Chapter 3: The Temple

When my mam would talk about the temple she made it sound like a luxurious place. So when I went there for the first time when I was nine I was very disappointed. 

 The temple is just an old building. Its walls are cracked and some have fallen over. The remaining ones have long-dead vines twisting down them. The entrance into the temple is a large, wooden draw bridge.

Long ago this temple was a fortress for soldiers going into battle. Once the war was over the soldiers left and teenagers from the village made it their hang out spot. But about twenty years ago the coven chased them out and made it their temple. The villagers didn't want the witches so close to their village so they tried to chase the witches away. This of course did not end very well for the mortals. Ever since then nobody has dared try and take the temple back again.

Even from here, I could hear the laughter of some of the coven members.

Most covens live in their temple but some -like my mam and I- decide not to live in the temple but rather somewhat close to it. The only time we ever visit the temple is for pagan traditions and testings’ or if there is a coven meeting. Which isn't as often as you would think. 

As we approach the door, I noticed a figure leaning against the wooden frame. The figure is Violet Riggs.

Violet is a familiar witch, she is one of the strongest familiar witches in the coven next to her mam, not that we have many familiar witches anyway. 

She is two years older than me but stood about one foot shorter than me. She has short, blond hair with muddy brown eyes. She has a wonderful figure, slim but not too skinny. She wore her usual long, dark blue dress and blue pumps. Her familiar - a bald eagle named Vikky- was as always sitting on her shoulder.

A familiar can be just about any animal but mainly eagles or falcons because they are easier to train. They say the bond between a familiar and its owner is one of the strongest bonds ever. The witch solidifies his/ her bond with their familiar by feeding it a drop of their blood. This act allows the witch to communicate with their familiar, and nobody else can understand what the familiar says.

" Hi, Tobias are you ready for today?" She asked when we reached her. Vikky shrieked causing Violet to chuckle, the bird must have said something that amused her. 

" Ready as I'll ever be." I replied a cocky smirk tugged on my lips. 

" Yeah, so is Naomi." She smirked. 

That must be what the damn bird was talking about. 

Naomi is her younger sister. She along with Cleo Meyer will be taking the test with me today.

The reason Violet was smirking was because Naomi and I have a relationship based on competition.

For as long as we have known each other we are constantly looking for ways to beat each other. When we were little our competitions were how fast could you run, how far could you jump or how high can you jump.

As we got older the competitions got bigger and we started involving magic. So they became who could do the worst hex or who could turn their mam into a better animal - that one did not end so well for us we got into a load of trouble-. Today with this test we would determine who was the most powerful. Today is our big day.

" I wouldn't expect her to be any less." I shrugged.

" Let's just go, we don't want to keep everyone else waiting." My mam snapped pushing past us.

 She wasn't a fan of my competition with Naomi, she found it childish and a complete waste of my time. She used to tell me that I shouldn't spend my time trying to beat Naomi and should spend more time studying my spells, and potions.

Violet and I silently trailed behind her. We briskly walked through the snaked hallways. At the end of the hallways stood the arena.

The coven was seated in a circle around four wooden stands. Each stand had a different element representing the different types of magic on them. One has a bowl filled with blood. On the next stand stood a bowl of bones, the next stand had a falcon in a cage and the last one had a blade.

In front of the stands is the testing bowl. It's magically connected to the bowls. The witch/warlock being tested places a drop of their blood into the bowl and the element they are destined to use's bowl will light up.

My mam took a seat next to my aunt, Eva who like my mam is also a bone witch. On her left sat Violet, next to her was Agatha, then Martha - Agatha's aunt-, Nathan - our assassin -, Veronica - who is Violet and Naomi's mother -, Peggy - Cleo's mother. Beside her was Maxine the second in command. And finally at the head of the circle, seated upon her throne made of actual skulls was our leader - Lizzie.

She was appointed leader twenty years ago because she is the most feared of us all. She is also the most powerful blood witch and blood witches are the kings and queens of all witches, they are the most powerful and wicked. No other type fights them, even the assassins fear the blood witches. Which is the one thing an assassin is afraid of.

I sat to the side with Cleo and Naomi. Normally they would try to engage in some sort of small talk. But today, they had looks of determination edged into their faces. 

" Ready Tobias?" Naomi asked turning her head to look at me.  

" I am, are you ready to bow to me when this is over? I smirked. 

" Oh go fuck yourself." She scoffed.

" Can't sweetheart." I whispered.

Her eye widened as she almost choked on her spit. I smirked while quietly laughing. 

" Will you two shut it." Cleo hissed glaring at us. 

" So Cleo it appears you will never get that stick out of your arse huh." I joked. 

Cleo looked baffled, she didn't know how to respond. She scoffed then turned back to face Lizzie.

" Good one." Naomi whispered in my ear making me smirk. 

My mam looked at us fondly- well as fondly as she can look with that permanent scowl on her face-. She like most of the coven are hoping that Naomi and I would get together. We have both proven to be very powerful- me more powerful than her sometimes- and the coven thinks that we will conceive a powerful child. 

Naomi and I would always gag at the thought of us procreating. Honestly, I would rather fuck a tree than her. And I'm sure she feels the same way.   

Lizzie stood on the stand in front of her throne and turned towards us.

" Today the three of you will be tested to determine your place in this coven. As you already know you will step up to the podium and place a drop of your blood into the bowl. After receiving your answer, you will return to your seat. Tonight at the party I shall appoint you a teacher. That's enough talk, let's get started. Cleo Meyer, you're first. Let the testing begin."