“Yes! For justice! For freedom! For victory! For safety! For peace in all Triton! Cast it down!” Melisse exclaimed and then she commanded, “Draw it down, my sisters!”

Even seated, I was finding it hard to keep my place. The wind had become a gale, I was wet through, finding it difficult to hold Serena’s eyes through the smoky fog that had enveloped us, to hold the hands in mine as they grew slippery with wet.

I heard a shout I thought was Cassius and Melisse shrieked, “Stay back!”

“Patience, strength, sister,” Serena encouraged, holding my hand fast.

“Draw it down! Draw it down!” Melisse yelled.

Whatever was slithering over me was snaking up my chest, my back.

And I was one with it.

And the sky beyond the smoke was night, the heat at our legs burning.

And I was one with that too.

I whipped my head around to Farah and then jumped in fear when I heard the terrible roar.

“We must abort!” I heard Jorie boom.

“Stay back!” Melisse screamed, and then to us urgently, “Draw it down! Draw it down, my sisters! Draw it down and take it in you!”

I lifted my hands and tensed my arms, and as I did, I slid across the stone and pulled my sisters closer. The others did the same, and we were all now sitting atop what felt like burning coals, but ones that did not scorch flesh.

Our circle growing tighter, we were almost in each other’s laps.

Another roar, followed by a third and what sounded like the snapping together of gigantic jaws coming from the direction of the sea.

“We are the Sisters of the Beast!” Elena suddenly cried.

And I felt it like I had not before.

I was born thus.

I was born of them.

I was born of Ophelia and Jasmine and Rosehana and all the others.

And they were born of me.

I felt the mother of the Nadirii rise in me.

I felt her mother draw up in me.

I felt the mother of all mothers deep within me.

And I knew the others did too when Silence, Farah and I repeated, “We are the Sisters of the Beast!”

“I serve my sisters!” Serena yelled.

“We draw down the power of mighty witches!” Elena shouted.

“We draw down the power of mighty witches!” the rest of us exclaimed.

“We hold sacred the strength of women!” Elena yelled.

“We hold sacred the strength of women!” we shouted.

More roars, right on top of each other, so close, too close, almost upon us coming from the sea…one, two, three, four.

“Cease this at once!” Mars bellowed.

“Do not disturb the spell!” Melisse shrieked.

The things crawling on me made it to my neck, slinking around, the tentacles gliding up into my hair.

And they were of me.

I welcomed them.

“We are Sisters of the Beast!” Elena screamed.