Samantha is now 8 years old.

Outside of the walled area of Port Town and further out from Greenfield village there is a coven of witches and wizards. There, the members practice their magic and make regular sacrifices to their master.

The coven has a council of elders tasked with maintaining the safety of the coven. Two prophesies seen in the crystal ball imperil the future of the witches.

Nathan, the leader of the coven, halts a human sacrifice which could have endangered the coven.

 

Here is a sample of ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Sacrifice’.

 

 

2. SACRIFICE

PART I

The pig ran to the trough at the corner of the pen and ferociously stuck it’s snout in to get a feed. This would be its first feed of the day. As it chewed and snorted and gulped the meal down it suddenly raised its snout as if it had been distracted. Its need for food had been surpassed by the desire to turn its head round. The trough was still full but something more than satisfying its normally insatiable appetite had grabbed its attention.

The pig was being compelled by a power that it had never felt before. It turned its head and could see a young woman standing at the far end of the pen. She had opened the gate and was looking only in the direction of the pig. She had opened the gate silently and she had not said or shouted anything as she looked at the pig. The pig had sensed that looking at her was the right thing for it to do. The pig abandoned the trough and began to slowly walk to the young woman whose name was Anna. The young woman smiled at the strength of her powers of attraction of animals and the pig had not stood a chance.

The pig walked through the gate opening and Anna closed the gate behind her. She was depriving a local farmer of his property in the pig but she did not care about this as she did not really care about anyone. She had stolen cattle from this small village many times which had caused trouble with the residents who were mainly poor. In the past she had attracted cows, sheep, horses and chickens away from their owners. Her history had shown that she did not care about much and that she was particularly selfish. She was wayward amongst those that she lived with, who saw her as being attention seeking and rebellious

The farmer and owner would never have seen his animal behave like this. At the sight of a human it would run in the opposite direction and as far away as possible. This behaviour was contrary to its nature.

As Anna closed the gate the pig sat on its hind legs as though waiting for her. Anna walked in front and the pig stood up before following its new master a few paces behind. The young woman had demonstrated a contumacious disregard for the rights of the farmer. She whistled a tune as she headed towards what for her was home.

 

Eight years have passed since the birth of Samantha. She has been brought up well by her parents who live within the walled area of Port Town. The residents have been and still are wary of the presence of witches and sinister powers they possess. Almost daily the residents view the witches flying high above their town. They are also aware that the witches have the ability to disguise themselves, to interlope into their town and mingle with them.

The old witch Jessmay cackled as she flew over the canopy of the tree and this time back to her home. Her cape fluttered in the wind as she caught the breeze. She could see the tents of the coven below her and the witches and wizards there, old and young were coming into view as she descended from above. Flying just behind her were the two ravens who had again accompanied her on her morning flight. She directed her broom to the ground and soon she was slowing down as she landed. Coming to a halt she swung one leg off the broom and corrected it in front of her. She walked on allowing the ravens to land in the same spot.

The ravens were competitive and landed as close to each other as they could one narrowly pipping the other to touch down first. The bird walked forward and as he did he transformed slowly and miraculously into a six foot witch. He smiled to the old witch after his transformation was complete.

“I knew I would beat him in, I always do,” said the wizard who was called Luke.

He and Jessmay looked behind him as the other Raven transformed. He was a similar age to Luke and at 6 feet tall he was the same height.

“You may have beaten me in but I flew higher and further than you did today. I saw more than you did as well,” said Jacob.

“Next time I’ll fly slower so that you can keep up,” laughed Luke as he put his hand on his friend’s shoulders.

“Thanks for coming out with me you two. But do you think that you could just stop fighting between yourselves for a moment. You both flew as well as each other. I’ll see you later, maybe we could go for another fly tomorrow,” said Jessmay waving to the two young witches.

The two young wizards waved back as they headed towards their tents pushing each other now and then on the way.

They had landed near the tents and they could see the other witches going about their daily chores. Some others were also flying about on their broom but they had not ventured too far. They enjoyed the exercise and the view from up on high. They would also fly up there to see if anyone was encroaching on their coven and today this did not seem to be the case and they were all safe. Other witches liked to practice their levitation. They would stand on the spot, raise their arms out to the side and think themselves light as they rose off the ground. They would choose which ever height was comfortable for them and move about either quickly or slowly as they saw fit.

Jessmay smiled as she looked about at the coven she loved with her friends both old and young passing their time in their own fashion. She loved the ambience of the coven. Her friends were flying around or levitating or practicing spells. She was now in a place where she felt safe and which contrasted spectacularly with what for her was the place of danger, Port Town.

The coven was the place that she called home. There were slightly over 100 witches and wizards within the coven. There was a system or an order which kept the coven functioning and safe. The council of elders were the wisest of the witches and wizards and made decisions which the coven lived by. This council had ten members and Jessmay was one of them. They concerned themselves mainly with the safety of the witches and wizards and with everyday occurrences which could have an impact on the coven. The adult witches and wizards were then divided into juniors and seniors depending on their age and abilities. The senior witches had a greater range of abilities and were more powerful. The junior witches also had remarkable abilities and these would strengthen with experience as they matured. Finally, there were the children who were taught by all members of the coven.

Unity was important amongst the coven as although it was powerful, it was very small. Witches and wizards had to support one another in whatever endeavour they took part in. They had to make sure they defended one another, looked out for one another and most of all concealed the location of their coven. Survival was the name of the game.  The council of elders would always stress that although they possessed magic and extraordinary powers they would be defeated by the members of the walled town if their coven was ever located. There were simply too many people there who could overrun them and destroy them.

The members of the coven lived within tents and in family units. The older members such as Nathan and Jezabal lived by themselves. They live in one of the larger tents. They have a large cover on a box bed on the floor, they have a cauldron and a crystal ball which is often used by Jezabel. They keep their clothes, robes and hats in a wardrobe. Their brooms are kept at the side of the tent. He keeps the chest with the books of spells and prophecies and the treaties. The home is sparse but practical for their needs.

Mothers and fathers would live with their children. Most tents had cauldrons of varying sizes which could be used to make magical potions. Depending on the ingredient, the potions could be used to cure illnesses or to make people sick. In some cases they could be used to control people and cause them to act in a manner distinct from their true nature.

At the front of the coven was the practice area where witches practiced their magic. That was where they learned magic and improved on it. It was imperative for the strength of the coven that all witches worked on their magic at least daily. Some witches were stronger in abilities that others. Some could perform tasks that others would never be able to do. When practice was taking place amongst the witches, the elder and leader of the coven Nathan would often observe what was happening. He would also teach the wizards and witches of all ages. He is always working on perfecting his magic and witchcraft. His interests are magic and the coven. He would be accompanied with his wife Jezabel, who he has been married to for many years. He listens to his wife who is always by his side. She is his ideal partner. She was pretty as a young women and still is and she has always had a kind heart. He loves his wife dearly and wants and receives closeness and support from her.

The witches knew that their abilities were natural and were within them. It was mainly through training their thoughts that they could perform magic. Whether that was flying a broom, levitating, levitating others, casting fireballs, releasing energy from their eyes or other powers it all came from inside them and had to be practiced regularly.

Beside the practice area was the large sacrificial area. Witches learned early on the importance of making sacrifices to their master the devil. This was circular in shape and at the centre would be the sacrificial fire where the offerings were made. These tended to be small animals. The large sacrificial ceremonies were attended by all the adult witches and wizards. These would be led by Nathan, the head of the council of elders. On occasions smaller ceremonies were held where it was not compulsory for all of the adults in the coven to attend.

The coven, although relatively small in size is situated in a large area of land which the members of other covens could not use. Through necessity the coven has in the past moved in its entirety to avoid its location being discovered. The council have admitted that they have been lucky and there have been occasions where wanderers and searchers have almost haphazardly came upon their coven. Good defence and surveillance means the council can decide if they are safe enough to stay where they are or whether a movement to another setting is necessary.

Most witches had powerful knowledge and the ability to predict the future. They could control the weather for example by causing lightning strikes. They could control the seas, the fields and the crops. Most were experts in divination. They could use potions and spells to spread illness and to cause disease. They could spread the plague and cause death in many ways.

Some witches had ability over the dead. They could cause resurrection, contacting the dead, call spirits to them and return spirits from whence they came. Some witches have the powers to speak to their ancestors……….

 

 

The novella ‘A Tale Of Witchcraft: Sacrifice’ written by Alan Barr is available in eBook format from Amazon. 

Kind Regards.

Alan

alanrove@hotmail.com