"A relative you say?"

I stirred the orange liquid in my cauldron, throwing in a handful of enchanted aloe leaves. It hissed as they disappeared beneath the surface, bubbles rising from the reaction within. I continued the stirring with a large wooden spoon, looking up at the woman who had found me.

She wore a black skirt, the hem lengthened with spiderwebbed fabric. A corset style top covered her chest, equally black with a pair of white skulls. Her arms were uncovered, a tattoo of twisting vines running done her left shoulder to her elbow. With pale skin, and dark makeup, she had the appearance of a would be dead person.

"Yes, I am sure of it. My many times great-grandmother was your sister, Martha."

I thought of my long dead sister. She had not the spark I had, but it never bothered her. Brave and gentle, she had raised a good family. But her husband had decided he loved her no more. A cruel man, he spread lies of her being a witch. But the time I heard about it, and went to find her, she had already been put to the stake.

I pulled myself out of those dark memories. Even after all this time, I could picture her face perfectly. This woman, who claimed to be my relative, had a vague resemblance. Looks however, could be deceiving.

A glance at my brewing showed the bright orange to be deepening in colour now. Nodding to myself I set the spoon to stir itself, brushing my hands as I stepped around the cauldron. The woman watched it with wide eyes, as I moved away.

"Remind me, what is your name?"

She forced herself to look at me, adjusting her top.

"It's Sarah, Sarah Butcher."

I nodded, reaching for a shelf. It was a fairly empty one, with a few crystals and a worn bag. The bag was my target, or rather its contents. Dipping a hand in, I gathered up the stones within, gripping tight.

"May spirits guide the light, such that the truth shines bright."

With that I took out my hand, launching the stones through the air. They spun across the room, before settling into a large circle around us, lazily spinning. The runes I had engraved on them gave off a white light, as my spell activated.

"Show me Sarah Butcher."

The light on one rune was pulled away, surrounding Sarah. I nodded, pleased that her name was true.

"Show me Sarah Butcher's ancestors."

The glow around her vanished, instead creating a cloud-like apparition before me. On it I saw faces slip by, as each one of her past family was shown to me. I let it play, before seeing Martha appear.

"Show me the blood tie between us."

The cloud vanished, as a drifting red thread faded into view between us. It was thin, as to be expected through such time. But the thread was there, proving her to be of my kin.

"Show me Sarah Butcher's spark."

The thread shattered, coalescing into a small flame. At first it was yellow, as most were. But it flickered, going to red, then blue, before finally becoming green. I gave a small smile, letting the spell fade. I guided the rune stones back onto their bag, meeting Sarah's gaze.

"Is... is my spark not good enough? Is it too small?"

I gave her a light chuckle, shaking my head.

"Ah, the spark. The size is not the issue dear. Its the colour I need. Yours is green, the colour of life. The colour of nature. The colour of witches."

It had been a long time since I had had an apprentice. It had been a long time since I had heard of a new member to the Coven. The Trials had sent us into hiding. Maybe it was time to take our first steps outside of it.

"I would be happy to teach you our ways."