whispered, remembering how the Goddesses’ form had seemed to shift in age and how the London Coven had used the same terms .

“That is correct. The Maiden represents girlhood, purity, pleasure and independence among other things. The first born daughter of the coven’s previous maiden typically takes on this role. The Mother represents love, growth, maturity, fertility and caregiving and, as such, takes over the mantle of ‘Mother’ when she gives birth to her first child. The Crone symbolises wisdom and often guides not only the Maiden and Mother in their roles, but the Coven as well.” Eilidh’s explanation was easy to follow and I found myself nodding along as I listened.

“So where does our magic come from?” I asked.

“Magic is not so simple to understand. As children we are taught that it comes from Hecate herself, which could be true. However as we grow and mature we’re taught that it comes from the earth and the energy around us.”

“Ok,” I said, understanding a little more why I felt so worn out.

“I like to believe that our ability to feel and use the magic of the earth is gifted to our kind by Hecate–”

“Wait, I thought that the Fae created Witches?” I suddenly blurted out, remembering what Dina had said.

“Hecate was the daughter of a powerful Fae,” Eilidh says, her calm voice not wavering from my interruption.

“So the Fae did create witches,” I surmised, showing I was following her.

“Yes, they gave birth to Hecate, who in turn gave birth to her own children and created the Wicca lineages.”

“But not the Nicnevin Coven?”

“No, our Coven was gifted by Hecate.” Eilidh confirmed. “Over time, I think our Coven forgot their origins and fear took over their minds, but I have to believe that they are not beyond saving.”

Her voice was soft and heartfelt, as I thought about all those “Our Coven” had sacrificed over the years and I wondered if she’s correct.