Star

Chapter 6- The Witches of Auchi

Without seeing him move, two obsidian daggers had appeared in Coal's hands with his eyes scanning the room for exits.

The witches just stood there, glaring at them with stone eyes until one of them started to giggle, she was a stocky woman with thick arms. The giggle turned to a laugh and before anyone knew it, she was rolling on the floor, hysterical.

"Teni," the main witch groaned, rolling her eyes, "it is always you that spoils it."

"I'm sorry, Doreen," Teni said, getting up and cleaning the tears in her eyes, "it's just so funny." She pointed at Star, "Did you see the look on her face?"

The main witch cracked a smile, "Yes, it was funny." Teni mimicked Star's face and the rest of the witches joined in the laughter.

Coal and Star just stood there.

"What," Coal said slowly, "the hell is going on?"

Doreen shooed him, "Don't be angry," she said, "it's just a little game we play sometimes when someone new comes to the coven." She gestured at Star, then she clicked her fingers and the whole décor changed from a dark decrypt cavern to a brightly lit dining room. A long dining table with a candelabra stood with twelve seats on one side and two on the other. Doreen sat in the middle seat, with Teni at her right hand while the rest filled in like there had been a rehearsal.

"Take a seat," Doreen said, "both of you."

Star walked to the seat, sat down, and with all the eyes staring at her, she awkwardly waved. Coal stood there standing, glaring.

"I don't like to be mocked," said Coal.

"And I don't like being disturbed before I've watched my daily Zee World," Doreen said and she gestured around her, "yet, here we all are. Sit, dark son. We have a lot to discuss."

Coal looked at her for one more moment before sitting. Silence fell in the room like dew in the early morning until Star, unable to bear it, spoke.

"I want my mother back," she blurted.

Doreen looked at her. "Did we take your mother?" She asked. Then she turned to Teni and whispered, "Did we take her mother?" Teni asked Amaka and Amaka asked Lydia who brought out a list from inside her dress, put on her glasses and scanned. After a few minutes she looked up and shook her head.

"My daughter," she said, "we didn't take your mother. Maybe you can ask the Witches of Blood and Tears or the Dark Sisters but we can't help—"

"I want her back," Star interrupted, "from the dead."

There was painful silence in the room as all the witches turned to look at Coal.

He waved a little, "I brought her," he said, smiling. "Our deal was a hundred customers and, well, here is your... hundredth."

Doreen looked at him with unimaginable disgust and the fire on the candles glowed a dangerous blue and as she rose sharply from her seat, even Coal shifted backwards a little. She waved her hands sharply and Coal disappeared, appeared at the ceiling of the room and fell all the way down to the ground, groaning in pain. All the witches smiled, but one winced with her fingers wringed under the table.

"A child?" Doreen roared, her eyes starting to glow, blue lightning crackling around her. "You brought a child to us?"

"She..." Coal groaned from the floor, "she...wanted...to come."

"And so?" Doreen bellowed. "She doesn't know what she wants, she's, what, eleven?"

"Twelve," Star said quietly.