Besides, I had a promise to keep. As I may have mentioned, promises mean a bit something extra for witches. We don’t take them lightly. If a witch gives you her word, you can count on it. As long as the witch is worth her salt, anyway. I was.
If I had thought the smell would have dissipated a bit from the car while I was doing my thing at the back of the library, I would have been mistaken. I didn’t however, expect for the smell to actually grow worse.
It had.
Before, it took me being within reach of the car to notice it. This time it hit me as I turned the corner from the alley onto the street out front. I was thinking perhaps Ruby had been right about waiting.
Then again, I come from the most powerful family of air witches I know of. Not to mention the fact that I’m now an uber-powerful Light Witch. Surely, we could find a way to deal with the odor emanating from the car.
If the Goddess were truly on my side, maybe I could even talk Aunt Opal into that being the focus spell for today’s lesson. I wasn’t too hopeful about that though. Most spells took a bit of preparation. Likely an odor-reducing spell or potion would need special ingredients. But there was always tomorrow. And just maybe, if Opal could point me in the right direction to find the spell, I could even try it solo.
Experience had to be a good thing, right?
As per my usual, I walked through the front door just a few minutes to three. Right on time.
Opal’s eyes lit up when she saw me. I still wasn’t used to that. She was really enjoying these spell and potion sessions. I guess having that little extra oomph was making it fun for her. I didn’t mind that one bit. A happy Opal was much easier to be around, especially in a learning capacity.
She took one step toward me before her eyes widened and her smile vanished. “What the hell is that smell?”
I hadn’t wanted to admit to myself that the smell had attached itself to me when the sheriff had mentioned it. With Opal mentioning it too, I had to consider the fact that I might be in denial.
Lifting one arm I took an exploratory sniff. Yup. There it was. Fainter than in the actual car, but then that wasn’t saying a whole lot.
Opal pointed up the stairs. “Shower first.” She paused. “You still have some of that peppermint soap of yours?”
I nodded.
“Use it. A lot of it. Just don’t dawdle.”
Taking her suggestion, I headed up for a short shower. Then I took another, longer one. At this point, I was partly convinced that the smell was simply ingrained in my brain. No way it had survived two showers with an abundance of peppermint soap.
At least my brain had toned it down a bit. When I figured it was as good as it would get, I went down to Opal.
Her sniff and wrinkled nose told me that just maybe the smell wasn’t all in my head after all. But at least now it had to compete with the good smell of peppermint. That helped.
She looked me in the eyes. “Ruby wasn’t lying about that car, was she? You bought it when it smells like this?”
All I could do was shrug. I couldn’t exactly say I hadn’t, could I?
“I kind of figured if soap, water, and air fresheners didn’t deal with it, we could try a spell. You don’t happen to have one handy we could do for the lesson today, do you?”
That got a bark of a laugh. “Nice try. Maybe tomorrow if the cleaning thing doesn’t work.” She sniffed again. “I’ll start gathering the ingredients in the morning.”
The spell she had in mind for today’s lesson was usually considered to be a simple one which kind of surprised me. I’d thought with my new abilities, she would be reaching for the harder, more complicated spells. Then I realized that what she was going for today wasn’t difficulty of spell, but its range of field.
We were doing a cleansing spell. Normally, you had to prepare a separate spell for each room of the house. With an old farmhouse like ours, with four individual living spaces in it, there would be a lot of time required to get to everything. According to Opal, we were shooting for the whole thing at once.
It would be tricky because it would require that we moved around the house while invoking it.
I looked down at the large pile of dried ingredients that we were about to light on fire. “Is there enough?”
Dried things burnt pretty quickly, and there was a lot of house to cover.
Opal grinned and held up a large plastic baggy with more. “I think I’ve got us covered.”
Good thinking to bring along backups.
“So, let me get this straight. We just repeat the chant in each area we’re in while we move the burning incense from room to room, right?”
She nodded. “That’s it in a nutshell. A simple spell to put together. Even a full-on non-magical human can do one of these.” Opal smiled at me. “But it wouldn’t have that oomph that this one will have. With all the goings on this house has seen in the last few weeks, and with everyone’s tensions running on high speed, this should help clear the air around here a bit.”
I was all for that. Things had been a bit tense here in the farmhouse for a while now. If this would help ease that, I was game.
Putting the ingredients together hadn’t taken all that long. The spell’s delivery and invocation did. It was kind of cool, though, watching my magic work. Feeling my hair float around me and the magic flow through me—I didn’t think I’d ever tire of that feeling. As long as it was controlled, like this was, it was nice. Really nice.
When we were done, I headed up for yet another shower. The incense was a nice smell, don’t get me wrong. But for some reason, it was clashing heavily with the used car smell. The combination odor wasn’t pleasant in the slightest.
Besides, a shower would be my own cleansing spell. I’d need it before meeting Ruby for our meditation session.
At least this time, I’d have my chair. If I could just stay awake this time, I’d be okay.
WE’D HAD A LATE LUNCH, so it would be a late supper meal too. Opal had volunteered to make it without our help. As I said, she’d been changing into a more approachable person lately. It was freaking me out just a bit, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like it. Especially if it kept me from having to peel potatoes.
The bean bag chairs where a tad on the heavy side, but we managed to get them out and down the outside stairs, anyway. Ruby had been insistent. She wanted to test out her theory that being outside would put us firmly in the Goddess’ view. I had to admit that it felt kind of nice, sitting in the meditation position on my soft comfortable chair with the breeze caressing my face and hair. I could almost imagine that it was the Goddess touching me.
In a way, it was, when you really thought about it.
I’d been expecting it to take a while for me to reach my inner sanctuary. It always had before. Not this time. I closed my eyes, took my ten deep breaths, counting backward, and there it was right before me.
There was something odd, though. It wasn’t empty like it normally was. Sure, I knew that you could summon someone—living or dead—to give you advice inside your private happy place. But I was pretty sure I hadn’t done that.
So why was this beautiful woman waiting for me?
And she was beautiful. Breathtakingly so. I’d always thought Ruby was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Now, she was a firm number two. But then again, as I got closer, I realized that there was no way anyone could ever compete with Her.
I fell to one knee, my head bowed.
Laughter as soft and melodious as a breeze through wind chimes drifted over me. All my troubles and worries vanished for just that instant, replaced with awe and wonder. For the first time in my entire life, I was truly at peace.
“There’s no need for that, child. Rise. I need to speak with you for a bit.”
Slowly, I lifted my head. I was almost afraid to move. Afraid that she’d disappear.
“Meow.” I turned my head to see my little calico kitten, Destiny, walking up to me. Then I realized that the “Meow” hadn’t been in kitten t
alk, but human. Could cats talk while in my sanctuary? That would be so cool.
The laughter wafted by. “Cats can do whatever you’d like them to here, child.” The Goddess motioned around her. “Here you are the master. Anything can happen, but only if you allow it to.”
I wasn’t about to mention that I hadn’t exactly invited her in. That was a moot point. The Goddess was always welcome in a witches’ home. It didn’t matter if that was a brick and wood home in the real world or a mental sanctuary. The Goddess was always welcome and present. Just not normally in a physical form that you could actually see.
“Please child, sit.” Another bean bag chair appeared beside the solitary one that I’d placed inside my mental getaway, and we both took our seats.
She ran a hand over the soft fur and shook her head. “I’ll never understand why these went out of fashion. I do love them, you know.”
Hey, I had something in common with the Goddess. How cool was that?
Destiny jumped up into my lap and raised her tiny little front paws up onto my stomach, trying to get my attention. I was feeling kind of guilty because I hadn’t seen her in a week. She was still with her mother and sisters at Lily’s. I’d been waiting for the word that she was fully weaned and ready to come home. Maybe that time had come.
“Say something, silly.” That was Destiny talking. It took her words for me to realize that I had yet to speak a single word. But what on earth do you say to the Goddess of all?
“Thank you for gracing my sanctuary, Goddess.” There, I’d said something. It wasn’t much, but it seemed to satisfy Destiny, who promptly curled up in a ball on my lap and rolled over for a belly rub. I wasn’t sure if it was the Goddess’s influence or just the way things worked here, but I could actually feel the soft and silky fur under my fingers. This was as real as if we’d been sitting in my living room back in the farmhouse.
“No thanks are necessary. My visit, however, was. Necessary that is. It’s important that you know a few things.”
That would be really nice. I had a lot of questions for her, starting with the whole Light Witch thing.
“Ah yes, I rather imagined that’s where you would want to start things off. So be it.”
She gave me a beautiful smile, then drew her feet up onto the chair with her. I noticed she was barefoot, just like me. Another thing we had in common. Why wear shoes when you didn’t have to?
Of course, our similarity in mode of dress ended there. I was still in my yoga pants and T-shirt. She, on the other hand, was in a long and flowing almost see-through gown. Think white, ultra-expensive lingerie and you’d be on the right track. Truthfully, I was just thankful that she’d deigned to appear with clothes at all. Seeing her in all her glory might have been too much on my poor heart.
And, yes, that’s the point when I remembered that she could read my thoughts as well as hear my words. The heat started climbing into my cheeks.
Her laughter graced us again. “Now I remember why I do so love all you Ravenswinds so much. You are all just too precious to me for words.” Then she settled back in the chair and the laughter vanished. “I will want a longer visit later, but for now, there are important issues to warn you about.”
Warn me about? I didn’t like the sound of that at all.
“I don’t particularly like it either, child. But that’s the way of nature. We must take the good with the bad.” Her face grew solemn. “Take the witches’ council, for instance.”
If she hadn’t had my total attention before, she had it now.
“They are so very full of themselves and not at all what I imagined them to be when I created the organization. They need to get back on track and fast. Things are about to change in your world, and they need to be ready.” She locked her eyes on mine, and there was a touch of sadness there. “I’m sorry to have dealt this responsibility to you, child, but it was needed.” Her smile was back, but definitely not the lighthearted one from before. “You were needed.”
“But I don’t even know what I’m doing! Maybe if I’d had access to the magic growing up, I could have prepared a bit more for whatever it is you have planned for me, but now... I really hope you aren’t counting on me in a big way. I’m not good at this.”
She took a deep breath. “Think about it, child. What would a toddler have done with your kind of power? A teenager? With all those raging hormones?” She shook her head. “I gave you access to your power when the time was right and not a second before. Yes, you have catchup to do, but you’re coming along quite nicely, by the way.”
I’m glad someone thought so. Maybe she could have a talk with Aunt Opal and Mom for me.
“I’d love to say that you’d have all the time you need to gather yourself and prepare, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Things are moving much faster than I’d at first anticipated. I apologize for that.”
“What things?”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “You aren’t quite ready to know that yet. All I can give you for now is a general warning. Change is coming, and you need to take your aunt’s lessons very seriously.” She paused for a second. “And it might not hurt to ask your mother for a few lessons in the art of healing. That could come in very handy in the future.”
Crapsnackles. If healing would be needed, that meant the change would not be one for the better.
And I was going to be the front line of it. Oh, goody.
The Goddess reached out to touch the tip of Destiny’s nose. “You won’t be alone on the front line, dear. You have your family, the strongest witches I’ve ever known. And you have Destiny here. She’s a bit special. You see, she was conceived while her mother was still Arc’s familiar. That took a bit of doing, mind you, but I pulled it off. Now, there’s a little piece of me in each of the kittens.”
I had to push past the lump in my throat. “Is that why she can talk to me?”
The good smile was back, and she nodded. “Yes. Although, it isn’t actually talking you know. It’s more like... sending you messages directly to the in-box of your brain. No one else will hear her, ever, so don’t go answering her with people around, or...”
People will think I’m crazy. She didn’t have to spell it out. People already thought I was a bit odd; it wouldn’t take much for them to think I’d crossed the line into insanity. Having a conversation with my new familiar would probably do that.
“And she can only do that if you allow it,” the Goddess continued. “If it makes you too uncomfortable, then simply block your mind to the incoming.” She grew pensive. “But I do hope you’ll at least consider letting her thoughts in. I think you will need the help she can give you.”
I thought about it. “Is it okay if I give myself a little time first to get used to the whole idea?”
She smiled. “Of course, child.”
Then it hit me. We’d promised one of the kittens to Patricia Bluespring. And she was a council member.
The Goddess just looked at me. “And you think that was by accident, do you? Patricia will be another on the front lines. Don’t discount her help. You will need it.” She hesitated. “She’s hiding a pretty big secret, by the way. I fully expect you and your family to stand behind her once it is revealed.”
“Yes, Goddess.” Patricia wasn’t my most favorite of people, but if the Goddess said I would need her help, then I’d give her all the support I could.
“Good. It’s time to put the past behind us and prepare for the future. I’m glad you can see that.” She tilted her head as if listening to voices in the distance, which I guess she was.
“Our time is drawing to a close, I’m afraid. But I want to tell you one more thing. I have a message for Ruby and Arc. They are worried that if they become a couple and mix their bloodlines, their offspring will be Light Witches. You need to tell them that won’t happen. Their children will be divided between the elements. Girls for Air, and Boys for Earth.” She shrugged. “That seems fair to me.”
I could feel my mout
h drop open. “Ruby and Arc are going to have kids?”
Her smile only grew in brilliance, and she winked at me. Right before reaching out to touch my forehead.
I opened my eyes to find Ruby and Opal’s concerned faces staring down at me.
I was back.
Chapter 7
“YOU WERE GLOWING!” Ruby’s eyes were wide as she stared down at me.
A quick glance over at Opal showed her eyes were a tad wide too. Whatever they’d seen here on this end couldn’t hold a candle to what I’d seen on my end.
“Are you all right, child?” Opal asked. “What happened?”
It was a struggle to get the lump out of my throat, but I finally managed to do it. That freed my voice.
“I met the Goddess.”
Opal’s eyes closed, and she sank down to sit on the grass beside my chair. “Of course, you did.”
It made me feel a bit guilty. From Opal’s reaction, I gathered that she’d never found the Goddess in residence at her sanctuary. Personally, I’d have traded places with her on that respect in a heartbeat. I wasn’t quite sure how to handle the whole Goddess thing on a much more personal, and physical, level.
“If it helps, she mentioned how much she loves all of us Ravenswinds,” I said softly. Then I turned to Ruby. “And she sent a message for you and Arc too.” I glanced over at Opal, then mouthed. “Tell you later.”
No need to cause added stress to Opal. At the moment she seemed like my news was enough to cause her anxiety meter to raise to the danger zone.
“I take it she explained some things to you?” Opal asked. “It might be nice if you’d share that with us too. I know this whole Light Witch thing affects you most of all, but it would be really helpful to know just what the heck she was thinking when she granted you that power.”
“I’ll tell you all about it, but right now, I need a drink. Water would do, but I’d love something with a little more kick.” After the conversation I’d just had, the kick might be more than necessary.
Un-Familiar Magic (Accidental Familiar Book 3) Page 4