Lila’s mother Sarah stood in the kitchen of her Florida home getting ready to bake a cake. The ingredients were already all laid out on the counter. Despite having magic to spare, the retired nurse wanted to do things the old-fashioned way this time, so no spells.

Okay, maybe just one. Always referring to the recipe to read the next step was annoying, so she enchanted the book to read the description out loud on its own. For some reason, the spell created a narrator that sounded a lot like the legendary Sir David Attenborough, and that made her laugh.

Sarah was having the time of her life ever since she had left the days of the Congregatio Magica behind. Things were much simpler without the constant bureaucracies and pressure of serving in the Council and rediscovering her human passions was something she couldn’t get enough of. However, following her last conversation with her daughter, a growing sense of uneasiness often plagued her thoughts. Had she done the right thing by asking Lila to dig deeper into the dark magic revelation? And how were things in that regard? She was curious to learn more but didn’t want to be dragged into it if she could avoid it. All things considered, she had been selfish and reckless in her earlier remarks and she felt guilty about it.

To make amends, she had tried to call Lila several times in the last couple of hours but to no avail. The phone rang non-stop but no call went through, and not even the voicemail was working. If she didn’t get back to her later, she would have to resort to other means to get in touch.

All witches and warlocks use telepathy to communicate across great distances. It’s one of the first things everyone learns growing up but also one of the hardest skills to master. Mental connections are strongest in places that have meaning for the people involved and can be amplified through the use of certain memorable objects that serve as power conduits. However,  the farther people are apart the harder it is to maintain a proper channel. Both Sarah and Lila avoided using such techniques as much as possible. They were reserved for emergencies only or strong suspicions of one.

Sarah began following the cake recipe to the letter when she heard a buzzing inside her mind. She cleared her thoughts and focused on the strange sound that kept getting louder and louder. It wasn’t a uniform sound wave but a multi-layered one filled to the brim with magic power. She recognized the signature within as belonging to her daughter and saw Lila in her home halfway across the country, holding a pair of baby boots to make the link between them stronger. Amidst the chaos of sound, she found her voice and filtered it out.

“Mom? Mom, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Lila. I’m here, but why are you reaching out to me like this? Is something wrong?” Sarah replied without moving her lips.

“Everything is wrong, Mom. It’s all a big fucking mess. I need you.”

“Of course, dear. Tell me what happened and what I can do to help.”

“Not like this. We need to meet, please.”

“Okay. Are you coming here or do you need me to go to you?”

“I’m too tired to warp there, so if you don’t mind...”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Thank you.”

The connection was severed and Sarah went on high alert. Lila’s inner voice was fraught with terror and her magic reserves were almost depleted. Dire circumstances demanded extreme measures so she left her unfinished cake recipe behind and headed to the living room to inform her husband Ted that she would be gone for a while.

“Where are you going?” the bald man asked, sports newspaper in hand.

“To Lila’s house. She just reached out asking for help and it seems urgent. I’ll try to be back as soon as possible.”

“What happened?”

“No clue but I’m going to find out. Will you be okay in the meantime?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about me. Just keep me apprised.”

“I will.”

Ted was a sweetheart, one of the kindest men she had ever met. After the untimely death of Lila’s father, he supported her through her grieving process without ever pressuring her or asking for anything in return. The attraction between them wasn’t something that developed overnight but a lengthy process that took years. Still, when it happened, it became unbreakable and she could smile again. She would do anything for him and knew the feeling was mutual. What could be better than that?

Sarah took a deep breath, touched the molecules of the air around her, and phased through Space and Time, following the memories of her daughter back to her place. She appeared in her living room to find her curled up on the sofa, looking worn out. Before even saying anything, she grabbed her right hand and shared some of her energy to aid in the healing process. Lila smiled and said,

“I’m glad you came, but we can’t stay here for long. It’s not safe.”

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Sarah sat next to her and cradled her head against her bosom as if she were still a baby. “What happened?”

“I was attacked. The evil witch, she... Mom, she got Nelly and tried to control me, too!” Lila sobbed.

“Oh, my God! So you found her? Do you know who she is?”

“No. She found me. I was following Cindy and she used her body as a puppet to come after me, and then at the Congregatio’s Headquarters, I had an Inquisitor try to mess with my memories before I was locked in a magical construct that almost killed me! She’s everywhere, Mom! This is one powerful bitch who’s coming after me and everyone I hold dear, including you. We need to get out of here as soon as possible!”

“Easy, dear...” Sarah held her tight. “You’re in shock and panicking right now. You need to tell me everything that happened from the start or share your memories with me so I can understand the better way to help you. Can you do that?”

“I can try...” Lila nodded.

“Open yourself to me, then. Breathe...”

Lila closed her eyes and allowed everything she experienced to flow from her mind to hers, from the most insignificant details to the nastiest ones. She left no stone unturned and no raw emotion hidden. The overwhelming dread clawed inside her mother’s thoughts but so did her unwavering resolve to stay alive and Sarah never felt prouder.

“Jesus!” she said, tears running down her eyes. “You suffered through all of this and all because of me... I’m sorry, Lila. If I’d known...”

“That’s okay, Mom,” Lila cried with her, the two women sharing the pain and liberation in their salted tears. “But now you understand who we’re up against. We need to find somewhere safe but I... I don’t know where.”

“Leave that to me,” Sarah reached deep inside her own memories to find a secret location no one would ever remember to look for. The hazy picture from ages past became clear as day and she turned to her daughter to say, “I know you don’t like it when we do this, but it’s time to jump again.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Sarah pointed to her destination and the magic flow did the rest, pulling her and her weary descendant to an underground bunker on the outskirts of the city. It was a remnant of the old days when disgraced witches were stripped of their powers and forced to live outside the grid with little comfort until they served their sentence. Only a handful of those secluded spaces still existed throughout the world and Sarah knew them all. They were buried so deep in the earth’s crust that one could almost hear the molten core of the planet from inside one.

“Here we are,” Sarah said when they phased in. The air was damp inside and all the lights were off, nothing that the central control panel couldn’t fix. The older witch moved across the various rooms of the complex, bringing it back to life to welcome their new temporary guests.

“Is this what I think it is?” Lila asked, her eyes looking at every dent in the metal structure and imagining every horror they had witnessed over the centuries.

“Yes,” Sarah replied, looking over her shoulder. “This place was decommissioned about twenty years ago but the old wards still work. For the moment, we’re invisible to the world. Take the opportunity to gather your strength while I think of a plan.”

“We need to rescue Penelope,” Lila said. She was sitting in an asymmetrical metal seat that was as gray as the rest of the spartan decoration inside. The bunker was not a pleasant place to be in but her mother was right. The chances of anyone believing they had entered one of their own accord were slim or next to none.

“You’re looking quite pale, dear,” Sarah said after returning to her. “When was the last time you had a decent meal?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know how long I was inside that twisted magical mansion, and I don’t think those biscuits count.”

“Okay. Believe it or not, there are still some cans in the pantry but the food in these places has always been nasty so I don’t recommend it. Here...” Sarah snapped her fingers and conjured a hearty meal out of thin air. There was a hot bowl of chicken and rice soup, fresh bread, pork with cider and cream, and a nutritious kale smoothie with fruity notes of green apple, pineapple, and banana. For dessert, she brought her favorite cake to life and told her daughter to dig in. “Eat, and don’t you dare complain, do you hear?”

“Loud and clear, Mom.” Lila didn’t waste any time and devoured everything before her eyes as if it were the last meal she’d ever savor. The death penalty was no longer sanctioned by the reigning Council but it remained a dark chapter in the history of magic in recent times.

As she watched her daughter eat, Sarah retreated to an adjacent room to examine the memories she had shared with her. Now that they were in her head, she could look into them one by one and search for any clues concerning the identity of the mysterious evil witch. There wasn’t much to go on with for the glamors she had used were quite powerful but she suspected there was something there if she dug deep enough.

She had connections to the Council, that much was certain, and she was also older than most. Only a handful of outcasts fit both categories with one sounding like the most logical candidate but was it her or was that just a red herring? Sarah had to be careful before issuing rash judgments and so she kept looking, reliving each moment as if she were in Lila’s shoes. She looked for clues in the words she had spoken to her in the mausoleum while possessing Cindy’s body and then returned to the imaginary garden where she had turned Penelope into her devoted servant. There was so much rage and seething anger hiding behind her magic cloak, an undying thirst for blood and mayhem that made her skin crawl. Sarah bit her lips and stopped her mental incursion when she drew blood between her teeth. When she returned to Lila once more, her daughter was already attacking dessert.

“You’re already looking better,” the older woman said. “Good. You need to be in your prime.”

“I feel my strength returning but I’m pissed. What she did to Nelly was...”

“Unthinkable, I know, but we can still sever the bond. This is not the end, Lila.”

“That’s why I asked for your help. Alone, I know I don’t stand a chance but with your experience by my side...”

“Experience isn’t everything, dear, but knowledge goes a long way. If you don’t know your enemy, you can never hope to defeat it. I’ve been inside your memories to see if I recognize her and I think I have a suspect, but I’m not sure if I’m right or not.” 

“Who are you talking about?”

“I met a woman once long before you were born that talked just like the hag you encountered. Her name is Alondra and she’s one of the few surviving members of the great Canellakis House. Do you remember them?”

“Canellakis? Of course!” Lila muttered. “Weren’t they one of the first members of the Council?”

“Yes. The Canellakis Dynasty goes all the way back to the 13th Century when they moved from the Duchy of Athens to the Kingdom of France. They proposed the first forms of magical registration to avoid the persecution of our kind when superstitions were getting out of control. They also defended harsh punishments for anyone who broke the law, many of which were still being used by the time I joined the Congregatio. They were respected and feared but there were a few among them who thought that wasn’t enough. They wanted more control over the flow of magic even if that meant using forbidden rituals to ensure it. During the 1500s, the House split into two enemy factions with the moderate side being ostracized while the extremists tried to seize power and enforce their deadly agenda. They were defeated but their hatred lived on. Alondra has all the mannerisms of the woman you encountered. I think she may be your mysterious witch.”

“How can that be? She said she’s been around for millennia!”

“And you didn’t believe her just like me. Confusing your opponent is a great winning strategy, Lila. I think she was playing you to make you feel powerless against her, but I don’t have any evidence. Not yet, at least.”

“So you want to track her down to be sure?”

“That would be wise, yes. Even if Alondra isn’t our foe, it’s possible she has ties to her, so it doesn’t hurt to check. I’ll go look for her while you finish recovering, okay?”

“What? No! I want to go with you. We’re doing this together!” Lila protested.

“You’ve already been through so much. I’d rather not expose you to any more danger if I can help it.”

“I don’t care, Mom. We’re stronger together and Penelope needs me. You’re not leaving me behind.”

“Are you sure, Lila? You’ll be safe here, I promise.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, where do we find this Alondra?”

((to be continued))