Page 64 of Hex
“Fuck, this is intense.” Slash is right, it’s too much and I can see the strain on Sage’s face as she tries to hold her threads steady. My eyes are trained only on her, the way her mouth is trembling with the effort and her eyes are vacant, focused only on the witchcraft.
“Clausura hexclavis, clause portam.” Hekate’s final words are clear. The portal to the Hexclave has been closed. The labyrinth is Baba’s new home for now until forever.
When I blink, Sage’s face is back to its beautiful normal, her blue eye bright and her brown eye deep with newfound wisdom. Between her and Hekate is only empty space. Baba is gone and, with her, the weight of our suffering.
“Good fucking riddance,” Slash says what we all think and even gets a barely detectable chuckle from Hekate.
“My daughter, you shall be the keeper of the Hexclave.” The stone that was at Hekate’s feet rises before it burns bright like the sun and, seconds later, is the size of a domino. When the Dei takes a step, the salt and ashes blow away into nothingness, allowing her to step close to Sage.
I’m closer, my front touching Sage’s back and my arm hooking around her waist. It’s then that I see the rune. In the middle is a twisted spiral, broken only by the shape of an eye. It’s not intricate but it’s clear. Along the outer edges, the language of the gods is written in their unique alphabet. No one except the gods is able to read it, but when she tilts the rune, I don’t miss how the letters move as though they were a living creature.
Like the labyrinth, they are a sentient entity that learns and grows and adapts with the memories and thoughts. Hekate’s blood has seeped inside the rock and tainted its beige into a deep red.
“My child, this now belongs to you. The spiral you see is fate, the will of the Moirai as Baba lives trapped in her own memories. The glyphs of the gods represent the binding magic from both ofour kynships, the gods and the witches, keeping her trapped for as long as the language exists. And the empty eye symbolizes the Hexclave’s awareness, devoid of emotions or bias. It has a job and it shall do it.” Hekate smiles and something deep inside me rejects what’s happening with every fiber of my being.
When she extends the rune to my chosen, my arms tighten around her stomach in warning.
“Do you accept the guardianship of the sigil?”
“No, she does not,” I say, my voice deep and lethal.
“Yes.” And none of my concerns matter because in the blink of an eye, the small rune is suddenly embedded in Sage’s shoulder just at the base of her collar bone.
Gritting my teeth, I’m about to rip into my mother-in-law when I hear Slash in my head.
Down, Hack. It’s done and there’s nothing you can do except get yourself killed. Then who’s going to protect your chosen?
He’s right and I hate it. Fucking loathe it.
With genuine satisfaction, Hekate claps her hands and sighs, a wistful smile across her lips.
“Well, with our duties done, I’m afraid we must go.” Looking around the grand room of natural light reflected with the rainbow array of trees just outside, it’s evident she will miss the sight. It’s in the way her eyes caress the view, so much like her daughter. When she turns back to Sage, pride illuminates her features right down to the barely perceptible sheen in her eyes. “You were truly majestic, my child.”
At her mother’s words, Sage blushes, but she doesn’t look down or dismiss the compliment. Instead, she absorbs it and stands taller for it.
My chosen knows her worth and there’s nothing sexier than a confident mate.
The walk back to the portal is silent, the events from mere moments ago still fresh in our minds. A couple of times, Icatch Sage fingering the new mark that establishes her in the supernatural world. To anyone on Earth, the rune passes for an intricate tattoo, but in this world, it’s a crystal clear message…
My chosen is not to be fucked with.
Once we pass through the Calenwood portal, we each go our separate ways without any fanfare, with the exception of Hekate squeezing her daughter’s hand in a rare show of affection. From there, we make our way to the portal that will take us to Earth.
“Where are we going?” I expected Sage to be tired, exhausted even after the energy she just spent sending Baba Yaga off to the nether. But of course, she isn’t. Her skin is buzzing with electricity—quite literally—giving off tiny shockwaves every time I touch her.
Picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder as we go through the second portal, Slash following us, I give her a playful slap on the ass and grin.
“Georgia, my witchy Satapti. I’ve got a whole-ass house just waiting for you to come all over it.” I chuckle when Sage giggles and Slash groans.
“I’m right fucking here and don’t have any pussy readily available to me.” Slash is the first to step back onto our land, we follow half a second later and he adds, “Yet.”
“Not my problem, brother.” As soon as the cold, mountain air hits our faces, the electricity on Sage’s skin disappears.
“Fuck, it’s cold. What the hell?” When she slides down my front, I remember what she’s wearing and, yeah, not really appropriate for the high altitude temperatures of early November.
“Let’s get back to the house before you freeze your ass off, Satapti.”
“Dinner later?” Slash calls out as he starts jogging back to his side of the lake.
