Divining Destiny

Chapter 21

Tia, Faye and Susan arrived home just after 9:30pm, and Susan put the kettle on. They had all enjoyed the movie, but the company had been what had made it perfect. As the three of them sat in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate, Tia looked at Faye, who frowned, but nodded.
"Mum, I need to talk to you about...about where I come from." Tia said, a little hesitantly. Susan nearly dropped her mug in surprise.
"I don't know what you mean, sweetie. Where you come from? I've told you all about...the facts of life." Susan said. Tia shook her head.
"No. I mean, about my family. The ones you rescued me from." Tia said. Susan did drop her mug then, and both Tia and Faye reacted, but it was Tia that stopped the mug in mid-air, the liquid staying in the cup. Tia plucked it from the air and put it on the table.
"How did you find out? Who told you?" Susan asked, glancing at Faye.
"No one told me. I had a dream a few nights ago. I saw it all. You saved me." Tia said. Susan felt a tear  roll down her cheek.
" They were all dead, all of them. In their beds. You'd think that they'd wake up, or that neighbours would've noticed sooner and got inside. When I found you alive, it had to be a miracle. How you survived and they didn't..." Susan said, and started crying. Tia stood up and moved to her, hugging her from behind. Susan cried for a minute, then calmed herself down.
"I'm okay. How did you..." Susan asked, looking at the cup pointedly. Tia glanced at Faye guiltily, and Faye reached out and touched Susan's hand.
"Tia is very special. She is gifted. You saved her for a special reason. The person who burned down Tia's...Amber's...home doesn't know she survived, but we can't keep it from her knowledge much longer." Faye said. Susan looked from Faye to Tia.
"What do you mean? Who knows? Will we need to move?" Susan asked.
"No. This is where we're supposed to be." Tia said. Susan looked at her.
"How do you know?" She asked.
"It's hard to explain. A feeling, an intuition. Besides, you have your job, and we have church. We have friends, I have school." Tia said.
"The church? What can a church do against witchcraft? I read, and head things." Susan cried.
"Susan, calm yourself. The church has more power because people believe. Yes, the church only believes in God, but the God is powerful, and faith of any kind can, and will, hinder dark magick." Faye said. Tia grabbed the box of tissues from the bench and brought them over to Susan. She wiped her face.
"You called her Amber. You know who she really is. I just remembered that you have always known. That you promised to pay for your part. So who is she?" Susan asked. Faye looked at Tia, and smiled gently.
"She was born Amber Montgomery, and had six older sisters." Faye said.
"Two sets of twins." Tia supplied. Susan nodded.
"I see. Go on." Susan said.
"Amber is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. There is, or was, a prophecy that a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter would be very powerful, and change Wicca as we know it, bring it back into the world, make it strong tor the generations to come. Currently it's become almost a joke to some, and a waste of time for others. In the old days it was embraced, but in the technological world it has become almost a hindrance. No one has time anymore to gather for the special days, the rites and sabbats. Most people only know of the equinoxes because countries like America and the UK use them for the start of their seasons, whereas here in Australia we go by the first of the month." Faye explained. Susan looked a little scared by this information, but Tia was drinking it in. She'd not heard much of this.
"Who else knows Tia is this Amber girl?" Susan asked. Faye frowned.
"My tutor, Jaina, knows. We think another local witch knows, or has an inkling." Tia said. Susan visibly paled and clutched at the table for support. Tia moved closer to her,
"Your tutor from school knows? How does she know about you?" Susan asked. Tia looked at Faye.
"I met her weeks ago when my friends and I were in town to do some window shopping after school. We stumbled upon these two magick shops. The first one was awful, felt real bad. The second was lovely and welcoming, so different, and it belongs to Jaina. She was so nice, and she knew of me straight away. She became my tutor for school so she could help me with the... the magick stuff." Tia said, looking at Faye. "I wanted Aunt Faye here to help me. She was..." Tia started, but Faye put up a hand.
"This is my penance, as it were. I need to tell you my side, and this may cause a ripple effect, but the time is now. I may not get another chance." Faye said. Susan put a hand over her mouth and Tia sat close to her.
"Please don't say anything if it will cause you trouble." Tia said.
"I must. There's nothing else to do." Faye said.
"Wait. I have an idea." Tia said, and looked around. Susan watched her, but Faye smiled. All six spirits appeared before Tia.
"I need you all to surround the house, four to each corner, North, South, East and West, one at the back fence and one at the front fence, and protect us as Aunt Faye speaks. I will send my energy into you to complete the circle." Tia said, and held her hands out, palms facing towards her six sisters. Susan looked confused, but Faye nodded encouragingly. Tia sent her energy into them, strengthening them just a little, and Susan gasped as she saw six shimmering shapes standing in front of Tia. Without saying a word the six girls vanished, and it suddenly felt as though a cocoon had gone up around them. Faye's eyes widened in awe.
"Who were they?" Susan asked. Tia sagged slightly in her chair, feeling the energy slowly starting to drain from her.
"My sisters. They are using my energy to protect us. Aunt Faye please continue, quickly." Tia said, eyes closing. Faye watched Tia, then nodded.
"Of course. But how did you know to do this?" She asked.
"I didn't. It just came to me, and I did it. Continue." Tia said, almost commanding the woman. Susan looked from one to the other.
"Your sisters? They're here?" Susan asked.
"Yes. They have been watching over me, being my friends, since I was a baby. I'm sure you remember when I was little and always talking to my imaginary friends." Tia said. Susan blinked, but nodded.
"Are you all right?" Faye asked. Tia nodded.
"For now, but please talk fast, I don't know how much longer I can hold on." Tia said. Faye tried to take the child's hand, but she pulled away. "It has to be my energy only, or your enemies will find you." Tia added. Faye frowned, but knew the girl spoke the truth.
"All right." Faye turned to Susan. "I am part of a coven back in Elpherton, the Evermoon Coven, and the High Priestess of that coven is a powerful witch. She learned of a prophecy, one that spoke of the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter being born that will change the way Wicca is viewed in the world, and she hated that there would one day be someone out there more powerful than her and her daughter. The coven was enlisted to keep their eyes and ears open, and I...I heard of a woman that had been brought into the hospital I worked at who was about to give birth to her seventh daughter. I notified my High Priestess, and I was ordered to find this child. I was there at her birth, and I actually had swapped the child with another, but my Attending found out and switched them back. I tried a few times to get her, but something always stopped me. Other nurses, mostly. When Amber went home with her mum, I had to report it. The High Priestess was told, and she cast the spell to stop the smoke alarms from working, a sleep spell to keep everyone asleep when they smelled the smoke, and then the spell to start the fire in the laundry to make it appear an accident, and so no one could save them." Faye said, tears falling. Tia wanted to hug her, to tell her that all was forgiven, at least for Faye, but she stayed still. Instead Susan took her hand and and squeezed it. 
"No one blames you. I'm sure your Goddess forgives it." Susan said. Faye wiped her eyes.
"I hope so." Faye said. She looked at Tia. "I won't say any more. You can let go." Faye added. Tia nodded and sent out her mind to her friends, telling them to come back to her. All six appeared behind her, and Tia sagged.
"Thank you all for helping. Have a good rest." Tia said. Her sisters smiled and vanished. Tia slumped in her chair.
"Tia? Are you all right?" Faye asked, standing up, but Susan got to her first, picking the child up and carrying her to her room. Faye followed.
"I'm all right. Just drained." Tia said. Susan lay her down on her bed, and Tia collapsed against her pillows. Faye came in, followed by Anna and Sierra. Faye looked at the girls, but said nothing.
"Have you always been...like this?" Susan asked. Tia looked at her.
"As long as I can remember, yes. But it was only a few years ago that things started changing. I can't talk about it now. I'm too tired, but..." Tia started, yawning, but Anna interrupted her.
"Susan said Jaina is concerned. She felt the power used, and wants to know what was happening." Anna said. Tia looked at her.
"Can you tell Susan to tell Jaina what happened? I really am tired." Tia said. Her mum Susan was confused.
"Susan?" She asked. Faye touched her hand.
"I'll explain later." She answered her. Susan nodded, but she still felt confused.
"All right, I'll tell her." Anna said, and vanished. Sierra stood by the end of the bed as Tia closed her eyes. Susan covered the child with a blanket, then Faye and her left the room, Faye nodding respectfully to Sierra. Sierra smiled in return, then the bedroom door closed. Sierra looked down at Tia.
"Are you sure you're okay? That took a lot of energy." Sierra said. Tia shrugged.
"I'm okay, and it was for a good cause." Tia said softly, eyes heavy.
"Sleep well, little sis." Sierra said. Tia smiled, dropping into peaceful sleep.