“Am I being expelled from the coven?” I asked not wanting to beat about the bush as my time ran out.
“No dear.” Babette hugged me, trying hard not to cry again.
“If I’m really part vampire, how come you and Lorna were able to initiate me? How come I haven’t attacked everyone? Why don’t your protective enchantments in and around the house, work against me?”
“I don’t know,” Babette sighed, tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.
“I mean, the reading or whatever happened could have been a hoax, right?” I hoped with all my being that might be the case, though I knew it wasn’t.
“We think that when the bloodline isn’t pure vampire or maybe because it’s mixed with the strong magical line of Crystal Witch blood, that it’s possible that part of you has been lying dormant all these years. As you know, a lot of the supernatural activation for mixed-blood beings begins around their seventeenth year.”
“So, what’s going to happen to me? Am I suddenly going to start wanting to drink blood and compel people?”
“I wish I had the answers. Lorna and I just contacted the S.L.A., to ask how to proceed. How we can best help you and the coven,” said Babette soothingly.
“And?” I looked at her, feeling some hope.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of our world. Witches, especially ones descended from fae, cannot successfully produce offspring with a vampire. It is forbidden.”
“But obviously it must happen? There must be one other Crystal Witch or Warlock out there who’s fallen for a vampire or been compelled by one and had a child?” I searched Babette, who was solemn. I tried to ‘pick her up’, to hear anything I could, a piece of information she might be holding back. Nothing.
“It’s forbidden because the witch or warlock in question would perish in the process. We didn’t even think it was possible, until now.”
“So, what did the alliance tell you?” I clutched at straws.
“You heard what Lorna said.” That’s right, of course I did. Only, I didn’t know that had been her decision after talking to the alliance. Keep up Katrina.
“You’re saying the S.L.A. is happy to send a Crystal Witch to go and live and study with a bunch of vampires and their minions? And more than that, you’re okay with it?” My anger re-emerged.
“The alliance has guaranteed they’ll monitor the situation with us. Here, take this,” said Babette handing me the clear quartz that Safi had gifted me that morning, “you can use this to send a magical flare to the alliance if you ever feel your life is under threat.”
“So, it’s final, I’m still going to Bloodline Academy?”
“Under the circumstances, they’ve been clear that we wouldn’t be allowed to keep you here, even if we wanted to. No one including you, knows the extent of your powers and how they’ll manifest. We’re very much hoping that as the vampires were the ones that sent for you by speaking through me, they’ll protect you, dear.”
Lorna came and joined us, looking urgent. “I see Babette’s told you how things have to be,” she said.
“Loud and clear,” I replied and before Babette had the chance to say a proper goodbye, Lorna ushered us to our feet.
“The coven has already been severely compromised by what happened at the reading. The S.L.A. thinks that the head of St. Erzsebet’s Academy was able to speak through Babette like that because of the connection to you and the bloodline beginning to activate. I’ve done something I never in a million years dreamed I’d have to do. I’ve been in touch with St. Erzsebet’s just now to learn what’s going to happen. Start packing, someone from the academy will be coming for you as soon as the sun sets.”
Chapter 3
“I guess in our coven the witch is the devil,” said Quinn misusing a clichéd turn of phrase that revealed her roots which were firmly in the covens of the deep south. She watched me with the curiosity of someone at the circus.
“Shut it or I’ll make you,” said Safi.
“Or maybe she’ll end up a witch of the night,” Quinn persisted, giving me a coy glance as she said it. A witch of the night was a solitary witch who lived by selling magic tricks and sometimes also their bodies, to mortal supe-tourists. Most big cities in the world had a booming industry but all reputable covens had stayed private and kept away from such ostentatiousness. Pandering one’s magic to mortals was greatly frowned upon and it was common knowledge that witches of the night as they’d come to be known, were like sitting ducks for mortals and other supes, with no coven to band together and protect them. Too many of them ended up dead or went missing. Their existence was more firmly rooted in mortal pursuits and because they hadn’t developed their magic, it was weak and only held any fascination for non-witches.
“I’m warning you,” said Safi as her arm glowed and shot out a streak of silver at Quinn, whose own arm was instantly pinned behind her back. She glared at Safi in pain, planning her own move.
“Both of you, please, just leave it!” I said, pacing a hole into the small free space of wooden floor that was clear of the strewn possessions that took up the rest of our bedroom. I’d tried my best to pack but what does one take to a place where staying alive would be the main preoccupation?
Lorna and Babette had often talked of salt spells to keep evil at bay as well as some that used one’s own blood to create a ring of protection. But there was no way I was drawing my blood at a place where I’d be swarmed before I’d even finished the incantation required to seal the spell. I went downstairs into the storeroom that was once a smoking room when the house had originally been built, and grabbed a couple of medium sacks of unrefined salt. I had no idea what I’d do once these ran out. If they worked in the first place. I also went into the reading room and retrieved ‘The Compendium of Protective Spells’, ‘Moonlight Transfiguration - The Last Defense Against the Undead’ and ‘Using Common Herbs & Plants as Weapons – Unabridged’.
I wished I would have taken the time to really get to know how to access the magical portal of witchcraft the way Safi had been able to do for so long. All these years, I’d remained blissfully ignorant, consoling myself that it was because she was a full Crystal Witch. I cursed myself for being so lazy about it all. For thinking I’d forever be under the protection of the Circle of Quartz until I was ready. Perhaps if I’d been more proactive and really claimed my witch blood heritage, the magic would have poured through me too? Instead, I’d waited by the sidelines for it to reveal itself. What would these books be good for anyway when the first time I’d try and cram from them would be when I’d need to use their material? From what I knew, vampires and werewolves usually didn’t meet their demise being whapped on the head by heavy objects. This was realistically the only form of weaponry the books would provide me with. I almost put them back, thinking Safi and the other witches would make better use than I would.
“Take them,” said Safi, coming into the room and making me jump. I pulled the books back off the shelf and put them into my bag. “They owe you at least that much.”
“How much time do I have?” I asked, as I gazed outside and felt the knot in my stomach pulling me into the ground. The vibrance of day had already begun to dim as evening seeped into it. The day that I wished would never end. Or rather, had never begun in the first place.
“I did speak to my mom.”
“I already know. Getting the alliance’s help is a no-go.”
“If they had any sense, they’d protect you and help you come into your own under their watch, rather than turn their backs on you. But I guess they left it to the discretion of the coven.”
“Jerks,” I said.
“I think you’re being too polite. If I’d just learned that I had all these dormant vampire super powers and they treated me like that, I’d want to bite their stuck-up little heads off. Not my mom’s obviously but the rest of them.”
“That’s a bit dark,” I said with a smile.
“Hey, whatever works,” S
afi smiled back. “It doesn’t matter where your blood is from, I know you wouldn’t…”
“Drain every drop of your blood so I could soak up some of your magic and kill you at the same time?” I said. It was what the rest of them were all thinking, even if she wasn’t. I knew for a fact that Quinn, Nina and Fleur had spread the news to the six remaining witches that lived with us and I’d received some of their thoughts. I hadn’t even tried. It was such a predominant thought in the coven at the moment that anyone would have caught it.
“I was going to say that you would never hurt anyone. Or turn to darkness. You have more light inside you than any of us,” said Safi.
“My blood hasn’t fully activated yet. What if one night, I kill you in your sleep?” I said breaking away from her. A day ago, I would have said that was as likely to happen as a pack of werewolves being welcomed by Lorna with open-arms, to live in the coven. Today, I couldn’t say anything for sure. Afterall, for the past eight years, two Crystal Witches who were High Priestesses, world-renowned for their magic, had been oblivious to the vampire they’d not only harboured under their roof but gone out of their way to adopt and initiate.
“You have your crystal, right?” asked Safi, about the crystal she’d gifted me.
“Right. Babette said she’d put some spell on it where I can use it to send an S.O.S to the alliance if, no, when, I’m about to be slayed.”
“That’s not all,” said Safi, walking up close enough so she could whisper. “I added to it before she did that.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We can use it to communicate with each other. If you hold it in your hand and intend it, we’ll be able to telepath messages. Like a clearer line to what you’re already able to do.”
“Won’t that be like eavesdropping?”
“No more than what you could do right now if you wanted. It’ll definitely be new for me but I promise I won’t misuse it and spy on your thoughts or anything.”
“Wow, thanks!” I said. “You really aren’t turned off of being friends even though I’m part…what I am?”
“Since I met you, you’ve been the only one in this coven who’s made me feel welcome. You’re like a sister. And my family means everything to me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, just as I wouldn’t to mom and Aviar.”
“Do Babette and Lorna know?”
“No. And don’t mention it to them.”
“I gathered as much.”
“There’s more too. I’ve also worked some re-apparition magic. If it works the way I want it to, which I totally can’t guarantee it will, I should be able to appear there with you, if we decide you could do with another witch by your side. Or even just to say hi and catch up.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I teared up. When it really counted, Safi had done the most out of anyone I’d ever known.
“Don’t say anything until we know it works.”
“But you could get into so much trouble. What if someone steals the crystal, or follows you back into the coven?”
“Yeah, you better not let anyone at Bloodline Academy lay their grubby paws on that! You do make a good point though. Miss Lorna would be mighty pissed, on the off chance that some rogue vampire used me as a chaser to get into the coven. I’ll bury the other crystal I’ll use, to get back here outside the grounds of the coven to be safe. That way, I’ll still have to walk through the usual streams of magic to get inside.”
“You’re the best,” I said.
“It’s nothing. I’m not losing my bestie so easily. What else are you taking with you?” asked Safi unconsciously scrunching at her curls with one hand, something she always did when something bugged her.
“I don’t have much. I’m assuming anything I do take will either be confiscated by the professors or pillaged by my fellow students. Just some clothes and toiletries,” I replied.
“Let me know if you need anything once you get there.”
“Shh!” I said on impulse.
“Your chaperon will be here soon, Katrina. Why don’t you girls get something to eat?” said Lorna, poking her head into the room, making me realize I’d sensed her presence. That was something new.
“I’m fine,” I replied as curtly as possible without getting reprimanded. Though maybe she wouldn’t bother as she was so close to saying good riddance.
“You should try and eat something,” Safi encouraged, “I’m not sure when you’ll next get to eat.” She glared at Lorna.
“An early dinner is ready,” replied Lorna unphased.
“I’m so not eating with the rest of them,” I said. Screw formalities. What an awkwardly bitter last meal that would make. To break bread with those who were now scared shitless by me and couldn’t wait to be shot of me.
“If it’s okay with you, Kat and I will eat upstairs in our room,” translated Safi.
“So be it,” said Lorna sourly, as if she was the one who’d been wronged.
***
It didn’t take me long to finish off the plate of food Safi had gotten me, which had consisted of jambalaya, some crawfish and red beans with rice. I have no idea where my appetite came from. I was normally a slight eater on a good day.
“Not bad, is it?” said Safi, looking at my empty plate. Her own food was only half-eaten.
“It’s okay,” I said begrudgingly.
“Do you want some more?”
“No,” I said. It was getting to that point in the day, where even without an enchantment, the world looked a surreal mixture of purple and orange. I went over to the window, looking past our well-lit, magical gardens at the front of the house, with their numerous water features and multi-coloured lights. Everything looked so peaceful and pristine as the sun descended. Each and every decorative element was part of a larger guardian spell, there to burn any intruder to a crisp. I wondered when the spell would begin working on me if I ever tried to re-enter the coven after leaving it tonight. “Safi, come here?” I said as my heartrate quickened.
“What is it?” asked Safi, getting up and joining me in the window.
“There. Do you see him?” Just beyond the boundaries of our house and its property line, was someone lurking outside, pacing near the main gate.
“Some eyesight you have,” said Safi, squinting to get a better look. “How can you even tell if it’s a male or a female?”
“I just know. Didn’t they say sunset? I think that’s who I’m supposed to be meeting. He won’t be able to get past the gate to come over to the house. I think I have to go to him.”
“Oh shit,” said Safi, looking panicked for the first time.
“Stop it. You can’t get all shaky on me,” I said, trying to steady my own voice.
“No, sorry you’re right. I’m going to come with you. I’ll walk you out – make sure you’re okay, if that is the person who’s here to collect you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Shut up, I am.”
“Okay.” I picked up my cross-body bag and took in a long, deep breath. I checked myself in the mirror and tied back my long hair, deciding to wear it loose as soon as I had.
We made our way downstairs and for the second time that day, the dining room fell silent as we entered it. I avoided looking directly at anyone but noticed that apart from our seats, Babette’s was also vacant. She was hiding out in the reading room, unable to face the actual moment of farewell. How did I know that?
“My escort is here,” I announced looking straight at Lorna.
“Oh?” said Lorna, thrown off-guard that I was privy to something she wasn’t.
“He’s waiting outside the main gate. Not being a Crystal Warlock or a faery, he can’t come inside to fetch me.” The other witches stared at Lorna with equal intensity.
“And I don’t want Kat going alone so I’m here to ask your permission to walk her out and see that she leaves safely,” said Safi. Permission to leave the premises after it began to get dark would never be granted under normal circumsta
nces. Even a minute outside at the wrong time could prove to be a fatally bad decision.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” said Lorna.
“Okay, then I ask that you walk her out instead.” Safi continued to stare at her.
“You know why I’m hesitant to let you leave at this time, Saffron. It’s with your best interest in mind…”
“And what about Kat?” insisted Safi, “I guess all that goes out of the window once you decide to disown someone?”
Lorna had had enough. She stormed us past the reception room and towards the front door. “Your mother will have this coven dismantled if I let you go and get yourself kidnapped by one of the darkest clans of vampires currently in existence, missy,” she hissed at Safi, having had her authority undermined in front of the others, one too many times. “But suit yourself.”
“I’ll be careful and I’ll be right back. And, I won’t tell my mom if you don’t,” said Safi. I pulled open the heavy door and the evening breeze, still oppressively humid, enveloped us.
“I regret the way things have turned out,” said Lorna as we turned to leave. I said nothing as we walked outside without a backward glance.
Chapter 4
I braced myself and took fast strides up to the gate. May as well get it over with. No point in prolonging the inevitable. Safi kept pace with me and although she said nothing, I could feel the nervous charge coming off of her.
“Do you think he’s a vampire?” she asked.
“Only one way to find out,” I said. We were at the gate now and I could clearly see his side-profile. And the rest of him. He was ripped like a bodybuilder – the dude was pure muscle under his tight, black t-shirt. He wore equally tailored jeans that looked black in the darkness. He was a lot younger than I would have imagined. Though I’m not really sure what exactly I’d imagined before this moment. I’d blocked out most of what the future held, in case it didn’t.
Magic Within: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 1) Page 3