Growing up sucks. Being the bigger person and thinking of others above yourself isn’t fair or fun.
“I had another witch goad me into calling rain to stop the flames,” I continued.
My mother swiped a hand under her eyes to get rid of the tears and turned in my father’s embrace to look at me.
“Another witch?” she asked.
“Mmm ... Regan Fall.”
If I hadn’t shocked everyone enough already, that name surely did the trick.
“What in the world did she want? The murderess …” my father growled.
I finally let Braxton take my hand. He smiled as his thumb rubbed soothing circles on the top of my hand.
“She was the witch the Great Divine told me to look for. She was the last weather witch and she gave up her powers after the murders,” I explained.
“But …” my mother started.
“What was her charm? Where do we find it?” Braxton asked, not even questioning the fact that I had spoken to a murderer.
“That is the problem.” I sighed. He squeezed my hand and I glanced up at him. “She killed her father and grandmother because they didn’t approve of her beau.”
“Common knowledge, Sky,” my father said.
I rolled my eyes. “You didn’t let me finish. She killed them because the beau was her balance and she lost her ever-loving mind when he died.”
Shocked silence again.
“Guess it’s a good thing your parents approve of me.” Braxton broke the silence.
I gaped at him for a split second before breaking into laughter. He hauled me into his arms, kissing my forehead.
“All joking aside, what and where is her charm?” he asked again.
I sighed deeply before answering. “Townhall. According to Regan, the charm turns into whatever the weather witch needs it to be. She wanted a weapon when her beau was killed. So, the pickaxe that is displayed at Townhall is the charm we need to get our hands on.”
Chapter Six
“A little break and enter seems easy compared to going up against demons, at least if you ask me.” Baxter shrugged as he took another pull from his coffee.
We all just shook our heads at him.
“Only one problem with that,” Becca said as she walked into the kitchen, appearing as if out of nowhere.
“What’s that? The cameras? The local police? Alarms?” Bess rambled.
Becca waved a hand to silence her and get the attention of the rest of us.
“The one on display is only a replica. The real pickaxe is in the vault of the coven,” she answered.
“Well, that should make it easier. Shouldn’t it? That’s great, we don’t have to break into anything,” Jordan said in a rush.
“You don’t understand. The vault can only be opened by certain members of the coven,” Becca stated, frowning as she turned to look at my father.
My father had a look of disgust on his face. “Only with the approval of the coven elders can we open the vault. And the likelihood we’d be able to get consent or even find all the members in time would be slim to none,” he answered.
My jaw dropped in dismay. “There has to be a way. We need that pickaxe. The Great Divine herself said we need it. We only have”—I stopped to look at the clock—“eighteen hours left to get this done. Less really because I have to meet with Willow before that, get the great book, and save Nick.”
“There might be a way,” Becca said softly.
“What?” my father asked before I could.
“Sky and Braxton have been deemed the Elemental Royals.” She shrugged.
“Royals would have control over all the magics that run in the coven. They should be able to walk through the wards to get whatever they want.” My mother beamed, her eyes sparkling at that glimmer of hope.
Braxton and I looked at each other and back to Becca. She nodded.
“Wynter is right. As royals, you should be recognized as the higher power of the coven and be able to waltz right in,” Becca said.
“And if they’re not?” Jordan asked.
Becca sighed, but it was my father who answered. “Because of the force of the spell, they’d be killed instantly for trying.”
“Sweet goddess, can nothing just be simple?” I whispered.
“Ya, like a padlock or something mundane,” Braxton muttered.
“It’s the only way,” Becca said, regret laced into her words.
“At least you won’t have to deal with demon Willow if you die trying to get into the vault,” Baxter said, trying to lighten things up.
Bess punched him in the shoulder. “Not funny!”
“What? It’s true though. Besides, what else are you going to do? You know you’re going to try. Let’s get to it folks.” Baxter grinned.
“He’s right. Lead the way,” Braxton told Becca.
She gave him a small but genuine grin. “Let the magic of the great divine be with us this night.”
Chapter Seven
We followed Becca to the coven house—Braxton, Jordan, my father and I. The others stayed at the house, trying to figure out where Willow and her father might have been holed up. They had been living in our community for months now, so they couldn’t have just shown up here. There had to be more to it. How did they know I was a weather witch? Why did they pick Fall River to come to? There were so many other places they could have gone. If they had just wanted the book of the coven, they could have gone to any community that had a governed coven within it.
What had made Fall River the place to go?
Coventry was the last name they had used. Was it a simple ruse—Coven Try? As in coven try to stop them from destroying witches. Was it as simple as a play on words? Or was Emerson Coventry former coven himself and aligned with a demon? An extremely powerful one to be sure. Emerson and his daughter had brought an entire coven of witches to a standstill, quite literally. The answers to these questions could be invaluable in figuring out how to defeat these two.
"This place is spooky when no one is supposed to be here." Jordan shivered, clenching and unclenching his fists in agitation.
"It's supposed to be spooky. Keeps stupid kids and stupid young witches from trying to make their way inside and get themselves in trouble," Becca commented as she produced a key to the front door of the huge, old Victorian house, but she also laid her opposite hand on the door and murmured some kind incantation.
"You have the house spelled with a keep-away spell then," Braxton said, giving my hand a squeeze.
Becca shifted to look at him, giving him a nod. "Indeed." She opened the door and gestured for us to go inside, but her eyes flicked over the ground to make sure nobody was watching.
"This way," my father said, producing a ball of light to follow him with.
I always loved those little balls of light, and as a child I remember chasing them. I wasn't finding this fun at all, though. In fact, I kind of wished I was a kid again so I didn't have to deal with any of this. But that option wasn't in the cards for me anymore. This was happening, and there were only about sixteen hours left to figure it all out. We were on a clock. My heart raced in fear. I was glad that Braxton had my hand in his because I would have been hyperventilating and having a panic attack if he didn’t. How in the world did the Great Divine think that I was ready for something like this?
My father led us through the house to the kitchen, where he stopped in front of what most people would have thought was a wall spice rack. He gave us a smirk, then like Becca he placed his hand on the wall, murmuring a few words before the wall rack disappeared to show stairs.
"Well, that is wicked cool," Jordan whispered.
"Wicked cool indeed." Becca chuckled from behind us, making us jump a little.
"Let's go up," my father said.
I frowned at him. "Go up? We aren't going down? Aren't most places underground and levels deep so no one can find them?"
Becca and my father chuckled.
"Too cliche, Sky. Why go down whe
n we can go up and watch the enemy that may be trying to sneak up on us?" he replied.
"But would it be big enough? Underground you could expand and grow. Going up you only have the structure that you are in to work with," Braxton looked slightly perplexed, rubbing his forehead as he pondered what my father had just told him.
"Who says? Why can't we grow and expand?" my father asked.
"But—” I started.
"Let us go up and we can show you. There is more to things than you will know or learn in this lifetime Sky. No one but the Great Divine can ever have the full knowledge of the workings within magic, and even then there is always ever-evolving magics in the world that I'm sure the Great Divine never foresaw coming. We are an ever-evolving species, after all. We can only hope that it is for the greater good, but sometimes things go wrong," Becca finished, her eyes falling on Jordan.
Jordan bowed his head. "My brother has fallen from grace. I can only hope to save him and bring him home. Even if it is to be placed in front of the coven for judgment. I would never want to see my brother killed."
Becca cocked her head at him in question before saying something else. "And if it comes to that and your brother can not be saved, what will you do then young Cromwell?"
We all gasped, and I brought my hand to my mouth to keep from crying out. The thought of Nick dying was not an option. We had to save him.
A pained look crossed Jordan’s features as he focused on Becca. "We will do everything we can to save him, but if we can't ... well, then I know that my brother is lost to us and that—" He stopped abruptly, obviously unable to finish his train of thought.
Even in the low light, I could see the tears in his eyes. Nick was his twin. This must be killing him inside. That he hadn't been able to save his own brother, that he might have to kill or leave his brother behind was unthinkable.
I let go of Braxton and turned to Jordan, hugging him tight to me. He paused before returning the hug, pulling me close and squeezing.
"We'll do everything we can to make sure that Nick comes home, Jordan," I whispered to him.
"I know, Sky. But I'm not naïve enough to think everything will work out well. Things will be forever changed. He will never again be the brother and friend we knew growing up. This is life-changing," he said, the anguish in his voice obvious as he pulled back far enough to meet my eyes. He brushed tears away with his thumb that I didn't even realize had fallen. "He really did love you at one point. There has to be some of that man left to bring home. I can't believe otherwise."
"I know," I whispered back to him and, without thinking twice, I kissed his cheek very close to his lips softly. He grinned.
"Thank you, Sky. I needed a little boost. We got this." He pecked my forehead before glancing at Braxton. "She'll always be mine first you know."
Braxton chuckled as I snorted.
"But she's mine now and that's what counts most." Braxton winked at Jordan as he grabbed my arm and drew me back to him.
"Children, if we can save this for another time, that would be fabulous. We do have a deadline, do we not?" My father's exasperated voice cut through the tension.
"That we do." I sighed, turning to my father.
"Besides, you boys are both wrong. She will always be my girl first," my father quipped, whirling away as soon as he saw the stunned look on the guys’ faces.
"Young men these days," Becca muttered, shaking her head as she followed my father to the stairs.
"Onward and upward, shall we?" Braxton made a sweeping gesture towards the stairs.
Nothing right now seemed as simple as going up these stairs. I wasn't sure why the idea gave me such a sense of dread and unease. I had to take another steadying breath before inching forward. Upward and onward indeed.
The stairs went on for much longer than was possible for the structure of the house. The building was certainly more than it seemed to be. Magic ran rampant here. I could literally feel it rushing through me. I brushed my fingertips across the wall as I climbed the stairs.
"Does anyone else feel the magic running through this house or is it just me?" I asked, though the question wasn’t directed at anyone specifically. I was just curious.
My father and Becca both paused a few steps. When their gazes fell on me, surprise and interest lit their wide eyes.
"What do you mean?" my father asked.
"This house isn't just a structure. It is a living breathing vessel. I touch it and magic runs through me, just like I am running my fingers through the sand at the beach," I answered, my voice low and slightly awe-filled before I tipped my chin to look at them.
They both gasped.
"What? What's wrong?" Jerking my hand from the wall, a sense of panic sat on my chest like a heavy weight.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s just that nobody has ever had that sense from the house before. It seems like the house likes you." Becca sounded breathy in her explanation.
"I feel it too," Braxton added, reaching for my hand. When we touched, it was like the lights had been turned off. Together, we let our hands fall against the wall.
Ripples of magic raced through the house, and a sense of contentment came over me. The house was happy that we were there. It wanted to show us everything. It wanted to share its secrets with us.
Elemental Royals, a whisper carried on the air washed over us, and a breeze ruffling our hair followed, but nobody was around who could have spoken.
"The house has never spoken before," my father uttered.
"The Great Divine certainly has plans for these two. Let's go," Becca ordered.
Chapter Eight
Braxton and I gave each other a knowing glance.
“I wanna know if I can feel this power two.” Jordan grabbed my other hand.
The power rippled down my arm, shooting to Jordan with so much force we were left panting. It seemed we could share power. Interesting.
"Oh my ..." Jordan huffed, his eyes wide as if he could see things he’d never seen before.
"Mmm ... I know right? How amazing is this?" Braxton breathed.
"We need to go. Come on, we can play with this power later when lives aren't at stake," I said in a faint voice.
The boys both sobered up, and Jordan released my hand with reluctance. We followed my father up the remainder of the stairs. Becca made to step around him, a key held in her hand.
Letting go of Braxton’s hand, I moved forward and grazed her shoulder. "May I try something?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow in query but sighed when I only pressed my lips together and waited.
"Be my guest," she said. "She has your stubborn streak doesn't she, Brantlee?"
My father grinned. "That she does."
I smirked at him before stepping around him to touch the door, the magic instantly running through it and reacting to me. "Will you let us pass?" I asked.
The house responded with a hum of warm magic that crept along my palm. The click of a magical lock followed.
"She already has the house responding to her. This will change many things." Becca spoke to him as though I wasn't there at all.
"She was already changing things when the Great Divine decided she was the next Weather Witch, Rebecca. What are we supposed to do? Not follow the direction and path the Great Divine has set before us?" my father asked.
Becca sighed, almost in defeat. "No, not at all. It's just a lot to deal with in one succession and you know it. Many do not welcome change at all and are too set in their ways to be anything but what they already are."
"We will deal with it as it comes. Right now, after seeing this, I have no doubt the vault will open for both of them." My father’s words followed us as we crossed the threshold, entering a room as big as a ballroom.
Gaping, I stopped moving, which caused Braxton to crash into me from behind. Ceiling to floor shelves lined the walls, and they were filled with books. There was even one of those ladders to be able to reach the top shelves. The walls that didn't have shelves had
large windows, several with bay windows and comfy-looking seats. The colors of the walls were ever-changing, and each time I glanced at the same wall it was always a new color. There were several fireplaces in the room burning bright to keep things from being too chilly. In the center of the room was a conference table with high-back chairs. People already sat in them, too, each of them coming to attention as each of us entered. The shock was plain on their faces, and I had a feeling our features matched theirs. Becca had said the house would be empty.
The first person I saw was Victor Cromwell as he jumped up from his seat and pointed at me.
"You! You will fix this! You fix this now!" he shouted, his angry stride bringing him closer.
"What are you doing here, Dad?" Jordan asked before Becca could.
"I am discussing the merits of turning Sky over to the demons to get the book and my son back," Victor’s crazy eyes showed the irrational thoughts floating in his mind, but he also had a pleased grin plastered on his face, as if his idea could not be topped.
Grumbles rang out around me, but I fell into Braxton, who held me up so I didn’t fall to my knees.
"What are you talking about Victor? We are not turning my daughter over to the demons!" my father roared.
"She is the reason they're here. Once she goes to them, they will leave us alone," Victor spit the words, taking another step closer. But my father stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer.
"The demons were here for more than a new weather witch. Nothing will change that. They could have grabbed a book from any of the covens around the country, but they picked this one. I want to know why." Becca inched forward and looked to the six or so other men and women at the table.
Men and women that I had grown up with. Some whom I had babysat for or were friends with their own children. All of them hiding in this room while discussing whether or not they should give me over to the demons.
Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4) Page 202