You can't have her ........

The booming voice, that stopped the world turning for a second and halted carnage from prevailing, came from the tiny frail body of Miss Toulouse, the body was weak but the spirit, as always, was strong. She stood there united with all of her honorary daughters from years past.

Each one of them, she had saved from the cruelties of life.

Now here to return her endless kindness and pure love she had shown them in their moment of need, they united together to become one, here they stand, shoulder to shoulder, this is Miss Toulouse's mini-army.

Evelyn and Phoenix are both poised for battle but frozen by her words.

"You lie" screamed Evelyn "I won't fall for your tricks old woman".

"Bite your tongue, there is no deception from me" Miss Toulouse barked back as she hobbled towards Evelyn and Phoenix until she was standing directly between them "look at her face, she bears the mark of the fire that you cruelly threw her in to, a sacrifice for your vanity".

"Vanity" Evelyn spat back "I will live forever, the most powerful witch that ever to walked this earth, I will bow to no woman, man or beast".

Miss Toulouse broke into hysterical manic laughter, that infuriated Evelyn to her core, her pristine face scrunched up in a scowl she couldn't hide. The emotions she usually hid so well now bubbling up to the surface.

"You still don't get it to do you, none of this was ever about you. He only ever wanted her, he fed your ego and watered your desire for power, so you would give him the only truly good part of yourself .... Your daughter, a pure witch but one who would be reborn of fire - you was played, tricked by the master of deception".

Evelyn looked at the child ablaze in flames and for the first time, she truly saw her, the sins of the mother will be passed down to the child. But Evelyn saw none of this in her, in her firstborn child. What she saw was her beloved mother's face staring back at her, how did she never see this before? and for the first time, in a very long time, she felt pain.

The high wall that she built around herself after her mother's death began to crack with the harsh reality of what she had done and become. Evelyn didn't like this feeling, she would not let this child weaken her she had come too far to let it all slip through her fingers.

"This changes nothing" roared Phoenix her voice heavy and horse "She must die", her once angelic little face now cracking as the skin broke and tore, molten lava bubbled in her veins awaiting to erupt and destroy any last bit of humanity within her.

"It changes everything my darling" Miss Toulouse soothed.

Miss Toulouse quickly reacts, spinning around and raising her walking stick, she strikes Evelyn as hard as she can, the impact raises her off her feet and sends her flying across the garden, like a hurtling meteorite through the sky. She crashes to the ground becoming unconscious on impact. But Miss Toulouse knows this will not stop Evelyn for long.

Defiantly Miss Toulouse tilted her head back and screamed as loud as her voice would permit - so the devil himself would make no mistake in what she was saying "It changes everything, do you hear me you bastard, you can't have her, we won't let you take her".

A rumble of thunder echoes above them, as darkness falls upon their humble little garden - he's heard her words and he isn't happy.

"Now Lola" she screamed, "we must protect Phoenix from herself before it's too late".

Panic washes over Lola like a dark cloak that consumes every rational thought, it doesn't help that everyone who is in the garden's emotions is so erratic and pent up, that it is bombarding Lola, making it impossible to think.

Lola desperately tries to become centred within the ball of chaos, internally quieting all the emotions that are becoming louder and louder as fear builds up inside everyone with every passing second. That's when a flickered memory appears in Lola's mind - the promise that was made while Phoenix was suffering from night terror "It's ok Phoenix, I'm here, I won't leave you".

Lola knows what they need to do.

"Everyone surround Phoenix quickly" The ladies do as they are told and gather around Phoenix in a circle, joined by Lola and Ally, Miss Toulouse stands guard, watching and waiting for Evelyn's next attack.

Red furious ball of flames that holds Phoenix within crackles and hiss angrily, but they all stand firm united together. One by one, they hold each other's hand, absorbing each other's courage as they watch their beloved Phoenix contort and squirm as the flames ravage her.

"It's ok Phoenix, I'm here, I won't leave you, we won't leave you. I know you hurting and you're scared. The darkness is blinding you from the light - so let us be your light, let us lead you home".

At that moment Lola did something that Lola had never done before, instead of absorbing all the emotions of others, Lola pushed out the love that Lola had for Phoenix, releasing all the emotions trapped inside. It started as a warm glow that pulsated over Lola's body, like beautiful warm candlelight, until it grew stronger, gently rippling out, it travelled from hand to hand, passing around the circle, from lady to lady until each person was full of Lola's love for Phoenix.

The circle glowed as it held in Phoenix and her pain, like a mother's womb, they held her safe, sheltering her from the darkness that was consuming the light like a greedy beast outside the circle.

It started as a desperate plea from Ally "You can't have her" until it became a chant, flowing from everyone's lips. The words each time become louder and stronger, every time it is repeated. Until all that could be heard was their voices, these broken but not destroyed souls standing up and telling the devil he won't take their sister.

The thunder above their heads grew more aggressive, furiously crashing and roaring at their defiance. Lighting flashes and dances above them, it savagely cracks down striking Lola, whipping Lola repeatedly across the back, this invisible malevolent force.

Lola staggers but never falls as red welds appeared beneath Lola's shirt and dark red blood oozes out of the painful wounds.
In Lola's love past, physical pain had been endured on many occasions, often resulting in smothering then suffocating any happiness felt by Lola but not today, today it would not taint or destroy the love Lola feels for Phoenix.

The ground beneath them begins to violently shake as if Hell is trying to rise on Earth, the Devil is desperately trying to part the glowing protective circle that encompasses Phoenix.

Bewildered Evelyn rises and stumbles forward but is instantly stopped in her tracks by Miss Toulouse. Who has her stick raised again to fight to the death if needed?

"Do you now see Evelyn? this was never about you, it was always about her. You will never be able to repent for the injustices you've inflicted upon your kind... But it doesn't mean you need to carry on upon this path of destruction. You couldn't save your mother then but you can save your daughter today".

Evelyn watches on as her firstborn child screams out in agony, the fire ripping through her tiny body. Deep-rooted shame that she thought she'd buried within her mind washes over her .... What had she done?
In her quest for eternal life and unlimited power, so she would never become withered and weak as her mother had, she had become the very thing her mother despised; she had walked away from her mother's teachings, the values her mother had to try to instil within her, betrayed her coven and worst of all betrayed her daughter.

Hands raised, eyes rolled to the back of her head so all that can be seen as the whites of her eyes, she stood poised and strong, she called to the Northern winds. The gale whips through the trees, crushing anything in its path as it is drawn to Evelyn, she pulls the mighty winds down to surround the coven in a protective gust that becomes a tornado with Phoenix and the coven safely in the centre.

"I can't hold them in there for long, they need to reach Phoenix before it's too late".

Ally heard these desperate words carried to them upon the winds. She placed the hands of her sisters upon her shoulders so as never to break the circle and stepped forward closer to Phoenix.

Tingle washed over Ally, down her arms to her fingertips. Calmly she lifts her hand and gently waves it over Phoenix's distorted face and her black eyes, desperately trying to reach her through the flames to manipulate her "Phoenix hear my voice, remember who you are, please come back to us.... Feel our light and let it bring you out from the dark".

With that Ally pushes her hands through the furious red flames, the fire bubbles and melts her skin sending agonising pain shooting up her arms as it attacks every nerve, she grabs Phoenix's hands sending a ripple of glowing light through her body to Phoenix's.

The warm glow of love that Lola is expelling out is pushed inside of Phoenix, it drowns out the darkness that is trying to corrupt Phoenix's soul and washes away the red flames like the sea does to the sandy shore until the raging fiery flames turn back to icy blue.

The icy blue flames gather momentum spreading larger, consuming Phoenix and all of the coven, it does not burn them but rather holds them in a protective bubble until it pushes through the wall of wind sending all of the cascading in different directions. Their bodies are scattered around the garden like leaves that have fallen from a tree.