TWENTY-ONE CAIRNS form a formation at the center of a wide clearing. Brea stands at its center while the members of the council form a small circle outside the cairns, and over hundred witches a larger circle behind the council.The witches chant softly as Brea moves around the interior of the cairns, laying a spell. She finally stands at the center of the circle and the chanting increases in crescendo. Brea stretches her right hand forward and the World stone appears in it, still in its dull unassuming form.“Everyone send your powers now!” Catherine commands.The chanting stops and a great storm of magic rolls as the witches all transfers power towards Brea within the cairns. A green and silver glow suddenly erupts from the World stone, bathing the whole clearing in its light and drawing gasps of surprise from all the witches.“The World stone!” a few voices hiss in surprise.A silent argument rises between Anna and Tilda

“NICE PLACE YOU GOT HERE. I never knew you—”“What in hell are you doing here?” I shouted, shocked. The feeling of déjà vu struck me so hard I had to steady myself on the aluminum rail of the staircase so as not to fall.“Mind your language.” Felicia who came out of the kitchen wearing an apron scolded. “I’m sure everyone in the estate could hear you from miles away.”  It was one of those Saturdays when Felicia chose not to go to work so as to clean and do laundry, and so everyone else was at home except for my father.I barely answered her, staring at Kudaisi who sat on the couch and looked back at me with eyes twinkling in wicked amusement. Taiwo sat beside him on the couch, chuckling hard at my reaction alongside Shola and Kenny who were seated opposite them. Last time, it was chike making an unannounced entry into our house, now today, it was Kudaisi.I shifted a glance to

  “You sure did take your time,” Kudaisi said when I finally appeared in the garden. I only had twenty minutes to stay. “A lady needs her time,” I replied with a forced smile, joining him on the bench where he sat. He eyed me for a moment, noting the weariness on my face. “Come here.” He drew me into his warm embrace. We sat like that without any words till it was time for me to go, and I had to reluctantly detach myself from his arms. “Be safe,” I muttered as I opened the portal that would lead me to my destination. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to stop Kudaisi from going out to look for trouble tonight or any other night no matter how hard I tried, I could only hope he would be safe. “You too.” Ahmed accosted me as soon as I arrived at our designated meeting place, a little village in the north called Dabi. “You are late,” he said, smiling in his easy self-assured way. “I’m not really, we were supposed to meet by eleven.

WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE? My thoughts flew everywhere as I was unsure of what was really going on. It took all I had to compose myself and not break down from tension and fear as I sat inside the backseat of the highlander with Taiwo wrapping her arms around me and her head on my lap, as we waited for father and Felicia who had come to check me by the car minutes ago after Shola found them and told them I was sick and had then gone back to bid farewell to their friends before we left. Kenny and Shola stood outside the car, reclining against the side as music from the party which was still on sounded in the background. This was by far the scariest and strangest night of my life.Everyone of them had a black owl on their person; father, Felicia, Shola, Taiwo, Kenny, and the two drivers Mark and Joseph. I did not see those on Shola, Kenny and Taiwo until later when I connected to the sight, and I was sure it was the tension and fear that had made me reverse to basic

“TOKE…”I WAS FLOATING in the clouds when I heard my name. I tried to turn towards the voice but some heavy weight pressed me down. I fought against it, slowly. It was like fighting through a quicksand, but steadily I began to make progress breaking free.“How long has she been out?”“Around two a.m. when the doctor arrived. He had to drug her to sleep as she was crying non-stop, lost to every of our efforts to communicate with her. She should wake up around ten or eleven o’clock, according to the doctor.”The voices speaking were familiar, making me want to see their faces even more, but the weight kept me spineless. I struggled hard against it and finally I broke free. I groaned as I slowly came to, struggling to open my eyes. My head was banging wildly like the native African drums, and I felt weak.“She’s awake,” one of the voices hissed. And then silence.My eyes were bl