Page 57 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

Not only that, but they had created a memory they would carry with them forever. How many of those did people have? Most of life was mundane, with one day resembling the next and nothing to distinguish it from all the others. People remembered the highs and lows. Since lows were usually unplanned and just hit them over the head at random, it was important to build an arsenal of highs, and that didn't happen without planning.

Syssi leaned toward Amanda. "Do you remember the incantation?"

"More or less." Amanda cleared her throat. "We are gathered here in a circle of fourteen powerful women to beseech the Goddess's help for our sister Vivian. With her divine light, the Goddess will destroy the malignant energy within Vivian's soul and free her from her curse. Let us all join our voices in the chant. Please repeat after me. Great mother, the supreme mistress who lives in our hearts and guides our way toward love and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and pleasure, bestow upon us your power tonight, chase away the darkness and replace it with your light, so our sister Vivian can worship and honor you by freely accepting love and pleasure without fear."

Leaning back, Syssi crossed her arms over her chest. "You totally made that up."

"I did," Amanda admitted. "But you can't deny the energy we all felt that night. That wasn't made up."

"It's true." Syssi looked at Kian. "We talked afterward, wondering if a group of males could have produced the same energy."

He chuckled. "Don't expect me to try it, and if you somehow convince thirteen males to do a witchy or wizardry ritual in the nude, there is no way I'm letting you watch it in the name of science or anything else."

"Don't worry, my love." She cupped his cheek. "The only male I want to see in the nude is you."

"Oh, wow." Amanda fanned herself. "Who are you, and what have you done with my shy sister-in-law? The Syssi I know and love would have never said that in public."

As Syssi's cheeks got red, Annani came to her rescue. "So, if I understand correctly, modern Wiccans worship the feminine."

"Not exclusively," Sari said. "Wiccans believe in a dual deity system, with a goddess and a god representing the feminine and masculine aspects of divinity, but because Wicca is about honoring the natural world and the cycles of life, it has a more feminine slant than the traditional religions, and it appeals more to females."

"What about the magical aspect of it?" Gabi asked.

Amanda lifted her hand. "I can answer that. The Wiccan magic is not the fantasy version of turning misbehaving princes into beasts or growing giant trees from magical beans. It's about focusing intention and energy to bring about positive change on the individual and global levels."

"Those are lofty statements," Aru said. "But how does that work in practice? How can a ritual or a spell influence reality?"

Sari leaned over so she could face him. "In the same way that meditation and prayers do in other spiritual traditions. Wiccans believe that by aligning their intentions with the natural energies of the world, they can tap into a deeper power and create change in accordance with their will. Given your connection with your sister, you shouldn't be so skeptical. There are forces and energies in the universe that are impossible to explain based on what we know."

Aru dipped his head. "Well said."

David, who so far had been satisfied with just listening, put his hand on Sari's shoulder to get her attention. "You don't have to work hard to convince me that this is all real, but with harnessing such power comes great responsibility. How do those who practice the Wicca religion ensure that it is used ethically?"

Sari let out a breath. "The Wiccan guiding principle is the Rule of Three: Whatever you release into the world will return to you trifold, so be sure that you do no harm."

Amanda nodded. "What it's basically saying is that everything a witch does comes back at her, so cursing someone or wishing them ill will cost the witch dearly. It's a good incentive to only cast good spells."

Kian looked like he'd had enough of the discussion. "As fascinating as I find all this talk about witchcraft, what we should focus on is what Jasmine believes in and if she can actually do what she claims she can."

"Very true." Amanda smiled at her brother, who had been very patient up until now. "I should talk to her about it."

43

JASMINE

As they neared Frankie and Margo's cabin door, Jasmine watched Frankie pull out her phone and aim it at the lock.

"That's so cool. I only have a simple keycard." It figured that even that small convenience was reserved for the guests of the upper decks.

As the door swung open, Margo rushed over, her face split by a huge grin. "I'm so glad that you are here."

Pulling her friend into a hug, Jasmine was careful not to squish Margo, who looked a little pale. "I finally get to see where you've been living."

Margo laughed, ushering her into the spacious cabin. "This place is bigger than my apartment and much nicer. I don't know how I'm going to go back to living like a pauper."

"You won't," Frankie murmured.

Jasmine wondered what she meant by that. Was Margo moving in with Negal? If so, they were moving a little too fast, but who was she to judge?

---