Get In, Witches! We're Headed for Samhain!

"Void Walker" Card from Upcoming Lilithian Oracle Deck

Hey there, Friends! I have some big news!

Coming out in November...I have designed a Lilithian (yes, THAT Lilith!) Oracle Deck called The Deck of Rebellion. Completely channeled from Samael, the Oracle Deck comes in a velvet bag with a Lilith charm attached, and also comes with a fill size 6" by 9" full-color 100+ page guidebook introducing you to Lilithian Philosophy and Magick and all of the layouts and history of the designs. As soon as they arrive from the printer I'll let you know in case you want to dive into Lilith and Samael's unique magickal system!

We've got TONS of events coming up too! And after the new year, a whole series of Lilithian Magick classes are coming to The Blue Ball Inn in the Winchester area AND I'll be teaching Bone-casting and Lilithian Philosophy at The Aquarian in Richmond!

The Book of High Places is still moving forward (the next in The Spiral Pathways Series), and there's a Lilithian Ritual guide coming out in the first half of 2026 as well!

ON TO EVENTS!

from The Deck of Rebellion

For more info on each of these and to register, please visit the events page at tavabaird.com! https://www.tavabaird.com/calendar

OCTOBER 4 & 5: The Harper's Ferry Highland Games

We'll be vending both days! Scottish music! Food! Shopping! HOT PEOPLE IN KILTS THROWING THINGS!!! Come out and have a blast! Sam Michaels Park in Harper's Ferry, W.Va!

OCTOBER 11: Spiritual Wonders Fair in Ranson, West Va at the Ranson Civic Center (indoors), 10-5. A big crowd of energy workers, psychics, and vendors to celebrate the season with you. Come get your metaphysical on!

OCTOBER 17-19 AND 24-26: The Ravenwood Faire in Clear Brook, VA. At the Frederick County Fairgrounds...a Renaissance Fair! Feasting! Costumes! Music! Shopping! Darkflower will be there both weekends!

HALLOWEEN, OCT 31....VOID WALKING Class in the Mausoleum at Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, W.VA. : Spots are filling up fast! Join me for a night of black mirrors, poppets, Spirit Dice, and ancestor communication in a 17-acre Victorian cemetery! We'll be working by firelight and candlelight. Fun, community, and ritual...start your Samhain off right in our City of the Dead! Register HERE: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/veilwalking-spirit-communication-ancestor-celebration-and-learning-to-let-go

Sponsored by the Mystical Musings podcast at https://mysticalmusings.buzzsprout.com

And in November....

NOVEMBER 2: Death Cafe at Green Hill Cemetery!

We have a nice sized group already...come and be part of the conversation!

And on NOVEMBER 6-9: HALLOWED HOMECOMING. (I'm the featured teacher this year! Squee!) Our theme: Embracing the Darkness. Come take classes on the Morrigan, Divination, Spirit Guides, and even attend a mock Pagan funeral with me as the corpse! Food, friends, and a kick-ass Saturday night ritual in the woods in VA! Come on retreat with me! https://hallowedhomecoming.com/

Registration closes soon! Visit https://hallowedhomecoming.com/

AND THEN....there are just a few spots left for Mystic Fire! An intensive spiritual retreat in Madison, VA...I'll be teaching Samael and Lilith ALL Weekend! Tons of ritual! Your own copy of the new Oracle Deck! Bonfire! All meals and indoor lodging included at beautiful Seven Oaks Retreat Center! Information and registration HERE: https://www.mysticfire.org/registration

One more class for November...

Is Lilith Calling You?

And...are you in Frederick, MD? On Sunday, NOVEMBER 16, I'll be teaching a Lilith Philosophy Class at the Simple Life and then doing bone readings in shop right after! More information here: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/lilith-and-the-lost-city-an-introduction-to-the-philosophy-of-lilithian-magick

That's all folks! Remember, our last archaeology dig of the year is at the Blue Ball Inn-1747 on Thursday, October 30th...so if you've been meaning to come out, get in touch! The Darkflower Collective will also meet again on DECEMBER 14 at the BBI from 2-4:30. New to the Pagan pathway? Check out that event and come learn and make friends with others doing the same!

Stay safe, loved ones, and have a blessed Samhain! Hope to see you in person for a hug and a chat!

'Tis the Season...to SUMMON LILITH

Cast your spells with me! (Print available at https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com)

Hello, Friends!

September is upon us, and with it comes an amazing array of ways to celebrate the turning of The Wheel of the Year. Lift your spirits and expand your community at one of the following events in September...including the first in a series of classes on Samael and Lilith!

NEW EPISODES of the Mystical Musings podcast have dropped, and there's more ahead, including an interview with Liz and Cael from Wilder Grove, who are on the podcast later this week to discuss the unique and magickal Mystic Fire retreat coming up in November. Jump on the podcast on your favorite platform or listen here: https://mysticalmusings.buzzsprout.com. It's totally FREE and there's over a year of metaphysical topics and interviews to choose from!

CLASSES and RITUAL:

LILITH and the LOST CITY: Sunday, September 14th at the Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA. Join Tava for an introduction to Lilithian philosophy and make a poppet for use in our Lilithian Four Mirrors Ritual at the end of class. Held in the Haunted Blue Ball Inn! This class also raises funds for the preservation of the Inn. More info here: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/lilith-and-the-lost-city-an-introduction-to-the-philosophy-of-lilithian-magick-and-ritual

OUR LADY of RAVENS and WOLVES: Reaching for The Morrigan: Sunday, September 21st at the Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA. Join our discussion of working with The Morrigan while making a poppet Altar Doll in the Faerie Queen's honor. This gathering also raises funds for the BBI. Info is here: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/bbi-benefit-class-our-lady-of-ravens-and-wolves-explorations-into-the-sacred-dark-of-the-morrigan

THE DARKFLOWER COLLECTIVE: A Gathering for New Pagans: Come to our first in a series of gatherings designed to help solitary Pagans find community and information. held inside the Blue Ball Inn on Sunday, September 21st from 4-6. While the information is geared for new Pagans, you don't need to be new to join us! Tava will give a short lecture on the history of the modern Witchcraft movement and do a protective spell demonstration. Come meet like-minded individuals and learn together in a supportive environment. This gathering also raises funds for the BBI. https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/the-darkflower-collective-a-mentorship-gathering-for-solitary-witches

MAKE IT and TAKE IT: Altar Brooms and Blessing Salts (inside the Witches' Pride Market): Sunday, September 28. Come and visit with Tava while making protective salts and your own mini--broom for cleansing energy during divination or after altar work. More info here: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/scatter-salts-altar-brooms-make-it-and-take-it-at-va-witches-pride

MARKETS:

Tava will be at....

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6: The Lovettsville Local Bookfair

https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/lovettsville-book-festival

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: FALLOWEEN FEAR FEST (Hagerstown, MD)

https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/khaoticsweetz-falloween-fear-fest

SEPT 27 and 28 : WITCHES' PRIDE (This is a big one! Come to Fredericksburg and see us!)

https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/virginia-witches-pride

ARCHAEOLOGY DIGS at THE BLUE BALL INN: September 16 & 19 (9 am-12 pm, please go here for information and to register:) https://www.tavabaird.com/archaeology

Want to join a paranormal investigation at The Blue Ball Inn? Check them out HERE: https://bbi1747.com/

UPCOMIN AMAZING WITCHY STUFF in OCTOBER and NOVEMBER: Death Cafes, Halloween in a Victorian Cemetery, and more!

Come and Veilwalk with me!

Want to spend Halloween talking to the Dead? This event is not only an unforgettable way to spend Halloween, but also raises funds for Green Hill Cemetery. Link for more info is here: https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/veilwalking-spirit-communication-ancestor-celebration-and-learning-to-let-go

This event is FREE and space is limited...and it was BIG last time! Register quickly at https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/death-cafe-at-green-hill-cemetery-in-the-mausoleum-1

RETREATS in NOVEMBER: Registrations closing soon! Come spend the weekend learning magick!

HALLOWED HOMECOMING: November 6-9 in Prince William Park

I'm absolutely THRILLED to be the featured Special Guest teacher at Hallowed Homecoming this year! I'll be leading the Saturday night Samhain Ritual and teaching classes,,,as well as appearing as The Corpse at a Mock Home Funeral! Info is here: https://hallowedhomecoming.com/

I'll be teaching a whole weekend of LILITH at this event! Space is very limited...come spend the weekend with me and others on the path!

This event is a dream come true...held at beautiful Seven Oaks Retreat Center north of Charlottesville, this event lets you follow a teacher for a whole weekend, diving deeply into magickal practice. I am one of the four teachers leading the retreat! Registration closes as soon as spots are filled, and there are only 50 spots for the entire retreat...click quick, friends! https://www.mysticfire.org/

Also in October and November...

The Harper's Ferry Highland Games!

Ravenwood Faire!

A Lilith Class at The Simple Life in Frederick, MD!

Go here for info, please! https://www.tavabaird.com/calendar

Wanna stay home and have a bone reading? I do that too...

There's a ton of new stuff in the etsy shop...from online intuitive bone readings to hand-painted spirit dice to rare spell ingredients (like graveyard dirt!) More items are being added later this week...and many of them raise funds to preserve the Blue Ball Inn outside of Winchester, VA or Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, W.VA. What do you get the person who has everything? How about coffin nails or honey locust thorns for their next protection spell? https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com

More surprises ahead...until then, stay safe and well, freinds. Hope to see you out in the community being loud and proud in September!

Love,

Tava

Haunted and Blessed (and a sneak peek at The Book of High Places)

Gates and Doorways and Portals...

Hello Everyone! Time has been flying by and as summer roars ahead there are a lot of wonderful things on the horizon. I've been doing a lot of spirit communication lately and spending a lot of time in haunted spaces and am learning so much. I couldn't be more grateful.

I've also been doing a lot of writing on The Book of High Places, the sequel to Bonewytch. Want a sneak peak at the first few pages of the next book in The Spiral Pathways series? It's at the end of this newsletter! It hasn't been edited yet so please give me some grace. :)

The Haunted Tavern & the Cemetery...

Community and safe spaces are now more important then ever, and I have had my hand in planning new classes, volunteer events and...I had a talk with a haunted doll at the BBI the other day, but that's it's OWN story. If you haven't been out to The Blue Ball Inn yet, there are paranormal investigations going on ALL THE TIME, and you can join a public investigation with an experienced paranormal team by visiting https://bbi1747.com/

I have had some off-the-charts experiences in there this year. The archaeology program is also still underway, so if you'd like to come dig with us, all of the details on dates and how to sign up are at https://www.tavabaird.com/archaeology

I am teaching SO MANY benefit classes at the Inn this summer that I might as well move in! Just this weekend there's classes on basket weaving, altar brooms and blessing salts, and dreamcatchers. To find out more and register, follow this link: https://www.tavabaird.com/classes . There's even a poppet-making class where you can take your poppet upstairs after dark and I'll guide you through communicating with the spirits in the house!

I've also been volunteering at Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, W.VA The cemetery could use your help! It's nearly 17 acres of gorgeous Victorian graves and the volunteer caretakers can use all the help they can get with restoration and maintenance. We're having a community gathering and service project on the evening of August 1 & 2nd: here's the info if you would like to join us!

Bring your weed-whacker! Come for just a little while or stay the whole time!

AND, also at the cemetery, I'll be hosting two more upcoming events...a Death Cafe and a Spirit Communication Class on Halloween!

What is a Death Cafe? I'm glad you asked! At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat, drink and discuss death. This Death Cafe session will be hosted by Tava Baird, (that's me!) a veteran teacher and mentor.

The objective is 'to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives'. A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session, so please come ready to share and exchange ideas in a safe space.

Death Cafes are held all over the world! For more about them, please visit https://deathcafe.com/

Our Death Cafes are always offered:

- On a not-for-profit basis

- In a safe, respectful, and confidential space

- With no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product, or course of action

- Alongside drinks and food – we'll have donuts, juice, and coffee!

We'll be holding this cafe in the historic mausoleum at Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, WVA. There is no bathroom on the property so please tend to the needs of your mortal bodies before you arrive! To RSVP (space is limited) please visit

https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/death-cafe-at-green-hill-cemetery-in-the-mausoleum

The event is FREE but donations towards supplies are appreciated at the event if you so choose.

AND THEN...hold onto your socks for this class on HALLOWEEN!

LET'S GO VEILWALKING ON SAMHAIN!

Oct 31, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Green Hill Cemetery Historic District, Martinsburg, WV

The write-up:

Gather around the fireplace inside the Mausoleum at Green Hill Cemetery for an unforgettable Halloween night! Class will be led by veteran Witchcraft mentor Tava Baird, who will guide you through a variety of experiences to help you celebrate and connect with your ancestors. There will be cider and cake and traditional Samhain activities worked into this class, which will present an alternative view on the afterlife from Tava's spirit guide, Samael. Join us for an evening of meditation, conversation, and a romp with the spirits out in the Victorian cemetery under the moon! Space is limited and your class fee covers all materials and a donation to Green Hill Cemetery.

This class is sponsored by the Mystical Musings Podcast.

Tickets are limited! To grab yours, please visit https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/veilwalking-spirit-communication-ancestor-celebration-and-learning-to-let-go

And speaking of the Mystical Musings podcast...we just posted our 50th post!

https://mysticalmusings.buzzsprout.com

We are growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS and can not thank all of you who listen regularly enough. Our most recent episode is a two-parter conversation on Fallen Angels...pop us on while you're in your car and have a listen!

BONE-CASTING and NEW POPPETS!

What's ahead on your path? I am now not only teaching bone reading, but offering readings as well! I record the whole thing so you don't even need to be there...check it out in my etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/4317942460/intuitive-channeled-bone-reading-from?ref=shop_home_active_16&logging_key=a70a7eeccdd41d6cad4f1375ca21478aafc00507%3A4317942460

Also new in the etsy shop...BASTET POPPETS!

Available at https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com

...and there's also new Witchy Fiber Arts prints there too! The original paintings are featured at House Mountain yarns in Lexington, VA, along with a selection of prints. Find them at https://www.housemountainyarn.com/

MARKETS, CONFERENCES, and GATHERINGS

For the full list, please see https://www.tavabaird.com/calendar.....but here is the rest of July and August in a nutshell if you want to come and hang out! I'd love to see you! And I am SO excited to announce that I am now teaching at The Simple Life in downtown Frederick, MD! My books and prints are there too! Visit them online at https://www.shopthesimplelife.com/

JULY 19: Dreamcatcher Benefit Class at the Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA

JULY 20: Beginning Basket Weaving and Broom-Making Benefit Classes at The Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA

JULY 27: Singing to the Bones Bone-casting Class at The Simple Life in Frederick, MD

AUGUST 1-2: Green Hill Cemetery Service Project in Martinsburg, WVA

AUGUST 5-7: I'm teaching FOUR CLASSES at the Free Spirit Gathering! It's an awesome, massive Pagan retreat in Darlington, MD! Info here: https://www.freespiritgatheringmd.org/

AUGUST 9: Singing to the Bones and Poppet Benefit Classes at The Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA

AUGUST 10: DEATH CAFE at Green Hill Cemetery in Martinsburg, W.VA

AUGUST 15-17: Once Upon A Con Fantasy Conference at the DC Inner harbor at the Gaylord Hotel. I'll be in Author Alley! This thing is going to be AMAZING! https://onceuponaconvention.com/

AUGUST 23: Scrying and Tea Leaf Reading and Bind Your Own Book of Shadows Benefit Classes at the Blue Ball Inn in Clear Brook, VA

AUGUST 24: Our Lady of Ravens and Crows: A Morrigan Poppet class at The Simple Life in Frederick, MD

And now, a little writing....SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't made it through The Deck of Crows in the main series DO NOT READ THIS! But if you have....sixteen year old Alexander Scott ahead!!

Excerpt from The Book of High Places

Prologue

Branxholme, Scotland

-December 24, 1732-

Fia Grace Elizabeth Douglas twisted her hands nervously in the choir box as midnight approached. The church was packed to bursting this Christmas Eve, and it was almost her turn. Her turn. She’d sung in the choir at Branksome Parish Church since she was six, and had been waiting for this moment for years, a moment that at times she had despaired would never come. Her older sister, Anne, had been the soloist on Christmas Eve and at Easter several times; everyone always marveled at Anne’s natural talent and remarked on it whenever she sang. And no matter how hard Fia practiced, and how many times she prayed about it, her time in the spotlight had never manifested. That Anne Douglas, she has the voice of an angel, she’d overheard parishioners say out in the church courtyard whenever Anne sang. She’ll be famous for it one day. Fia was always given the understudy role. Forced to practice, but never called on to perform.

And Fia had heard, time and time again, how her own gifting was second to Anne’s. Not just in choir, but in everything. Anne’s lessons were always done early, and she was an accomplished horsewoman, musician, and watercolorist. Her French and Latin were flawless, and at eighteen, three years Fia’s elder, she was drawing the attention of every young man within a day’s ride. Including Killian Scott, Laird Scott’s nephew. The Scotts and Douglases had been family friends for ages and the children had grown up together, but if Killian married Anne it would catapult Anne to a very high level of the social food chain indeed. 

But Anne had fallen ill last night, and her beautiful voice was no more than a whisper. The frantic Choirmaster had pulled Fia aside in the foyer of Wilton House that morning after visiting Anne to look in on her. 

“We’ll be in need of ye tonight, Fia Grace,” Mr. Bell had said. “It’ll be fine, lass. It’ll be fine.” He did not sound as if he thought it would be fine.

Fia knew he was saying it more to comfort himself than her. Her heart raced. My turn! At last!

But then a horrible nervousness gripped her. What if I make a mistake? In front of everyone? What if I go too fast, or am off-pitch, or forget the words, or…what if people don’t like my voice? Everyone would be comparing her to Anne. They always did. At fifteen, she cared very much about what everyone around her thought. Restless and distressed, she wandered around the halls of Wilton House while the hours until the late-night church service dragged on. 

She was pacing the upstairs gallery near the railing when she heard visitors arrive in the front hall. Grateful for the distraction, she had run to the railing to look.

Adamina Scott. Laird Scott’s wife, and a dear friend of her mother’s. She watched as her mother embraced Lady Scott, who was asking after Anne’s health and offering the services of the Branxholme Castle doctor should they be required.

And then walking through the door after his mother came sixteen-year-old Alexander Scott, who often accompanied his mother on her journeys around the Borders. Dark-haired and gray-eyed, Alex’s calm demeanor often made people assume he was older than he was. And the fact that he was already taller than his older brother Edan only added to the assumptions.

Fia gripped the railing in excitement. “Thank God,” she breathed. Ever since they were children, Alex had always been a balm for Fia’s nerves. And now that they were teenagers, Fia also found his attention delightfully distracting. You have a crush on Alex, Anne had teased her.

No, Fia had insisted. I do not.

She nearly tripped and fell down the staircase in her eagerness to get to him. If talking to Alex about the solo would calm her down, that would be a very good thing. If simply spending some time gazing at the handsome young man and chatting with him could take her mind off the performance tonight, that would be a very good thing too. Either way, he’ll make things better.

“Hello, Fia Grace,” he said with a soft smile as she stumbled over the last step at the bottom of the stairs. “I hear you’re to sing for us tonight at the kirk.” 

Fia took him by the hand and dragged him into the sitting room, overflowing with the need to tell him how she felt. I’m happy. I’m terrified. I can’t breathe. I’m an awful person for being overjoyed when Anne’s sick. What should I wear?

He put her at ease instantly. “Fia,” he said, his tone measured and kind, “I’ve heard ye sing a thousand times. You put your heart in it in a way no one else can.”

“But I’m so nervous,” Fia moaned. “It’s…everyone in town will be there. Everyone.”

He’d taken her hands in his. “Look, mo charaid,” he said. “Our family’s box is right at the front. I’ll be just a few feet away from where you’ll be standin’. All ye have to do, when it’s time for ye to sing, is look right at me. Jus’ sing to me.” 

Fia nodded. “Sing to you,” she repeated. “Just one person. Just sing to you.” She didn’t look convinced.

Alex saw the doubt on her face and thought for a moment. “I’ll be right back,” he said, heading back out to the hall and returning a few moments later with something he’d retrieved from his coat pocket. “Here. Take this wit’ ye when ye sing. It’s Edan’s; just remember to give it back after.” He held out his hand towards her.

“What is it?” Fia opened her palm and Alex placed a small object on her hand. Fia held it up to get a better look.

It felt like a coin, but was like no coin Fia had ever seen. It was an inch and a half in diameter, and was composed of a strange, mottled metal, which looked to contain both copper and some sort of bright blue material. There was a hole in it, but the hole wasn’t centered, and the edges were non-symmetrical and bumpy, as if it had once been another shape and had been flattened by an unskilled blacksmith’s hammer. One side of the coin contained an inscription of what Fia took to be a hemlock branch; and the other had a rough, unpolished ruby embedded in the thicker part of the metal. There were three letters scratched into the metal on the same side, off to the left of the stone. F-E-A. Fia looked up sharply.

Alex laughed. “I ken what you’re thinkin’. It’s sort o’ wild lookin’ isn’t it?”

“Is it a pendant?” Fia asked. “It’s weirdly unbalanced. Like maybe the hole was drilled in after it was made. Where did you get this?”

“So,” Alex said, moving to sit on the sofa next to her and lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Ye ken the tower at my mother’s castle at Buccleuch.”

“Yes. The top floors are usually locked.”

“Aye. We were never allowed in them as children, but Edan an’ I never really asked about it. Mum just used to say the rooms were for storage, an’ that she didnae want us climbin’ around in there.” He grinned. “But this last summer, when I was at Buccleuch wit’ her an’ Edan came to visit, he says to me, I had a glance through the doorway at one, ye ken, an’ there’s verra little actually in those rooms. They’re furnished, an’ she has the staff clean them when we’re no around.” An’ we couldnae figure out why the house staff would be allowed in but no her own sons. So, lackin’ much else to do on a rainy day, we waited ‘til she headed down to visit a friend in the village, an’ we picked the lock.”

Fia’s eyes brightened with curiosity. “Go on,” she encouraged him. She loved to watch Alex talk, as he tended to be very expressive with his hands and gestures. She found it quite charming.

“So, I get the door open, an’ we go in. An’ they look like guest rooms. Perfectly clean, perfectly tidy, fresh linens on the bed, no a speck o’ dust anywhere. Loads o’ books in the shelves we didnae ken that mum owned. The fireplace is ready to light, new candles about, an’ there’s even flowers in a vase on the table an’ wine in the decanter. An’ we’re so confused, because it looks as though she's expectin’ a guest to arrive an’ take up residence here at any moment, an’ yet, no guest we remember has ever stayed in these rooms. Well, save for a doctor friend o’ mum’s that came to visit when Edan was little an’ helped Mum set up things after the new wing was built. So who are the flowers an’ the fire waitin’ for? When no one we’ve seen has stayed here since I was born?”

“Did you ask her?” Fia breathed. She took the opportunity to move a tad bit closer to him and marveled at how he always smelled as though he’d just gotten out of the bath. Heavenly. Cedar and spices and pine. 

Alex laughed. “Oh, hell no. She’s made it clear that the rooms were off limits, an’ we’d just broken in. An’ we were already in a bit o’ trouble after swipin’ some rather expensive brandy an’ gettin’ a wee bit drunk on it. We thought she wouldnae notice, but apparently she could smell it on Edan’s breath an’ he was stumblin’ a bit.” He shook his head. “Lightweight.”

Fia laughed. “I bet she often reflects on how much she enjoys having sons.” Alex gave her a crooked smile.

“So, we start snoopin’ aroun’. Lots o’ books on medicine, an’ texts in languages we cannae read. Nothin’ in the drawers or armoires. But Edan finds this at the bottom o’ an otherwise empty trunk, and pockets it. It’s odd an’ we were curious. He wanted to research it a bit, hopin’ it will give us a clue about what she’s doin’ wit’ these rooms. We leave, an’ lock the door again. An’ he starts divin’ inta mum’s history books, lookin’ for somethin’ like it." He raised an eyebrow. “An’ as he carried it about on his person, that’s when he started thinkin’ it was bringin’ him luck.”

“You lie!” Fia giggled, giving him a friendly shove on the arm. “You’re making this up to make me think it’s lucky so I won’t be nervous tonight!”

“No, I swear by the Almighty Father it’s true!” Alex said. “My hand to God! We went fishin’ the next day an’ the rest of us lads get no a thing, an’ Edan lands fourteen fish. Just him. Two days later, we’re out huntin’ wit’ some friends, an’ he looks up in a tree an’ sees a jar stuck in a knothole. We met at this place all the time an’ had never seen it before. A big blue glass jar, aye? I climb up an’ fetch it, an’ all of us try an’ open it, an’ we’re all sayin’ whoever can get the lid off can keep whatever’s inside. But no one can budge it until Edan takes it. Then it opens right up, an’ stuffed inside is a piece o’ parchment, blank, wrapped aroun’ a stack o’ French banknotes. Not only do they turn out to be old, but their value has gone up. Mum helped him sell them to a collector an’ it was more than enough money to buy him the horse he’d been wantin’. An’ then, three days after that, a friend o’ Edan’s whose father travels a fair bit offered to take the coin home wit' him an’ see if his Da could identify it. So Edan loans the token to him. On the way home Murphy’s walkin’ by the mill. Someone's doin’ target practice nearby an’ a bullet goes astray. It hits Murphy’s hat an’ puts a hole in it, but he doesnae have a scratch on him. Two inches to one side, an’ he’d a’ been dead.”

“Holy shite,” Fia exclaimed. “But why does this coin seem to have my name on it?”

“Well, that’s no your name exactly,” Alex said, gesturing at the coin. “We found out that ‘Fea’ is a name for a Celtic Goddess. One o’ The Morrigan’s sisters, or maybe part o’ The Morrigan herself somehow. Fea’s a war goddess too, an’ Edan read she has somethin’ to do wit’ burial mounds in Ireland. That’s a ruby an’ hemlock, see, an’ both o’ those are supposed to be signs o’ The Morrigan. So it’s from an Irish tribe, we think.” He quickly made the sign of the cross. “Best no to let yer Mum see ye wit’ this, it isnae a Christian thing. She’ll think I’m givin’ ye somethin’ from the Devil himself.”

Fia ran her thumb over the raised hemlock leaves. “So carrying this is probably a sin?”

Alex nodded. “Oh, most definitely, I’d say.”

She looked up and met his eyes. “Then why do you and Edan still have it?”

He laughed, and she saw a mischievous glint in his eye. “‘Cause it works. It’s a mighty powerful charm. Edan left it in my room this mornin’ when we were studyin’. I put it in my coat to return it to him when he comes back from Ramsay House wit’ Da this afternoon. But I dinnae think he’ll mind ye borrowin’ it. Just pass it back to me after the service tonight.” Another half-smile from him. “Unless you’re scairt to use it, o’ course.”

And then, as Fia ran her thumb over the textured metal once more and thought of how much she adored Alex, she noticed something different appear in his eyes. A new sort of…interest. He wasn’t just looking at her face. He was completely focused on her, as if somehow all of his surroundings had vanished and she was the only thing he could look at. The only thing he wanted to look at. And then she heard his breath catch, as if he was seeing her for the first time and had found something captivating in the depths of her eyes.

What is happening? Fia thought as a flood of excitement flowed through her veins. He’s…staring at me as if he’s in love with me. Despite what she had told Anne, the truth was that she had been attracted to Alex, intensely attracted, for nearly two years. He was the first and only young man she’d thought of with any romantic intention, but he’d never showed the slightest indication that the feelings went both ways. Like most other boys his age, his thoughts were occupied with hunting, horses, and hounds, gaining increased access to alcohol and money, and joining in on his friends’ ridiculous and often dangerous adventures. As a Laird’s son his interests also included finding his place in the clan and advancing himself in the world at large, jumping at any chance to travel and expand his reach. Alex was also a renowned bookworm like his mother, intrigued by foreign and strange cultures and the stories they produced. Every young girl Fia knew swooned over Alexander Scott, but Alex didn’t even seem aware that most of them existed. Fia counted herself lucky that he at least talked to her.

Maybe it’s the coin, Fia thought, closing it in her fist. Is it making my luck with him change?

“Scared to use it?” Fia answered, looking deep into his eyes and lowering her voice into a more intimate register. “I’m not scared of anything, Alexander Scott.”

He lowered his voice a bit more. “Is that so?” He put out his hand and slowly closed it over the one in which Fia gripped the coin. “So maybe ye dinnae need it, then, if you’ve suddenly found yer courage for tonight.”

He is touching my hand, Fia thought, her mind racing. Those beautiful, strong fingers I’ve watched strum the guitar a thousand times are touching my hand. And he’s close enough that if I wanted to, I could probably just lean forward a bit and kiss him. Her mind reeled at the thought. First, kissing Alex was something she’d thought about at least a dozen times a day since she’d turned fifteen, and the idea of that fantasy becoming reality was intoxicating. And second, she was picturing herself gliding into all of the holiday gatherings this week and telling every girl her age that she’d kissed Laird Scott’s handsome son in her parlor on Christmas Eve. The social implications of that were staggering. No one else in her circle would have any news to compete with that. Her popularity would skyrocket.

“I think I’ll hold onto it for now,” she said breathlessly. “While I’m not afraid, it never helps to have an extra bit of luck on your side.” He has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. That gray is like silver snow clouds on Christmas morning. Am I imagining this? Is he just teasing me? She wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to make a move and possibly humiliate herself if he moved away, but if she didn’t try something she’d never know if it might have worked.

She thought she felt the coin move in her left hand. No, she was certain of it. It felt as though it was urging her forward. Fine. Here goes. She’d never kissed a boy before. She’d always imagined Alex making the first move when she’d thought about it. I need to say something. Test the waters. “Come to think of it,” she whispered to him, leaning forward, “I’m feeling luckier already.”

She saw him glance down, and marveled at the contours of his face for a moment before realizing what he was doing. She’d been trying on gowns when he’d arrived, searching for the perfect thing to don for her performance, and the one she’d left on when he’d arrived was one of Anne’s. It was a gorgeous bottle-green silk, and while it draped elegantly on her sister’s willowy form, on Fia’s body it tended to hug her much more curvaceous bosom and plunge dramatically between her breasts. Alex’s eyes were only on her chest for a heartbeat before rising back up to her face, but that quick appreciative glance built all the confidence Fia needed to make a move. He absolutely just looked at my body and began breathing faster. I am one hundred percent certain of it.

Here goes. This is either going to be amazing or a disaster. 

She reached up with her right hand, and traced his cheekbone lightly with her thumb.  An adoring gesture. She was aware that she was holding her breath and gripping the coin in her left hand so tightly that its edges were pressing into her skin. And Alex's eyes were locked on her own, and she could practically see him making a decision.

And then, to her surprise and delight, he was moving towards her. One hand putting a gentle but firm pressure on one side of her neck, and the other cradling her opposite cheek. And Fia breathed in shallowly and sharply in anticipation as she realized he was holding her so he could lean forward and let his lips touch hers.

Fia was certain that dozens of butterflies had just burst from her spine. It was a sweet kiss, a respectful and tender kiss, and she was so dazzled by his proximity and by the fact that he was reaching for her that she was also sure that the room was spinning around her. And then things changed. Changed in a way she was wholly unprepared for.

He kissed her again. But this one was completely different. The first kiss had held the slight hesitancy of an inexperienced lover; this one was anything but that. He kissed her harder this time, and now his touch was stronger, as if the kiss was a prelude to something much more personal and revealing. He wasn't kissing her like a mannerly and well-bred sixteen-year-old boy anymore. He was kissing her like a young man who was after something. Oh my God, thought Fia. I want to be with him so much. All of her nerves cracked with electricity. She found that she'd put her right hand on the back of his shoulder and was trying to drag him closer. And then he was kissing her again, deeper this time, and Fia opened up her mouth to him with enthusiasm as he moved his hands to her back and pulled her roughly against him. 

Sweet Mary, Mother of God! Fia couldn't believe this was happening. Quiet, contemplative Alexander Scott, who often blushed and wouldn't meet her eyes when she gave him a playful compliment, was now holding her as if he fully expected to progress straight to tearing her dress off in the middle of the parlor and deflowering her in full view of both of their mothers, who were in the sitting room across the hall sipping tea before the fireplace and laughing. He was kissing her as if he'd been fantasizing about her every night, kissing her as if he thought only she could satisfy a hunger that was boiling inside him. He'd tangled the fingers of his right hand in her hair and was returning to her again and again as though he'd been starving for her attention. This is no longer a first kiss. This is pure passion. This is lust.

Fia wanted to touch him more too. She wanted it so much that she forgot she was holding something as she moved to pull him closer, and the coin slipped from her grasp and fell to the parlor rug next to her feet.

She glanced down, startled, and heard Alex gasp next to her as though he'd been underwater and had just come up for air. She spied the coin among the patterns on the carpet and quickly picked it up before turning back to Alex to discover that he was staring blankly into space. Fia watched him, her heart in her mouth. And then she observed him close his eyes for a full five seconds, take a deep breath, and then shake his head slightly as if he'd just lost his place while reading.

“I'm…sorry, Fia,” he said slowly. “What were we talkin' about?”

Fia stared at the coin in her hand and her heart plummeted. Bewitched. This thing is bewitched. She'd never forget for the rest of her life what it felt like to be wanted desperately by Alexander Scott, but it appeared he’d already forgotten her. She arranged her expression to try and mask the deep disappointment she felt.

“You…you said you'd loan me Edan's charm. After I told you I was nervous about singing tonight.” She was watching his face carefully for any traces that he might remember having kissed her moments before, but it appeared the entire incident had never happened for him. He gave her a friendly smile. This coin. Holy shite, it made Alex kiss me.

 “Aye, ye dinnae have to be nervous about that. I’ve heard ye practicin’ with Anne loads o’ times.” He shook his head slightly again. “You’ve the most lovely voice, Fia Grace. An’ my father thinks so too, an’ he’s hard to impress. You’ve nothin’ to worry about.”

This was news to Fia, and buoyed her spirits somewhat. “Really? Laird Scott thinks I can sing?” 

“Aye. You were out in the garden with Killian last summer, singin’ away, an’ he heard ye an’ said, “My, that lass is raisin’ my spirits. They should use more o’ her on Sundays.”

And despite losing Alex's amorous attention, this bit of news cheered Fia immensely. “I can do this,” she breathed. “I can. The Laird thinks I’m talented.” And he heard me singing when I wasn't holding this coin. And just because Alex didn't kiss me of his own volition today doesn't mean he won't someday. I have a mission now. I'm going to find a way to make Alex want me when this charm isn't around. A way to be with him. Forever.

“Aye,” Alex grinned, and patted her reassuringly on the arm. “I’d best go an’ remind Mum o’ the time, an’ get her headed towards home. Dinnae worry any more, Fia. Tonight was meant to be.” 

…….

Thank you so much for reading, everyone! And don't forget to check out the two conferences I am at in November...Hallowed Homecoming at https://hallowedhomecoming.com/ (I'm the "special guest" teacher this year!) and also Mystic Fire...where I'll be leading the Lilith Path! https://www.mysticfire.org/paths .

Registration is now open!

May your footsteps be blessed and may you walk in safety and balance...

Tava