Ashé

~"The thick fog had already rolled down the hills of stowe, the chill had already sealed in the air passed 5:37. Hmm....

That's oddly specific. Well given the circumstances that dragged our little coven out of their warm rooms into the woods of vermont, I would say giving "specifics" would benefit our readers very very much.~

Naiari had a another ex to hex—but when hasn't she. You know she never let things slide and I mean NEVER. So here they are, 11pm in the cold fog surrounding a stone altar. Nestled neatly at the center of loush clearing behind their shared home. Cause Naiari insisted that sleeping on it was not apart of her healing process. No matter how many times Whitney forced her to, SZA during mediation sessions didn't exactly help either.

Latti:"You just fucking had to, didn't you"

Naiari: "Yes, yes the fuck I had to latti"

Latti: "Why the hell wasn't I left out of this nonsense"

Naiari: "Because latti, this is a team-building exercise. I know your rigid sergeant-like ass, gets aroused by the thought of those"

Latti: "I wouldn't call the problems you create and except fixed "team building". I guess the devil does find work for idle hands. Considering this is a everyday occurrence for you, this might as well be a full time job. I suppose that counts as a 'form' of productivity."

Naiari: "God..It must feeeelll sooo gooooddd.."

Latti: "Excuse me—what does?

Naiari: "That stick up your ass. Must be doing wonders for your core, since you use it to kick off your morning. This just in, folks: 'anal is the new first meal of the day.'"

Latti: "Au contraire. I tend to put it in at the end of my night—WHICH should have happened hours ago. But here we are"

Naiari: "Oh bite-"

Whitney:"Oh for the love of Oya, will you two quit it already? Keep this up we'll never sleep. Its so cold out here Jasper"s nipples can be classified as deadly weapons"

Jasper: "Its my fault, ma chérie, I know I should've worn my jacket when ari dragged us out here. Lets get this over with-- I've got to be up early. Besides i think Ki"liyah might be unresponsive"

Whitney: "Oh dear, is she—"

Jasper: "Yes. She is"

And indeed she was. Across from them our bubbly psychic witch was fast asleep. Still standing. Head nestled sweetly on top of her strawberry cow squishmellow.

Whitney: (sighing, rubbing her temples) “Okay. Focus up. I didn’t drag my perfectly moisturized ankles through this mist to watch y’all bicker and nap.”,(quickly glance towards Ki'liyah.)

Jasper: “Speak for yourself. I came strictly for moral support and petty commentary. Ari still hasn’t told us what we’re summoning.”

Latti: “Or who.” (beat)

Whitney: “…Wait. Who?”

Naiari: (grinning, too wide) “Relax. It’s just a cleansing spell. Slightly... enhanced. Just a little blood-binding vengeance to ensure my ex can’t enjoy a single orgasm until he publicly apologizes.”

(She produces a tiny glass vial filled with blood-red liquid.)

Jasper: (quietly, to Whitney) “Is that his?”

Whitney: (whispering) “Girl, I hope not.”

Ki’liyah: (murmurs in her sleep) “Ew… the vibes are rancid…” (snorts)

A breeze kicks up. The fog thickens. The moon flickers behind fast-moving clouds like a warning blink.

Latti: “And here we go.”,(Latifah said dryly)

Naiari: “Nípa ẹ̀jẹ̀ tí ń rántí, nípa iyọ̀ tí ń dáàbò bo, nípa iná tí ń jó nínú àyà mi àti ọ̀fun mi—” (By the blood that remembers, by the salt that protects, by the fire that burns in my chest and crotch—”)

Whitney: “Don’t say crotch during a ritual.”

Jasper: “Too late.”

Suddenly, the ground throbs. Just once. Like a heartbeat under their feet. The wind dies. All five girls go still.

Ki’liyah: (snapping awake) “Whoa! Someone poked the veil—y’all feel that? Something just… looked back.”

A silence follows.

Then, from the trees:

A low rustling.

A sound like whispering in reverse.

And a shadow—not quite human-shaped—presses against the edge of the clearing.

~To be Continued~

Hi am trulytallia, you can just call me tallia. I hoped you liked the first snippet, intro to chapter one of my new book Ashé and our little hilarious, chaotic, vivid, and absolutely screaming with personality coven of witches (lowkey my comfort characters) . I wanted to post this to test the waters to see if yall vide to it. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.