So, given the positive response, I went ahead and wrote another chapter. As always, I appreciate any input. If you see any problems, let me know so I can correct them. Thanks for reading.

************

Ashley fell to the floor and started crying after she slammed the door. Ashley hadn't thought about her sister Kalie in...a long time. It had been traumatic, when they were separated. The two were so close they could feel each other. They had been almost one person at times, until they were torn apart. Ashley's bitch of a mother had abandoned him, and torn away half of his person. His father had been distant, and his brothers had wanted nothing to do with him. Ashley hadn't really thought about Kalie in years, it was too painful for words. When they had been separated he hadn't eaten for days. Even now she could remember the feeling of having half of his world cut off. It had been worse than having a limb amputated. It was as if a malicious entity had...had...she couldn't conceive of a concept so horrible as to encompass what was stripped from them. She just knew afterward he had grown numb...and he had searched for something to fill that void.

Ashley felt old wounds open as she sat in the foyer crying. Why did they have to say that name? What had he done for them to hurt her like that. What crime had she committed to deserve that wound being reopened? She knew she had been abandoned by mother years ago. Her and that horrible group of women that plied their magics to manipulate and dominate the men of the nobility. She bent forward on her knees as it felt like her stomach was being eaten up. Her heart felt like it wanted to tear itself apart, and the pain wouldn't cease. “Goddess!” she whimpered as she clenched at her stomach, crying. “Why have you forsaken me?” she cried, knowing she didn't just mean the goddess in that moment, but her mother, and her sister. She felt the wound in her soul, as if it would only take a word to break the tenuous grasp on her sanity...on her denial.

The sudden shift in Ashley's emotions broke her as she screamed on the cold marble floor. Mana wrapped around her in waves, and light burned like the sun in that darkened hall. Her mind wandered, lost, and confused in the pain. She hadn't thought about Kalie in years...why did it hurt so much now?

*******

Crystal was still playing with the kitten as the two left the house. Laura just looked confused, while her compatriot started looking for food. They had been sent to track the nature spirit, and it had lead them to the door of a strange house at the edge of town. When the door opened, there stood Kalie, a circle mate who had died the night before. Laura had seen her body carried away. Though she wasn't close with Kalie, they were sisters in the circle. It was a bond thicker than blood, a motto that was enforced since early childhood. When she slammed the door in her face, Laura was hurt, and then confused. Now she just needed to report this to the matrons...but first lunch.

When the two had crossed a little more than a city block, there was a sudden disturbance and an eruption of power. The elemental energies that the enchantresses trained decades to tame, washed over them like they were sun bathing.

'Meow?” the kitten cried quizzically from Crystal's shoulder. Crystal just giggled as the kitten rubbed its nose against her ear. Laura frowned at Crystal who seemed more absorbed in the cat that whatever had just happened.

“Ooh! Lets stop by the sweets shop!” Crystal said with a smile.

“Sweets? Can't you think about anything besides your stomach?” Laura asked grumbling.

“But we never get to eat at the sweet shop! We always have to eat that tasteless stuff the matrons give us.” Crystal said pouting. “And it's just up ahead! It's destiny! Why else would the spirit have gone this way?” she asked with a grin. “Aren't you hungry?” she asked. The kitten just looked at Laura and 'Meowed' again.

“No I'm not hungry! We have to tell the matrons.” Laura said, returning pouts, moments before her stomach started grumbling. “...ok, maybe a quick bite to eat.” she said quietly.

“Yea! To the sweet shop!” Crystal said, thrusting one arm victoriously into the air. The kitten on her shoulder also put one paw into the air, and 'Meowed'.

*******

Two hours later Crystal and Laura stood before matron Abigail and Evelyn. The kitten had taken up residence in a piece of cloth strung across Crystal's front, and tied in back. The kitten was currently sleeping soundly. The two young girls looked at the circle elders nervously as they explained about the run in with the Kalie look-alike in the building at the edge of town.

“You're sure?” Abigail asked, while Evelyn just looked confused. Either there was a double of her daughter running around, or the spirit had perhaps stolen the girl's form. The lookalike's response to was obviously confusing, but they didn't have long to resolve this problem. The wards wouldn't last forever.

“Yes matron. I saw the trail of spirit essence leading right to the building, and she was wearing makeup, but it looked exactly like Kalie.” Laura said. Crystal kept quiet, though she shuffled a bit as the kitten poked its head out for a second, and then went back inside the folds of cloth.

“I'll go investigate this.” Evelyn said, her voice strained.

Matron Abigail looked at Evelyn for a moment, then waved her hands at Crystal and Laura. “You're dismissed.” she said to the young enchantresses. The girls nodded and bowed as they walked quickly from the room, closing the door behind them.

Matron Abigail looked at Evelyn for a moment and sighed. “Evelyn...you've suffered a great loss...let another handle this. Watching someone wearing the form of your dead daughter, less than a day after her passing...You need time to grieve, and arrangements need to be made.” Abigail said calmly.

Evelyn glared at Abigail. “If something is walking around wearing the face of my daughter, I have every right to be angry.” Evelyn said, her tone cold. “But what's important now is that the spirit is retrieved.” she said, turning around to leave.

“Evelyn...” Abigail said hesitantly.

“Enough! I will handle this.” Evelyn said, her tone rising.

Abigail gave a pitying look at Evelyn and then sighed. “Very well. At least take some of the lower circle enchantresses with you, in case something happens.” she said.

“Fine.” Evelyn responded as she walked out.

Abigail stepped onto her balcony and looked across the mezzanine to the area Kalie's body was being held. The elderly matron could feel the weight of her years as she thought about the great darkness in the depths. They were in dire straights, and danger loomed over their heads like a sword ready to fall. In the midst of all of this danger, the circle still had to deal with tragedy. Abigail couldn't imagine what Evelyn was going through right now, but she would support her. The circle was family above family, and blood beyond blood.

*******

Ashley after hours was finally able to move again. The grief had been overwhelming, like an open wound bleeding her dry. The pain hadn't left, but after screaming and crying for hours she could at least think again. There was a soft light still enfolding her, and strands of light were spread out into the building, like the roots of a tree. Her senses had shifted at one point, and she knew that these were just essence channels in the environment, which had been flooded by her. She didn't know how she knew, but she had a sense of the world around her at the moment. As she slowly climbed to her feet, the light abated and the strands of light bled into the air, leaving the room brighter than it should have been, but the strands were gone.

The air was more alive, but Ashley was more aware that she was surrounded by cold marble, as her senses seemed to pick up a sense of the vegetation outside. She could sense the gardens outside the main house, and felt a need for 'fresh air'. Besides she was out of alcohol, and until she procured work she couldn't really afford to support a drinking habit...unless she used it as a replacement for food. As she thought about her sister, and the state of her life, that didn't seem like a horrible idea.

Her footsteps carried her through the house toward a side entrance near the kitchens. The door emptied out in front of an old wall with an arched entrance. There was once a gate blocking it, but it had rusted over, and been pulled off. What was left was just the brackets, and weeds. As her feet touched dirt, a deep rooted pain was alleviated. It was like she had been dying of thirst, starved to delirium. Raw nerves were soothed, and she could feel the life of the garden around her.

The grass, which had mostly died out, began to come back to life or grow anew. Dry rotted trellis were covered in dead vines, and stood near warped and weed ridden hedges, or against the stone walls. Essence seemed to well up from the earth, using the dead plants as receptacles. Some vines began to shift color from dead browns to vibrant greens, while others just crumbled into dust. Weeds similarly vanished under Ashley's gaze, the dead garden remolding itself to fit her desires. Flowers and trees bloomed around her, as she walked the dirt path.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

When Ashley came to rest against an a line of cherry blossom trees, she sunk to the ground. She still hurt, but she felt comforted here somehow. As she breathed in, feeling the heavy weights on her chest rise and fall, she regained enough mental composure to look around at the vibrant garden. An aura of life saturated the air, as a soft mist rose from a nearby pond to wash over everything. “...What in the world...” she said, the powerful sense of magic settling inside of her.

*******

Evelyn arrived on horseback with a dozen young enchantresses. There were vibrant streams of essence permeating the atmosphere the closer they got to the estate. As they got closer, little doubt was left that the spirit had in some way manifested there, though that raised a number of questions. But she would have her answers, and in short order. The idea of some wretched harlot wearing her daughters form galled her, but the guardian spirit of the great tree and patron goddess of Nal'Lucan could take any form she liked. Evelyn deeply hoped that the spirit had simply manifested itself in some way. Had it taken over some uninitiated maiden, the Circle would have to arrange for her transfer to their care. If some foreign enchantress had absconded with the spirit somehow...

Grumbling to herself, Evelyn shook her head. There was little point in conjecture right now. She would have her answers shortly. The Circle had come out with some numbers in case force had to be brought to bare, though Evelyn thought that unlikely. Until the darkness was forced back, and the great seal restored, they were all at risk. Not just the city of Nal'lucan, or the kingdom of Bristol, but the entire world. What exactly was sealed in those depths was unknown, but it had been sealed shortly after the heavens split...at least that's what their records said. Regardless, the evil in the depths was malevolent and bore powers not seen since the dawn of creation. Under no circumstances must it be allowed to escape.

When Evelyn and the other enchantresses arrived outside the estate, they felt as if they were next to the sacred gardens. Everyone dismounted, and Evelyn approached the front door. She glanced behind her at the dozen others, and then brought her fist down on the door a little too hard. The old wooden door was sturdy, and she could feel a sense of magic contained within. After a few slamming her fists into the door a few more times, she extended her senses, shifting her sight. A wellspring of power looked to be emanating from behind some walls near the main house.

Leaving the front porch, Evelyn moved down the steps and around the building. Dust kicked up in her path as she moved purposefully toward the well of power. The outer facade of the estate was faded and in disrepair, but it was large and had likely been grandiose in its day. Judging by the architecture that day was long past. It was unusual to see these types of houses in such poor neighborhoods. At a guess the house had been built early enough in Nal'lucan's history that the city limits had yet reached it. The house itself probably served as a country estate for some noble family in the past, until the outer lands were absorbed into the city proper over time.

Half of the other enchantresses followed behind Evelyn, essence being readied to cast spells in case something happened. Not that gathering essence here was difficult; the air was saturated with it. The old stone walls encircled a gardens, and as she past the arched entrance, it was like stepping into another world. The sense of power here was almost overwhelming, but then again the enchantresses of Nal'lucan were very attuned to the energies of nature. One might call it a specialty of sorts. The Circles in the kingdoms of Abrain and Canterly crafted sorcerous implements and tools, while the mystics of Sholen were potent illusionists. Magic overlapped, but the none wielded a connection to, or control over, nature and the elements like the Circle of Nal'Lucan.

Evelyn came to a sudden stop, her breath squeezed from her chest as she saw the spitting image of her daughter Kalie curled up next to a cherry blossom tree. Flowers bloomed around her, and daylight played through the mists like rainbows in the air. Her eyes were closed, and there were tears in her closed eyes. As Evelyn forced herself to breath again, her fists clenched and she steeled herself.

*******

Ashley had curled up in the garden. It was easier to breath there, but as the numbness receded the grief returned. She hurt, and she didn't know why. She just knew that it felt as if she had lost her sister all over again. She hadn't thought about Kalie in years, it had hurt too much. Walls had been built around that part of her psyche, and something had ripped those walls apart like tissue paper. She had settled into the garden, letting the energies wash over her, tending psychic wounds. She became lost in the sea of life, her awareness of anything beyond dulled.

As Ashley grappled with a sense of loss, she could sense movement nearby. There was a disturbance as energy was drawn from the sea, pooling in nearby bodies. Her eyes opened to see regal middle aged woman dressed in loose blue robes. It was one of those damned circle bitches...no, there were more of them. They lorded their power and magic over the rest of society. Curses and blessings could cripple or elevate whole families. In battle, their spells far outstripped even the strongest ki users. They were a clannish and insular lot, and their sisterhood came before even their own flesh and blood. There were many jokes about their marriages being little more than 'social arrangements'. Most noblemen had stronger connections with their mistresses than their wives. The Circle supposedly liked it that way. Not that Ashley really gave a damn one way or another. Her only connection to them was a mother she only vaguely remembered existing, and a sister she hadn't seen since she was a small child. There was supposed to be another sister, but she'd never met her.

The middle aged woman in front of her had a magical 'weight' to her, and was glaring angrily. Ashley was in no mood for visitors, or in this case trespassers. Ashley bit back anger...anger was easier to deal with than grief, though she was having a hard time controlling her emotions right now.

“Why are you trespassing?” Ashley asked distantly. Her eyes looked a puffy and bloodshot from all of the crying.

The middle aged woman in front of her became angry at that. “The circle may go where is sees fit.” she said, her gaze like daggers. Her tone was irritating Ashley, who was already angry at having to deal with these bitches to begin with. “You are to come with us, girl. Alert whomever has guardianship over you. We'll send for your things, if you're deemed to need them.” she said, her tone elevated and offensive.

Ashley noted the gaggle of 'circle bitches' behind their leader were readying themselves for conflict, but seemed a bit startled at the woman's behavior. “I'll do no such thing. No one has guardianship over me. Leave, before I make you.” she said. Ashley didn't know if she actually could force them out, but right now she didn't care. She hurt, was angry, and didn't feel she had anything to lose. Besides, something about their leader rankled her. The 'circle bitches' might killer her, but at least the pain would stop, and she might be able to put her fist through that woman's face.

Rising to her feet, Ashley felt the environment responding to her anger. She couldn't cast spells, and was no enchantress, but the garden would fight for her, for what little it mattered. As vines began to slither along the ground like snakes, the ambiance in the garden shifted. What was comforting and nurturing, if sad, was now turning angry and ominous. The light of day was being blocked by the mists, instead of just diffracting into rainbow light. Shadows were getting thicker, and the mists turning to fog as Ashley suddenly wished she'd not left her sword in the house.

In response to Ashley's desires vines sprouted from the earth, wrapping around each other, and forming a hilt at her finger tips. Black roses sprouted near the vine guard, while thorns merged together and grew along the outside, creating a wicked edge. Her hand grasped the hilt and pulled the sword, carving the air in front of her. A trail of viscous green and black light spread in vine sword's wake, and Ashley could feel the power in it: It would serve.

“You dare defy the Circle, you stupid girl?” the middle aged woman spat angrily, energy coalescing around her hand as she readied a spell. “When we get you back to the temple, I'll have you flogged to teach you obedience.” their leader said. The 'circle bitches' behind her were passing confused and nervous looks between each other. “And after you're broken, I'll cut my daughter's likeness from your face.” she said angrily, rage in her eyes.

Stepping forward, her white gown fluttered around her as if it was passing through water. Anger and a sense of violation was building in Ashley's brain like fire. The vague sense of familiarity twisted as realization dawned upon her. She knew who those vile woman was. The woman who had broken and abandoned her had come back to violate her again. Ashley suddenly snapped “GET OUT!” she screamed like a banshee. Her sword pulsed with power as magic essence poured through the thin channels of her body that had only ever handled a trickle of ki. Her insides were scoured with power, as she brought her sword to bare.