Chapter 16

16

LECTURE NOTES FROM THEOLOGY, OUR GODS AND GODDESSES I:

Gaia emerged from the void with her three siblings: Nyx, Erebus and Tartarus. Gaia is the mother of many gods and goddesses, and grandmother to Hekate, our goddess of witchcraft.

O nly a flicker of lamplight shined through the small, barred window of her mucky cell. The stone floor was cruel on her back, despite the thin pad provided for the floor. It smelt of fear and isolation in here—things Thessa had been accustomed to over the years. But she worried for Leora, for that light that shined within her.

Thessa wouldn’t let it dull.

Knocking on the stone wall proved to be useless, bloodletting included. She watched the black-flecked blood trickle down her knuckles, cursing it under her breath.

She didn’t want this.

After wiping her hand on the inside of her cloak, she shouted through the small window, “Leora! Are you okay? ”

A bang rang through the corridor, startling her. “No talking unless you’re told.”

Thessa’s nostrils flared.

She sank to the floor, resting her head against the uneven wall. She unscrewed the pendant around her neck, letting the lavender scent fill her senses. Closing her eyes, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly, just as the school healer had taught her. Again and again.

As she opened her eyes to screw the pendant back together, her breath hitched. She’d conjured her magic. Thick, black tendrils had escaped her fingertips, swirling around her.

“Well I am glad someone feels free,” she whispered. “What makes you so wicked anyway?”

As if commanded, several tiny wisps floated away from her. Thessa’s mouth fell open, not understanding what she’d done.

No, no, come back.

They flew up and out the minuscule window. And a moment later, everything went dark. Her eyes roamed the shadows of her cell for a clue.

What just happened?

Steel-lined boots scuffed across the stone floor just before the dim lighting returned.

Nothing, apparently.

Losing focus, her magic disappeared.

Thessa blew out a breath, thinking. She knew witches used their breath to control their magic, but she didn’t know how excitable it could be. Nothing seemed to go wrong, but she wondered what her magic had done. She needed to learn how to control it before ever attempting to use it again.

A soldier started fiddling with keys beyond her cell. “Back up from the door. ”

When the door creaked open, Thessa panicked.

Then, a plate of steaming food with a cup of water slid inside her cell before they slammed the door shut.

She signed in relief while her stomach had the nerve to moan, hunger gripping her. It looked like cauldron oats, but smelt like minerals and dust, as if it were prepared on this very floor. Though, unsure when her next meal would be, she finished it all.

As her bladder expanded, she quickly realized what the bucket in the corner of her cell was for.

So be it.

Thessa relieved herself like a caged canine.

Afterwards, she paced around her cell. She’d completed the shape of a square 291 times until the dungeon went dark and the guard shouted it was time to sleep.

She couldn’t sleep. Not yet. She thought about praying but didn’t even know who to pray to. She didn’t know who to curse to, or who her mother even was. She knew nothing.

Your mother was a descendant of my line, the voice had said.

Thessa wished she’d paid more attention in all those theology courses.

Think, think, think, Thessa.

298.