Chapter Twenty-Three (Amaya)

I have some time before I have to go help collect herbs and since I basically know nothing about you, how about a game? I asked as I struggled to start a conversation with Samuel.

The agreement Sin and Samuel made did not sit well with me. It made me feel like a prize to be won and I didn't want them to see me as an object, So I figured this game would make them see me as more of a person than a prize to win.

“What kind of game?” Samuel frowned, looking at his leg. “I can’t exactly move without the bloody crutches.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that kind of game. It’s a stationary game called twenty questions.”

“What’s that?”

“We take turns asking each other questions and answer honestly, I’m not exactly sure what the original game was meant to be, but my friends and I just used it to ask each other questions. It was how we learned about each other and our group's secrets.” I smiled.

“Ok, can we pass on a question?” Samuel asked, looking uncomfortable.

“You get one pass.” I smiled as he gawked at me.

“That’s not fair. You can’t make up your own rules.”

“Sure, I can. I just did. Besides, you have never played before and for all you know, it is a rule.” I defended. "How am I going to get to know you if you pass on every question?" I pointed out.

"I guess you're right." He frowned.

"Since I suggested the game. You can go first.”

“Hmm, let's see.” He frowned, deep in thought, “Ah, I know, how long have you known Sin?”

I frowned, “I am not going to talk to you about Sin, it’s weird, but I will answer your question. I have known him a little longer than I have known you.”

“Fair enough, I don't really want to hear about him. What is your question?”

“What is your full name?”

“La…Samuel Sin.”

“Bullshit… there is no way your last name is Sin’s name.” What was he about to say? Is his name even Samuel?

“I dunno what to tell you. Small world.” He shrugged.

“No middle name?”

“Lazarus.” He smiled.

“That’s a unique name.” It suited him better than Samuel.

He nodded and after he pondered for a few minutes, he asked, “What is your full name?”

“Can’t come up with anything better?” I accused not wanting to have to tell him.

“Nope, I tried.”

“Amaya Wynn Witchburn,” I replied. I hated my last name, especially since I just found out I was a witch, but my last name belonged to my adopted parents. I didn’t know what my birth parents' names were.

“Did your parents burn witches for a living?” he asked sarcastically.

“You only get one question at a time, remember? But to be honest, I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

“Usually, last names are given by using what the person did for a living, or their location. Like the surnames Baker or Smith.”

“I didn't know that, but it does make sense. My parents didn't burn witches that I know of. Maybe their ancestors had. So, you are a descended from a line of Sins?” I laughed.

“In a way, I suppose I am.” He frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Amaya, it’s time to go.” Abigail informed as she walked into the room, cutting me off.

“I’ll see you later.” I said to Samuel as he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it.

“Later, Little Dove.”

I followed Abigail out of the room. “Can you grab the basket over there?” She pointed to a basket by the door as she picked up a second one. I grabbed the basket and followed her outside.

“What are we looking for today?” I asked her.

“We are going to the place I showed you to work on…” she looked around, "controlling your abilities."

I nodded and, excited, and replied, "Sounds great." I wonder what I will be learning today.

I followed her to the cave and set the basket down on the table as she did the same.

“So, am I meditating again?”

“No, you are going to focus on lifting things with your mind. Judging by the power slip at the cottage, I believe your abilities are tied to your mind, so moving objects, reading people's emotions and intentions. Although I could be completely wrong." She laughed, "But every witch has their own strengths and weaknesses. Mine are herbs, potions, and healing others. We just need to learn yours."

“So how do I do that?” I asked dumbly.

“I want you to sit and concentrate on this,” She placed a large piece of rose quartz crystal in the middle of the floor. “Clear your mind of everything except the crystal. Try to lift it up and put it back down.”

“Okay, I will do my best.” I sat on the floor and doing my best to clear everything from my mind, I focused on the crystal, the energy that seemed to pour out of it. Confused, I looked up at Abigail, who had been watching me.

“Why does it have energy coming from it?”

“Crystals hold secrets, they absorb energy, helping the person who has them to focus their energy and lock certain energy away. If someone has sent negative energy your way, certain crystals will help seal it away. Each crystal has its own properties that help witches with different things.”

“Why haven’t I felt this with crystals from my time?”

She frowned, sitting across from me. “It’s a very long story, but I will share what I can with you. In your time, magic doesn’t exist.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t interrupt dear." She scolded and continued. “The goddess of witches is killed in my time and with her death, all of magic is wiped out, extinguished forever.”
“How do you know this if it hasn’t happened yet?”

“I see things sometimes, and Sin has shared it with me as well. Something happens to her, and magic is wiped out. Sin brought you here to help me fix it. He didn’t realize who you were, he felt pulled to you and chose you to help me and without knowing, he sent me the perfect person to fix this.”

“Why am I the perfect person to help you? I know nothing. I am a nobody.”

Her eyes misted, “You are not nobody dear, you are so special and are meant to do such great things. Destiny doesn’t choose the weak to fix things. Destiny chooses the gifted and the strong. My dear, you are both, and I will make sure you see it.” She cleared her throat.

I thought about her words, and how they had clicked and made my own eyes water. I never felt special or important, just concentrated on making it one month to the next, yet what she said gave me purpose and at the same time gave me hope that the mundane and boring life I dreaded to live was an illusion. Deep down, what she said had said felt right. I always felt I was meant to do so much more, be so much more.

“Now concentrate on the quartz and make it move.” She ordered softy as she wiped her eyes.

Sitting in the cave I listened to the surrounding sounds using them to help me concentrate on the crystal in front of me as if I had tunnel vision everything quieted and I could see nothing but the crystal, it pulsed and I could see the energy it had which moved in waves around it, keeping my focus I willed it to move. Nothing, it didn’t even budge. I narrowed my focus, trying harder to make it move. My intention was to lift it up off the floor of the cave and set it back down. It shot across the space and smashed into the wall.

My focus shattered, and I cursed as I looked at Abigail. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s ok that is why we are here to practice. This cave is cloaked, so it’s not like we alerted anyone."

I need to mix up some more medicines. I want you to try again. She picked up a large onyx crystal and placed it on the floor in front of me.

“Is there a reason you are using another type of crystal?”

“Call it a hunch.” She winked. Before moving to her table and working with her herbs and mixing her medicines.

I cleared my mind and focused on the black crystal in front of me and, like before, my vision tunneled and focused solely on the stone as all sound ceased. After what felt like hours, the stone slowly lifted from the ground and with more concentration, I was able to return it to the ground without shattering it or sending it flying.

Surprised, I looked at Abigail, "How did you know the onyx would work?"

“Onyx has a few different traits. It helps with protection, and more importantly, focus.” She smiled.

“So, it’s energy helped me focus my abilities so I could make it do what I wanted.”

“Precisely.”

“Why didn’t we start with that one, then?” I accused.

“Because I wanted to see what would happen without the help.” She laughed.

I looked outside the cave entrance. It was starting to get dark already. “How long was I working on that?”

“A few hours.” She shrugged as she refilled the baskets with the now filled jars of medicine, “We should head back and check on our patient.”

I nodded and rose from my spot on the floor, stretching as my muscles felt stiff from being still for so long.

With a yawn, I grabbed the baskets and handed her one as we headed from the cave and headed down the trail towards home.