This story is by HD Freeman and was part of our 2025 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
Eboni stood in line with the other witches, waiting to be called forward in the awakening ritual.
As the daughter of the Coven Head, many people speculated that Eboni would have strong white magic. Eboni didn’t care what type of magic she had; she was just ready to follow in her family’s footsteps and help the coven members with her abilities.
“Is your family here?” Crystal, Eboni’s best friend and daughter of the head councilman, asked her.
“I’m not sure,” Eboni replied. “I didn’t see him as I was leaving for the ceremony.”
“Why didn’t you wait for him?”
“I was too excited and ran out without checking with anyone. I was hoping to be first in line, but of course Stacey beat me to it.”
Eboni and Crystal rolled their eyes when they saw Crystal’s twin sister and her group at the front. Despite being twins, they were complete opposites.
As if she sensed them talking about her, Stacey walked over and whispered in Eboni’s ear. “I’m surprised you showed up.”
“Why wouldn’t I be here?” Eboni wondered, puzzled. The ritual is for everyone to determine their abilities when they turn sixteen. There were no exceptions, not even for the Coven Head’s family.
“Ha! What a joke. You’re not a member of the Coven Head’s family. You’re just a mutt they found on the street and took pity on.”
“Stacey!” Crystal grabbed her sister by the arm. “What are you talking about? Telling such lies is low, even for you.”
“They’re not lies,” Stacey replied. “I overheard Daddy discussing it with the Coven Head. They were going to pull you from the ritual. If you don’t believe me,” Stacey moved to the side and motioned for Eboni to step forward. “Come, take my place at the front.”
“You’re lying,” Eboni whispered. She wanted to have more conviction in her voice to slap Stacey, to yell back, but deep-down Stacey’s words gave Eboni pause.
Could it be possible?
Eboni thought back to conversations she had with her mother and father about why she didn’t have the same color eyes as them, why she didn’t look like either of them, why she couldn’t find any baby pictures of her in the house.
Could this be the reason? No, right?
Despite the rumors about her looking different from everyone else in the family, her parents had always reassured her that she was their child.
They would explain that the lack of baby pictures in the house was because of the difficult birth and postpartum depression her mother had. They wouldn’t lie to her, would they?
“Eboni, snap out of it!” Stacey yelled. “Jeez, we’ve been calling your name this whole time. Are you going to take my place or not? The ritual is about to start soon.”
“Eboni, you don’t have to prove anything to Stacey. If you want, we can go talk to your parents first.”
“No,” Eboni replied. “I don’t believe my parents would lie to me. I’m going to keep my place in line and go through with the ritual.”
“Whatever! Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Only the one that goes first gets to keep their abilities hidden.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eboni lifted her chin in defiance. “My parents wouldn’t let me go through this if what you’re saying is true.”
Eboni and Crystal watched as Stacey went inside, followed by her three friends.
After a few minutes, it was their turn to go in. Crystal went first.
Eboni could see through the side curtain that Crystal had the power of healing. She was happy for her friend; it was what she had hoped for.
Eboni crept up to the exam table. She was shaking with anxiety. Stacey’s warning echoed in her head.
“We just need to draw a little blood and drop it into the potion. Then you’ll be able to see what your ability is,” the ceremony head stated while grabbing the sterling silver knife to pierce Eboni’s finger.
As soon as the knife tip hit Eboni’s skin, she screamed out in pain. Everyone turned to look at her. She could feel their judgment. Why was she hurt with the knife?
As if to answer her question, the blood in the potion began to swirl and formed a black ring.
“Demon!” the ceremonial head screamed and dropped the potion bottle.
Everyone gasped.
The room started spinning. Eboni looked over to her left and saw Stacey standing in the corner with a smirk on her face. In front of her, Crystal stood with her mouth open while backing away from Eboni. To her right were her parents; no, the people who had raised her. They were now running towards her. Then everything went black.
When Eboni woke up, she was in her room surrounded by the Coven Heads and the Council Members. She could hear them arguing.
“It’s not her fault.”
“How did you think this would end?”
“We thought we had purged all the demonic powers from her… We can’t kick her out.”
They were trying to kick her out. So in a matter of hours she discovered she was not her parents’ child, she has demon blood, and she was about to be kicked out of the coven.
“Can somebody tell me what is going on?” Eboni screamed.
The Council members nodded to her mom and dad before leaving her room. Her mom sat on the bed, and tears started rolling down her eyes. She couldn’t stop crying, and instead of providing an explanation, she ran from the room.
Her father was the one who delivered the horrifying news confirming everything Stacey had told her. However, what he said next was too unbelievable. “You’re part witch, part demon. We had hoped that by purifying the demon blood in you as a child, the witch blood in you could grow stronger and you would never find out.”
“I see, so that is why the Council members asked that I leave.” Eboni bit her bottom lip to fight back the tears. “I’m now seen as a danger, tainted, unable to marry anyone from the coven or bring forth an heir.”
“Eboni, listen. You don’t need to…”
“No, they’re right. I need to leave. I’ll pack my things and be out before morning.”
“Eboni, please listen…”
“Please leave. I need to start packing.”
Eboni watched as her father left her room and, as she promised, she packed her items and left the coven.
Even though she was part demon, Eboni knew how to perform spells and rapidly chanted a tracking spell. Maybe she could use her own blood to find her actual parents. As long as they were alive, she could find them.
After completing the spell, Eboni walked through the forbidden forest until she found a wooden gate bordering a village or town. She approached the guards and asked if she could be allowed in. The two of them looked at her and then back to each other before telling Eboni she needed to wait for a moment.
Fifteen minutes went by before they emerged with a tall man wearing a black leather coat and black jeans. When Eboni looked up at his face, it was like she was looking into a mirror. She looked down at the map of her tracking spell and confirmed her suspicions. This man was her father.
He reached down and tilted Eboni’s chin up so that he could look more closely into her eyes.
“I see why you brought me to see her. What is your name, child?”
“My name is Eboni, and I believe I’m your daughter.”
Eboni handed the man the map and pulled out the crystal that glowed red and flew from Eboni’s hands, landing into the chest of the man she believed was her father.
“You’re a witch?” the guards said in unison.
“Bella,” the man said, looking up into the sky. “Our daughter has been returned to us.”
“Is Bella my mother?”
“Welcome home, my daughter. I’m Lucious, your father and the Demon King. Bella was your mother. She was taken from us during the battle with the witch coven on the other side of this forest. I was later told she was killed after you had died during birth.”
“So, you’re telling me the witches I lived with killed my mother and stole me from you.”
“Yes, but now you’re home.”
“What about the witches? What will you do?”
“What would you like me to do?”
Eboni thought about her life with the witches. She used to feel love for them. Now after the ritual, she felt only contempt, anger, humiliation, and disgust. “Destroy them.”
“It shall be done.”
Eboni was led to a hidden chamber in the castle, with a ritual circle and a grimoire.
“It was your mother’s,” Lucious explained. “A way to end the war for good.”
Eboni completed the spell her mother had started, dropping her blood onto the circle.
Flames engulfed the witches’ coven, purifying all their lies.
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