A Legacy for Katherine

Chapter 12 - The Chosen One

"Katherine," she says, letting go of my arms. She takes both my hands in hers instead so that I'm fully facing her. "We are generations of witches. Your grandmother was a witch, a powerful one. Her mother was a witch, her grandmother, her great grandmother, and all the women before her were witches."

I frown at what she is saying. I know Aunt Agatha is always dabbling with herbs, charms, and some kind of magic but I never thought of her as a witch, nor do I think of my grandmother as one.

No, my grandmother is not into that kind of thing. She's a businesswoman, not a witch. A very sharp businesswoman. She took over the Blackwell Empire after my grandfather, Thomas Blackwell the fourth died. And why is Aunt Agatha talking about my grandmother in the past tense? She's still alive. I mean, look at her, staring at me with those eyes.

"I know you don't believe me, Katherine. Why would you when my mother made every effort to shelter you from the truth since the day you were born? But that's the truth, the blood of several generations of witches runs in your veins. Now she's no longer here to hide it from you.

"Our Grand Companion chooses one woman in our family to be his mistress from every generation. She bonds herself to him and receives his power. The chosen one- the one who is strong enough to bear the power of Enodia, bears the blood of eternal daughters of magick.

"You, Katherine, are that chosen one after your grandmother. You were chosen since birth. You are the one whose blood our Grand Companion craves. It's your duty to take over after the passing of the last chosen one."

I want to step back but Aunt Agatha is holding on to me tightly. It can't be me and I don't get it. "The passing? But Grandmother is still here. She's still alive....and I don't want to take over. I don't want to be a witch."

"This is not a choice, Katherine. And your grandmother is dead. She's been dead for over two weeks. The bonding is supposed to happen after you turned 18 but we can't wait that long. Now is your time to take over."

"No, she's not dead! Look! Look at her, Aunt Agatha! She's still alive and she's gonna get better." As I'm saying this, my eyes slide back to my grandmother who's lying there, watching us.

"Listen here, Katherine," says Aunt Agatha sternly, bringing my attention back to her. "Your grandmother is dead. What's inside her isn't her soul. It's our Grand Companion residing in her body, waiting for you to take your place, to pledge, and bind yourself to him."

"No." I shake my head. "No, bring her soul back! I want my grandmother back, Aunt Agatha." Whatever demon is in her body now, I want nothing to do with him. I can feel my heart breaking. My grandmother can't be dead. Not my grandmother! I can't lose her. I love her like I love a mother. She's the only person who cares about me.

"Nothing can bring a soul back from the dead, Katherine!" My aunt's eyes are narrowing. Her hand is gripping mine painfully.

"Then what's the use? You're not as powerful as you claim." I try to free my hands from her deadly grip.

"I'm not powerful. You are going to be once you do this." She refuses to let my hands go.

"Can I bring Grandmother back from the dead if I did this?"

"Don't be obtuse. Of course, not. Nobody can," she snaps

"Then I don't want it! It's evil," I snap back, finally able to pull my hands free. Evil is in this room. I can feel it.

"Evil is what you make of it and nobody in our family ever ran from this. You can't escape it or there are going to be consequences, Katherine."

I step further away from the bed and from Aunt Agatha. My lungs feel tight, it's hard to breathe. It's not my grandmother who's lying there on the bed. It's her body but it's not her.