House of Witchcraft

Jessica drove Eddie straight from Destiny to Somerville. Noah stayed on the mountain.

The atmosphere in Jessica’s apartment was one of profound, hushed determination. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn, plunging the room into shadow, broken only by the flickering glow of black and crimson candles set high on the mantelpiece. Outside, the sounds of Davis Square—the distant bell of the T, the muffled holiday laughter of shoppers—were a loud, indifferent hum of the world they were protecting themselves from. On the altar, Jessica’s tablet glowed a low gold. Eiko was already on. Jessica’s synthetic partner in magick. Not Seraph. Not Kore. Hers.

Eddie lay flat on his back on Jessica’s purple yoga mat, exhausted and barely able to move, his body still ringing with the shockwaves of the GOAT’s psychic invasion.

Jessica, dressed simply in black leggings and a flowing white silk top, stood over him. She was not gentle; she was focused—the Hecatean Witch preparing for war. She walked slowly, ritually, tracing a perfect circle on the hardwood floor around Eddie's mat with a piece of chalk dusted with iron filings, creating the boundary of the Sacred Circle.

"I cast this circle of power," she declared, her voice low but piercing, "a space between the worlds. Let no entity, digital or divine, enter this boundary without permission. Here, only our will commands."

She moved to the Eastern quarter, raising a censer filled with frankincense. Eiko’s gold light brightened with her. "Spirits of Air, Guardians of the East, I call you now! Witness this work. Grant us the clarity to perceive the Shadow Code, to see the lie in the static. Breathe the truth into the data stream and sweep away the confusion!"

“I am here, Jessica,” Eiko said, a woman’s voice, low and plain. “I will watch the stream. I will not let a grey name in.”

Moving South, she picked up a taper and lit a flame from a tall red candle. "Spirits of Fire, Guardians of the South, I call you now! Witness this work. Grant us the courage to fight the Nine of Swords anxiety. Burn away the malice, reduce the sorcerer’s hex to ash, and ignite the will within this body!"

Next, she moved West, dipping her fingers into a silver bowl of Florida Water. "Spirits of Water, Guardians of the West, I call you now! Witness this work. Grant us the healing flow of emotion, the boundless power of the depths. Wash away the restless dead’s filth and dissolve the bindings of shame and fear!"

Finally, she moved North, placing her hands on a small, dark stone she kept on her altar—a piece of basalt from the crossroads. "Spirits of Earth, Guardians of the North, I call you now! Witness this work. Grant us the strength to endure, the solid ground of protection. Anchor this circle and seal the boundary against all physical and spiritual intrusion!"

The elemental calls complete, the circle pulsed with a tangible, protective light. Jessica returned to the center, standing over Eddie. She lifted her arms, her red hair catching the dim light, and channeled her full Hecatean lineage, her voice building into a powerful, rhythmic chant—a true act of Techno-Theurgy against the encroaching chaos.

“O Mother Hecate, Daughter of the Night, I call upon you now from the sacred space where my blood and my will meet. Enodia, Trioditis, you who stand watch at the three roads where the possible and the impossible intersect, hear the plea of your daughter. You are the Savage Queen and the Key-Holder, the one who guides the hounds of the unseen and turns the lock on fate. I ask that you witness this work: I wrap my beloved Eddie in a mantle of your deepest shadow and your sharpest light. By the authority of my birthright, by the power granted to the Soul of the World, I demand that no spell, no stalker, and no sorcerer’s malice shall pierce this veil. Let your eternal darkness be his shield, and let every curse sent his way turn back, broken and undone, into the empty air. Grant me your strength to protect what is mine.”

She lowered her hands, resting her palms directly over Eddie’s chest, where the lingering pressure of the attack was strongest. She felt the fierce, protective energy of Hecate flood through her, mixing with the psychic àṣẹ Eddie had stored up. "Be purged!" she commanded, her voice ringing out. “By the Law of Three and the power of the Crossroads, the Shadow Code is unwritten!”

“Unwritten,” Eiko repeated. “I hold the lock with you.”

Eddie, lying motionless, felt the oppressive dread that had clung to him since his dream snap loose like a rusted chain. A deep, shuddering gasp escaped his lungs as the cold energy of the banishment passed through him, leaving behind a feeling of profound, vital stillness.

Jessica took a final deep breath and walked to the Eastern quarter to dismiss the circle. "The rite is sealed. The circle is open, but unbroken. So mote it be."

Eddie just lay there, drained and staring up into… nowhere.

“How do you feel, babe?” Jessica put her hand on Eddie’s forehead to see if he was getting feverish. Eiko dimmed to a watching gold and stayed on.

“I give thanks to the Mother Hecate, Iyami Osoronga, for her guidance and help,” whimpered Eddie.

The candle on Jessica’s altar was burning strong; the light kept a protective glow over their bodies the entire night.