Chapter 163: A New Crone
The lanterns still floated in the night breeze even though the music had died down. The last of the crumb cakes had been eaten and the stalls emptied of drinks and snacks.
Arya didn’t know how badly she needed a break until she was taking one.
The war planning had been unending and tiresome. With only some clues to Odette’s whereabouts, shed been at a loss. Her magic had failed her, she couldn’t locate her friend’s daughter, she couldn’t protect her son’s fiancée, she failed the people who mattered to her.
The weight of that guilt was crippling. She hadn’t realized how exhausting it was to carry the burden of all her worries. However, this short time away was enlightening.
Violet was so different now. Arya felt the shifting happen each new time she saw her friend. The transformation was by no means, subtle.
Arya needed a room to rest in and decided a hotel inside the close quarters of the coven instead of her home on the borders of their coven’s turf was the smart idea.
Once the celebration was over the selection would begin. And the coven would elect a new Crone.
At midnight a hushed silence spread through the coven members, dozens of members, young and old, gathered in the square.
Chalk lines drawn on the stage, the smell of crushed herbs, and moss settled in the air.
Arya stood near the outer edge; her purple eyes locked on the stage. The Maiden and The Mother stood at the center, in front of three chairs, draped in black like the night sky. Arya’s heart felt a persistent ache looking at the empty seat on the stage.
Three elderly witches stepped forth, each chosen as potential successors to The Crone’s seat, by The Crone herself. Once chosen their names would be forsaken and they would take their seat with their sisters and become only The Crone, live only for the coven.