Thinking.

Thinking.

Thinking.

Thinking.

She repeated the words in her mind like a mantra, an old teaching she learned as a child when she first was introduced to The Practice. Her skin was pale from the cold winter, the soft breeze waving her hair as tiny snowflakes fell, contrasting brightly against the raven locks. Yet she did not feel the cold. It must have been an hour since she awoke and left her bed, pulling the warm blankets aside before walking out of her cabin to sit atop a rock, cross-legged.

Her mind was racing. Weird dreams troubled her all night long, as they had been for weeks. Yana had brought up the subject with Zula, but the elderly only graced her with mysterious words, saying it would all be evident in the future. It was not her place to argue with the Leader, so instead, she just nodded her head, lowering her blue gaze to the ground. So with the racing thoughts, it was harder to meditate, therefore the thinking mantra. “Whenever you have a thought, label it for what it is, and once again draw focus to your breath.” That had been the teaching.

She usually would meditate drawing energy from the forces of nature, using a more effective mantra, but for this morning, this is what she needed.

“Yana.”

She heard a soft voice calling in front of her. Slowly, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the icy air. She held the air for a few seconds, regaining consciousness of her surroundings while at it, visualizing the old wooden cabin in front of her, the rock underneath her buttocks. Her toes were hard from the extreme weather, so she carefully wiggled them, letting out the breath as she moved her body. Suddenly she felt the cold against her skin, and ever so slowly, she opened her eyes.

Lareen, one of her Sisters, was in front of her. A bit shorter than herself, hair of a medium, reddish-brown, and eyes the color of a forgotten lake.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” the girl said with an uncertain smile, her brows drew a little in her forehead.

“It’s okay, Lareen. I probably shouldn’t stay out in the cold like this, anyway,” she answered, offering the girl a broader smile. “I certainly don’t want to get sick.”

“I suppose,” Lareen answered, still looking unsure about calling Yana in the middle of her meditation. “Zula was looking for you. It uh… It seemed important.”

Yana raised her eyebrows and uncrossed her legs. “Zula, huh?” She looked down for a second, looking at the snow that had accumulated around her on the rock. “Well, I better not keep her waiting. Where is she?”

“She said she’d be in her quarters.”

“Thank you, Lareen.”

The cold was starting to affect her more than before, and first, she headed back to her cabin, waving at her roommates before walking into her room and getting appropriately dressed. A thick, black wool coat that had belonged to her mother before her and spent leather boots that still served their purpose. It only took her a couple of minutes before she left the cabin, heading to the main settlement.

The place was mostly empty -- it was early in the morning, the sun still again rising, illuminating the snow with a soft orange glow. She sped up her pace, quickly arriving at the small cabin that belonged to Zula. She rubbed her palms together to warm up her skin before knocking on the door. With a creak, the door opened by itself as if by magic. The Brothers and Sisters had long wondered about Zula’s abilities, but no one knew to what extent they went, all they knew was that she was powerful and one of the oldest witches alive.

“You wanted to see me, Grandma?” Yana asked as she peeked her head through the door.

“Come in, my child,” Zula answered.

Zula was commonly known as “Grandma” amongst the witches and warlocks, as it was their belief they all descended from the First Witch and were, therefore, all from the same family. It wasn’t uncommon for the Leader to be referred to as such.

Closing the door behind her, she noticed someone else was in there as well. It was easy to know who the person was even if she could only see her back, as the albino hair betrayed the young lady. Nastya, the Romani. She had been part of the coven for years, but it seemed she hadn’t fully integrated with the remainder of the folks yet. From Yana’s observations, the girl’s own personality and perhaps trauma she suffered from being seen as a bad omen in her own community left her wary of strangers. Regardless of the case, she was sitting atop a pillow, her head facing Zula.

Yana assumed a position next to Nastya, turning her head at the girl briefly and offering her a small smile before turning once again to Zula.

“What can I do for you, Grandma?”

“Indeed, my child, what can you do for me.” The elderly shook her head.

The old woman was dressed in scraps, looking more like a homeless person than a leader of a coven, but that didn’t make the coven respect her any less. She was their superior and they did as she told. Never had they have reasons to doubt Zula’s capacity to guide them, and they all trusted the woman blindly.

In a rare stance, Zula lowered her hood, showing her dark, grey crossed hair. It was long and disheveled as if it hadn’t been combed in at least a decade. Her face was wrinkly, but she didn’t look older than 60 -- yet they all knew she was much older than that.

“It is not in need for me to preface this with tales of the war.” She started. “I am sure you are both well acquainted with the tales and stories. Still, it is in need for me to remind you, my children, that the Church has not given up on us.”

A moment of silence. Yana swallowed hard, waiting anxiously for more information.

“I have received information they might have discovered our little settlement.” The elderly finally spoke again. “All I can say is I need to send you both away -- Away on a voyage for salvation. You must make for the Church’s Headquarters. It won’t be easy, it won’t be safe. But I trust in your abilities.”

Silence followed once again. Yana blinked a few times.

“But, Zula, if they discovered our settlement, we must stay here to help defend it!”

“That is not your role in this war, my child.”

“What is it, then?” Her voice trembled, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, exasperation sounding through her words.

“I apologize, but I cannot explain. You will know what to do when the time comes.”