control. We should all choose for ourselves .
Witches, some a decade younger than Mostly and Likely had advanced to the Full Moon. Opinion, Particular, Catti and Zamm stood on the next tier up. Their fourteen year old daughters had all grasped power in the spring. Rustle's mother was up there, too.
Women advanced when they held their granddaughters.
The next level up held a Triad and a pair of Waning Half Moons. Never's skills would jump when she held her granddaughter, so they would soon have two full triads there.
The peak of the pyramid held a full triad of the Dark Crescent, and two extra witches.
We could very nearly split into two separate Pyramids. Rustle thought.
Sunset fell, and silence held expectantly. Then the Dark Crescent broke into song as the first gleam of the Full Moon peeked through the valley to the east. Furious changed her chant to that of the newly paused, and then Rustle started the song of the expectant mother, and touched her stomach as the joy in the song resonated with the slowly growing joy in her heart.
Suddenly from below, a few sparks and glints, and Swish held up a ball of light. She fumbled her way into the Song of Power, and as Ultra and Verse waved their hands and gathered the power together, they joined her.
The entire pyramid joined in the Song of Welcome. Rustle's eyes sought out Ask, who gazed woefully at empty hands. She was not alone. Seven of the powerless girls were sixteen. This would be their last Solstice Celebration as Sisters of the Moon.
So it was with very mixed feelings that the group walked back to Ash. By the time they arrived, the tears had dried, and the girls started to plan for new futures. Futures that held no magic at all.
***
Tromp felt wonderful. Powerful. With Rustle knocked up and on her way to being a Half Moon, and all the older new comers, the Elders had rearranged the Triads of the Crescent Moon. And she was back with her old chums.
Zenith and Cost swapped grins. "The new girls will be getting that first lecture. It'll be fun watching the expressions on their faces when Answer tells them all about how sex and reproduction and magic all go together."
Tromp snorted, "Oh, most of them already know. Their moth ers will have said something." To make them toe the Elder Sister's line. Damn that Rustle, I am going to be below her for years.
They all went up to the hot springs and relaxed in the hot mineralized water while the old crone talked. The expressions were indeed good, and Tromp made some soft suggestions for lessons to her Triad.
"Tromp, Zenith and Cost." Answer pinned them with a chilly eye. "You do not appear to be paying attention."
"We've heard it before," Cost grumbled under her breath. Answer's eyes narrowed.
Zenith interjected more loudly, "We were discussing possible learning methods, Elder Sister."
"And what might those be, younger sister?"
Zenith's eyes swung toward Tromp in panic, "Well, we thought we ought to study a live specimen . . . " she gulped and trailed off.
Answer frowned at Tromp. "And as leader of your Triad, how did you plan to manage that without possible unfortunate repercussions?"
Tromp, at a loss, blurted out the truth, "Well, we figured if we used Havi the Eunuch . . . "
"Enough." Answer glared. "You are clearly too immature for motherhood. I think perhaps we had better review your lessons and practices up to this point. If we have missed so widely at teaching you tolerance and kindness, we've probably also failed at the academics. I'll speak with you here. Day after tomorrow. Noon. Now go. You are dismissed."
She turned back to the rest of the class. "We witches use sex. And sometimes we use men. But there is a difference between using and abusing that we must be aware of. We are very powerful people, and we can transgress very easily."
Tromp didn't hear the rest as she stalked out of hearing range. "Immature! She called me immature."
"Review. Damn it. Maybe we ought to go study Havi Have-Not."
Witches, some a decade younger than Mostly and Likely had advanced to the Full Moon. Opinion, Particular, Catti and Zamm stood on the next tier up. Their fourteen year old daughters had all grasped power in the spring. Rustle's mother was up there, too.
Women advanced when they held their granddaughters.
The next level up held a Triad and a pair of Waning Half Moons. Never's skills would jump when she held her granddaughter, so they would soon have two full triads there.
The peak of the pyramid held a full triad of the Dark Crescent, and two extra witches.
We could very nearly split into two separate Pyramids. Rustle thought.
Sunset fell, and silence held expectantly. Then the Dark Crescent broke into song as the first gleam of the Full Moon peeked through the valley to the east. Furious changed her chant to that of the newly paused, and then Rustle started the song of the expectant mother, and touched her stomach as the joy in the song resonated with the slowly growing joy in her heart.
Suddenly from below, a few sparks and glints, and Swish held up a ball of light. She fumbled her way into the Song of Power, and as Ultra and Verse waved their hands and gathered the power together, they joined her.
The entire pyramid joined in the Song of Welcome. Rustle's eyes sought out Ask, who gazed woefully at empty hands. She was not alone. Seven of the powerless girls were sixteen. This would be their last Solstice Celebration as Sisters of the Moon.
So it was with very mixed feelings that the group walked back to Ash. By the time they arrived, the tears had dried, and the girls started to plan for new futures. Futures that held no magic at all.
***
Tromp felt wonderful. Powerful. With Rustle knocked up and on her way to being a Half Moon, and all the older new comers, the Elders had rearranged the Triads of the Crescent Moon. And she was back with her old chums.
Zenith and Cost swapped grins. "The new girls will be getting that first lecture. It'll be fun watching the expressions on their faces when Answer tells them all about how sex and reproduction and magic all go together."
Tromp snorted, "Oh, most of them already know. Their moth ers will have said something." To make them toe the Elder Sister's line. Damn that Rustle, I am going to be below her for years.
They all went up to the hot springs and relaxed in the hot mineralized water while the old crone talked. The expressions were indeed good, and Tromp made some soft suggestions for lessons to her Triad.
"Tromp, Zenith and Cost." Answer pinned them with a chilly eye. "You do not appear to be paying attention."
"We've heard it before," Cost grumbled under her breath. Answer's eyes narrowed.
Zenith interjected more loudly, "We were discussing possible learning methods, Elder Sister."
"And what might those be, younger sister?"
Zenith's eyes swung toward Tromp in panic, "Well, we thought we ought to study a live specimen . . . " she gulped and trailed off.
Answer frowned at Tromp. "And as leader of your Triad, how did you plan to manage that without possible unfortunate repercussions?"
Tromp, at a loss, blurted out the truth, "Well, we figured if we used Havi the Eunuch . . . "
"Enough." Answer glared. "You are clearly too immature for motherhood. I think perhaps we had better review your lessons and practices up to this point. If we have missed so widely at teaching you tolerance and kindness, we've probably also failed at the academics. I'll speak with you here. Day after tomorrow. Noon. Now go. You are dismissed."
She turned back to the rest of the class. "We witches use sex. And sometimes we use men. But there is a difference between using and abusing that we must be aware of. We are very powerful people, and we can transgress very easily."
Tromp didn't hear the rest as she stalked out of hearing range. "Immature! She called me immature."
"Review. Damn it. Maybe we ought to go study Havi Have-Not."
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