I own nothing but my OC's. REVIEW! PLEASE! For more My Governess a Witch material, visit the Nyra Stark tumblr page. I will be posting this on there that you won't find anywhere else.
I also have ship name ideas for SebastianxNyra and WilliamxYanmei. I set up a poll on the Tumblr account so you can all vote on which one you like most. Also, let me know what you guys think of the blog, haven't got much feedback on that. For this chapter you're going to get more of an insight into witch society.
In the cool of the evening, they used to gather
'Neath the stars in the meadow circling an old oak tree
At the times appointed by the seasons
Of the earth and the phases of the moon
For once, Nyra wasn't the one singing. It was the other witches that had gathered, the Head Witches. Nyra was hosting a gathering at the most sacred location for witches. There was an island, an incredibly small one created by witches. It was located right where the prime meridian and equator met, right by the Gulf of Guinea by Africa. It was sacred to the witches and the warlocks and it was where all gatherings were held.
In the center, stood a woman
Equal with the others and respected for her worth
One of the many we call the witches
The healers and the teachers of the wisdom of the earth
All of the Sister Witches were present for the gathering as well as all of the Head Witches. Over one hundred of the most powerful witches and warlocks were present for the occasion. It wasn't a celebration or a ritual either. It was a trial for murderers, for enemies.
And the people grew through the knowledge she gave them
Herbs to heal their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole
Can't you hear them chanting healing incantations
Calling forth the wise ones, celebrating in dance and song
The island itself was inhabited by some of the most spiritually talented witches in the world. Masters of curses and spells, mostly from Africa due to its relative closeness. It was only through their layers upon layers of spells and charms that the island remained hidden from humans. it was also a center for worship. For any god or goddess a witch worshiped, there was a temple available. Roman, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Nordic, Aztec, Mayan, Native American, Egyptian and more. Even for Christianity, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish followers, every witch had a place to worship.
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
Every witch and warlock dressed to represent their own. But the Sister Witches were dressed most elaborately. Her dress was black but the skirt opened in the front, revealing delicate layers of green. From dark forest green that slowly got to sparkly mint green with each layer. The layers in the skirt itself were very flowy and lightweight to suit the climate better. The neckline was off the shoulder and revealed her necklaces. Her cuffs, neckline and the edges of the black part of her skirt were lined with black fur. She wore a black silk veil to shield her eyes and her identity. She wore several rings or different designs, bracelets and a pair of earrings, all with different European countries of origin and they were all set with emeralds. She also had a bow and arrow strapped to her back.
It was common for the Sister Witches to also bring weapons to the gatherings, the only for looks, to be seen as protectors and warriors. Nyra had actually practiced with it before she arrived and she was still a good shot. Though she could use swords she was better with a bow and arrow.
There were those who came to power, through domination
And they were bonded in their worship of a dead man on a cross
They sought control of the common people
By demanding allegiance to the church of Rome
Yanmei wore a traditional Japanese dragon mask to hide her identity along with a purple Chinese dress with fur sleeves to represent Mongolia. There were gold dragons embroidered onto the dress. She wore an Indian Sari like a shawl and had a Nepalese kukri knife strapped to her side. Like Nyra, Yanmei had chosen to use jewelry as a way to represent to other countries but she included some weapons as well. Countries like the Philippines, Korea and Syria. Though it all looked different it was all purple and gold with some dragon on it.
And the Pope declared an inquisition
It was a war against the women, whose power they feared
In the holocaust against the nature people
Nine million European women died
The other Sister Witches all dressed to represent their lands but not all were actually native to their countries. The Head Witch of North America was actually European and had crossed over on the Mayflower. Due to all of the havoc the white man caused, many native witches were distrustful and sometimes even openly hateful towards her. Because she came from Europe she had once confided to Nyra, early on in her time as a Sister Witch that their hateful words sometimes made her ashamed to be white. Nyra had given her the best pep talk she could and simply told her to find friends among the natives, after all, not all of them were so distrusting and close minded. The Sister Witch for North America dressed in traditional Native American and Aztec fashions. She had disguised her identity with war paint. She held a spear by her side.
And the tale is told of those, who by the hundreds
Holding together chose their death in the sea
While chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess
A refusal of betrayal, women were dying to be free
The Sister Witch, or Witches of Africa were dressed traditionally as well. They were conjoined twins and like the Sister Witch of North America, were not native to their new continent. The twins were actually from India. Although they weren't met with as much resistance as the Sister Witch of North America there were those who wanted one of their own to be the Sister Witch. In fact, some had discussed making it a law to not challenge a Sister Witch outside of your continent. Though some wanted this, most did not. Witches were very liberal and free thinking. Nyra personally didn't care if a witch outside of Europe defeated her and took her title. Frankly she would prefer to keep her title but she wouldn't turn down any challenger, regardless if they came from Africa, Asia or South America.
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana
In all honesty, there wasn't all that much to say about the Sister Witches of South America and Australia. Though they were greatly powerful and dressed traditionally, Nyra didn't know them all that well so she couldn't say much. But was interesting was the Sister Witch of Antarctica. Originally there were only six Sister Witches, but the Sister Witch of Antarctica had proposed the idea of a new colony where all witches could flourish with the help of their powers among the frozen landscape. Most of the witches that went with her were from Northern areas that were already cold but there were some who went from desert climates. But the vast majority of the languages spoken there were from northern countries. The Sister Witch looked like a living representation of the ice queen, dressed in blue with white furs.
Now the Earth is a witch, and the men still burn her
Stripping her down with mining, and the poisons of their wars
Still to us the Earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother
The weaver of a web of life that keeps us all alive
The Sister Witches were actually standing on a stone platform raised slightly above the ground, right at the edge of a cliff. The waves crashed against the rocks and the spray of the salt sea was carried by the wind. The Sister Witches were lined up with Nyra in the middle since she was the one who called the meeting. To her left were the Sister Witches for North America, South America and Antarctica. To her right were the Sister Witches of Australia, Africa and Asia.
She gives us the vision to see through the chaos
She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive
Finally, the Head Witches and Warlocks went silent. It was midday and behind the sisters were four humans...no...four monsters tied to pyres. They were witch hunters from the order and they were the ones behind the incident at the curry contest. They had probably heard that Nyra, a high ranking witch would be in attendance and intended to kill her. They had been apprehended by her wolves which is what resulted in the gathering that was occurring.
The hunters had been gagged to prevent them from harming the witches by saying their deadly words. The three men were average looking and had adverse origins but it was the woman that held Nyra's attention the most, Angela Blanc. The white haired woman continued to struggle violently with her restraints but they were made from thick, thorny vines so she only succeeded in cutting up her wrists. Nyra spoke in English and the other Sisters translated in a selected language from their continent. Though some of the others spoke English, it simply made more sense to cover more bases.
"Many of you know these monsters. These things have caused many of us to live in fear for our lives. They have killed children, innocent children for doing nothing other than practicing their powers. They kill us because we do not follow their god, because we don't look like them, because we use magic, because we are abominations and should not be allowed to live, according to their god. Even those of you who choose to worship their god, you are still targeted!" Nyra said passionately. She gave a chance for the others to finish translating before continuing.
"The men have quite the resume. Billy Johnson has killed one hundred and eighty-six of us." Some of the crowd hissed or growled at the man. They had lost people they cared about because of him. "Shen Fa has killed two-hundred and four of us." Yanmei glared venomously at the man through the holes in her mask. He was from the family that had originally sealed her in the puzzle box, caused her to miss seventeen years of her life, seventeen years away from her three daughters and forced her to give up her now potentially dead son. "Romero Ferraro has killed three hundred of us. But the true champion among them is the woman, Angela Blanc." Many of the witches openly roared and screeched at the mere mention of her name. "She has killed a total of four hundred and sixty three of us. THAT IS A GRAND TOTAL OF ONE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE OF OUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS!" Nyra yelled. "OUR SISTERS AND BROTHERS!" The crowd was getting more and more excited. "AND OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS!" The witches roared and howled.
Nyra turned and addressed the hunters. "Because of you, we are afraid to go into a church and worship, we are afraid to worship God amongst our own for fear of being ostracized by our fellow witches. You have torn families apart and caused witches to go mad with anger and grief. You have caused witches to go rabid and forced us to put them down. But know that you will have a few moments to pray to any god of your choosing before you are sent to hell for eternal damnation." Nyra snarled before turning back to face the crowd.
"Those before you are guilty of murder, genocide, slaughter, the killing of children, infanticide, torture of the most heinous sort and conspiracy to murder! We have all discussed this and have all come to a conclusion. Would each Sister please share their sentence?" Nyra asked.
"Niboowin!" The Sister Witch of North America screamed in Ojibwe.
"Mate!" The Sister Witch of Australia screamed in Maori.
"Muerte!" The Sister Witch of South America screamed in Spanish.
"Kifo!" The Sister Witches of Africa screamed in Swahili.
"Kuolema!" The Sister Witch of Antarctica screamed in Finish.
"Sǐwáng!" The Sister Witch of Asia screamed in Chinese.
"Death!" The Sister Witch of Europe screamed in English.
Everyone erupted in a cacophony of noise. Tribal war cries, wolf howls, snake hisses, owl screeches, lion roars and just plain screams of joy. They cried for blood, to repay for the blood of their loved ones that had been spilt. Straw had been already laid out. Nyra nodded to the Sister Witches of Asia, Australia and South America. Nyra had given Yanmei the Fa witch hunter as she had a personal grudge. Australia and South America settled decided who got who relatively quickly and Nyra faced Angela. She smiled a little before creating a ball of fire in her hand. Insync with the other witches, they lit the pyres and everyone cheered as the witch hunters burned. Nyra turned back to the crowd.
"The heathens have been sent back where they belong!" She cried.
She had told Ciel and Sebastian what she planned on doing before she left and by the time she got back it was after dark. Ciel had already settled down for bed, Sebastian was off doing the last minuet chores before everything was done for the night and the other servants were all asleep. Nyra stepped into her room, removed her veil and sat her bow down in the corner. She was simply checking her reflection in the mirror when there was suddenly a flash of white light and she felt the floor open up from underneath her. Nyra immediately screamed, as anyone else would when you suddenly fell through the floor. She continued to scream until she finally landed.
She landed flat on her face. Groaning, she began to get up when a heavy weight landed on her back. It felt suspiciously like a person. Another weight landed on top of them but it was noticeably lighter. Nyra managed to look back enough to see a bewildered Sebastian along with a groggy and cranky Ciel. Nyra sighed in aggravation.
"Idiots." She grumbled before looking up. Her eyes widened. In front of her were about twenty witches, one was sitting behind a table covered in books candles and a crystal ball. She looked very warn out. She knew all of the witches that were staring at her in shock. Looking around the room she saw things that she didn't think she would see again for more than a century. A plasma screen TV, an Xbox and a bag of potato chips that one of the witches had stopped eating due to her surprise. That was when everything hit Nyra like a ton of bricks.
"Jesus fucking Christ I'm back in the twenty-first century!"