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Chapter 9

Savannah's POV

I was in shock. Dorothea didn't seem like a crazy old woman, but this story showed something else. I didn't know what to believe anymore. I read the journal and I had the same dream earlier. They were the same. I saw what happened to Jeremy Snow and how he acted like nothing happened. Part of me knew that all this was true, but part of me still believed that this cannot happen in real life.

“Can you prove that you're a witch?”

“I can and will. I can prove that you're a witch too.”

“I'm not sure I want to know that Dorothea.”

“You need to know that child or you'll be in great danger. Before you ask me, I cannot tell you more about the danger you're in. It's not my place to do so. After we finish here, ask your best friend about that danger. She knows and that's why she brought you to Salem. Let her explain everything before you judge her. No matter what she says, don't push her away. She's the same person you've known for years.”

What did she mean by all that? Why would I push Maddie away? How did Maddie know that I'm in some kind of danger? Was it because I expressed my opinion about the witch trials or was it something else? My thoughts weren't really coherent.

“Then show me please that you're a witch and I'm too.”

“This is my family's grimoire. Only true witches can read what's written inside. For others it sounds like gibberish. Your best friend can prove that. What is written on this page, child?”

“Love potion. This magic has some side effects. If the steps are not followed correctly, the exact opposite will happen. The person will hate you forever. The exact amount of the stated ingredients needs to be put into the potion. Too much of them will result in obsession, not love. Too little of them will result in brother-sister love.”

“Very good child. How to reverse the effects of the Love potion. The effect cannot be reversed by this bloodline. We are not powerful enough. You have to look for a witch with a more powerful bloodline. The stronger the bloodline is, the better the reverse effects will be.”

“Okay, so both of us can read the text. I cannot question that.”

“Thank God! Now let's show the same text to your friend.”

“Okay, but she wasn't feeling well earlier so she might be sleeping.”

“I know the cause of that. The magic is taking a toll on her body. I'll bring something with me and it'll help her until she's out of town.”

I didn't say anything. At this point I wasn't even sure what to say. We reached the inn fairly quickly. I fished out the keys from my bag and stepped inside with Dorothea. Maddie looked like she was hit by a truck or more likely by a train. She was sleeping, but it wasn't a peaceful kind of sleep.

“Maddie, wake up! You need to drink this, whatever this is.”

“Ugh, Sav. Let me sleep please.”

“You have to drink this, child. You'll be better in a few minutes. Your body isn't used to this kind of magic. You were away from this your whole life.”

After Maddie finally drank that drink or potion she started to look healthier. After everything I've been through today I wasn't surprised anymore.

“You're a…”

“Witch? Yes, I am, child. I need you to prove something. Please try to read this text out loud. You know about Savannah's condition and who she is.”

“Of course. I'll try. I promise I'll tell you everything after this Sav. Nvop loi toe. Aht cmmsi tsfee sdec foe his sagi. Tofoo field pewec lytts rae hecst lorren, xippen pact eat the loop hilwes.”

“I think that's enough, child.”

“So it's true. You can't read this Maddie.”

“I can't, Sav. I tried telling you that the supernatural world exists, but no matter what I told you you always had some logical answer.”

“You'll have time to talk about this later. Listen here Savannah. You'll discover every secret with time. This is just the beginning and the surface. You need to dig deeper and discover every little secret. You have to find Iris Russeau's grimoire. Nobody knows where it disappeared to. You'll get your answers if you find it. If the other witches discover your existence everything will change. I don't know what's happening in the realm. They refused to help us during the darkest times and we severed every connection with them. I don't know who the coven leader is now so you'll have to be careful. If you need anything you know where to find me. I believe that your powers will start to awaken after you leave. Can you take some time off from your work? You might need that.”

“I can't. I'm a teacher. I'm not trying to deny this anymore. I have to face reality. I promise that I'll try to discover the truth. Do you have any idea where I should start?”

“Sadly I don't know that child. I don't even know your ancestors after Iris Russeau. The only reason I recognized you was because my bloodline was destined to find the Russeau descendant. From now on everything is up to you. I can help you with the basics, but if it's true that the descendant will be just as strong as Iris if not stronger I can't do much. We're not as strong as we used to be. You have to find a witch from the realm who's strong enough to help you. Don't trust them blindly. Listen to your instincts and trust the people who were by your side this whole time. Until next time, child.”

“Thank you Dorothea, for everything. You pushed my buttons until I saw the truth. From now on I'll believe everything. I have a feeling this journey won't be easy, but I have to seek justice for the witches and humans who died.”

“Do that, but don't let revenge cloud your judgment.”

“I'll think through my actions.”

After Dorothea left I felt the world shift around me. I was no longer the ignorant young woman who didn't believe in the existence of the supernatural. I needed this push to see how blind I've been my whole life. I needed to show the witches that justice will be served for the past mistakes. I hope that the families have atoned for their sins in the past and won't make the same mistakes. I want to lift the curse, but only if they deserve it. If they show no remorse nothing will change. The same applies for the witches in the realm. How could they abandon their people when they needed them the most? What I didn't understand was how Maddie is connected to all this. She's not a witch, but it seems like she's not human either.

“How are you connected to all this?”

“It's a long story, but I have no reason to keep it a secret anymore. I'm not human or more precisely not entirely human. But I guess you've already figured that out. My ancestors were fae. You already know what that means, because you read the book you've found in the guest room. Some time ago quite a few families got fed up with the system and decided to leave the realm. They had to pay the price though. They lost all the magical abilities and basically became human. We can still see the supernatural creatures who come to Earth from the other realms, but that's it. That's why I was so adamant to show you that the supernatural world exists.”

“Okay. I guessed that you're not telling me something. I understand why you didn't tell me this. I'm not second guessing you now. Dorothea said that I'm in some kind of danger and you know why.”

“That no longer applies. We had one month to convince you fully about the existence of the supernatural world. We had a theory that you might not be fully human and unforeseen circumstances activated that minuscule part of you which are your witch genes. Just think back how obsessed you suddenly became with the Salem witch trials and witches in general. I've never seen you like that before. If you didn't start believing in the supernatural you'd have gone insane within a month. That's why I suggested this trip. We discovered that there are witches in Salem who will be able to help you. Thank God we were right about this.”

“Who's we?”

“Uhm, well…”

“Just spit it out. At this point I don't think that matters.”

“Fine. Zamyr helped me.”

“The Zamyr who's occupying the guest room, or the Zamyr who moved the planchette the other day?”

“What if I tell you that they're the same person?”

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