A Quest for Freedom
Story by Kat Nicholls. Illustrations by Dan Francis.
Aurelia wakes with a start like she usually does. Her dreams had torn through her peaceful slumber, filling her body with adrenaline she didn’t need. Stepping out of bed she walks towards the outdoor shower, letting the cool water cleanse her anew.
In the hut she calls home, her sisters are making breakfast and readying themselves for a day of battle training. The hut she lives in is part of a circle, buried deep within the forest. Each hut within the circle houses her sisters, fellow witches in her coven. The only hut that stands out is the one where the high priest lives. Larger than the rest, his home is trimmed with gold, crystals, and vines, mingling together to form something beautiful, living, and decadent.
Just then, she spots Linden, the high priest, walking to the centre of the circle, waiting for the witches to converge. Aurelia knows this is her cue to disappear.
Looking into the mirror in her bedroom she draws an invisibility sigil in the air with her hand and repeats “I am only visible if I want to be seen” over and over again. At first, all she sees is her reflection. Her golden hair that her sisters tell her is the colour of sunset because that was when she was born, her amber-hued eyes that seemed to match, and a sprinkle of freckles. But soon enough, the lines that formed her outline blur, and her physical form evaporate from sight.
She has to be careful when invisible, a single second of dropped concentration and the illusion will fail. She tiptoes out the front door and makes her way quietly past the group of witches attaching armour to their chests.
Six days a week the witches have to do battle training. Linden would tell them daily that outside the forest and outside the coven their magic would wane. They would need to be tough to face life outside if that was the life they would choose. Cautionary tales flew from his mouth constantly, telling stories of how difficult it is to be a witch in a human’s world, how much fiercer they would need to be and how much louder they would need to shout.
The fear he whipped up stopped most witches from leaving, but they endured the battle training anyway, preparing themselves for whatever battle they believed would inevitably come their way.
Aurelia never cared much for battle. She longed to leave the forest and explore a world outside of the coven, but every time she attended battle training, Linden would tell her that she was different.
“You’re not built like your sisters Aurelia. You have a weaker body and spirit. If you leave the coven, I fear you wouldn’t make it. I’m sorry to tell you this, but you can’t ever leave.”
Aurelia always noticed how dark his eyes turned as he said this and the way it made her stomach churn. After hearing it so many times, she decided to stop attending battle training - what was the point if she wasn’t ever going to leave the forest?
For some reason though, he always insisted on her presence, snarling at her whenever she spoke back. Now she knows to hide from Linden.
Still protected by her invisibility spell, Aurelia makes her way to her favourite tree far away from the training grounds where she can read, watch the river flow by and enjoy being alone. She always reads the same thing, the book of shadows she inherited when her mother passed away. Studying it and committing as many spells to memory as possible, a smile forms at her lips.
She is different from her sisters in the coven. Where her hair shines like gold, theirs is dark as night. Where her body is soft and unmarked, theirs are hard, muscular, and covered in markings. Every time something life-altering happens to a witch, symbols appear on their skin, proof of the magic that lines their blood. This hasn’t happened to Aurelia yet and some say she isn’t a true witch.
Her mother was one of the most powerful witches the coven had ever seen and she passed on her most potent spells to Aurelia. The book of shadows itself was protected by a spell, meaning only Aurelia could read it.
Spending her days reading this would serve her better than battle training, she rationalised.
When she returned she spotted a small group of witches whispering as they took off their armour and wiped the sweat from their brows. Moving closer, still invisible to their eyes, Aurelia listened in.
“Why was she cast out?” one asked.
“Nobody knows,” another replied.
“I heard stories that she’s living on the outskirts,” a third chimed in.
They’re talking about Selene. Aurelia’s childhood friend who was cast out from the coven. Rumours were that it was because of disobedience. What type of disobedience, though - no one knew.
Aurelia hadn’t thought of Selene for a long time. She was older than Aurelia and while they hadn’t remained especially close, they were always friendly. As her thoughts drifted towards Selene, her concentration faltered and she reappeared in front of the group.
“Aurelia! What are you doing? Why weren’t you at battle training?”
“I wasn’t feeling well.” The lie slipped easily from her tongue.
“Linden wasn’t happy. You’ll end up like Selene if you keep this up.”
Aurelia nodded with a tight-lipped smile and went to her bedroom.
That night, Selene came to Aurelia in her dreams. Darting in and out of the shadows, she was laughing and asking Aurelia to meet her. In the dream Aurelia was scared, but when she caught up with Selene they became wild horses and ran together, exhilarated.
Aurelia woke with a sense of confusion. Did she see Selene in her dream because she heard her sisters talking about her, or was it something else? There was something about the quality of the dream that felt different... as if she was viewing it through a veil. She’d learnt from past experience that this was often a sign of dream magic. Could Selene have worked a spell and called for her?
Curiosity rose inside her like bubbles, so she decided to take a walk to the outskirts - just in case. Back at the mirror Aurelia repeated her invisibility incantation and slipped away unnoticed.
The whole day was spent trawling the outskirts of the forest, never daring to step beyond the borders, but looking closely for a sign of Selene.
Just as she was ready to give up and return home she heard a giggle that took her right back to her childhood. Selene appeared from behind a tree, and leapt upon her friend, nearly knocking her to the ground.
“Yes!!” she exclaimed. “I really didn’t think that dream spell was going to work! But hey - I guess you got my message?”
She looked exactly like Aurelia remembered. Her skin as dark as her wild hair which had grown longer over time. She wore a long leather coat over combat pants and a tank top; her arms and neck adorned with feathers, crystals, and jewels.
Aurelia’s eyes widened. “Oh, my Goddess! Selene! It was you!”
Selene laughed. “It was indeed.”
“But why? After all this time?”
Selene took a deep breath. “OK where do I start?” she said, shaking her head. “Right, so, before I left, I sensed you were like me... that you wanted to leave the coven. But I knew you weren’t quite ready and I knew if we’d stayed friends, you would have wanted to come with me.”
Aurelia remembered Selene withdrawing from her, but she assumed it was because she didn’t want to hang out with the odd witch out anymore.
“So I left without you and I’ve been here, waiting at the outskirts... until you were ready.”
Aurelia looked at her, a frown forming. “Wait a minute, so you weren’t cast out?”
Now it was time for Selene to look confused, but her expression was swiftly followed by a knowing smile and a chuckle.
“Wow. Is that what Linden told you? That I was cast out? That makes sense. That man hates to be disobeyed.”
“He... he lied?”
“Of course he did. I left because I wanted to and I guess he didn’t like that, so he did what he always does, scares the coven.”
Everything clicked into place for Aurelia, Linden did seem to revel in scaring the witches.
“You can leave too, Aurelia.” Selene said, with a hand on her shoulder.
“I can’t,” she replied, shrugging her friend’s hand off and turning away.
“Why not?”
“I’m not like you, Selene, I’m not like any of the witches in the coven - I’m weak, I won’t make it out there.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“Look at me! I’m not strong, I don’t do the battle training and Linden says my magic won’t protect me if I leave.”
Selene shook her head, angry at the damage Linden’s lies had already caused. “It’s not true Aurelia, any of it. Our magic works just fine out here. You don’t need to be the loud, battle-trained witch Linden says you do. He just says that to scare us into submission.”
Aurelia was still looking away, clearly unsure what to believe.
“Look, I know this is all really confusing and you’re right, you’re not the same as the other witches.” Selene continued, “But it’s not because you’re weaker. You have so much power inside you. It’s just a different sort of power.”
The words were hitting Aurelia, but they didn’t seem to stick. Linden’s voice was lodged in her ear, repeating over and over again, You can’t.
“I’m sorry Selene… I can’t. I can’t leave the coven.”
Selene looked to the sky, tears forming in her eyes. “OK, I understand.” She paused. “Can we at least keep in touch? I’ll write to you every week and leave a letter here.” She pointed to a nook within a nearby willow tree.
Aurelia nodded, “Of course, I can do that.”
Noticing the position of the sun in the sky, Aurelia knew she needed to leave and get back before Linden noticed she was missing. The old friends hugged, said their goodbyes, and parted ways.
Back at home in her room, Aurelia had a thousand thoughts. Anger at herself surged through her veins. She was furious that she didn’t have the courage to join Selene. That night her dreams reflected her mood, offering no chance of respite.
A week passed and Aurelia made her way to the willow tree and sure enough, a letter sat perched in the hidden nook. Selene had filled the letter with tales of the outside world and a spell she wanted Aurelia to try.
At home, she made sure her bedroom door was locked as she lit four red candles which formed a circle. Sitting in the centre, reading from Selene’s letter Aurelia reached for an acorn, a tiger’s eye crystal and a pinch of dried yarrow. She placed them on a piece of red cloth and carefully sewed the corners to make a pouch. As she stitched she repeated, “Goddess hear me, Goddess see me, Goddess let courage flow through me”.
Once the pouch was complete she held it to her third eye chakra, between her eyebrows, and took long slow breaths. Her heartbeat slowed and the knot of fear in her stomach loosened. She allowed the courage to spill out of the pouch and into the core of her being, as she excitedly wrote her reply to Selene.
The letters continued like this for a month, both friends swapping spells and tales of their very different lives. Each spell Selene sent helped Aurelia grow a little more courage.
Eventually, she decided it was time.
“I’m ready to leave,” she wrote. “Meet me here tonight, under the full moon - midnight.”
That night she packed a bag and tucked her book of shadows and courage pouch into her dress pocket. Casting her familiar invisibility spell, she walked out.
Turning one last time to the circle of huts, she felt fear threatening her plan. Could she really do this? What if Linden was right and Selene was wrong? She squeezed her courage pouch, breathed deeply, and turned her back on the coven. No, she thought, it’s time.
Sneaking her way through the forest, she sensed a presence following her. A presence that filled her with dread.
Looking up, she noticed a crow, flying from tree to tree following her every move. Seeing its dark eyes, she felt a wash of familiarity. I’ve seen those eyes before, Her body froze with fear, and her invisibility spell involuntarily lifted.
The crow swooped down to the ground, transforming into Linden.
“A little late to be out walking, Aurelia, isn’t it?” he said, towering over her.
Aurelia tried to speak, but her throat was tight with anxiety and nothing came out.
“I know just what to do with you,” Linden muttered. And he dragged her by her elbow back to the coven, throwing her into a small solitary room that stood behind the high priest’s house. Then he took her bag and emptied her pockets. As he locked the door behind her he said under his breath, “I will not be disobeyed. Never again.”
Surrounded by nothing but four stone walls Aurelia let panic overthrow her. Tears flowed as she struggled to catch her breath. Her mind’s eye went to the willow tree where Selene would be, bags packed, waiting for Aurelia to join her. She cried some more and tried to send Selene a message, but fear clouded her thoughts and no spells came to her mind. Instead, she gave in and let her sobs exhaust her mind and body until she fell asleep.
The next day food and drink were pushed under the door, but no one said a word to Aurelia about when she would be released. As night fell Aurelia found herself staring at a corner of the room where a fly was caught in a spider’s web.
Tough luck friend, she thought as she watched it squirm. More time went by and the fly was still trying to break free. Aurelia watched, in awe of its strength. How had it not given up yet? Just as this thought entered her mind she saw it break free. Her gaze followed the fly as it flew around the room, seemingly celebrating its freedom before escaping through the gap under the door.
A strange sense of power started building within Aurelia. Bolstered by the bravery of the fly, she decided it was time to get out of here. But looking around her she realised she had nothing she needed to cast spells: no herbs, crystals, not even her book of shadows.
Selene’s voice was suddenly dancing in the air around her. ‘You don’t need any of it. You have everything you need inside of you.’
Aurelia smiled, then, as a spell came to mind; a spell that her mother taught her as a child... a spell for freedom. Picturing the freedom sigil in her mind Aurelia whispered “Wherever I am, wherever I’ll be, I’ll always be me, I’ll always be free.”
Repeating the words over and over, her voice grew louder and more confident with each repetition. Aurelia felt her power overflowing as the room filled with white light. As the power, words, and light came together, the iron door of her prison fell open.
The commotion had captured the attention of the coven who had followed the light to find Aurelia standing over the fallen door, an explosion of markings appearing on her arms and legs. Linden marched towards her enraged, his eyes darker than ever.
This time Aurelia simply looked at him, lifted her hand, and said “No”, freezing him to the spot. As he furiously tried to free himself, the coven watched as Aurelia walked slowly away, the white light still surrounding her.
When she reached the willow tree, Selene was curled up beneath it sleeping.
“What the…” she mumbled as Aurelia’s light woke her.
Aurelia smiled wider than she thought possible and said, “Thanks for waiting.”
Selene started laughing and threw herself in for a hug. “Of course I waited, I never doubted you.”
The closer they got to the forest border, the faster they walked, excited to finally be free. Soon they were running, like the wild horses in their dream, leaving their past behind them, finally cutting the ties that fear had bound them with.