Eva #3
“I thought it was my fault. All these years I blamed myself.” If she had just been honest, I wouldn’t have spent all this time feeling guilty, and she wouldn’t have felt so alone.
“Eva.” She bends down and cups my face in her warm hands. “I hoped you would grow out of that, all the guilt and blame. You always punished yourself for every little thing.”
My eyes well up with tears. She’s right. I’ve done it my whole life. I’ve punished myself for things that aren’t my fault and accepted less like it was a debt I owed, when I should have reached for more.
“You will open the lines, and the power will flow freely again. But guilt can be its own sort of block. If you want to truly embrace your potential and step into your magick, you need to let it go.”
“I’ll try.” I nod. It’ll take some practice, but I’ll try.
“You have so much to be proud of. You’re kind and generous, and the first blood witch our sisterhood has seen in centuries. ” She smiles and holds out her hands to me.
I stumble to my feet. “Blood witch?” Is this the answer I have been desperately searching for all these years?
“Your magick is tied to our lineage, and the more you know of our family line, the more powerful you will be.”
I say out loud the question swirling around in my head, “Why didn’t my inclination reveal itself?”
Grandma Iris grabs both of my hands. The soft and well-known touch radiates up my arms. “It all needed to break so you could mend it. You were never the problem—you were the solution. The earth magick felt you awaken. Finally, a witch strong enough to wield the power had come.” She pauses to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
Then continues, “the lines needed to close so that you would summon your demon, stop the threat of dark magick, and become exactly who you were meant to be.” She cups my face in her hands and looks me dead in the eye. “You never needed to be fixed.”
A knowing settles into my chest, replacing that empty place I’ve longed to fill.
I see the world with different eyes now.
No more searching. We’d always looked for clues in the magick I was drawn to.
But it was there, in my connection to my family.
The grief I’ve carried over losing her, the attic of treasures and basement of keepsakes. It was there, waiting.
I pull her into a crushing hug, and soak up the comfort of her embrace. “Thank you,” I say with my whole heart. Finally, the truth, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.
The magick in my veins sings. I am here, it says to me. A rush of euphoria nearly knocks me off my feet. We pull apart and smile through our tears, seeing each other fully for the first time.
Then reality creeps back in. “So, how do we undo this curse?” I gesture around us, hopeful she holds the secret. I pray to Hecate that Grandma Iris is healed enough from her hurt to help me undo what she did all those years ago.
“Do you still have the bronze scale we always brought out for Mabon? The bent one.”
“I do.”
“Remember how I always said it was bent toward us, as it should be? Rebalance the scale. Then summon the powers of the generations of witches before you. That will open the lines.”
The answer we have been searching for, all this time. Sitting right on my mantle.
“I love you so much, Grandma. I wish I knew all along, and you didn’t have to hurt alone.”
“I never hurt when you were around. You have always brought life, it’s why we named you Eva.”
The lines are all connecting in my mind, how this all came together in the most roundabout way.
“Grandma, there is another reason why this all happened. Maybe you can find out what happened to Vincent.” I look over at Sorren, who’s been sitting there quietly, giving us this moment.
Sorren comes to his feet and steps forward. He clears his throat and says, “Iris. You’ve been here waiting a long time. Would you like to see your demon, and find out truly what happened?”
She blinks a few times, considering his offer. “What price would I pay? Damning my soul for eternity?”
“No nothing like that. You can come and go as you please. I’ll take care of the formalities.
” A parchment appears in the air with a long feather quill pen.
In perfectly clear language, it explains she can visit Hell for as long as she wants and return to any realm when she decides to leave. No small print.
“A bargain with the devil. How bad could it be?” She grabs the pen out of the air. “Why not.”
Her name appears in shining golden letters, the same signature she used when she was alive. I would always marvel at the perfect cursive letters. Handwriting I thought I would never see again. Sorren’s name appears next to hers.
“Go find your answers. You’ve waited long enough,” I tell her, letting her know she doesn’t have to stay for me. Hot tears stream down my face. Not only because I miss her, but happy tears. She will finally know what happened and find peace.
“See you later, alligator.” She gives me a wave and disappears with the snap of Sorren’s fingers.