I swallow the lump of tears rising in my throat and inhale a shaky breath. "Mother?"
The corners of her lips pull up into a slight smile as her eyes well with tears. "It's me Sweetheart."
A warm feeling rises in my chest before it quickly plummets. I step away from her.
"I saw you die."
Her smile fades. "I know but-"
"Your body was burnt to ashes," I interrupt. "You screamed for hours as you were burned. I watched ever moment of it, because they made me. Because the coven wanted me to see what a traitor my mother was for turning against her own kind. Because if I ever went against the Coven, the same fate would befall me."
Hot, salty, fat teardrops roll down my cheeks. "They made me watch you die."
She closes her eyes and inhales before opening them again. "I escaped."
"How?" I whisper, my voice filled with disbelief.
She finally looks at me. "It's a really long story, and you are injured, come inside and I will tell you everything."
I fold my arms as my vision blurs, an angry red fills my vision. "It's a long story? You made me believe you were dead for the past fifteen years!"
James slips his hand onto my arm. My vision clears slightly as I inhale a sharp breath. A tear slips out of my mother's eye.
"Come inside, please," she pleads.
"Fine," I reply, hesitantly.
James's grip on my arm tightens.
....
The gazes received from the witches of the Finger-Less Coven cause the hairs on my neck to stand on high alert. I shiver as chills run down my spine. Keeping my eyes on my mother's back I follow her through the crowd with James close on my heels. I am suddenly very grateful he chose to come with me. Looking back at him, he gives me a reassuring nod, his mouth set in a firm line. His forest green eyes are ablaze with the fires burning around us reflecting in them.
My eyes shift back to the pathway ahead as we follow my mother deeper into the Coven's camp. Finally, we reach the largest tent. A tall witch with thick Kohl lined eyes bows her head and pulls back the curtain. James and I follow my mother through it. She motions for us to sit down.
James takes the cushioned chair sitting in the corner, my mother sits in the largest chair, and I purposefully pick the one farthest from her and closest to Jay. He lays a reassuring hand on my knee. My mother places her hands delicately in her lap before addressing me.
"Sweetheart-"
"My name is Jacklyn, or did you forget?" I interrupt, more than a hint of venom in my voice.
She recoils for a moment before squaring her shoulders and regaining composure.
"Jacklyn," she begins again, "when you were a child, I had no choice but to turn against the coven, they would've found out about the horrid truth I'd been covering up. So, I lied and had myself convicted of something entirely different. I, along with a few other witches, used a spell that would cover my tracks and make it seem like I had died. I was in real pain, however it was not so much that I would die from it. The spell worked, I escaped, and another witch replaced my body with ashes."
I exhale slowly before speaking.
"How did you end up joining the Finger-Less Coven? And leading it....apparently," I say, looking around the huge tent.
Suddenly, the curtains are thrown open and the tall woman from earlier bursts in. She bows before speaking.
"My apologies for the intrusion, but we have a situation."
My mother stands up and walks over to her. "What is it?"
"The girl is getting worse."
My mother looks at me. "Stay here."
She leaves the tent with the woman following close at her heels.
I stand up, drawing James's attention to me. "What are you doing?" he asks, standing up as well.
"I need to find my sister."
He nods. "Let's go look for her."
...
I am met with a sneer from the little witch the minute I step out of the tent.
"Going somewhere?"
I sigh. "I'm going to find my sister, get out of my way."
She shakes her head and giggles. "Sorry, Madam says you need to stay here."
She leans in closer, making the temperature around me drop several degrees. I shiver.
"You can't leave, Jackie."