A Secret History of Witches

by Louisa Morgan

“Because men believe it’s their right to tell women how to live. They tell us who to marry, what to wear, when to go out and when to stay. Some men beat their wives, and no one speaks a word about it. But despite all the power they hold over us, they feel powerless against our kind. We resist. We cause things to happen. We interfere with their plans, with what they think

is the natural order. That frightens them. Men hate being afraid, so they hate us instead.”

Who cares what men think?”

“Morwen, this is the way life is. It is both too long and much too brief, sometimes sweet, often bitter. Try not to feel bad about it. Remember that we women of the craft have more power over it than most. And remember that there is power in words. Power in ritual.”

“I won’t be far away,” her grandmother assured her. “Just look into the stone, ma petite. I’ll be there.”