Disclaimer: Discworld belongs to PTerry, as does as of the characters therein, except the ones that I made up for this story.

AN: it's been awhile I know, midterm season is upon me, and I am feeling its wrath. Hopefully after next week I'll be able to update a little more regularly, but I make no promises.

Circle Time by shrinni

Chapter 4

Sadie emerged from the woods with a huge smile on her face. Power was still crackling in her fingertips, giving her the feeling of invulnerability.

Sadie walked briskly towards the Ogg's home, but stopped when she noticed that all of the villagers were for some reason clustered around their respective gardens, all staring at something intently and muttering to each other.

Curious, Sadie walked over to the nearest garden. "Good afternoon Mrs. Garlick... what is everyone staring at?"

"Look here," snapped Molly Garlick, "Look at what's happened to my cabbages!"

Sadie looked. Right in the middle of Molly's garden all of the cabbages had simply... lain down, forming a neat circle. Stooping down to examine the cabbages, Sadie noted that none of the plants had broken; it was as if they had always grown sideways and no one had noticed it before.

Sadie suddenly felt uneasy. "Mrs. Garlick, how long ago did this happen?"

Molly shrugged. "'Bout and hour ago, give or take."

Sadie turned and started walking towards the Ogg's home again, feeling troubled.

The Lady appeared to me an hour ago, the same time as these... garden-circles. It's too odd to be a coincidence.

There was another circle in the Ogg's garden, but the yard was curiously deserted. Sadie opened the door to the place she never called home. "Hello?" she called softly.

There was no answer. Sadie checked in a closet and noticed that all of the broomsticks were missing.

Mistress Ogg must be really worried if she made everybody go to Bare Mountain, in daylight.

Sadie walked back out the door and set off once again for the woods, but this time she was heading up a different, and mostly unused, path.

On the rare occasions when witches needed to meet they went to Bare Mountain. The reason it was called Bare Mountain was because the top of the mountain rose out of he trees, completely devoid of all but scattered scraggly trees that clung to the windswept rock.

The witches met on Bare Mountain for the very sensible reason that no one ever went there, so it was a good place to meet unobserved.

Unfortunately, without a broom it was a steep and very rocky hike. Sadie arrived at the meeting place pink-faced and out of breath, wisps of hair struggling out of her severe bun to blow about her face in the ever-present wind.

"You're late." snapped Mistress Ogg from her place at the inner circle. She pointed at a group of girls, all students, sitting quietly away from the real witches. "Go sit down."

Sadie surveyed the two groups, her newfound power still humming quietly in her bones. Eleven women stood silently in a circle, some old some young, waiting for her to take her place. The students were sitting passively; the young girls in back whispering quietly to each other as bored young girls do, the older girls in front sitting in absolute silence, wanting so badly to join the circle, to be accepted.

Sadie noticed that Ellen, one of Mistress Ogg's granddaughters had moved from the girls to the circle of women. How can she be accepted? I'm older than her, and she's a twit! Do I have to wait patiently for them to accept me... forever?

The wind tugged at Sadie's skirt, it seemed to be pulling her towards the witches. I'm tired of waiting. she thought fiercely. "I don't think I belong there anymore, Mistress Ogg."

Mistress Ogg cocked an eyebrow. "You don't? And who said you were the one to make that choice?"

"I did." Sadie walked forward, not stopping until she was nearly nose-to-nose with the older woman. The younger students had stopped their whispering, and the only sound on Bare Mountain was the grasses rustling in the wind.

Mistress Ogg looked into Sadie's eyes for a long time, unblinking. Sadie returned the stare, willing her eyes not to water.

Mistress Ogg's eyes widened when she saw Sadie's new power, then narrowed in suspicion. "Where did you get that power, Sadie? Was it you makin' those... those... crop circles? If you have you'll be feeling the flat of my hand and no mistake! The king's men were sniffing around, asking whether I knew a witch who did this." She waved her hand irritably. "You know I don't truck with those people asking me questions about witches."

Sadie couldn't help but look away from Mistress Ogg's piercing gaze. "I... found the power in the woods." She muttered, unwilling to tell Mistress Ogg about the secret clearing. "There was a jewel in the stream," she went on, making up a story as she went along, "I thought it was just a bit of quartz, but when I went to pick it up there was this flash...but I didn't make those circles!"

"Power like that don't go lying around in the forest, waiting for people to find it." said Mistress Ogg. She obviously didn't believe a word Sadie had said, including not being at fault for the circles.

Sadie jutted out her chin defiantly, trying to stare down Mistress Ogg. "Well, that's what happened."

Mistress Ogg let the lie pass without challenging it again, but didn't back down. "It don't matter, you ain't ready to be a witch?"

"And why not?"

"Until you know the answer to that question, you won't ever be ready." Mistress Ogg said cryptically.

Beyond Mistress Ogg, Sadie could see the other witches nodding in agreement and approval of Mistress Ogg's statement. The older students looked confused, trying to wonder what undefined quality that they too must lack to be left out. Their unquestioned acceptance infuriated Sadie.

Of course they agree, they're all related to her, she's queen over them, never letting me have a chance!

"And that's supposed to keep me in line," Sadie hissed, "a stupid riddle? Let me show you something, old woman."

Sadie stepped back from Mistress Ogg, her anger making her feel reckless. She concentrated and raised her hands, palms up, to shoulder height. As she raised her hands, so to did the students, until the group of them were hovering several feet on the ground.

Some of the girls cried out in fear, struggling to put their feet on the ground as if it were only a matter of reaching. Other girls, older ones mostly, the ones who wanted so badly to stop being students, stared at Sadie and tried to free themselves from her invisible grip.

Their attempts to get free were less bothersome than a buzzing gnat in the face of Sadie's power. Laughing gleefully, the wind blowing tendrils of hair wildly around her face and her skirt flapping around her ankles, Sadie raised her hands further. The circle of witches standing behind Mistress Ogg rose slowly to hover near their students.

The witches didn't yell or struggle, they simply attacked. The concentrated force of the witches almost made Sadie lose her control, but it was still not enough to set them free.

"What now?" Sadie said to Mistress Ogg. "All these fools can't beat me. I'm more powerful then them, I'm better then them."

Mistress Ogg, still standing less than a stride away from Sadie with her feet firmly on the ground, looked less than impressed. "It don't matter." She said quietly.

"Of course it matters!" yelled Sadie, trying not to show the strain of keeping so many people aloft while enduring their persistent attempts to get free. "Isn't power the whole reason?"

"No," said Mistress Ogg quietly. "the reason is control."

Sadie glared at Mistress Ogg. "It's the same thing! I have the control here!"

"No, you don't." Mistress Ogg took one step forward and struck Sadie across the face, hard.

Shock more than hurt made Sadie lose her grip on her power, sending the witches and students abruptly back down to earth.

"How dare you hit me!" screeched Sadie. "It's a stupid trick! You don't have more power than me!"

"The power ain't yours!" Mistress Ogg's voice rose in anger. "You found some power and took it, with no heed to the price!"

"There was no price." Sadie shot back.

"There's always a price, you stupid girl. You don't have any control because you never earned the power, and the price is always be too high!"

Sadie paused, wondering for a split second if Mistress Ogg was right. Did I make a mistake?

Sensing her hesitation, Mistress Ogg lowered her voice. "You have to pay the price, you know. You took the power, and now you owe. But I can help you learn control, it's all I've been trying to teach you for weeks now, and you can learn, I know it." Her voice grew stern. "But you have to tell me who gave you the power. Was it a wizard?"

For an instant Sadie wanted to give in, but then pride took over.

She's trying to trick you, she's frightened of you...

"You want me to meekly give way?" she asked, becoming surer of herself as she went. "Stay in line, forever? I'm not in your family, you can't just say it and make it so!"

An unreadable expression crossed Mistress Ogg's face, gone almost as soon as Sadie saw it. "If you think you're done learning, then you can go." she said.

"...Go?" Sadie asked, not understanding.

"You don't want to learn what you're missing, then you ain't a witch. You have no place with us. Go." It wasn't a statement, it was a command.

Sadie drew herself up. "You can't make me leave!"

Mistress Ogg had gone from angry to being as calm and matter-of-fact as if she were describing the weather. "You want to challenge me? Here? Now?"

The ever-present wind seemed to weaken, and an oppressive stillness settled over Sadie. Mistress Ogg was as sturdy as a rock, and her terrible certainty made Sadie's resistance die.

She turned on her heel and marched away from the witches and students, heading back down the mountain. Behind her, a babble of voices rose, arguing about what Sadie had done, what she might do.

Once she was out of sight, angry tears started streaming down Sadie's face. She couldn't beat Mistress Ogg.

Not yet...

She would show them, when she let the Lady into the mountains in seven days. They would all see her greatness then. The Lady would make her great.