by Kate A. Fox
“Are you alright?” Merrin asked when we reached the front steps of the building and found a car sat waiting at the curb. I hadn’t noticed it on my way in. Had it been there this whole time? It must have been because Merrin pulled a set of keys from her pocket and remotely unlocked the car. But this wasn’t just any car. It was a freaking sports car. Not just any old sports car either. It was a God damned Lotus!
I had to be dreaming because there was no way that witches drove burned orange lotuses.
“I...I…” I had no idea what to say and so I simply nodded.
“Well then, why don’t you climb on in?” Merrin smiled comfortingly at me. I was about to take the first step towards the car when she placed a hand on my shoulder.
I looked up in surprise and found that she was gazing back at me, her bright blue eyes seeming to gouge into my soul.
“I know your secret, Brianna.” she said and her words caused my skin to crawl. Her voice was like stone and she seemed to be carving the words into me so that I would never forget them.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about.” I shook my head. It was the truth. Even though Nicola had told me there were secrets in my past, I still had no idea what any of them were. I still didn’t have a clue who my parents were.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
She smiled again and even against my better nature and all that I had just learned, I think I believed her.
CHAPTER 10
THE DRIVE TO WHEREVER THE HELL WE WERE GOING wasn’t at all as bad as I had expected it to be. We couldn’t have been driving for more than an hour out of London before we turned off the motorway.
We hadn’t even made it out of London by the time I’d managed to wipe all the gunk off my face and I found myself relaxing back into the passenger seat that was the most comfortable car seat I’d ever sat on in my life. The leather seemed to mould to my body, embracing me in all the right places.
I was silent, staring out of the window as we passed field after field washed in silver moonlight. The night was clear and filled with stars that caught my eye as they glimmered overhead.
“You feel a strong connection to the night sky, don’t you?” Merrin spoke up as we pulled off the motorway and the sudden sound caused me to jump.
“I suppose I’ve always liked the stars.” I admitted, remembering the glow in the dark stickers that decorated my bedroom ceiling. Nausea began in the pit of my stomach and I realised I was already homesick. Tonight I wouldn’t be sleeping beneath those stars. In fact, I had no idea where I would be sleeping. Perhaps inside a padded cell?
I shivered at the thought.
“You have no need to be frightened.” Merrin told me softly. She was beginning to really pee me off with how she always seemed to know what I was thinking.
“Can you read my mind or something?”
I finally turned my attention from the window to glare at her and found that she was smiling with amusement.
“I can’t exactly read your mind but I am very good at reading people.”
She shrugged her broad yet elegant shoulders.
That was a relief. Sort of.
“We’re here.” Merrin said as she turned the car off the road that had gradually begun to turn to a dirt path.
I stared out of the windscreen unable to see anything but open field.
My heart hammered so hard in my chest that I was almost sure that Merrin would be able to hear it. Even though I didn’t look at her again, I could feel her smirking as though she was amused by my reaction.
“Don’t worry. You’ll see it soon enough.”
Even as she said the words I saw some kind of shimmering wall begin to reveal itself before me. On the other side there was still nothing but open field.
The wall that seemed both ten metres thick and paper thin all at once, spread right across the road. To my horror I realised we were heading right for it.
“What are you doing?” I gasped in horror, “We are going to crash right into it!”
Instinct caused me to reach out for the steering wheel but Merrin was unbelievably strong and there was no way in hell that I could move it from her grip.
We collided with the wall in a rush but instead of pain all I felt was a familiar tingling sensation. My body was enveloped in a warmth that reminded me of the way the woman in my dream had embraced me.
Then just as suddenly it was gone and almost entirely forgotten as a whole new world seemed to open out before me.
The dirt path continued on up a steep hill and at the top I could just make out not one but three huge mansion-like buildings. The first sat facing us while the two others stood to either side, facing each other, almost in the shape of some kind of mansion cul-de-sac. But it was like no cul-de-sac I’d ever seen.
Even as the car continued on up the hill and we drew closer I saw that there was a huge courtyard in the very centre of the three buildings, connecting all three together. There was a magnificent fountain set in the very middle. As we drew nearer I realised that the fountain was made of two marble people, a woman and a man, embraced in a fashion that said they were the most ultimate of lovers. Water spouted from a jet that appeared out of nowhere above their heads. The droplets caught the light emitting from tall oil lamps that were dotted all around the courtyard.
“Who are they?” I said as though they were real people.
“Selene and Helios.” Merrin said simply as though I was supposed to know exactly who they were.
Of course I knew Selene, at least if my dream was correct. She was the goddess of the moon. But I had no idea who Helios was.
As though she had picked up on my confusion, just as she had everything else, she continued, “Selene is the Greek personification of the moon and Helios is the personification of the sun. God and Goddess are entwined to show the connection between the Daughters of Selene and the sons of Helios.”
“Who are the Daughters of Selene and the sons of Helios?”
“Witches, Brianna, witches are the sons and daughters of the gods. You are a daughter of Selene.”
No, I am the daughter of Emelia. At least that’s what I wanted to tell her because it was the only damn thing I knew about my mother. Her name was Emelia.
But even as I thought it I realised that it felt wrong.
Merrin pulled the car into a parking space in front of the courtyard and killed the engine.
“The building that faces forwards is the main school building where all classes are held along with the dining room, a library and the lecturers quarters. There’s also an infirmary at the back of the building.” Merrin explained pointing at the first building which was the largest by far. It was made up of a long rectangular building but at its very centre, housing the huge double front doors was a large tower. At its summit were open arches and if I looked closely enough I was sure I could see a huge silver bell.
Perhaps it wasn’t just a tower but a bell tower.
“The building on the left is the dormitory of the Daughters of Selene.” Merrin continued, gesturing at the second mansion that was a small replica of the first but without the tower.
“So that third building must be the dormitory of the Sons of Helios?” I pointed at the last building and Merrin nodded.
“You catch on quickly.” she practically purred.
Then she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned her full attention on me.
“Are you ready to meet the Grand Priestess?”
I quivered at that. What the hell was a Grand Priestess?
“Grand Priestess Celestria is what you might have called a Principal at your old school.” Merrin explained, doing that whole intuitive thing all over again, “I must take you to meet her before I show you to your room.”
“So she knows I’m coming?” I asked, feeling instantly stupid. Of course she knew I was coming. I couldn’t imagine that strays just turned up at a place like this without the boss knowing.
Merrin simply nodded and slipped from the car, leaving m
e with nothing else to do but follow.
Stepping into the main building was like stepping into the past. I paused at the doors to observe the ornate carving above. A strange sigil I'd never seen before was made up of what appeared to be a crescent moon on the left and a sun on the other. The spikes of flame coming from the sun seemed to dance for just a moment, welcoming me.
Welcome. An oddly familiar voice echoed in my mind, causing me to shiver.
"This is where the gifted learn all they need to know before going back out into the world." Merrin explained to me as though she had seen my amazement.
When I lowered my gaze she was stood before the huge double doors, cast in glowing orange light from the oil lamp that hung above her head just like an old fashioned porch light.
"Welcome." She added and as though touched by her voice, the doors began to swing open.
My heart hammered deep in my chest as Merrin gestured me through, leaving me to go first.
On shaking legs I stepped into a magnificent entryway where two ornate marble staircases swept up to a second floor, meeting at the very top where a stone statue of the same moon and sun symbol stood.
At the centre of the staircases were a set of double doors that mirrored the ones we'd just walked through. They were illuminated by oil lamps hanging on either side.
"Through the doors is the library. It sits at the very centre of the Academy. Knowledge is at the heart of all we do here." Merrin explained, gesturing at the doors that were carved with swirling patterns that somehow made me think that, if you could see it, that's how wind would look.
"To the left is the dining hall." Merrin continued, gesturing at an equally ornate archway that was carved with what could only be described as fruit. Grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, pears. Any fruit you could think of it, it was carved there.
"Mother Earth watches over us, shielding and sustaining us so that we might grow strong on her bounty." Merrin explained and her tone had become almost hypnotizing.
Then she gestured to the archway opposite that was decorated in ocean waves.
"Through there are the lecturers quarters. Water flows through us, passing knowledge from one generation to the next."
"Where is fire?" I said.
I wasn't sure how I knew it but even as I said it, it felt right. The other elements were represented here so where was fire?
"Very good." Merrin smirked at me almost proudly, "Don't you see it all around you?"
As if she saw my confusion she added, "In the oil lamps. Fire lights our way and heats us when we are cold."
I marvelled at the oil lamps once more. Who knew something so old and historical could hold so much meaning?
Even as I stood in the entryway I began to feel the power that seemed to radiate from every symbol.
"Above we shall find Celestria's Chambers where spirit dwells." Merrin explained and she began to sweep up the left set of steps.
I paused for only a moment before beginning to follow her.
When we reached the top of the stairs I saw that she was right. Though hallways swept off in both directions it was the door opposite the moon and sun statue that caught my eye. Intricate swirls of coloured stone were carved into the stone doorframe and the moment I looked upon them I felt a tingling sensation inside of me. It was almost as though the carvings were speaking to the spirit deep inside me, touching me to my very core.
I trembled uncontrollably.
"You will grow used to the power radiated by this place." Merrin assured me but I wasn't at all sure I would ever get used to it, at least not entirely.
Before I could say a word, Merrin stepped up to the door and raised her hand. With elegant motions she rapped her knuckles against the hard oak surface and then stepped back.
Just as before the door seemed to open by itself and Merrin gestured me forwards as a voice called from inside the room, "Enter!"
Heart still pounding, I struggled to make my feet move.
One awkward step at a time, on shaking legs, I entered the room that I instantly realised was filled with sweet smelling smoke. The tendrils of which danced with the flames cast by the oil lamps that lit the room.
"Welcome, Brianna Winters."
CHAPTER 11
THE WOMAN WHO SAT AT THE MAGNIFICENT DESK OPPOSITE me was just as beautiful, if not even more beautiful than Merrin. Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down over her shoulders as she rested her elbows upon the surface of the desk amongst piles of paper and books.
When her eyes met mine they seemed to emanate a strong power that drew me in and guided me into the armchair before her.
Merrin did not enter the room. Instead the door swung closed of its own accord, blocking her from following me. Yet somehow I did not feel trapped. The warm scent of burning lavender eased my nerves and I almost felt as though the smoke itself was caressing my skin as I leaned back in the chair.
"I am Grand Priestess Celestria." The woman announced.
The name definitely suited her. Everything about her seemed powerful, from the levelness of her voice to the way her gaze connected confidently with my own.
"You are Brianna Winters?" She phrased it as a question even though we both knew very well that she knew exactly who I was.
"I am." My voice sounded awkward and pitiful next to her own and I felt myself shrinking into the leather chair that seemed to mould to me just as the car seat had.
"Welcome to the Winterwood." Celestria smiled warmly then and I felt as though she had touched me. Heat spread throughout my entire body, soothing my aching body and washing away all my worries.
"London?" I found myself saying.
"Yes, Bri." Celestria nodded, "There are many academies like this one throughout England and all of the world."
I gulped at that. If that were true how had I never heard of them?
"We are protected from the human world." Celestria said as though she had known what I was thinking. Could all the teachers - I mean lecturers - here do that?
"I'm sure you noticed the forcefield around the school?" Celestria continued.
So that's what that strange shimmering wall had been - a forcefield.
"It surrounds the entire academy and all of its grounds." Celestria explained, "The power drawn here by so many witches in one place keeps it strong."
"Is that why Merrin said this was the safest place for me?" I asked and Celestria nodded. At least I didn't feel like a total idiot for asking that question.
"I am sure you have many questions, Brianna." Celestria said, her voice still warm, "And all will be answered in time. You find yourself in a place of great learning, knowledge and power."
She'd certainly got the power thing right. I could still feel it pulsing in the air all around me.
"The Goddess Selene has chosen you to be one of her children." Celestria continued, "You are special, Brianna, and as such we expect you to also be respectful and uphold the high standards set here."
I opened my mouth to ask her something but my mind was spinning and I had no idea where to begin.
"Over time you will learn what it means to be a witch. You will be given lessons in our history, spellwork and the many other topics that we teach here." Celestria said, her eyes seeming to blaze with certainty. I got the feeling that what she told me wasn't optional.
"In return we shall come to know you and welcome you as one of our sisters." She continued, "If you are lucky, Selene will bestow upon you a gift, an affinity, either to one of the elements or perhaps to healing or even a strong connection with the animal kingdom."
The more she spoke the more I felt as though my head was going to spin right off my shoulders.
"Why didn't I know about any of this before?" I asked. Because Nicola kept it all from me. At least that's what popped into my head the moment I asked the question.
"Some of us come from a long line of witches," Celestria told me, "There are a few here whose witch ancestry can be traced back thousands of years, even to the ancient Gre
eks whose gods and goddesses we still worship today."
Worship? Great. This was some kind of religious cult. So what the hell was I doing here? I'd never even been to church unless it was for a wedding or even a funeral.
"Others come from partnerships of human and witch or are even simply humans chosen by Selene or Helios for what they shall one day become." She told me, "I suspect that, due to your lack of knowledge, you are either the descendant of witches who mixed with humans or Selene has seen something rare in you and has chosen you from a human family."
If that were true then what was so special about me? Whatever it was it had caused my mum to abandon me and my adopted mum to lie to me my entire life. I didn't mention what Nicola had told me. I felt an instinct deep in my gut to keep my mouth shut as I remembered what she had said before I'd left the flat.
"You may rest assured that Selene's plan for you will become clear over time." Celestria assured me, "Until then we shall do our best to teach you our ways and everything that you may need as a fully fledged witch."
Witch. I was a witch. That was if I wasn't completely insane. I was still struggling to believe any of it. How was any of this even possible? Witches. Schools surrounded by magical forcefields. Gods and Goddesses. Pushing a girl without even touching her.
None of it seemed real. But what this woman - and Merrin before her - was telling me was that it was all very real indeed.
"Your classes shall begin Monday morning but for now it is late. I shall allow Merrin to walk with you to the girls dorm."
Celestria stood then and came to stand before me. With a simple look she urged me from my chair and I found myself stepping into her open arms.
"Merry meet, sister." Celestria's voice was almost ceremonial now and her words filled me with heat. I trembled in her arms, "Merry part and may we meet again."
Celestria's final words echoed in my mind even as Merrin walked with me through the courtyard that I now realised was shaded by giant oak trees that swept up from behind the buildings to meet above the statue in the centre. Even through their thick foliage, the moon penetrated, casting glowing silver light all around us.
