And this was where, to make his point brutally known, the king put the leader of this effort to death by hanging her from her neck.

Last, this was where her daughter, in lament, prayed to the land gods and the sea gods to give her strength and magic to avenge her mother and free her sisters.

In other words, this was where the Nadirii Sisterhood was formed from oppression, anger, heartbreak and hope.

The men directed their steeds off to the side, positioning them in a semi-circle to face The Cauldron.

And in turn, each woman rode to her man, situated her horse, dismounted and handed over the reins.

The wind was whipping my cloak and frock about me, my curls catching my lips and eyelashes, as we approached the bowl of black rock at the edge of the sea.

The waters smacked against the short cliff at our side, sending up spray, and I looked to Silence to see if she was feeling what I was feeling.

Her eyes were alive at the same time wistful, and I wondered if her desire was the same as mine.

That being to rush to the cliff and dive off.

Feeling my attention on her, hers came to me and a brightness came about her expression where I knew she did, indeed, feel precisely as I did.

I sent her a small smile before I began to pay attention to the matter at hand.

“The rocks are rough, but I bid you to sit on them, cross-legged, in a circle,” Melisse instructed. “Knees touching, holding hands, gazes to each other, and nothing else. This is important, witches,” she stated sternly. “No matter what happens during the drawing, concentrate on your sisters, and naught else.”

These words did not fill me with delight.

However, I did as told, taking Serena’s hand on one side, Farah’s on the other. And Elena held Farah’s other hand, and Silence’s. Thus, Silence held Elena and Serena.

Once we made a circle, we held tight and all sat down, crossing our legs as we did, so that our knees were touching.

I felt the coarseness of the rock at my bottom, the cold of it, the damp, but I did not move and did not place my gaze anywhere but to one of my sisters.

Though, it sounded and even felt as if the sea close to us had begun to churn.

“Are you ready to begin?” Melisse asked.

Elena started the round of “Yes.”

“You will not interrupt,” Melisse ordered, and I was assuming this was to the men. “You are here as observers only. You keep your seats on your mounts and your distance. This is crucial. Am I heard?”

A masculine chorus of “Yes,” sounded, but they did not sound as positive as the feminine version.

“We will begin,” Melisse decreed.

I looked amongst all my sisters at once, feeling their expectation and restlessness along with my own.