Page 167 of Hekate: The Witch

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unused and forgotten.

But not knowing what to bring this day,

I had added it to my bag of simples.

‘If you drink this,’

I told her, the potent liquid glittering,

‘you can roam the Underworld,

see your children whenever you wish.’

She frowned.

‘Why would you do this for me?’

I considered her suspicion.

A cold battlefield told her not to trust me.

So I did the only thing I could.

I told her the truth. ‘I am Hekate,

Goddess of Witchcraft and Necromancy,

and I believe enough mortals and immortals

have given blood to this war.

And I believe that you deserve

a better future than to be a bed slave

or alone in the fields of Asphodel.’

She reached eagerly for the urn

but I held it tight. ‘A warning.

If you drink this you will become

something not of this world.

No longer mortal.

No longer a human form.’

Her hand shook in hesitation

and I continued,

‘But you will be under my care

and my protection forever.

You will never know loss again.’

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