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PUBLISHED 2003
Synopsis
The Seventh Coven, an eighteenth century witches coven
have sworn "an harm to none, do what thou wilt." Led
by their high priestess Sarah, they are locked in mortal battle with the
Noven Coven, a league of witches who have sworn their allegiance to their
Mistress Vanna, who bore a child, sired by a demon and raised by a priest.
In an effort to save the child from sacrifice, members of the Seventh
Coven battle the Noven Coven. Outnumbered and pursued by demons,
they battle for their lives and bargain for their souls.
Sarah soon realizes they are no match for the Noven Coven. In an
effort to save the child, she binds their souls so they will always
"know each other, less than blood, more than friends."
Moments later, Sarah dies.
Two hundred years later the Seventh Coven and the Noven Coven are
reincarnated.
~
Prologue
A woman stood facing a large brown furred bear that was chewing slowly on a mint leaf and watching her with deep, chocolate brown eyes.
“Why do you seek us?” He asked.
“I come for answers,” she paused “and a favor.”
“What is your question?”
She sighed and took a deep breath, “I have seen the future of the Coven and it is not as I thought it would be.”
“You saw your death?”
She swallowed, “Yes, I did.”
“What is your question?”
“Can it be stopped?”
“No it cannot. All is as it should be.”
She shuddered, and looked away, her mind reliving all that she’d seen, the battles they would fight over lifetimes and those that would die in those battles.
“What is your favor?”
“I wish, after the Coven is resurrected, to seal the corridors of time.”
“You do not wish to ask for rebirth or to spare your life?”
She smiled sadly, “this Coven is two-hundred years old. I have been its leader for most of that time. It is time to move on, all things die. I want only those that will fight, to have a fair chance.”
“Is it not you duty to prepare them?”
She pushed back annoyance. The elements were not to be rush or railed at despite their unemotional logic. “My time grows short and the passage of years weigh heavy upon my shoulders. They will be at a disadvantage, their leader will not have the season of years to stand on.”
“What is your favor?” he asked again.
“I wish to return, twice, at the beginning and at the ending.”
“To assist?”
She smiled, “I am a servant, not the master of the field. I know my place and I know that in time all things end. I do not wish to assist, only to advise, and to seal the corridors.”
“If it goes badly for the Coven?”
She looked down as tears filled her eyes. She’d known many of them since birth and loved them like her own. The thought of their deaths bothered her more than she would admit and hurt more than she could bear.
“If it goes badly there will be no need to return,” she said quietly.
There was silence then, “here,” a wrapped bundle was handed to her.
She looked up at him, “what is it?”
“The Seventh Coven.”
She opened the bundle and frowned, “There are only five dolls here?”
He remained silent.
She look up at him, and he stood watching her impassively, his eyes sad.
“They will not survive as a Coven?”
“Only the strong will survive. Along the way, there will be sacrifices to assure the surviving ones will have the help and guidance they need.”
She nodded and looked down. When she looked up again, he was gone.
She took the dolls out and laid them on the ground, “an harm to none, do what thou wilt, she mumbled then looked up at the sky. When she spoke, her voice was strong and clear,
“I am alpha, the beginning, it all starts with me.”
The bear, hidden in the shadows, watched as she cried bloody tears.