The Circle of Witham Grange

 by E. L. Ravenheart Set against the bleak moors of seventeenth‑century Somerset, The Circle at Witham Grange follows the birth of a supernatural covenant whose consequences echo across centuries. When the English Civil War fractures the kingdom, grief-stricken Cecilia Hopton buries her sister Isolde beneath the ancient yew tree at Witham Grange—a place where ley lines, water tables, and eclipses converge. Isolde’s death is no ordinary passing: she is claimed by the land itself, becoming the first anchor of three awakening spirits—Soil, Blood, and Lost Voice. Drawn by grief, intuition, and forbidden knowledge, six other women join Cecilia to form a clandestine circle. Their ritual, led by the ambitious Katherine Dravelle, binds the spirits to the land and seals a pact that will shape the fates of their descendants. The ritual unleashes dominion across the moors. 

• Soil reshapes the land and the house that will become St Katherine’s House.
• Blood inscribes its covenant into the Dravelle lineage, turning each descendant into a vessel rather than an heir.
• Lost Voice traps the cries and memories of the sacrificed, haunting mirrors, corridors, and dreams.

Centuries later, Eleanor Dravelle inherits St Katherine’s House and discovers she is not merely its mistress but its continuation. The spirits manifest through her—Soil bending the house to her will, Blood pulsing in her veins, and Lost Voice whispering through every reflective surface. Meanwhile, Sebastian Hopton, descendant of Cecilia, arrives determined to break the curse that has bound his family as eternal witnesses. Their confrontation culminates in the east hall, where the thirteenth chair—the axis of the original ritual, demands a new claimant. Eleanor takes the seat, sealing her sovereignty and strengthening the Continuance. Sebastian’s attempt to reclaim the pact only deepens his family’s bondage: Hoptons are not liberators but witnesses, forever compelled to chronicle Dravelle’s dominion. In the aftermath, Eleanor fully embraces her role as the spirits’ vessel. The house grows and shifts around her, the ley line pulses with renewed power, and the Hoptons remain trapped in their hereditary protest. The thirteenth chair waits for future claimants, the spirits endure, and the Continuance becomes an eternal law written in soil, blood, and lost voices. 

This is one in six short stories leading up to the debut novel called The Powers of St. Katherine’s House. You can buy from the buy now button in the store or if you have Kindle unlimited it is free