Chapter 34 #2
Ena hated hearing the hurt in her sister’s voice—the betrayal—but she took a deep breath.
Somehow, this felt harder than explaining everything to Cris.
She and Greya had known each other their entire lives; they had a history.
Ena had always been the younger sister, deferring to Greya’s knowledge and wisdom, following in her footsteps.
And Greya knew all the ins and outs of her relationship with Ty and how much his abandonment had hurt her.
But this was something Ena knew she was right about, and she needed to do her best to not be detracted by her sister’s skepticism.
“Greya, please,” she replied calmly. “I need you to listen to me with an open mind. Can you do that?”
Greya paused, closing her eyes for a second like she often did when she became overwhelmed. When she opened them, she spoke again. “Yes. Please,” she said, her face still conflicted, but calm once more. “Tell me what is going on. I need to hear it from you.”
“Remember that vision I told you I had, when I touched the amulet?”
Greya nodded.
“I know what it was now. It was a vision of the past, given to me by Gaia. And what I saw, what I know now, was that centuries ago, witches—one from each Coven—drew on Iblis’s chaos magic to unwillingly bind the daemons to Iblis.
They removed their natural ability to access Gaia’s magic and interpret her will.
The split—their exclusive servitude of Iblis—was not natural or chosen by them.
It was forced. And not only did I see this, but Heran herself confirmed it to me before I left Occidens. This is the truth.”
Greya’s face scrunched in horrified disbelief, her head shaking as she tried to process what Ena had just said. “Why?” she asked, sounding sickened by the idea. “Why would witches do that?”
“Well, there are different opinions about that. According to Heran, it was because daemons couldn’t be trusted with Gaia’s magic.
But if you ask the daemons that I know, it was because witches wanted more control and influence over the mortal villages.
And, if you ask the seer from Occidens, it was because one of the witches had a personal vendetta against a daemon who she claimed seduced her husband with her Power. ”
“The seer from—” Greya massaged the space between her eyes with her knuckle, closing her eyes again.
“Okay, I’m gonna come back to how you met the seer later.
I want to believe you—I do believe you—but I still don’t understand how you could go with them.
Regardless of how they got that way, daemons are servants of Iblis and sowers of chaos.
I don’t see how you can trust them, even Ty.
I know you have feelings for him, but Ena, you can’t change what he is. ”
“I know it’s a lot to process,” Ena said, trying to sound reassuring and not annoyed that she was throwing her feelings for Ty in her face again.
She knew better than anyone that she couldn’t change what he was, and it hurt every blessed day.
“And you’re right, many daemons do use their Powers to serve Iblis in ways that are disruptive.
But I think—no I know—that not all daemons are the same.
Not all want to serve Iblis in that way, and some would like the chance to serve Gaia. And…”
She knew this part would be harder for Greya to swallow, given how much was entrusted to her as the future matriarch of the Auster Coven. How could she explain to her what she’d learned, what she’d felt, about the necessity of Iblis’s chaos without sounding like she’d betrayed Gaia and descended?
“Greya, the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized that witches have made mistakes too. We are not without fault in this, and I think it’s time we try something different—for daemons’ sake and witches’. Gaia gave me that vision for a reason.”
“What do you mean, try something different? You think Gaia wants you to do something about this bond?”
“Yes. We—Ty and the other two daemons who kidnapped me—figured out a way to break the bond to Iblis. To allow daemons to access Gaia’s magic once more, and I believe this is what Gaia truly wants.”
Greya was silent as she took all this in, hesitation and fear written across her face. “I don’t know, Ena. Why didn’t Heran tell me about all this? Why haven’t you told her?”
Greya was asking some good questions, and Ena tried her best to answer them.
“This knowledge is apparently only for matriarchs. Heran only told me because Gaia revealed it to me on her own, and Heran told me not to tell you, but I had to tell you, Greya. I don’t think it’s right that this is being kept from us.
And as for Heran…I do want her to know—eventually—but she is stubborn, and I think, to her, change and a loss of the status quo is more important than what’s right in this instance. I don’t want to risk her stopping us.”
Greya shook her head. “Stopping you? You mean, you’re going to do it?”
“Yes. We are ready to break the bond and reverse the spell. We have most of the necessary elements, including a witch from each Coven. But there’s a few things we don’t have, and that’s why I reached out, Greya, because I need your help to get them.”
“A witch from each—” Greya’s brows hit her hairline. “You don’t mean…”
“Yes, we have an Occidens witch. And Cris, he’s helping us too.
But Greya, listen to me,” Ena said, her voice turning serious as she felt the flow of blood start to slow from her hand.
“We are coming to the Sacred Grove to complete the spell. It has to be done there, but we still need a ceremonial chalice and an athame. We need—I need you to bring them to us.”
“Ena…” Greya said sadly, shaking her head. “I believe everything you’ve said, but I don’t know. About any of this. I am the future matriarch of this Coven, and if I am seen aiding daemons…that could destroy our standing with the mortal villages. Or our alliance with Aquilo. I can’t just—”
“Please, Greya,” Ena began, infusing her voice with as much sincerity as possible. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but we’re on our way now. I really want—no, I need you to be with me on this. I don’t want to do this without you, and this is our only chance to change things. For the better.”
Greya closed her eyes and was quiet, her reflection rippling even more with a new breeze that blew across the pool. “Okay,” Greya said. “I hear you, and I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you,” Ena said, relief spilling through her. “Thank you, Greya. I know once you have a chance to commune with Gaia about this, you’ll know it’s for the best too.”
“I will,” Greya said, “but that’s not why I’m doing this. It’s because of you, Ena. I hated how we left things, and even though I’m still trying to catch up to all of this…you know that I trust you, right?”
“I do,” Ena said. “I know this is a lot, but thank you for listening to me this time.” She gave her sister a small smile, an olive branch. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” her sister responded, smiling back at her, even though her eyes were still wary and distressed.
“Meet us in the Sacred Grove at dusk in three days’ time,” Ena said.
“Alright,” Greya replied, nodding cautiously.
“Blessed be, sister,” Ena said, and with that, she pulled her hand back, stopping the flow of blood into the pool, and the image of her sister vanished.
For the first time since she’d begun the spell, Ena sat back on her heels and took in her surroundings.
The trees were blurry, tilting. She felt incredibly dizzy all of a sudden. Maybe she should stand up? Looking up, she saw Ty and the others approaching her from their camp, just as the world went dark.