"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour"
- William Blake
Theo was special. Not special in the way all witches and wizards are. He was more than he seemed. This boy, that stood before them, comes from a long line of magic, that can be traced back to noblemen, generals, and kings. Not all members of his family had the gift, but all had something nearly as valuable, a different kind of power that derived from their fortune, and their name.
And yet, Theo's family does not make him anymore special than another rich kid from a rich family. No. Theo was special because all that was forced upon him since a young age, he rejected. His family values, his family titles, and properties, all that he was meant to represent through his last name, he ignored, and dismissed.
In that, Kora found a certain understanding and kinship she treasured greatly in this boy. He was merely a year older than she was, he had wildness in his eyes, and close-lipped grin on his mouth.
Covens have always been a girls' club. And wizards were always seen as inconveniences, barely tolerated, and allowed in the territories to certain extends. It may seem unjust and unfair, but women's positions in society have always been precarious. Misleading hearsays, fleeting rumours behind closed doors, whispers of indecencies and impropriety, and opportunities would disappear, friends would vanish and reputations would be destroyed.
Women never had it easy, and neither did witches. Wizards, in all their manly splendour, with their magic and their money, immersed themselves in ranks and positions of power so much more easily, at whatever costs. Lonely creatures they were, finding their home in manipulations, and their passion in woven lies.
But great things happen when women support other women. And great thing did happen. For millennia, witches have used whatever tricks they had (be it their gifts, or their beauty) to get into positions of power, and they fought hard to keep them.
Animosity was always there between witches and wizards. Theo belonged as much to the coven as did any other human man. His family, and other ancient lines, always considered themselves above the Circle system, preferring to keep their knowledge of magic, and the mystic arts solely in their keep.
The Circles and these ancient families had agreements going back to the Treaties themselves. They had mutual understandings, and would stay out of each other's business. Certain witches and wizards, did not recognise the Supreme's authority, but respected the Witch Laws.
Yet, Theo was special. He was Theo, and he was her friend.
Theodore Van Wyck was beautiful. He was tall and slim, messy dark blonde hair (that in some days, seemed more like a light brown) that fell on his forehead and eyes, in soft curls. His light brow eyes were kind and clever. He favoured the arts, the music, and the poetry. Lanky limbs that may almost seem awkward, but he was a skilled pianist, long fingers that played so much beautiful music.
He barely looked at Kora, before he turned to the Supreme and gave her a curt nod, a small smile gracing his face.
"Supreme Tahlia."
"Theodore, what brings you here?" the Supreme asked in an unemotional voice, while she continued to eat, barely acknowledging her new guest.
"My father sent me."
"I wasn't aware you were your father's errand boy." Sharp, and to the point. Tahlia never held back, but Kora cringed when she saw Theo flinch.
"What I have to say concerns us all deeply, Supreme.
"Very well. We will discuss this matter tomorrow morning"
"Arnold, please prepare a seat for our guest. He will be joining us for dinner."
The butler silent steps echoed out of the room as he went to the kitchen.
Theo sat down next to Kora. He barely acknowledged his friend, preferring to stay silent. He didn't want to come. He didn't have any masochistic tendencies, to go where he was not wanted. And still, he found himself in the Manor, sitting not far from the Supreme. A little leather notebook burned on his left pocket, a weight he carried for the past few days.
The knowledge he possessed was dangerous. The things he had come to learn would force secrets out in the open, would make doubts rise, and opinions clash. And yet, Theo ate during the diner, and engaged in polite conversation. He put on his most nonchalant mask, showing his nervousness to Tahlia, would only make her more prone to delay their meeting. She enjoys watching men squirming.
Theo didn't miss that Silver was absent, and before he could ask the whereabouts of the witch, Kora shook her slightly, warning him. She mouthed a quick 'Later' to him, between careful sips of water.
And so they dined, in silence.
***
Kora sat by Silver's bed. She had lit some sage around the room, protecting the room against whatever was that attacked her friend. She adjusted the blanket that covered her friend, and she stayed there. Kora knew it was her fault. Maybe not the whole of it, but some of it was. And her sister suffered for it. She would find the person responsible for this, with or without the Supreme's help.
Kora combed through her thoughts and memories, trying to understand the reason why this happened tonight. She knew something had come for Silver's before. Something that seemed to keep her awake, something that tired her out, and kept her ill-disposed.
Silver has always been plagued by the possibilities' of the future. She remembered all the times Silver would sneak into her room in the middle of the room, tears in her eyes, unable to understand what she had seen. Long nights both of them spent wide awake, not saying anything, just staying together, and if whatever the future held could nothing if they stuck together. And Kora would always make the same tea, a quick mix of herbs, that would soothe nerves and lull her friend to sleep.
That is how they spent their childhood. Supporting and helping each other. Sharing their torments, and their powers. Together, always.
A soft knock brought her out of her memories. Theo came in. Kora hadn't seen him a few weeks, and she missed him terribly. Theodore lived in London as well, trying to create another life outside his family's eye and rules.
"How is she?"
"Better, I think. She needs to sleep. She's been tired for days," Kora murmured back, not taking her eyes of her closest friend.
She got up, and motioned for Theo to follow her. They quietly left the room and closed the door behind them with a soft click. Most of the Coven had each retreated back to their own rooms. The Manor was quiet, the wind outside still blew, making its song heard across the ancient hallways.
"What room did Tahlia give you?"
Theo chuckled. Every time he visited, Tahlia never made any efforts towards making their guest feel welcome. "She put in me in that awful room in the East wing. I swear, Kora, I don't think anyone has been in there for the past thirty years."
Kora laughed, "I'm not surprised. You know how she is." Theo and Tahlia's interaction were always quite entertaining to witness. "You can stay in my room if you want, I have a few extra blankets, I think."
Theo nodded. "I missed you, you know?" he started again, looking at Kora from the side. They had been in living in the same city form months now, and yet, they rarely saw each other. Each to their own lives, and devises.
"You know where to find me, Theo. I'm always at the Brew ," she replied, opening her bedroom door, and giving the Warlock a quick smile.
The room was warm, and looked the same as it did a few hours ago. Kora shrugged off her jacket, and draped it over the chair. It was late, nearly midnight, and outside the sky was dark. Stars twinkled on the long, infinite tapestry, a sight she missed in London dearly. She could see some of the constellations she had been taught. They have different meanings for different people: tools for the navigators when they were first crossing the Atlantic ocean, marks of the seasons to come, pretty sights for the enamoured lovers. Some witches believe they can draw power from these stars, or they can predict the future with them.
Theo grabbed a few pillows and sat cross-legged at the end of her bed. "I know, I'm sorry. There is a reason I have been away," he sighed, rubbing his hand over eyes.
His other hand strayed to that heavy pocket on his coat, making sure that it was still there.
Kora sat on the chair, her legs leaning on the bed. She could tell something was worrying Theo, and she didn't miss how he kept touching his pocket.
"What is it?"
"There have been reports. Nothing official, I think the Covens are trying to keep this quiet. Witches have gone missing, the Treaty of Edinburgh has been stolen, an-"
"What?"
"I said that the trea-" Theo repeated, before he was cut off again.
"I heard what you said. What do you mean Witches have gone missing? Which covens? Why haven't I heard of this?" Kora didn't hear anything about it. Granted she had been in London for the past few months, but these news travel fast, and she has seen her fair share of Witches.
"If you could stop interrupting me, I would tell you," Theo said, annoyance lingering his features. Better that, than that worry that has been weighing on him.
Kora merely stuck her tongue out.
"As I was saying, there have been Witches missing, one from the 3rd Circle, and another from the 4th Circle. There wasn't any evidence of foul play, it's a if they just got up and left. Before you ask, the Circles haven't publicly declared anything, I think they're trying to cover it up.'
"Why would they do that?"
"The Witches left, Kora," Theo sighed. Witches couldn't just leave their Covens, there are rules. Leaving the Coven, leaving behind their sisters, with no reasons, and no explanations. It was a harsh betrayal, treason even.
"What about the Treaty?"
"It disappeared. The 2nd Circle covered it up as well. They replaced it with a fake one."
"This is crazy. How do you know all this?"
"My father likes to keep himself informed, and you know how, he takes special interest in Coven affairs."
"Do you think Tahlia knows?" Kora asked. Supremes communicated often, sharing information, and secrets. Tahlia must know of these occurrences, she is one to stay in the dark.
"Probably," the boy replied. Theo stretched his legs on the bed, and closed his eyes. Dark circles hung under his eyes, his cheeks looked gaunt. Kora had the feeling her friend has been spending too much time and energy investigating this matter. And whatever this was, it worried him more than he cared to admit. The young witch couldn't help but wonder about her sister that slept not far from here. That invasion. Was it related to the Witches' disappearances?
"There have other signs too," Theo continued. He opened his eyes, and turned his head towards Kora. "I was having dinner with my family, a few days ago. And the old clock, the one in my father's study, chimed thirteen times. I have heard that clock my entire life, and never once did it ever strike out of time. I have seen broken mirrors in empty rooms, and bread split all the way to the top."
Kora knew these signs. Humans ignore them, but witches have always been in tune with them. It is Nature's way of letting us know, there is an unbalance, a shift in the scales that will resonate across the land. On their own they could be just coincidences, but together, it may mean something is indeed coming. Harbingers of death, omens of the future.
"What is behind this?" Kora whispered, as if any sound would trigger an unstoppable chain of events.
"I'm not sure," Theo replied. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled a small leather bound notebook. It looked old, and used. The pages were yellowed, and stained.
"I found this a while back among my father's books. It's a diary from one of my ancestors, dating back from the 16th century. Her name was Agnes. She was born in Paris, and lived most of her life there I think. I haven't been able to translate this well, she mostly writes in French and Dutch. But there was a passage..." Theo leafed through the diary. The smell of ink and old paper reached her nose, and she inhaled deeply. Kora had a thing for old journals, and old books. A direct connection to her ancestors it seemed, to history itself.
"Here it is... It's from December 5th, 1533." Theo looked to Kora, before he took a deep breath. "Je les sens. Je les vois. Ce matin, un petit corbeau s'est cassé le cou contre ma fenêtre. Ma chère mère m'a toujours dit, qu'il ne faut guère ignorer les présages. Un c'est peut-être un accident, deux, c'est la coïncidence, mais trois, c'est un message. Quelque chose de terrible arrive. Ce sont les chevaliers. Ils arrivent, j'en suis sûre," Theo finished with a deep breath. Kora had no idea what he just read. She understood some words, but couldn't grasp any meaning.
Her puzzlement must have been clear, because Theo translated some of what was said.
"She was talking about the omens. There are a few more paragraphs for this entry, but she's only talking about the spells she performed that day. I'm going to have to ask Silver to help me."
"Chevaliers... The Knights?"
Theo nodded.
"What are you saying? They are back?" A chill ran through her body. The room was warm, and she still rubbed her hands on her arms. Theo snuggled against one of her pillows, the journal was still in his hand. Kora reached for it, she stroked the pages with her hand. She felt the writings under her fingertips, and she imagined the hand that wrote them. She traced the patterns, and she turned the pages. She couldn't read any of what was written, save for the dates, but she could still imagine the young witch, writing these words not far from, and not that long ago.
The Knights. Every Witch has heard of them. Powerful magic wielders that refused to compromise, and sought power and knowledge above all else. They waged a war against the Witches, they killed, and they cursed. Witches and warlocks that had lost their way. It is always a fearful thing to witness, the rage that turns good people cruel.
"I don't think they ever left, Kora. I think they have gone into hiding since the Accords were signed. They have been planting the seeds for centuries, and they are getting ready to harvest."
"Theo, you can't possibly think that after all this centuries that the Knights are back. And what? Those witches and warlocks became immortal?"
"They just need one immortal. Their leader. Someone that will guide them. And I think the Knights are recruiting new soldiers." The Witches that have gone missing.
"And the Treaty?"
"An open defiance to the order."
"Does your father know?"
"No. He knows something is happening, but these suspicions are my own."
Kora didn't know what to think. It was impossible. But if for some reason, what Theo was saying was true, it would mean a war was coming once again. She got up, and stretched her arms. She had been back for not even a day, and already she angered her Supreme, got her friend hurt, and just discovered that there may be a conspiracy amongst the Witches.
Kora stood, and walked to the window. Outside the wind had finally quieted down. The stars still shined in the dark sky. The land was empty, and asleep. She took a deep breath. Kora had been so isolated in London, she didn't notice the changes.
"I don't think it's wise to tell Tahlia yet," Kora said. She thought of her grandmother, alone, and sick, and so incredibly stubborn. How difficult it was to help those that did not want to be helped.
"You're right. I need to look into this better." Theo looked thoughtful. Whatever he was thinking of doing could be dangerous.
Kora turned around. She bit her lip, and played with the ring on her middle finger.
"Be careful, Theo."
Theo got up, and walked up to Kora. He gave her one of his boyish smiles, before planting a big, wet kiss on her cheek. "I always am, love."
Kora pushed him away, and wiped all that saliva from her cheek with her sleeve. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and moved out of the way before Theo could try again. "I'm going to prepare a place for you to sleep." Theo only chuckled in reply.
As they got ready for bed, Kora couldn't stop thinking about what Theo told her. Did it have something to do with what happened with Silver? She would wonder about that tomorrow. Today had been enough already.
The Manor slept. On the East wing, in a tiny room, with a tiny window, a caw echoed through the ancient wooden floors, and bounced across the cold walls. It was a distant sound, the kind one hears at the end of a tunnel. It was the sound of an animal that knew it's fate long before it happened. It was the sound of a crow that met its Death, with a broken neck.
***
Please don't kill me.
University is currently kicking my ass.
It's my last year, and I have no idea what I'm doing.
This book is the only thing that makes sense.
Mostly a filler episode. I hope you like Theo!