“Ever since you moved here, you’ve said that you had other options. If cohabitation is a problem, then maybe we can sit down for a chat. Right now, I’m late for an appointment. See you later!”

Tavia calmly walks toward the front door, a slight frown on her face, masking the anger she felt. The door opens and closes for her as she exits. The thick New Orleans heat happily greets her, a warm breeze wrapping around her shoulders. Tavia smiles. She has been successfully working on controlling her facial expressions so her clients can be more at ease. However, it’s been more difficult to control when it comes to her cousin Marrah.

Marrah is exactly 3 months older than Tavia, but Marrah is extremely arrogant about her craft. She’s a seductress, similar to Aphrodite, so to speak. It’s effective on people, who are susceptible to external influences. Her beauty is not the craft, but it doesn’t hurt. She cannot control minds but she can influence. Tavia is more traditionally aligned with nature, however, she hasn’t honed her skills as much.

Their family, the Duvernay’s, descends from Creole witches. Each generation, the eldest daughter’s first daughter gains their power in a Spring ritual after their 16th birthday. They spend their lives honing their craft.

Tavia heads into the nearby woods to ground herself. As an herbalist, it’s natural for her to go foraging in the woods. It’s been her favorite place since she was a child. It helps quiet her mind and process any troubles she’s facing. She tells the trees her problems. The speaking out loud usually helps her solve her problems.

Today was different. As per her usual, Tavia sought out specific herbs. The thanked each plant for its offering and placed the material in a handmade woven basket passed down for generations. As she started to walk away, she heard strange sounds, unlike the sounds she usually hears while foraging. The sounds had taken on a sing songy melody, which she couldn’t comprehend no matter how hard she tried. She called out, “Hello?”, but the sounds continued and nobody responded. She was not afraid of nature so she continued foraging.

Whenever she harvested plant material, the sounds would return but over time she realized they were more defined. It was almost like different voices going back and forth with eachother. Not until she called out “Hello?” and the sounds stopped did she become nervous.

For the first time, nature acknowledged her. She called out again, “Hello, don’t stop speaking. I’m listening.”

After a few beats, the sounds continued but this time the more she listened, the more she understood. They weren’t talking to her, they were talking to eachother in a language that may as well be out of this world but it somehow seemed familiar.

A memory of her sitting cross legged in front of her grandmother while her grandmother taught her how to prepare medicinal herbs crosses her mind. Her grandmother spoke a weird language she didn’t understand. It resembled what she was currently hearing. Except her grandmother followed with words she knew but didn’t understand.

"Mother Earth, hear my plea. Grant me the power of these leaves and roots. They shall shield our kin from harm. In your name, I make this promise. We shall guard these lands, forevermore. We are one."

She realized her grandmother was also teaching her the protection spell that had been passed down to her. Everything her mother and grandmother taught her started to make sense. “I know how to protect the land but from whom or what? What are the trees saying?”

An idea to talk to the trees, in hopes of a response comes to mind. She asks aloud, “What are you saying? Help me understand so I can be useful.” Again there was silence, so she sat still and listened to the silence.

What she heard was not a language she knew but the meaning was clear. It was ancient magic. Sounds she heard her grandmother say and her mother occasionally repeated in hushed tones for unknown reasons. Not many people could understand, not even her mother, but the longer she listened, the more she could understand.

She heard the trees discussing the ancient magic and old evils that existed and her family’s bond to protect the land. Curious she asked, “What are the old evils and why is her family responsible?” The trees seemed to yell at her. She was so scared she tried to stand up to leave but she was frozen.

Forced to listen, she learned about the history of humans, how they actually arrived here, and their devolution into a naturally destructive path of greed and dominance. She also learned how hers and and several other family’s battle against the humans resulted in a blood bond with nature. If these families lose this battle life as it is currently known will change. Nature consists of strong ancient magic. It will not lose!