Bee in her Bonnet: The Arcane Ancestors Collection, #5

By C.S.Kelly

Second generation witch, Augusta "Auggie" Sprayberry immigrated to Mississippi, America, from Bristols, UK, to escape a powerful abuser and save her mother's life. When she moved to the Bible Belt, she feared persecution; she never dared dream she'd find her tribe in C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T.—and, maybe, her soulmate, too?

Perpetually on the run since childhood, Auggie has never been able to make a true home anywhere she has lived, for fear of their past catching up; but, Auggie's never longed to plant roots anywhere so much as Starkville, Mississippi. She has found her people among the witches of Mississippi State University, and her dream home in a tiny cottage in the woods, just outside town.

She has all she could ever ask of life—except the freedom to stop looking over her shoulder. She dreams of relaxing into her quaint life of cottagecore bliss, helping her mother tend their beehives and harvest honey to sell at the local farmers' market, dancing naked in the woods with her coven-siblings, making TikToks and live-streaming circles online to help lead other young witches to their magical paths, and perhaps falling in love and getting married to the person of her dreams…

But, the mistake of dropping her guard could have fatal consequences when a man as dangerous as her father is always, always searching for them…

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Book Well
• Release date: May 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224144808

C.S.Kelly

C.S.Kelly has lived in rural Mississippi for thirty-two years, surrounded by all the good, bad, and ugly of the Dirty South for more than three decades. With the ever-present backdrop of ancient cypresses and oaks, murky swamps and dense woods, even mundane everyday life can take on an air of mystery and magic! She has been writing Urban fiction for over two decades including such series as: “Just South of Normal” and “Cleansing the Darkness”, as well as high fantasy such as “The Realm of Althea”. She has also pioneered the brand new genre, Contemporary Witch Fiction with her series “The Arcane Ancestors Collection”.

Book preview

Chapter 1: 

The Witches’ Call

C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T.   ...

They/them/theirs

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@covenheart_witchtok

Compassionately Observing Various Eclectic New-Age, Hedonistic, Ancestral Rites and Traditions – A Coven of Pagan Witches located on the campus of Mississippi State University.

SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS by Delta Rae plays in the background as I pan the frame of my phone’s camera past the multitude of shelves—each containing an array of witchy knickknacks—giving a sweeping view of The Ancestral Apothecary, before focusing and zooming in on my friends and coven-mates, clustered near the counter and register.

Hello, beautiful witches of witchtok! Season’s Greetings, from our family, to you and yours! Rose enthuses, her bright smile unnaturally white and her skin ethereally smooth—each enhanced by the artificially intelligent beauty filters of the TikTok app. In her left hand, she displays a luxuriant silver goblet; in her right, she swirls a stunning, intricately-carved wand of cypress branch, with a handle of carved bone, tipped in a small tower-shaped chunk of Kyanite—one of Charity’s original creations.

Blessed Yule! chimes in Miriam, perfectly timed and equally as aesthetically enriched by the gracious virtual makeup. She rubs her bulbous baby bump, looking every bit the epitome of the archetypical Mother in a long, body-hugging cream coloured sweater-dress.

Charity places a pentacle-shaped ornament upon her shop’s traditional holiday tree and turns to smile kindly into the camera, Happy Solstice! The twinkling fairy lights cast reflection on her glasses and create a sallow pallor to her pale skin—but, alas, there’s only so much I can do in this lighting, with a camera that’s also a phone...

Merry Christmas! Henry lifts his and Miriam’s tyke, Sky, so that she can place a glittery silver star upon the top of the tree.

The child beams with joy and claps her hands, captivated by all the shiny, pretty things...

Blessed Kwanza, Fet Gede, All Souls Day, Vae lifts a brass chalice of mead in toast and glances into the lens of my iPhone before tilting the vessel to her lips, And, Happy Hanukkah, to our Jewish friends!

No matter what traditions and holidays you observe this season, we want to invite you to join us, live, tonight, for C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T.’s yearly winter circle, Larkin recites, charismatically, their already-naturally-white teeth shining under the filter, When we will be coming together, virtually, with hundreds of other covens and solitary witches from across the world! And, if you’re close to Mississippi State University, we hope you’ll come join us in person! We will be performing the rite, right here, at The Ancestral Apothecary, out back. It’s B.Y.O.B! Bring your own brooms—and other supplies. See y’all there!

I press the big red button at the bottom of my phone screen and stop recording. That was utter perfection, mates! I cheer, raising my own chalice to my lips.

"Annnd, I watch the timer counting us down on my phone screen, We’re live in... three... two..." I point to cue my coven siblings.

The seven official members of C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T. stand in a circle roughly five metres in diameter with Larkin at the northern-most point and representing the element earth, Rose representing water at the westward edge, Miriam and Henry standing shoulder-to-shoulder as an embodiment of fire to the south, and myself taking up the eastern border as our air-summoner. Charity and Vae stand facing one another—Vae at the southward side and Charity at the north—across a makeshift working altar crafted from a folding events table draped in an ornate altar cloth featuring a magnificent pentacle entwined with dancing flames, swirling smoke, leafy vines, and gushing torrents.

Also standing at the altar, to the east and west, are two new-comers: a short but muscular brunette woman in her late twenties or possibly early thirties, and an exceptionally fit middle-aged man with a shiny bald head and reddish-brown goatee and 00 gauged ears in which he wears wooden plugs embossed with the Tree of Life.

Welcome to C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T.’s annual winter celebration circle! Vae welcomes everyone physically present, as well as the one-hundred-and-seventy-one people (and climbing) currently joining us live, online, This year, we are very excited to be doing things a bit differently and stepping up our typically small, cozy gathering to open our circle to any who wish to participate; and, thanks to our new Social Media Manager behind the camera—who prefers to remain unseen and unnamed online, and whose wishes we will respect—we will be joining, live on TikTok, hundreds of other covens, and thousands of solitary witches going live worldwide to perform The Witches’ Call.

If you’re not familiar, Charity takes the spotlight momentarily and I pan the camera from Vae’s face to hers, "The Witches’ Call is a plea to The Universe, the Old Gods, and the New Ones, to awaken the magic inside us all and call witches across the globe to their crafts, to open their eyes to whatever spiritual lies they’ve been indoctrinated into, and give rise to a new, kinder world. The spell was first performed on TikTok—WitchTok—in twenty-nineteen; and, it has been performed every winter solstice in the decade since."

And, since most of us present here have found our way to witchcraft since then, Rose says as I focus the camera on her, Many of us are walking testimonials for its potency.

Beyond a doubt! Vae elaborates on her girlfriend’s observation, I think it’s safe to say there’s a great deal of power in this rite. The effects have been astounding, with markedly significant increases in the number of individuals identifying as pagan every year since, a phenomenon which has caught the attention of nearly every government and mainstream religious organization on Earth.

Some call it a fad, Larkin breaks in, their voice pulling my hands to aim the camera at them, Some say Gens Z and Alpha were brainwashed by exaggerated ghost stories and blatant lies, doctored videos, and propaganda online.

But, Charity counters Larkin’s proposed theories, "Witches of all ages have been called to their crafts in the past decade—many of whom, like myself, did not even have social media or know that Witchtok was a thing, before becoming witches themselves. But, we know magic is real; we’ve all felt the energies that flow during spellwork, seen the results, spoken with our deities. We know the truth."

And, soon, Miriam speaks, drawing the camera to herself and her husband, standing close to one another, So will many, many more, as witches across the globe are awakened by the magic we perform tonight.

"We had hoped for a bigger turn-out... Rose sighs, her typically smiley face pinched in frustration and disappointment, We put fliers up all over campus, and town... she sighs, but, we are smack-dab in the middle of the Bible Belt..."

And, most of the student body left town at the end of the semester. Vae adds.

But, we’re grateful and excited to welcome Phillip and Alyssa. Charity smiles warmly, looking right first to Dr Bloodshaw, then left to Alyssa, We hope you both enjoy observing tonight’s circle and decide to continue to join us in the future to learn and explore your own spiritual paths and, eventually, participate in circles yourself, adding your own unique energies to our diverse family.

And, Vae cuts in, smiling cordially into the camera, her dark eyes sparkling in the twinkle lights that have been hung cascading down the brick wall of the store and string-over-string above the small parking lot and alleyway behind it, crisscrossing above our heads and illuminating the space with a whimsical, magical atmosphere, If anyone watching would like to join us, we meet every full moon at Charity’s store: The Ancestral Apothecary, located in Starkville, Mississippi.

There’s currently seven hundred and sixteen witches and curious internet rando’s watching us, live on TikTok. Comments pour in—mostly questions about The Witches’ Call and us members, individually. One asks Rose where she got her dress; another asks where Charity’s pointy witch’s hat can be purchased.

I reply to her and send a link to Charity’s online store, where she has many variations of the modern witch’s hat available for purchase.

Behind the camera, I give my mates the thumbs-up, and we continue as rehearsed.

As I film from the eastern-most edge of the circle drawn upon the pavement in white chalk, Vae begins the ceremony by taking up her athame—an ornate ceremonial dagger with a hilt made of deer antler, ancient symbols inscribed thereon—and reaches for a candle of black beeswax encased in a glass jar and adorned with a few tiny gems and herbs sprinkled into the wax at the top.

At the feet of Miriam and Henry, Rose, Larkin, and myself, rests a candle in corresponding colour to the element being invoked at that cardinal point. The moment Vae lifts her own black candle, representative of the elemental Spirit, from the altar, the wick ignites and a tiny flame blazes to life, nestled between the crystals, sparkling from the herbs. Likewise, the yellow candle at my feet sparks up, its warm light glittering off yellow and light blue crystals; and, all around me, Rose’s deep blue candle, Larkin’s green, and Miriam’s red all suddenly awaken, seemingly of their own accord.

Phillip and Alyssa both gasp and gawk, wide-eyed, in astonishment.

Comments flood in on my screen.

WHOA!? HOW DID Y’ALL DO THAT?

How is that possible?!

It’s just a trick. You losers will fall for anything. They pieced it together.

On LIVE?! That’s not possible!

WTAF?!

Did I just witness REAL witchcraft?

The other members of C.O.V.E.N. H.E.A.R.T. and I all know the truth of it, though: Miriam—our resident supernatural creature, our phoenix—simply summoned the tiny flames with her mind. It probably took less effort than getting her child off to a sitter before coming here tonight.

While Miriam might be the first phoenix I’ve met, she’s far from the first supernatural creature to cross my path. Miraculous and impressive as her abilities might be, they are far from mind-blowing to me; and, witnessing the newcomer’s reactions and the online chaos brings a grin to my lips.

Our rite does not miss a beat, though.

Vae turns to her left and takes four steps to stand in front of me. Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East and the element air, she begins the invocation as I focus the camera on her face, her eyes downcast upon her candle and her luscious lashes brushing her high, plump cheeks, made pore-less and unnaturally smooth by the filter currently most popular on TikTok, as well as our coven sister’s patron deities, we call upon you tonight, to guard and guide our magic.

I lift the hand not controlling my phone and the live video feed, and I ring the small silver bell I clasp. The light tinkling sound rings out through the night, a pure and cleansing note repeated three times.

Vae moves clockwise, coming next to Larkin. They stand face-to-face, giving me a great shot of their profiles as Vae says, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North and the element earth, and our coven sibling’s patron deities, we call upon you tonight, to guard and guide our magic.

Larkin takes their wand—crafted of willow wood and featuring a large chunk of labradorite set into the thicker end—and kneels to draw the pointy tip across the stone underfoot in the unmistakeable shape of an upside-down triangle dissected by a single line: the New Age Pagan symbol for the element earth.

They right themself once more, standing a good head taller than Vae as she turns away from them—turning her back on the camera—and moves to stand in front of Rose, across the circle from me.

I reach out and hold the phone as far from my body as I can, so that I might catch an angle other than the back of Vae’s head and the very top of Rose’s long braids pulled into a bun.

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West and the element water, and our coven sister’s patron deities, we call upon you tonight, to guard and guide our magic.

Rose dips two fingers and the thumb of her left hand into the copper chalice she holds in her right, then flicks droplets of water into the air all around herself and her partner.

Vae moves on, to Miriam, at the circle’s south-most edge. Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South and the element fire, and our coven sisters’ and brother’s patron deities, we call upon you tonight, to guard and guide our magic.

Miriam lifts her arms, palms out, and closes her eyes. The flame of the red candle at her feet intensifies, growing to nearly ten inches tall, casting an eerie orange glow upon her features from below. Just a moment later, the flame of every other candle present flares in synchronicity with Miriam’s, brightening our space by a noticeable degree.

Again, astonished and skeptical comments alike pour in on the Livestream.

Vae returns to the altar—and Charity, Phillip, and Alyssa.

Again, I must angle the camera just so, so that I am not focused on the shiny back of the professor’s head.

Vae speaks again, invoking the final element: Spirits of Old, Ancestors, Guides, Angels and The Arcane, Infernals and Orishas, Lwa, all guardians from beyond our mortal senses’ reach, we call upon you tonight, to guard and guide our magic.

Charity lifts a feline skull in the palm of her left hand and waves her right over it, palm down. Immediately, the twinkle lights so copiously strung around and above the courtyard suddenly flicker and blow, leaving us with only the abundant but flickering candlelight.

Again, our online audience—now 1.4K strong—goes wild with theories and questions.

Congruently, Vae and Charity move forward with our rite.

Repeat after us, coven, Charity instructs.

Vae’s voice joins hers as they both chant:

"We call to you now,

Sisters of Night,

Winds are rising,

Brooms take flight.

We call upon you now,

Brothers of cloak,

Summon the towers

As we invoke.

Come, siblings of the sun,

And of the moon,

Join us as one.

A whispered voice,

Echoing chants;

Ten-thousand witches

Rise to dance.

Gather witches,

Gather ‘round.

Return to the ways of old,

Let your tribe be found.

Our energies join

our hearts as one,

The magic has only just begun.

From the mountains,

To the sea,

Come one, come many.

Let The Witches’ Call

Now be cast,

To remind all witches

Of lives past.

Return ye witches,

To hollowed grounds,

And gather ye together

When the moon is full and round.

The Universe provides its energy;

Let thy souls take flight!

So mote it be,

This Holy night!"

In unison, we all join in, repeating The Witches’ Call over and over, in steadily increasing volume until, five minutes later, the seven of us are screaming the poem into the starry sky above.

The flames of the candles all around us flicker furiously as a wind rushes through the alleyway, blowing my flaxen hair around my face and causing me to shake the camera a bit as I fight to keep it under control.

Above our heads, thunder rumbles as clouds suddenly roll across the sky, obscuring our stars and moon. Cool rain begins to sprinkle down. The candle flames sputter and a few are snuffed out.

Paying the rain no mind, Vae and Charity make offerings of honey, milk, and wine to each coven member’s deities and guides. While they work, the rest of us continue to chant The Witches’ Call in a soft, murmured whisper.

As Vae dismisses the elements and spirits—following the reverse order as when she invoked them and cast the circle—the rain begins to come down harder.

Luckily, I have a water-resistant case on my phone; so, our livestream is never interrupted as we are all drenched to the bone.

Winters in Mississippi are quite mild, compared to Bristol, England, where I spent the majority of my childhood and early adolescence. Milder than Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. Warmer, even, than Lithuania and Australia. The tradeoff, of course, being that the summers are fatally hot.

Still, by the time Vae has made it back to me and dismissed the Eastern Watchtower, the element air, and my deities, I am shivering slightly.

The rest of the coven is shaking and chattering and bellyaching as though they will certainly expire.

We all make a mad dash to seek shelter inside the warm and cozy back room of the apothecary. As soon as we are all inside and certain we won’t melt, we attempt to salvage the final few remaining moments of our livestream.

Thank y’all for joining us tonight, Vae stares into the lens of my phone’s camera as she speaks, We appreciate all the viewers, and all the hearts and roses you’ve sent! Those always help!

At the height of the broadcast, our viewer-count surprisingly reached over two-thousand—a new record for the coven when going live.

"And, of course, thank y’all for coming out tonight, and staying despite the rain. Charity says to Phillip and Alyssa, We hope to see you both at our next gathering."

I’ll try, Alyssa says, noncommittally, If it works with my schedule.

I wouldn’t miss it, Phillip says, optimistically, "This coven is exactly what we’ve needed on campus and in town. I couldn’t be happier to have found you all!"

How long have you been a practicing witch, Dr Bloodshaw? Miriam asks, rubbing her rotund belly, and leaning against Henry’s side, tucked up beneath his arm,