Initiation, Part II

Author's Note: This story is a sequel to my story "Initiation". For the first part, follow this link:

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

Lilith immersed herself in the fountain as eleven of the other twelve coven members chanted their spell. The twelfth member towered over her, playing the small flute that filled the air with shrill magic. She could feel the life power of the water absorb into her body with every word and each vibrating note. It soothed her skin and chilled her to the core. All aches and pains vanished under its cooling influence. Her exhaustion washed away, leaving her feeling rejuvenated and ready for action.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

Lilith could feel it in the water, an unnatural vibration out of sync with the voices of her sisters and the shrieking of the fife. It was lower, deeper—darker. Lilith forced herself to ignore it as her face dipped below the water to fully take in the life power of the water.

Yet something followed her beneath the surface.

A hand-shaped shadow covered her mouth and nose. She felt the need to gasp and gulp for air, but she could not move. Her head would not lift above water, and her mouth would not open for breath. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she started to grow dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

Lilith followed her sisters’ voices back to the surface. When she emerged, she heaved a gasp, trying to pull in as much air as her lungs could handle.

“Sister Lilith, what is it?” Head Witch Selena asked, rushing to Lilith’s side.

Lilith trembled as two other witches wrapped a towel around her shoulders and helped her out of the fountain. They sat her on a nearby lawn chair. She pulled the towel close to her, avoiding the prying eyes of her sister witches.

“Something tried to drown me,” she finally said. “I think that something is coming. Something dark.”

Head Witch Selena exchanged glances with Sister Amy and Sister Trinity.

“Go check on Initiate Eliza,” Head Witch Selena commanded.

Sister Amy and Sister Trinity nodded and ran across the courtyard. As they yanked open the enormous, ornate oak doors, a wind blew them out of the witches’ clutches and slammed them against the wall. Sister Amy and Sister Trinity backed towards the center of the courtyard as Eliza sauntered after them.

“Hello, sisters.”

Lilith shook at the deep voice that came out of Eliza’s mouth. That was not Eliza’s voice. After all these months that they had spent together—this was not the Eliza that Lilith knew.

Eliza’s head turned sharply to Lilith. Black eyes fell upon Lilith’s jade ones. An unnaturally broad, thin smile stretched across Eliza’s face.

“You must be Lilith,” the deep-voiced Eliza said. “This one likes you. You might be spared.”

Head Witch Selena stepped into Eliza’s eyesight.

“Leave her alone!” she declared. “You are not welcomed here, creature of darkness.”

Eliza tilted her head curiously.

“Aren’t I? You chained her to my tree. Did you not mean to invite me?”

Head Witch Selena paled, but she did not back down.

“You are not welcomed here, creature of darkness.”

“What a shame. We could have been so powerful together, you and I. Oh well.”

Eliza flicked her wrist toward Head Witch Selena. With a deafening crunch, her head twisted all the way around, and her body fell to a heap on the concrete ground. Lilith and several of the other witches screamed, but none of them dared to move.

“Now, where were we?”

Eliza returned her attention to Lilith. She strolled up to the other witch unopposed by any of the remaining coven members. She lifted her hand and stroked Lilith’s cheek gently.

Lilith recoiled. All the times that she had imagined Eliza touching her, it had never felt like this. This creature had taken a moment that should have been so pure and wonderful and turned it vile and revolting—and it pissed Lilith off.

Lilith leaped to her feet and held her hand out toward the fountain, unsure of what she was going to do but letting her body and intuition guide her.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

A ball of water floated out of the fountain and into Lilith’s hand. She held it between her palms like a delicate crystal ball, watching as it swirled and glowed. Eliza sneered, shielding herself from its light as Lilith raised the ball towards her.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

The water swirled faster, sending jolts of electricity through Lilith’s body. She glared up at Eliza and noticed the black receding from her eyes. The crystal blue orbs that she had come to love were beginning to return. A smile pulled at the corners of Lilith’s face.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

“No! Stop!” the deep voice commanded, attempting to swipe at the ball and Lilith. Each strike was met by a wave of water swiping the entity’s power away.

“Eliza, listen to me!” Lilith yelled. “I know that you’re in there. Fight him. Fight him with me!”

The crystal blue in Eliza’s eyes met Lilith’s jade ones. With great force, Eliza held her hand out to one of the candles placed around the fountain.

Fire, in my darkest hour,

Spark my strength and untapped power.

Bring me what I need to thrive,

To persevere and to survive.

A ball of fire sprung into Eliza’s hands, the same size and intensity as Lilith’s ball of water. The fire danced in synchrony with Lilith’s water and glowed just as brightly. The heat and cold together created a whirlwind around the pair of witches, cutting them off from the rest of the coven.

Fire, in my darkest hour—

Water, nurturer of life—

Spark my strength and untapped power—

Hear my plea in this fife—

Bring me what I need to thrive—

While beneath my foe’s knife—

To persevere and survive.

Protect me from this strife.

Slowly, the balls drifted together. As Eliza and Lilith finished their intertwining chants, the fire and the water touched. The life power of the Devil’s Tree expelled from Eliza’s eyes, nose, and mouth, flying through the sky and back to its source.

The force of the expulsion sent Eliza and Lilith soaring backwards. Lilith collided with the lawn chairs, and Eliza skidded across the concrete. The witches of the coven rushed to Lilith, afraid for their sister—and afraid that their initiate was not completely herself yet.

Lilith groaned and sat up, holding her back.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. My back just hurts a little.” She looked around the gathered faces for one in particular. “Where’s Eliza?”

The coven members parted to let Lilith see where Eliza lay, alone, several feet away.

“Oh, no!”

Lilith rushed to Eliza’s side. She felt the back of the other young woman’s head and found bleeding. She then felt her wrist and found a faint pulse.

“Oh, please. Oh, please.” She turned to Sister Amy. “Help me get her to the fountain.”

Together, Lilith and Sister Amy picked Eliza up and took her to the fountain. Lilith carefully dipped Eliza’s head in the water and began to say the spell.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered the spell, again and again. It seemed hopeless.

Until she heard the voices of her sisters join her and the shrill playing of fife pushing the spell along.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

The water began to glow around Eliza’s head. Lilith’s fingers chilled where she supported Eliza’s body. Tears of despair grew into tears of hope and joy as the blood washed away from Eliza’s scalp and disappeared.

Water, nurturer of life,

Hear my plea in this fife

While beneath my foe’s knife

Protect me from this strife.

Eliza’s eyes opened. Crystal blue, with no trace of black.

Lilith smiled broadly and laughed. She thought that she would never see those eyes again.

“Lilith?” Eliza asked. Her voice was cracking and weak but back to its normal pitch. “What happened?”

Lilith laughed again and hugged Eliza close to her.

“You’re going to have to tell me that.”

She pulled away and kissed Eliza gently on the lips. Eliza, though surprised at first, returned the tender gesture.

When they parted, Eliza asked, “So, am I a witch now?”