Today's recommendation is a supernatural fantasy
Prologue
Cordelia, the high priestess of the Ravenwood Coven, stood
in front of the altar lighting the candles one by one. The room was dark, and
the flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls. Her hair was pulled
into a bun, and her statuesque figure hid under her long, hooded cape. She held
her arms high, reciting a prayer.
Lady of the Moon
Let my mind be attuned
I need your guidance
Lord of the Sunrise
Hear my humble cries
I need your guidance.
Cordelia flipped her long cape, turned around with three
silver goblets on a tray, and stared for a long moment at the nervous-looking
young women and man sitting side by side. Her stern expression sent deep
shivers down their spines. She reached them with a few small steps and stood
over them before handing them the goblets. “Drink!” Her booming voice filled
the room.
Olivia, a slender, dark-haired young woman; Candice, the
athletic-built blonde; and Dorian, a dark-haired young man, exchanged nervous
glances. They took the goblets with shaky hands, lifted them to their lips and
drank the ruby red liquid. Their expressions changed. They seemed to be in a
deep trance.
The High Priestess watched the trio for a minute and then
asked, “Do you wish to become apprentices of the Ravenwood Coven?
“Yes, I do,” came the reply from the three young acolytes in
unison.
“Do you promise to follow the Coven rules and promise to
practice only white magic?”
“Yes, I do,” the three answered.
“Do you promise to be loyal to the coven and its members,
and promise not to compete with each other or be jealous of others?”
“Yes, I do,” Olivia and Dorian replied without hesitation,
but Candice’s answer came a second later: “I’ll try.”
Cordelia drew a sharp breath. I’ll give her a chance
because her grandmother is an Elder, but I’ll keep a close eye on her. She
clapped her hands, and the young acolytes snapped out of the trance, looking a
little dazed and confused.
“Welcome to Ravenwood Coven,” Cordelia announced. “You’re now apprentices. It will be a long road, and the next months will not be easy. You will study and practice hard before you can become witches and a warlock. Good luck to you all.”
Chapter One
When Olivia passed the entry exam and was accepted as an
apprentice into the Coven, it was the best day of her life. Her father and
grandmother had been preparing her since she was a little girl, despite the
objection of her mother. Her parents were happy together and lived in harmony,
except for occasional fights between them about the family tradition.
Her mother, Gloria, objected. “Why does she have to be a
witch? I’m not, and we’re happy!”
“Because this is our family tradition, and you knew it when
you married me. Remember?” Xavier, Olivia’s father, patiently replied.
“Why did you marry me? You knew I was different and never
wanted anything to do with witchcraft.”
“Because the blue butterfly told me,” Xavier said.
“A what? Are you losing your mind?” Gloria asked, feeling alarmed
and concerned.
“I never told you this…because I never wanted you to look at
me the way you’re looking at me now.” He bowed his head and swallowed hard. He
then looked into his wife’s eyes and continued, “My family is protected by
guardians, and they communicate with us by making different colored butterflies
appear to show us the right path. The blue butterfly they sent me the day I met
you was to show me that we were soulmates.”
“That’s so sweet! Scary,
but sweet. And yes, we are soulmates, darling. But I don’t remember seeing a
butterfly,” she said, staring at her husband.
“Only we can see them. They function as detectors of
people’s intentions. You’re a good, honest, and loyal person. That’s why the
guardians showed me the blue butterfly.”
“Aw… But still, Olivia doesn’t have to be a witch,” she
protested weakly, folding her arms across her chest.
“I told you before we got married that our children will
join the Coven when they turn eighteen, and you agreed,” Xavier argued.
“Yes, but…but I was hoping you’d change your mind,” his wife
replied in a quieter tone of voice. “Okay, okay! It’s just… I don’t have to
like it.”
“You should be proud of her, honey. She did very well on the
entry exam. She’ll be a great witch.”
“I’m proud of her, and I know she wants to follow in your
footsteps. It’s just, I had a different future in mind for her. She loves
science, and I was hoping she might want to follow that path.”
“And she will. She can be a great scientist or researcher,
and a witch, too.”
***
Candice enjoyed being popular and never really wanted to
become a witch, but because her grandmother insisted, she applied for the
apprenticeship. Her mother was absent most of the time, following fleeting
dreams and ideas. The only steady person in Candice’s life was her grandmother.
Although Candice passed the entry test, which made her
grandmother happy, she was more interested in partying than studying spells and
potions. The idea of following the strict rules and studying all the time bored
her, but her interest flared when she found out Dorian had joined the Coven as
well.
She preferred partying with the athletic boys of the football
team, but when she noticed that Olivia and Dorian were developing more than a
friendship, she grew jealous of their closeness and quiet happiness. She wanted
to be happy like them; she wanted him. She tried starting conversations with
him, asked him to go to a party with her, and asked him to study potions and
spells with her. Dorian gave her a polite excuse every time.
Feeling frustrated, Candice confided in her grandmother. “They’re
spending all their free time together and started dating! How could he like
her? She’s so plain and weird. Okay, she’s a caring person, but still. I’m a
cheerleader and the prettiest girl in school. How could he not like me?”
“You’re the prettiest, love,” her grandmother cooed, hugging
her. “He’s interested in her, so leave them be. There are other boys. Looks
like the family curse follows you too like a shadow.” Her grandmother sighed.
“What curse?” Candice asked.
“We’re cursed with always wanting what we can’t have.”
“No, Grandma! I want him! I want him to go on a date with
me, to return my feelings. I want to be his girlfriend, but no, he had to ask
Olivia, sweet and boring Olivia. All she cares about is school and being
boring. I’m popular and full of zest for life. What does she have that I don’t
have?”
“Nothing, dear. She’s just a plain and boring girl, just
like her grandma was. They make a good pair; Dorian is not an interesting
person either. Even if he’d have asked you out instead of Olivia, you’d grow
bored with him in no time.”
“No, Grandma. I want him! I’ll find a way to make him fall
in love with me.”
“And, the family curse continues...” the old lady muttered under her breath, feeling sad and frustrated.
Chapter Two
Candice and Olivia were seniors in high school, and both
came from a long line of witches and warlocks. They hadn’t really spoken to
each other before they both became acolytes of the Ravenwood Coven. Candice was
a beautiful and popular cheerleader, always wearing colorful clothes. Olivia
was a shy loner, always dressed in black. Candice hung out with the
cheerleaders and often humiliated Olivia publicly, or sometimes she posted
degrading things about Goth people on social sites to make fun of her.
They were warned by the High Priestess not to tell anyone
about the Coven. They kept it a secret, and Candice rarely talked to Olivia in
school. She spoke to her only when she needed her help. One day, at lunch,
Candice surprised Olivia by approaching her at the geek table. As
Candice sat down, Olivia watched the brown-winged butterfly hovering over her
head. She’s a bad person. Dad warned me about the brown butterfly
people. I must be cautious, she thought.
Candice leaned closer to Olivia and said in a hushed tone,
“I’m in trouble! I didn’t have time to practice, and we’ll have to perform a
protection spell tonight. You have to help me.”
Olivia looked at her in disbelief. “You didn’t practice?
Studying for school and memorizing the spell and ritual kept me up half the
night.”
“We had cheerleading practice, and after that, we went to a
party. I was too tired. Being a cheerleader is a commitment, and sometimes it’s
not easy to keep up with the others. You always have to pretend to be chipper
and happy, even when you’re not. And you always have to do everything as a
group. I couldn’t just tell the girls that I needed to study a magical
protection spell, now could I? Besides, we had so much fun last night. The
football team joined us.” Candice smiled, and her blonde ponytail bounced as
she shifted in her seat impatiently.
“I can imagine. Maybe I should have joined the cheerleading
squad instead of the science lab,” Olivia said sarcastically.
“You know you wouldn’t have made it. You’re not flexible
enough… and a Plain Jane like you wouldn’t be accepted, anyway.” Candice turned
away, muttering.
Her mocking tone hurt Olivia’s feelings. She knew Candice
didn’t care about her; she just tolerated her and used her, but she couldn’t
say no. “Okay, I’ll help you.” She helped Candice memorizing the spell at
recess, and the day went by quickly.
***
On the way home Olivia was thinking about her growing
feelings for Dorian. She first saw him when his family moved to town to be
closer to his ailing grandmother when they were in the ninth grade. She liked
him and secretly hoped that one day he’d like her back. But deep down she never
thought he would like a girl like her, until recently, when he joined the
science club and was accepted into the Coven. He was nice to Olivia and didn’t
care about how she looked. They had become best friends. He was interested in
the genuine person she was.
Her heart warmed every time she saw him, and she fantasized
about him a lot. One day when they were in tenth grade, she was going home from
the store and saw him in his Grandma’s driveway next door. He was working on his
car, leaning over the engine, under the hood. Olivia was too busy gawking at
him and dropped her bag while taking the paper out of the mailbox. He had looked
up, startled by the loud thud.
“Are you okay?” he’d asked, concerned.
“No, I’m fine, just dropped my bag. What are you working
on?”
“Changing the oil. Mom and I came over to clean Grandma’s
house.”
“Is she home from the hospital?”
“We’re going to bring her home tomorrow. She had a hip
replacement.”
“Yes, my mom told me.”
“Hey, would you like to go for a cup of coffee after I
finish the oil change and get cleaned up?” he’d asked.
He’d always been friendly, but Olivia hadn’t expected him to
ask her out and felt the heat rising to her face. “Are you asking me to go on a
date?” She didn’t really believe her ears.
He cocked his head. “It’s about time, don’t you think? Or if
you don’t want to go out with me…” He left the sentence open and looked at her
questioningly.
Olivia had smiled, feeling and looking embarrassed. “Yes… I
mean… Okay,” she stuttered but quickly came to her senses. “I have a few things
to do, but we can go to Karen’s shop in about an hour for coffee and cake.” She
didn’t want him to think she was a desperate loner who’d been fantasizing about
that moment for a long time.
“She makes the best lemon poppy cupcakes with vanilla
frosting.” Dorian had smiled and turned back to the car.
Olivia had nodded and hurried inside before she could manage
to make herself look foolish.
One date and bonding over cupcakes had led to more dates. They
enjoyed each other’s company, and they spent as much time together as they
could. They took long walks by the river, and he helped her collecting herbs in
the woods. Dorian’s grandmother, a retired witch, as she often called
herself, was an Elder of the Ravenwood Coven. She was happy when Dorian decided
to follow her. His mother never showed interest in joining the Coven. She
divorced Dorian’s dad when he was very young, and he rarely visited but once or
twice a year.
Dorian knew Olivia’s father and grandmother practiced
witchcraft. He asked them to help his mother after his grandmother told him it
was beyond her knowledge, and the doctors were puzzled by her mysterious
illness that left her weak and tired all the time. Olivia’s dad and grandma had
performed cleansing and healing rituals, making Dorian’s mother healthy.
When Olivia told Dorian she wanted to be an apprentice, he
was eager to know more. She told him about white magic, and he decided to apply
for apprenticeship in the Coven as well. Their friendship deepened and bloomed.
When he confessed his love for her, and they shared their first kiss, Olivia
watched as a blue butterfly flapped its wings above them. I know he’s a good
person, but could he really be my soulmate? Well, the guardians didn’t lie
before…
Erika M Szabo
Erika loves to dance to her own tunes and follow her dreams, introducing her story-writing skills and her books that are based on creative imagination with themes such as magical realism, alternate history, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, sweet romance, and supernatural stories. Her children’s stories are informative and educational and deliver moral values in a non-preachy way.
