"Marcie's a friend, not a witch," Hecate said, picking up on Morgan's tone, but smiling at the obvious fondness Morgan was showing Kaden (and he was returning threefold). "She's a young woman with a close connection to Kaden. If he's reluctant to return, her voice might be able to call him back. Even if he's not, he's going to need her at his side, afterwards. Someone familiar from before."
Afterwards. The though of after weighted on her mind. It was impossible to predict how Kaden would react, a transformation like this was something no human mind was built to go through. Still, human minds could be improbably resilient, and he'd have Marcie, and four potent magic workers there, if he completely couldn't handle it.
Hecate hoped he could handle it.
Thoughtfully, she sipped her tea, her own brew made especially for tonight. Tea was a perfect opener for any ritual, all five elements at balance in the cup. Water, obviously, and fire in the warmth, air in the fragrant steam winding from the cup, earth from the ingredients itself, spirit in the ritual of putting it all together. This pot was strong in resilient dandelion, found breaking through cracks in the concrete as it grabbed onto life at any opportunity. She'd roasted the roots for a toasty flavour, balanced it out with cacao nibs to open the heart and enhance everyone's energy.
Perhaps, she thought, the tea would also warm Morgan's tone.