Chapter 2241

"Circles are the masters of deception and hidingin plain sight. We have to be to stay alive. We were happy. We did nice things for people. Everything was about our good intentions. But the day I saw Bruce in the market was the day that changed. Everything turned for the worst.

"I was intent on keeping my circle good. I knewit was a fool's errand, but I had to try. I think this is what stayed Glenda's hand in the end. That I had some good in me."She looked lost in thought for a moment, then resumed."The day I first saw Bruce, and saw him use his magic, I knew I had to have him. It's part of what a circle is. It craves the male spell caster. It's instinctual. A deep needing. I loved him already; you must understand that. I loved him so deeply it went beyond thought. I followed him around. Watched everything he did. At night, I dreamt of him. Imagined being with him. How he would love me forever."

Jasmine snorted."Sound familiar, Amy?"

"Shush," scolded Amy, but looked sideways atDaniel.

Amanda looked back and forth between them and then continued."He noticed me and approached me. Then to my heart's delight, he courted me. I fell in such love with him. I couldn't help it. He was everything I ever desired. He was perfect. It took everything I had to keep him out of my circle's awareness. At night we made love. I was in a perfect place. We spoke of a future together. Having children. I wanted to bond him so badly, but I knew the moment I did, our relationship would be tarnished. He would hate me deep down inside."

Amanda went silent. Daniel reached into the bag of holding and pulled out two bottles of wine and glasses. At this point, tea wasn't cutting it. Amanda seemed nonplussed seeing the bag in action and Daniel surmised she had seen one before. Jasmine poured and Amanda gave them a nod of thanks. She took the offered glass and took a deep swallow. Jasmine refilled it.

"Then Gwydion came along. I knew of her, ofcourse. All witches know of other circles when close enough to one another. It's part of who we are, I suppose. Whitehaven is a large city, but still far too small for two full circles. She had more witches than I did because she was far less

scrupulous in her selection. I was careful with who I invited in. Discretion was always my first rule. Not so with Gwydion. She was already making waves in Whitehaven. Attracting the wrong notice.

"Whispers of witchcraft started to circulate.Soon, I knew the city was becoming too dangerous to remain in and I was thinking of leaving with my circle. It was my love for Bruce that held me back. I should have listened to my brain instead of my heart. The signs of witchcraft were already appearing in the surrounding countryside. Two-headed calves. Wheat rot. Still births. Milk souring straight from the udder. All the usual signs. Guards were doubled. Women were scrutinised and questioned if three or more gathered together. It was only a matter of time before it was going to draw the attention of that large asshat Quinten Cuirass and his gang of murderers. He had already murdered hundreds of witches across the Realm. I knew I needed to flee, but Bruce kept me in Whitehaven. That was my downfall."

Amanda chugged the last of her wine, and Jasmine refilled her glass. Amanda gave her a

small smile of thanks and continued.

"That's when Gwydion found Bruce. He was apowerful spell caster. He had graduated from the Academy with honours. He had been a powerful force in the Wilds, defeating countless monsters. She wanted him. All witches are drawn to powerful spell casters. My mistake was thinking she would leave him alone because he was with me. She could sense my presence and my magic on him. Little did I know that Gwydion represented the worst of what witches are capable of."

Amanda's face contorted with remembered rage."She BOUND him!"Amanda's voice cracked, and she wiped tears from her eyes. "That fucking skank BOUND MY BRUCE!"

Amy stroked her back and let her cry for a time. "Go on. Finish the tale. Let it out. Your daughterneeds to hear this."

Amanda sniffed loudly and accepted a handkerchief Daniel produced from Eric's selection of fine handkerchiefs. She wiped her nose and then tried to hand it back.

"Er, keep it," mumbled Daniel.

"So, she bound him? What happened then?"asked Jasmine.

"We went to war,"stated Amanda, like she wasmentioning going to the market for fresh vegetables. A shiver went through Daniel."It started small. I took out a couple of her weaker witches. It escalated pretty quickly from there. Whole districts of Whitehaven were wiped out. Quinten and his merry band of murderers descended like wolves, slaughtering dozens of my girls. We fled to the countryside. We unleashed horrendous powers. You know, even now I feel a little pride about how we stood up against Gwydion's circle with a bound spell caster like Bruce while Quinten was running around shining like some beacon of false justice. We held our own. But Gwydion had no qualms about killing innocents. We had to retaliate in kind."

She sipped her wine. If she was aware of the horror on the faces of Daniel and the girls, she didn't show it.

"Then I managed to steal Bruce away. I had

discovered a dark tome. It was called Witch Circles:How to Control Your Spell Caster and Use His Power. I knew it would help me free Bruce. The need consumed me. And I used it. But I didn't do it right though. It should have killed Gwydion in the process, but I faltered at the end. Bruce believed he loved Gwydion, and in that moment, I couldn't complete the spell. But in the process, I had mounted Bruce. The spell demanded it. He was back inside me where he belonged, and he spilled his seed in me. When the spell failed, I ran. Gwydion went crazy with rage. The war exploded into even more open violence. All that remained of my circle was wiped out to the witch, until only Gwydion and what remained of her circle remained."

Amanda was looking into the distance, remembering the events. Daniel and the girls hadn't touched a drop of their wine. Amanda was guzzling it like water.

"Defeated,I fled to the east coast and hid myselfaway and then soon realised I was pregnant. I had never been happier, Amber. I wanted to be a mother so badly and now carrying Bruce's child I didn't feel my loss so deeply. I know that

sounds bad with all my friends in my circle dead—and I had lost my Bruce to that skank—but my pregnancy and your birth filled the void and calmed me. I put witchcraft behind me and vowed to never use it again."

Amy refilled Amanda's wine glass and watched Amber closely . She could feel the trepidation and the disgust that flowed from her. She could feel it from everyone. This was not a pleasant tale and Amanda seemed to be okay with describing the horrors she had inflicted on people like talking about going for a stroll in a park. This version of Amanda was not the kind, gentle mother she had known growing up in Acron. Frankly, Amanda now disgusted her.

"Everything was splendid for a few years. Iplaced wards at first, but as the years passed,I stopped. I thought I was safe. You grew up so wonderfully and you were so beautiful. You were so happy and carefree. I didn't know that Quinten and his band of murderers were still hunting for me. They had wiped out the remnants of Gwydion's circle, but she had escaped with Bruce. She still blamed me, of course. Then she got smart. She realised I might have gotten pregnant with Bruce, and she used

that familiar bond to find me. I wasn't prepared. Years had passed at this point. Amber, you were just a child. I came home one evening and found you, frozen in a chair. I should have known. I should have done something different, but at the time my only thought was to get to you and free you.

"Gwydion had laid a trap, and I was frozen, too.She had Bruce strip me and then rape me in front of you, Amber. It lasted the night. To rape a witch, you really need to get depraved, and Gwydio n was the most depraved of all of us. I pleaded with Bruce. Tried to pull on my love for him and his love for me. He had confessed his love for me before Gwydio n stole him from me. I knew his subconscious could hear me. But once bound, he was powerless. He obeyed Gwydion in all things. He wasn't gentle. Everything he did was to cause pain.

"I still remember seeing the morning lightcoming through the window and stretching across my bedroom. I used to adore the dawn, but now it felt fake. It still does, even today. A broken promise and a lie. There was a moment of clarity and I looked at you, Amber. Still frozen in the chair. Your face expressionless.

But inside I could feel your horror. Your mind had been damaged by what you had been forced to witness. All of the faults lay with me and my past choices. I felt so helpless.

"That's when Glenda and Roger arrived. I don'tknow what they did, but Bruce was killed in an instant. An arrow sped into the room through the open window and then split into three just before they struck him. One arrow in each eye, and one through the heart. I don't know who screamed the loudest, me or Gwydion. In that moment, she was defenceless. The death of her bound spell caster was shared with her across their bond. She felt those arrows in her eyes and heart. Then the loss of Bruce's power stunned her. She froze and then she was unconscious, struck by some force that Glenda used."

Amanda shook on the couch. Her limbs trembled. Her voice quavered. All around her the eyes watching her were horrified. Amber's expression being the most horrified of them all. But Amanda continued. Now that she had started, the words poured from her like puss erupting from a rotting wound.

"Gwydion falling broke Amber free of her

confinement, and she started screaming!The sound was heart-breaking! It was pain, agony, fear, hatred, horror and worse, all wrapped in one horrifying voice. I tried to move to her. To help her, but I was a broken mess on the bed. And Bruce had collapsed on top of me, and I could feel his hot blood spilling on me. I was screaming, too."

Amanda wiped at her eyes. Daniel and the girls couldn't do or say anything but watch and listen.

"Glenda appeared in the room with Roger. Shetook one look at me and the amount of pity on her face was too much to bear. I hated her for that look. Hated her for killing Bruce. I wanted her dead. And then she touched my forehead, and everything went dark. When I woke up, it was morning. I was clean, healthy, and feeling right as rain. Memories of the night were there but muted. I tried to feel something about it, but there was nothing. Not even the loss of my Bruce affected me. I got out of bed and walked into my kitchen and found Glenda there, making tea and toast for us. We ate in silence, and I waited. I knew it was only a matter of time before she killed me.