The girl behind the counter smiles at you. "My name's Thea Harman, welcome to my shop." Then she pauses to study you before continuing.. "So you want to know more about witches. Have a seat. I have a tale to tell you."

A long, long time ago, in an age where no human living on this earth remembers, the witches once ruled the word. Now I know what you're thinking. The moment I said witch I'm sure a certain image entered a few minds. An old hag, stooped over a big cauldron, mumbling words and stirring a potion that causes smoked to rise into the air, dressed all in black. Her hair is gray and string and is mostly covered by a big, black pointed hat. In fact, this woman is dressed entirely in back, from the point of her hat to the tips of her pointed shoes. As she turns to look at you, she smiles eerily, revealing missing teeth. This, and I must stress how sad I am to disillusion you, is not a witch. She's a figment of man's imagination, a person to blame bad things on. The real witch, a true witch, appears to be a normal person. This witch can be either male or female, thought witches are predominantly female. Maybe the witch dresses in black and maybe not. As you look at the witch closer, you start noticing things. You notice the way the witch moves, as if he or she floats along with a certain grace. Also, you might notice a confidence exuding from the witches or an affinity for crystals or plants or animals. Should you pay really close attention you might notice one more thing. There is an aura of power surrounding the witches. It can be seen in their eyes as the gaze at you or the turn of their head as they look across the room. It can be seen in the way they awake as if from a dream when you call their name. The power floats in and out of the strands in their hair, rests on their fingertips, weeaves into their being. Some witches are beautiful, so beautiful that it hurts almost to look at them. Some are tall some are short. Some are skinny and some aren't. Some are young and some are old. But all those witches, every single one of them, have one thing in common: they are descended from Hecate, Witch-Queen. But allow me to go back in time a bit before I tell my story.

A really long time ago, back in ancient times, there lived a person by the name of Hecate, Witch Queen. Hecate was the leader of the people. She had two daughters by the names of Hellewise and Maya. Most of the people in the tribe could do magic. Today, they would be known as witches. However, like I said before, they weren't the witches that you see during Halloween. These witches were people who had power, the ability to do magic. The magic isn't a magician's kind of magic, that's really just tricks and illusions. This was true magic, magic that came from within. It flowed from within the witch to do what h or she willed.

Now Hellewise, one of Hecate's daughters, was tall with long yellow hair. She was also beautiful as well as smart and strong. Hellewise wasn't known as a witch; she was called a Hearth-Woman. After Hecate died, Hellewise became co-leader of the tribe, along with Maya.

If Hellewise was light, Maya would have been the darkness. She was tall and beatiful and strong, like Hellewise. But Maya's hair was long and black. Maya wanted power, all to herself and didn't like sharing the leadership with Hellewise. She also wanted to live forever.

Since Maya was a witch, she turned to spells to grant her immortality. Hellewise helped her sister in her quest for the spell. After searching and trial and error, the two sisters found a spell to grant immortality. However, Hellewise refused to help Maya do the spell. It required horrible tasks and Hellewise was against the spell. Maya was determined to do it, despite what her sister thought.

The spell involved the killing of babies and the drinking of their blood Hellewise tried to stop her, but Maya managed to do it anyway. After the spell was done, Maya learned that there was still a price that she had to pay, a price that she would continue paying for the rest of her immortal life. She would have to continue drinking the blood of a living creature for the rest of her life. If she didn't, then Maya would die. In truth, Maya had turned herself into a vampire.

After awhile, Maya began biting people in Hellewise's tribe. The people of Hellewise's tribe wanted to fight Maya and the other vampires. Hellewise knew that if they got into a battle that both sides would die. So she put her own life at risk and challenged Maya to a duel. The duel would be a sinlge combat between Maya and Hellewise.

Hellewise didn't want to fight, but she knew she had to in order to save her people. She stood there at the edge of the forset in a white leather shift, waiting for Maya to come. Hellewise knew that even if she won, she would probably die. Still, she stood there and prepared to fight the sister she loved in order to ensure the safety of her people.

Maya came to the forest to fight Hellewsie. It was a horrible fight, the light against the dark. Light triumphed and Maya was driven off, far away from Hellewise's tribe. Hellewise was not so lucky. She was badly wounded during the fight and died.

Hellewise's peopole lived on, in peace. Their freedom was purchased with Hellewise's life. Yet they lived on. The tribe grew and expanded, and survived throughout the ages. All the witches in the world are descended from that tribe. Hellewise is still remembered and greatly admired. However, what is more important is that the witch survived. They lived on, all because one woman stood against her sister and fought for peace.