Empress

- Sounds like a good movie. Werewolf mummies? Or vampires?

Sophie was the one who liked horror movies the most. Heather looked up with little interest. A night in pajamas at home. It was on-call day at the medical clinic and the mother at the market looked out of her way to keep the pantry stocked during her absence.

-There is also this one that was a classic..- Heather picked up from the old movie.

It was one of Sophi's favorite relics. An old VCR that she was always busy fixing. Even with the new technology, she still kept her vast collection of old tapes in a large video library.

She worked with the rarest of antiques while Heather prepared to start high school.

"Dinner menu?" Heather asked out of pure curiosity.

Her mother knew well how to please girls. The shopping bags in the trunk of the car had loafs of bread and canned sardines to be prepared with sauce in a cold pie.

They would probably be alone all weekend. The great-grandmother was already old and bedridden and required care that was impossible in the rural area despite being a beautiful property.

The huge mansion with its rooms that had housed generations of the family now displayed a melancholy sight after only women were left there.

-Films. A good movie or two and nothing... no jokes with...

Sophie's gaze was very steady. Heather liked adventures typical of the age and uncovered the beginnings of magic and it was quite disastrous at times. Playing with luck and invoking the goddesses of Fate at a gaming table needed the gift of vision and concentration. Sophi calmly tried to pass on the knowledge of her ancestors to her younger sister.

- And then we could...

Sophi's smile lit up her face with bright almond-shaped eyes.

-It's all right. I've been looking in grimoires. There are runes and Oracles.

-Interpreting the will of the gods requires several initiations. It is not the same as tossing a coin and knowing the luck or even throwing rocks of salt to find out what the rainy month will be. Our coven...

-Tell me. - She spoke slowly. - You know they always look for us because of charms. What if someone asks for a portion of prosperity and money?

- Blonde. - Heather replied immediately, very pleased with herself.

- It could be better with a portion of laurel and cinnamon enchantment. You need to learn to use the magic of nature in everyday life. Natural witchcraft. Energy emanates from nature with our ancestors. Portions serve for healing charm, harmony, and balance.- Sophi began to explain the most fundamental lessons to her younger sister. She sighed with a captivating smile and went back to reading the writings. - Always infuse when using flowers and leaves with hot water. We never boil the herbs so as not to lose their magical properties. This is done for roots and bark. It's what we call a decoction. The latter need to be cooked. The problem with your exams...

Sophie knew about the disaster at school. Heather in the euphoria of the first year of witchcraft studies had made a bit of a mess. Heather's portions had been done wrong by pouring hot water over the cinnamon sticks. And as for cooking Melissa, Mint and Sage..And natural incenses were the best. Burn branches of herbs. Bringing a box of ready-made, industrialized incense to the school presentation had cost her sister extra work.

-It takes white smoke with the aroma of herbs and not black smoke that brings the smell of burning. Transformation of matter. You can use charcoal to burn them. Unite charcoal with herbs and flowers and transform through fire.

-And as for magic oils..

Heather sighed with a grimace. She had used water, not natural vegetable oil. There were notes in the corner of the page so she would never make the same mistake.

-He is well. This one I know. It can be extracted through heating or simply let it rest naturally.

-And the best ones are jojoba or almond oil. Or coconut.-Sophie added.- The dye came out wrong. Extracts must be concentrated from herbs with alcohol. A pretty pot or bottle doesn't do much good. The compound is volatile, it must remain soluble and stable otherwise it wants to lose its work. Take this one. See what I prepared?

Heather watched her sister take a small bag from a shelf.

-Is it an amulet?

Yup. With herbs and crystals. For protection. Always keep it with you. And don't make a fuss. Fruits are used for portions of enchantments with fertility and abundance. We use the energy of the time seasons connection.

-I am studying. I almost got it right, but that's twelve herbs.

- Witch weed. The tea has twelve herbs: Chamomile, Star Anise and Cinnamon. Lemongrass and Indian Clove, in addition to Lemongrass and orange. Which ones were missing?

-Hibiscus and dried apple. This one I know.

-Missed. She forgot the mint, Rama and Sene. You'll get low grades in Phytochemistry. You need to know the chemical markers alkaloids and saponins.

Heather didn't really appreciate it. She was the type who wanted to go too fast. She would rather be choosing her favorite wood right away and preparing the spoon for the portions.

-I really need to prepare the counter-evil eye portion.

- Rosemary and basil.

-You also need Saint George's Sword, Rue, and Guinea. Don't forget the pepper and with me-nobody-can. You cannot make the portions in half.

Heather knew that too. And she was walking around the store not quite sure how to talk to her sister.

-Sophi, that book about creatures...- Heather tried not to attract too much attention to her sister.

There was something in the attic they'd conjured up in the glass's spell last night.

She quickly needed a wand or staff to act as a catalyst for magic, and she still needed exams for that. The grimoires had different symbols on the hardcovers of the books. And each its meaning. The school housed a huge library of grimoires with magical incantations, rituals and spells. The most classic sources looked for were Hebrew and Egyptian.