Jezebel headed down to the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a simple black turtle neck. She sat at the table with her two cousins and Aunties. Since the trauma of the trial against Ambrose, and the witch hunters, breakfast was a little awkward, but none the less, Aunt Hilda was trying to make it as bearable as possible, serving up breakfast with her usual pep.
"Aunties, have you ever had a dream, that actually physically happened?"
"What do you mean?" Zelda asked taking a huff of her cigarette, as Ambrose and Sabrina looked with curious intent.
"I mean, I had a dream last night and I was in this really beautiful, natural place, and I was walking around and a snake found me a bit me, and I woke up, because it hurt and I actually have puncture wounds, but no snake to be found."
"Oh, dear. Well let me get a poultice right on that, just to be safe… But, eh, no I haven't ever really had anything like that happen."
"Nor have I. I'm sure it was just a lucid dream and perhaps Milah accidentally nipped you." Milah raised her head in defiance but Jezebel shook her head.
"I think that Jez would notice if a 90-pound wolf bit her, accident or not." Sabrina chimed in, taking a sip of her orange juice.
"What else happened in the dream, cousin?" Ambrose inquired. Jezebel thought back to the beautiful, naked man and blushed.
"Oh nothing, I was just wandering around some garden or something." She replied, taking a bite of toast and avoiding eye contact. There was a part of her that was unsettled by the man, and obviously wondered about the bite. There was something about the man that followed her. Like she knew him somehow, but she had never met him.
Especially when he whispered My Jezebel. What in heaven's name did that mean? She supposed she would have to spare a little time researching a dream like this while looking more into this Herald of Hell business.
After Aunt Hilda insisted upon at least two helpings of the poultice to her bite mark, she returned to her room where she had piles upon piles of books. Ambrose and her split them down the middle to cover more ground. She spent hours searching through their ancient texts about a herald of hell. Tearing through books about prophecies, until her eyes began to ache. Jez fell onto her bed and covered her eyes with her hands. She slowly sat back up and rubbed her temples until her attention was caught. There was one book that stood out to her, it was red and velvet with golden edges. She opened it up, to reveal "Property of Celeste Grey". Her mother's journal. Inside were pictures of her and Edward, before they amicably went their separate ways, and baby photos of Jezebel, and her parents and ones of her with a tiny Sabrina.
Jezebel smiled, her aunts had never told her that her mother left a journal. She flipped through it, reading small anecdotes about her and Edward, reminiscent of her time at the Academy and of when Jezebel was born.
"Today, I gave birth to our beautiful Jezebel Anne. Named after the witch, Jezebel of Israel and Queen Anne Boleyn. My prayers to the Dark Lord were answered, as she is the most beautiful of babes I have ever seen. Not only that, but we all feel the strength of her. She will become a powerful witch, Edward and I are certain of it."
She flipped through a few more pages
"My darling girl has fallen ill. Hilda can find nothing to cure her. I fear she is to join her father in the afterlife long before she has actually had a chance to live her own life. She is only three years old and I can only imagine my own demise if she perishes. I will not allow her to join her father. The Dark Lord will have mercy on my girl. He must."
Jezebel reread this passage. Her mother had passed when she was young of a mysterious illness that no one was able to cure. None of the best healers in the coven were able to make any sense of it. At least, that's what she was told. She flipped to the next page, which was dated a week later, and a day before her mother died.
"My prayers to our merciful lord have been answered, and a great honor placed upon my beautiful girl. No longer is she sickly and weak. She has recovered miraculously. I however, have taken on the illness. My time is fading. I can only hope that my beloved Jezebel, my Bella, will forgive me. I did everything necessary to ensure she will live a long, prosperous life. But I fear without my guidance that she will never understand. I fear she will feel betrayed and not understand my sacrifice. But regardless, I know that she will be safe, beautiful, strong and cherished. "
Jezebel's heart started to race. Her mother ensured her survival by praying to the Dark Lord and taking on the illness. But the Dark Lord doesn't do something for nothing, there has to have been a bargain made. But her mother's journal ended there. What did her mother do? What did this mean for Jezebel? She looked over at Milah, who peered back with concerned curious eyes.
"Might Zelda or Hilda know?"
"I don't know. Only one way to find out."
Jezebel grabbed stomped down the stairs to almost bump into a running Ambrose.
"What're you doing?"
"Making a Sabrina Mandrake. I'll explain later." Her cousin puffed out as he ran downstairs.
"Wait, you're doing WHAT?"
"Oy, what all this yelling?" Distracted, Jezebel turned around to see Hilda, fresh out from the kitchen from a night of baking. Jezebel held up her mother's journal.
"Auntie Hilda, what is this?"
"Oh, dear. Yes, well come on, let's have a spot of tea and we'll talk." Hilda said, taking Jezebel by the hand and leading her into their kitchen. She sat Jezebel down and brewed a pot of tea and brought it over and handed Jez a cup.
"It was silly of us to think you'd never find this, nut why were you digging through our old books?"
"I was bored, just researching for an assignment at the Academy, but please don't change the subject! Auntie Hilda, what did my mother do?"
"We honestly don't know, love. Your father had just died a few months ago, we had a baby Sabrina, and you were desperately ill. We couldn't figure out what it was, why it was happening, but you were slipping away before our very eyes. Your mother was desperate for anything to help you. Every day she prayed for hours. She did the same thing when she was expecting you, she was very devout to the Dark Lord. She was able to strike a deal with him, that exchanged essentially her life for yours, so you could live."
"But you've no idea how she pulled that off?"
"She refused to tell us, only that it would ensure that you would live a prosperous and powerful life and bring glory to your family and coven." Hilda looked away from her niece, she wished she could tell her what her mother did but she had no idea. After the exchange and Jezebel's health recovered, Celeste's quickly declined and she went into a solemn silence of her exchange with the Dark Lord.
"Darling, your mother died for you. I cannot imagine that she would do anything that could possibly endanger you. Especially since she only made said deal so you would live." Jezebel stood up, retracing the few memories of her mother that she was able to recall, and wished for nothing more than to talk to her. Did this deal have something to do with her strange dream? She had already forgotten about Sabrina and her mandrake, and her entire being was tired. Milah nudged her hand with her cold nose and Jezebel stood up.
"I'm going to bed, Auntie."
"Nighty night, love. I know all of this is a lot, but your mum adored you. She only wanted what was best."
Jezebel nodded and headed back upstairs and climbed into bed, her mind and heart racing. This and the Herald of Hell prophecy could not be a coincidence and she was scared. Scared for herself, scared for her sister. Scared for everyone. As her thoughts and anxiety started to slow for the night, she felt that presence yet again.
"It's almost time for you to know all, my Jezebel."