Spellcasters: Part Ten
Part Ten
Tina knew that she must have looked pretty dumbfounded, but what else could you expect? Her parents had never been the kind to talk about their families, and up until now she hadn't been aware they even had relatives- not living ones, at any rate.
"I'm guessing your mother never mentioned your great-great-aunt Baba, eh?" The woman laughed. She walked towards the hut, motioning for Tina to follow behind.
"That's not surprising, of course. I was a bit of a family secret, the daughter of the Twikki Island witch doctor and a young woman visiting the island who became his lover. She didn't find out she was pregnant until after she left the island and never told him, and he continued on to marry and have more kids; one became the next witch doctor and the ancestor of all witch doctors since; the other, your great-grandmother, moved away from the island and stopped using magic, never teaching it to her children. I only know all this because I made a trip to Twikki Island of my own, in an attempt to find out about my father's side of the family."
"I was like you once, Tina. Unaware of the full extent of my power, depending on those who practice other kinds of magic to help me learn. It was a clairvoyant fairy woman who took pity on me and explained what I was. I learned quickly. It felt right, this magic. Like it was what I was meant to do.
"One day I tried a bigger spell. My boyfriend lived all the way out in Strangetown, hours away by plane. So I performed a spell on him, bringing him here in mere seconds. I blacked out for a bit from the magic, but I succeeded Not only in bringing him to Belladonna Cove, either. A portal of sorts was opened to allow him in, permanently connecting Belladonna Cove with Strangetown.
"The fairy woman tried to close it with the help of some of her witch friends, but powerful voodoo magic can only be reversed by an equally powerful voodoo witch. She worried about my health too, saying that magic that powerful could have permanent damage when not properly controlled. But I felt fine. In fact, I felt better than ever."
After Baba's story was done, Tina was able to get her first good look at the inside of Baba's house. The lighting was dim, but she could still see the various artifacts scattered about. On the coffee table there was an old hand mirror, its reflection distorted by a thin crack and clouded by years of dust. Above the fireplace stood an antiquated camera surrounded by tin types of people, terror on their faces. Here on the end table was an arrangement of old jars and bowls that smelled of herbs and spices mingled with the stench of decay.
"Ah, I see you've noticed my collection," Baba smiled. "The Mickles family has many heirlooms, many objects perfected by the generations into vehicles for our magic."
Despite her apprehension about the place, Tina couldn't help but be curious about these heirlooms. She picked up the mirror and took a closer look, nearly dropping it when she heard the screams.
"That one was the heirloom I used after those witches took away the doll. They still don't know I have it," Baba chuckled. The laughter was soon replaced by a scowl. "You need to watch out for those witches, Tina. They're prejudiced against us, and want nothing more than to keep us from practicing our magic."
"But Ophelia gave me these books. She's been nothing but helpful!" Tina thought to herself.
"What about that time Ophelia said there were no other living voodoo witches?" a voice in the back of her head nagged. "And what about that night you were threatened- didn't Ophelia say that woman was a witch too?"
"Now, on to brighter topics; let's begin your training!" Baba interrupted Tina's thoughts, a grin back on her face as she clapped her hands together. Her eyes reflected the fire burning in the fireplace behind Tina, adding with the gleam of excitement to light up Baba's eyes. But instead of their light extending to the rest of Baba's face, they only served to emphasize the shadows darkening the rest of her features.
Tina could only nod. Somehow, despite her growing feeling of dread, Babette was impossible to say no to.
* * *
"You did what?" Frances bellowed. If they had been in Belladonna Cove instead of safely hidden inside one of Phoebe's charms, Phoebe was sure Strangetown could have heard.
"There's no need to yell. Tina's already been given the voodoo doll, and she's determined to learn how to use it- there's no use in stopping her. The best we can do is help her through the process."
Frances just scowled harder, if that was even possible. "Voodoo magic is too unstable, too unpredictable! We've already had to learn that the hard way, and yet you still refuse to see reason!"
It was an argument they'd had many times since discovering there was a voodoo witch in Belladonna Cove again. Normally Phoebe prided herself on not raising her voice or becoming accusatory, as Frances always did, but even she could only stand so much before she broke.
"Maybe if you weren't so busy holding a grudge you'd be able to see reason! Tina's not Babette, and just because they're related doesn't mean she's going to make the same mistakes!"
"That's easy for you to say, you didn't have anything to lose the first time and you still don't!"
"What happened was hard on me too! And if you're going to play the Will card again then you really ought to know he never loved you!"
The silence that followed was unbearable for Phoebe.
"I- I didn't mean it like that."
"I think you said exactly what you meant," Frances said before vanishing in a burst of light.
If Phoebe hadn't known better she'd have said there were tears in Frances's eyes right before she left. But she'd never seen Frances cry- only argue and yell and scowl.
She didn't want to think about what those tears might mean.
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Author's Note: Yeah I know, my description of Baba's house and the picture I showed don't really match. I didn't have the right CC for what I wanted so I did what I could, but you'll have to use your imagination to pretend it looks like how I described. And of course I finally start actually explaining the backstory only to start referencing even more backstory I'll need to explain later... sorry if doing that is confusing for you :P