Southern Covens- Savannah- Isabelle

A new story from the Savannah branch of Southern Covens.

Southern Covens- Savannah- Isabelle

Isabelle trembled in the cold February air. All the other women in the circle had left except for the eldest and the woman passed out on the ground. She still breathed, but she whimpered and twitched at the same time. Isabelle watched her, not knowing if she should try to help her up. None of the other women had, so maybe she wasn’t supposed to either.

The older woman was watching her. Was this all part of some test? Isabelle couldn’t stop shaking.

After a few minutes, the woman crossed the circle to her, and lifted her chin with one finger. “That doesn’t usually happen.” The woman tried to search her eyes.

Isabelle just shuddered and pulled away.

“Looks like it’s up to me to teach you. Nobody else is here.” Janine shook her head and walked to her car. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

Isabelle wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten here tonight, and she didn’t know how else she would get home. She looked down and saw that she was wearing her pajamas. What the hell was happening to her? Was this what had happened to Igraine right before she disappeared? Is this HOW she disappeared?

She nodded and got into the passenger seat. Freezing in the cold night air wouldn’t help anything.

Janine took turns driving with either hand as she used the other hand to rub her temples. It seemed to take her a few minutes to decide what she wanted to say. She began to speak, then thought for a moment longer. Finally, she murmured, “That doesn’t usually happen.”

Isabelle shivered, and continued to look out the window into the cold night as they drove.

Janine seemed to rally and started again. “Here’s the thing. We’re witches. You’re a witch. All witches here.” She pounded out a jaunty little tune on her steering wheel, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Isabelle turned to look at her. She wanted to laugh, to say something brilliant and sarcastic. But after what she had just seen, what they had done to that woman, she was out of words. She saw nothing but serious on the older woman’s face.

Janine took Isabelle’s silence as attention, and continued. “Your sister was a witch too. You’re taking her place. She couldn’t handle her responsibility in the circle, so she.. ran away.”

Isabelle shook her head and continued to look out into the night. Her sister would never have just abandoned her like that. They had been latchkey kids since their father left, and their mother had to work long hours to keep them afloat. Igraine had taken care of her. She wouldn’t just bail. Isabelle remained silent.

Janine continued. “We meet at the full moons. They’re called Esbats. We raise energy and then direct it towards our city. It protects Savannah, and charges it magickally. That’s good for all of us.” It occurred to Janine that maybe all that wouldn’t matter to a 15 year old girl. She decided to change her tack. “We have power. Actual power. And we’ve always been here. Even your mother was a powerful witch once, before she married your father and gave up her calling.”

Isabelle turned to look at Janine, eyes wide with surprise.

“Oh yes. I suppose nobody would have told you. Your mother wanted to live a normal life with a normal guy. I’m not sure why anyone would ever want to be normal, but there it is.” Janine chuckled.

“Dad left. Can Mom come back then?” Isabelle suggested quietly, hoping she’d found an out.

“Nope. It doesn’t work like that. Once a witch denies her power, it’s done. No more. Poof.”

Isabelle nodded miserably. “So what does that mean to me?” She steeled herself for the answer, glaring at Janine.

“Well, you’ll be drawn to the circles every full moon, like you were tonight. But now that you know, you can at least get dressed for it.” Janine chuckled. “We can draw your energy in the circle, even if you never choose to learn another thing about your witchcraft. But that would be boring.” Janine winked at Isabelle. “If you want, you can come visit me some afternoon this week. I can teach you things. Fun things.”

Isabelle sighed and looked out the window. She wasn’t sure she wanted to learn ‘things’, fun or otherwise. But maybe, just maybe, she could find out what happened to Igraine. “Tuesday then? I have chorus on Monday.”

“Sounds good hon. Well, we’re here.” Janine pulled into the driveway of their modest home. “You could talk to your mom about it, but I don’t think she’d thank you. Maybe best to wait and decide what you want to do for yourself, eh?” Janine passed her a business card with an address and a phone number.

Isabelle nodded, and tried to smile. She didn’t know if this woman had something to do with Igraine’s disappearance, but she seemed nice enough. And if she was going to learn anything, she had to play along. She closed the door quietly, and left her muddy socks in the bushes next to the front door. She slipped quietly inside.

****************************************

Isabelle knocked on the enormous mahogany door, feeling conspicuous in the gorgeous, expensive neighborhood where Janine lived. Her mom cleaned houses somewhere in this neighborhood. Isabelle wasn’t sure which one, the kids were never allowed near.

The door opened, and a ruggedly handsome man in a suit answered. He had a twinkle in his eye and teeth that were so white they nearly glowed in the dark light of the shaded entryway. He had beautiful black, curly hair that reached past his shoulders. She wanted to touch it.

“Isabelle?” he asked with a grin.

She couldn’t think of anything to say to him, so she just nodded and followed his wave deeper into the house. Once the door was closed against the low winter sunlight, she could see her surroundings.

The house was lush. There was no other word for it. It was filled with deep, mahogany paneling over plaster walls. The floors were a dark marble, and all the dark colors were broken up by enormous windows and skylights. It was an old-fashioned Southern mansion, but one that had been updated to let the light pour in. And nearly every surface was filled with rare old books or trinkets from some exotic place. Even the brightly colored walls were covered with the trophies of someone who traveled extensively, and probably loved to tell the stories.

It was exactly the kind of place she would want when she was older. She and Igraine had always shared a love of books, and dreamed of traveling to the faraway places described in them. They had both known that magic was real. And now she was going to learn about it from one who truly knew.

A cloud settled over her thoughts. She reminded herself that her purpose in coming here was to find out what happened to Igraine, nothing more. She would pretend to care, all the while asking questions, looking for clues.

But it couldn’t hurt to dream a little.

Janine swept into the room, swatting her butler on the behind as she did. Despite the obvious fact that he was 20 or more years younger than her, (Isabelle placed him around 30 or so), he giggled and snapped at her flirtatiously. “Go make us some tea, will you darling?” Janine laughed, and he rolled his eyes as he swept from the room.

“Don’t mind him, honey. I just told him we’re going to Bali in a few months. He gets so excited.” She chuckled and waved me to a comfortable leather couch, then sat on the other side, curling a leg underneath her. “So, where to start, where to start?” She tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully.

Isabelle took the opportunity to look around at the book shelves lining every wall of the room.

“Do you have any questions?” Janine asked, and Isabelle snapped back to attention.

Isabelle cleared her throat. What she wanted to ask about was Igraine. Instead, she asked “So, you travel a lot?”, and then felt completely stupid.

Janine laughed. “Yes, it relieves the boredom. Not that my life is boring,” she nodded meaningfully toward the kitchen, “but if it was, travel would relieve that.”

Isabelle looked confused, and Janine decided to help her out.

“You’ll find that if you embrace your magick, you will be taken care of. I don’t know how, exactly, I don’t know why. It just happens. Maybe we’re more in tuned with the universe, or working toward the greater good, and it bounces back to us. Who knows?” She tucked her long, honey blonde hair behind her ear.

Isabelle took a moment to study Janine, though she tried to be nonchalant with several sideways glances. She was beautiful. Her face was lined only slightly, and her hair was thick and glossy. Her creamy complexion highlighted honey brown eyes that made her seem older and younger at the same time. She was carefree, but also spoke with the weight of authority and wisdom built up over a full lifetime. Isabelle couldn’t begin to place her age.

“72.” Janine said with a smirk as her friend brought the tea in. “And he’s 50.” She snatched a small sandwich off of a tray.

Isabelle wasn’t sure what to say again, so she just looked around and muttered the appropriate responses (she hoped) as tea was served.

They munched and sipped in silence, Janine occasionally playing footsie with her... Servant? Friend? Husband?

When tea was done, she kissed his cheek and smiled.

“I’ll give you two some time.” He winked and left the room, carrying the tray.

“The magick affects how you age as well. And it spills over to those who you spend the most time with. Your mom was even starting to look younger with Igraine in the coven. I suppose the trend will continue if you join.” Janine mused.

“Wait, so I have a choice in all this, right?” Isabelle asked. She wanted to find out what happened to Igraine, but this was a lot to take in.

Janine paused, and thought before she spoke. “You do, actually. But usually the choice is easy. You can go back to your ordinary life, and be an ordinary person, and some other girl will find herself in our circle. But there are a few problems with that. First, you would always wonder what would have happened if you’d taken the magickal path. Wouldn’t you?” Janine stared at Isabelle, and Isabelle nodded reluctantly.

“Second, if you tried to tell anyone what happened here, unless they were magickal too, they probably wouldn’t believe you. It’s happened before, but it didn’t go well for the women who tried to expose us. Everyone believed they were a little crazy, and eventually, they were. Again, we’re taken care of.” Janine smiled. She obviously didn’t mind the turn her life had taken.

It was all very seductive. Isabelle was scared, but sorely tempted at the same time. She could be magickal. She could wield power. Moreover, maybe she could travel and lead an exciting life. All she really had going for her now was a mediocre GPA and a deep love of reading. What else would she do?

She felt a stab of guilt in the back of her mind. What about Igraine? Would she be turning her back on her sister? It was time to see what she could find out. “Can you tell me what happened to my sister?” she asked quietly, folding her hands in her lap.

Janine cleared her throat. “Some girls do try to embrace their magick, and then they find out how much responsibility comes with it. We take care of Savannah. We help make sure the weather is nice, the tourism is good, and crime is down. We make Savannah come alive with magick. We feed her our energy, and she feeds us in return.” She licked her lips and continued. “Your sister tried to embrace the magick, tried to join us, but in the end, she wasn’t able to handle the responsibility.”

Isabelle’s tried not to roll her eyes. Igraine had been taking responsibility for her since she was a toddler. She knew that Janine was lying.

Janine scooted over on the couch and placed her hand lightly on Isabelle’s shoulder. “I liked your sister. She was smart and spunky. But she wasn’t ready.” She looked into Isabelle’s eyes. “So make me a promise, OK? If it gets to be too much, you’ll tell me?”

Isabelle saw genuine concern in Janine’s eyes. She knew that she wasn’t telling the truth about what had happened to Igraine, but she didn’t seem malicious either.

“Ok,” she mumbled, trying to smile but failing.

Janine snapped up with a clap. “Good! Now Igraine liked to read, do you?” At Isabelle’s nod, she began searching her books, and stacking a few of them on a large desk behind the couch.

Isabelle couldn’t help but smile. Despite all her misgivings, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on some of those books.

*****************************

By the time March’s full moon rolled around, Isabelle had learned quite a bit about magickal theory. Janine assured her that the circle would take care of most of the magick raising and distribution tonight, but she could do small things by herself. She was able to work with her own energy field, grounding and centering herself when she needed to work off excess energy. She could project energy with her right hand, or pull energy with her left. She was learning to breathe in an entirely new way, and she felt more confident than she ever had in her life.

She was even beginning to dress differently, choosing long, flowing skirts and adding more jewelry to her fingers and wrists. Her curly black hair grew glossier, and her skin cleared up. If her mother noticed, she didn’t say anything, but she did look at her strangely at times. Maybe she could feel Isabelle’s growing magick, and maybe she missed her own.

When Isabelle showed up to the circle, the high priestess was already there. Janine said her name was Melissa, and that she had taught Igraine. As scary as last month’s circle had been, she still managed to smile at the icy blonde woman on the raised platform. She didn’t want any of the women to know that she had ulterior motives for joining the circle.

Melissa nodded, and nodded at Janine as well, then began the ritual.

“How do we build our circle?” Melissa asked, her voice projecting throughout the grove.

“In perfect love and perfect trust!” the others answered. Isabelle mouthed the words, having been coached by Janine in the proper responses, but she didn’t know how much she actually trusted any of these women. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a thrill as the energy tide began to rise and swallow the circle. The women began to breathe and sway together. Even the trees seemed to shiver in time as the words were spoken and the ritual was created.

She felt the magick move through the soles of her feet from the earth, felt it collect in her chest, and felt it combine with the energy of the other women in the circle. It was intoxicating. She could almost taste it, the taste of wild blueberries and honey. She tried to keep up with the ritual as much as possible, but all she really wanted to do was sway in time with the cadences of the words being spoken and feel the magick coursing through her body.

During the final moments of the ritual, when the energy was highest, Isabelle stopped hearing the words entirely. She knew that she was answering in perfect time, but she wasn’t doing it intentionally. Instead, she heard a voice. It was Igraine. She was speaking through her.

Isabelle’s mind reeled. If Igraine was speaking through her, then she must be dead. She didn’t just leave town, she was gone. Except, not really. Her voice was like a warm hug in Isabelle’s mind, and she kept going with the ritual.

At the final words, both she and Igraine inside her mind yelled “So mote it be!”, and threw Isabelle’s arms towards the sky. She felt the energy that the circle had raised slide up and away from the circle, expanding around them. It covered the grove, then the forest, then the city, and then soaking in and suffusing the city around her. She felt it settle into the old stones, the boats on the river, the live oak trees and the cemeteries where the ancestors still roamed. She felt it settle into the lively pubs and the parks where people walked hand-in-hand. The city came alive, and she could feel it. She was connected to it in a way she never had been before.

She did feel the responsibility of that connection, just like Janine said. But it wasn’t a burden, it was a joy. She looked around at the women around the circle, and even though none of them were talking to each other, she saw small smiles on their faces. There was a joy there, even if they didn’t share it with their circle sisters. Even Melissa, cool and serene, had a bit of a blush in her cheeks.

She looked inward, but Igraine was retreating. She tried to reach out, but couldn’t grasp her. All she heard was the echo of Igraine’s voice saying “You belong here. Don’t blow it, kid."

Isabelle knew she would be here next month.

Author's Note

Does this have enough sensory detail? Should I add more scent, visual, or auditory cues?