Cooper cleared his throat and stepped up beside me. "It’s the same basic principle. Find that energy inside you, its always there tingling and ready for action. Then push it out of you. Visualize it coming out of your body and doing what you need it to do. Okay?”
I nodded and clenched my teeth. I focused on the trunk of the tree under my hand, it was cool and rough against my bare skin. Cold energy tickled along my palm. I took a deep breath and felt those buzzing sensations in my gut. A lump of nervousness formed in my throat but I swallowed through it and pushed. I felt warmth shoot down my arm and through my palm.
The rough, scratchy bark smoothed under my hand. It turned from an ashy pale brown to a vibrant brown full of warmth and life. I felt energy ripple out of me like a wave and roll up the trunk. It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn the tree sighed and stretched its branches out like it was waking up from a long nap. The limbs shook and then bright green leaves popped up all over it, all at once.
I gasped and jumped back. I hadn’t realized until that very moment that I hadn’t believed it was me doing it. The whole time Cooper was talking I’d just assumed there was some kind of confusion. Because surely I couldn’t have done this.
But I had.
Intentionally.
I looked down at my hand and my jaw dropped. It looked perfectly normal. There was nothing abnormal about it at all. Yet I’d just brought a tree out of hibernation all on my own. With my bare hand.
No.
With MAGIC.
“OH MY GOD,” I screamed and stumbled away until my heels hit stone, then I dropped down onto the step. “Oh my god. Oh my GOD. I did that. I did that. Did you see it? Oh my God.”
Landreia grinned and patted Cooper on the back. Savannah and Gigi squealed and clapped. And then they were rushing toward me. They sank down onto the step on either side of me. Gigi wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug. Savannah held her palm up so I gave her a high-five.
“That was epic,” Gigi breathed.
My cheeks warmed. I shrugged. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, ma’am.” Savannah bumped her shoulder into mine. “I can’t wait to see what you do with this. The more you practice the more you’ll be able to do.”
I exhaled and shook my head. “I don’t understand though…why can I do this? I mean, can all witches do this?”
Cooper strolled over with his hands in his jeans pockets and shaking his head. “Nope. Every witch has a different kind of magic, their own brand so to speak. It manifests in different ways for everyone. This is just yours.”
“Remember this?” Savannah held her leather notebook out in front of us. When I nodded, she smiled. “My magic manifests through poetry.”
My eyes widened. “So this really is your book of spells?”
She grinned. “Precisely.”
“I use my magic to help humans with home remedies and such.” Landreia pulled out a long skinny object with crystals adorned to it. It looked similar to the ones on the shelf outside my room – but much prettier. “Remember you asked me about all my wands?”
I gasped and sat up straight. “Oh right! You have a million of those.”
“Ah, not quite. The ones at home and in my shop are wands for humans. Their power is small and gentle, more spiritual than anything.” She held her wand up and the sunlight sparkled along the crystals. “This is my witch’s wand. I picked this one myself when I was six years old at Edenburg, after I was sorted into the Wands Suit. This wand provides me with amazing ways to use my magic.”
“DUDE.” Savannah dug inside her satchel then pulled out the same wand I’d seen her use last night. But now in the daylight I saw that it was made of dark wood and had intricate carvings all over it. “I’m a Wand, too! I knew I liked you.”
I frowned. “You’re wands? What does that mean? What are suits? What is Eden or Edenburg?”
Cooper chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Eden is arcana home country. It’s a special area that humans can’t get to so we’re safest there. And we have an academy there called Edenburg that’s for witches to go and learn magic.”
Savannah leaned forward. “Remember in Harry Potter the other night when Harry and his friends got sorted into the different houses?”
I nodded. I did remember. We’d only just watched the movie two nights ago and I’d loved it. “It’s like those?”
“Exactly. Edenburg is our Hogwarts. And when you get there you do this ritual to find out which suit of magic yours is, like which style.” Savannah pointed her wand to Landreia’s. “We both got Wands. It’s the super creative, funky suit.”
“What others are there?”
“There’s Cups, they are usually the healers.” Landreia shrugged. “Witch doctors. They’re amazing.”
“And Pentacles. They’re the smart witches who figure out brilliant ways for witches to live among humans and survive.” Savannah twirled her wand around. “The last are the Swords. They’re the warriors. The witch army. They fight demons and stuff.”
Gigi looked to Cooper. “Which suit are you?”
Cooper reached behind him and pulled a dagger the size of my arm out of nowhere. “Sword. Most of The Coven are Swords, because fighting is one of our most important jobs.”
Gigi sighed. “I want a Suit.”
Cooper grinned. “You’ve kinda got one, don’t you? Like built in.”
Gigi’s jaw dropped. “Cooper.”
Savannah threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my God he did not.”
Gigi shook her head. “That was good. I can’t even be offended.”
Cooper gave her a high-five then turned to me. “Well, Saffie…how do you feel now?”
I blinked and shook my head. “I’m not sure. I feel…everything all at once.”
“That’s actually the response we hear the most,” he said with a chuckle. “Have any questions?”
I knew I would have a million questions but later. Right then my mind was a mushy pile of blurred words. I was still a little freaked out about everything, because holy hell I had never seen witch coming. But looking back at all the things that were terrifying me about the last week or so now suddenly made perfect sense. I had an explanation for what was happening, which was pretty much the best thing ever.
I looked up at the tree I’d just brought into spring and grinned. “My only question right now is…can we practice my magic some more?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Riah
It’d been six hours, forty-five minutes, and twelve seconds since Saraphina went inside that old wooden house…she had not yet resurfaced.
And I was about to lose my mind.
Every single part of me wanted to barge through that door and find her, to see her with mine own eyes. I wanted to tear that house down brick by brick and kick my way through the wooden slats. My legs bounced so fast the wooden bench I sat on vibrated. My fingers burned with the desire to yank my cloaking ring off and slam my way through that front door.
Yet I could not. But that was the story of my life. Everything I wanted I could not have – at least in regards to her.
I had to respect her privacy, her life. Well, I did not technically have to. Prince Thorne had made it perfectly clear I was to do whatever I needed to keep her safe – after all, he needed her alive. But I could not, in good conscience, betray her in such a way. I loved her with every fiber of my being. I would give her this little bit of privacy. It was all I had to give her in the end.
I’d kept that unspoken promise to her for three hundred and twenty-seven years, I would not break it now.
No matter how much I wanted to.
The first hour I’d circled the house, peeking in through every window to make sure she was not in any danger…but then I’d taken up post across the street on a bench in the middle of a mild blizzard. One I was fairly certain she had caused. I sighed and rolled my neck and snow cascaded over my face like a waterfall. I’d sat so still for
so long the snow had piled up on my shoulders and head. It was fine, my magic kept me warm.
My magic also allowed me to feel her presence. I knew she was inside. After all these centuries I could pinpoint her exact location within the house so I knew she was alive and well. Mine self on the other hand, that was debatable.
This house itself I knew quite well. It was The Coven’s headquarters here in town. It always had been. In 1692, Saraphina had come here often with her mother and uncle. The façade had not much changed, not that that would matter. I felt the magic of The Coven radiating out of the wood even though none of them were here.
That was the only reason I had not gone inside. If a single member of The Coven had been present I would have been her shadow. The Coven could not have her. That was imperative. Prince Thorne had made that painfully clear.
Keep her safe. Keep her out of The Coven’s hands.
The front door flew open and Savannah and Gigi skipped out into the snow. I sucked in a sharp breath and sat up straight. A quick glance down confirmed my cloaking ring was on the correct finger – no one would see me. Unless she has that camera or the hag stone. I frowned as that popped back into my mind. It was not clear to me how she was able to see me through those, I would have to wait and ask Prince Thorne when I next saw him.
Gigi scowled and snarled her unusually lipstick-free lips. “Why are we going out again?”
“Because this night calls for pizza and tater tots, my friend,” Savannah yelled out then stuck her tongue out to catch the falling snow. The piercing in her tongue glistened in the fading sunlight.
I felt the wave of Saraphina’s power before I even spotted her. I braced myself but it was no use. The moment the sun shined on her fiery red hair my heart leapt from my chest. My breath left me in a rush. Every time it was the same. After all these years, I thought I’d be used to her effect on me yet she seemed destined to be my eternal torture.
She grinned up at the setting sun then threw her arm out behind her and grabbed someone by the elbow. “Come on, you have to come with us.”
I frowned and leaned forward as the person she spoke to stepped out from the shadow of the house. And then I saw him. I gasped and jumped to my feet only to freeze. Him. Fire scorched through my veins as Saraphina dragged him by the elbow out the door.
Memories crashed down around me, transporting me to another time before I could rein my thoughts in. The flashback came for me without warning or grace, with the full punch of a tsunami.
I sat up in the old oak tree, perched on a lower thick branch watching Leyka’s house. Their visitors were not from this part of town, or era. I recognized the faint scent of Prince Thorne’s magic lingering in the air around them. He’d sent them here. For what reason, I did not know. But I had to keep my distance for the Marks on their arms told me all I needed to know.
They were from the future, of that much I knew. But they were struggling to return home, I found myself wishing for their success. It made me twitch for them to be so near her.
The front door swung open and then Saraphina skipped out into the bright sunlight, dragging the big, blond male by the elbow with her. “Come, let us get you where you need to be.”
He chuckled and ran his hand through his short-trimmed blond hair. “Are you sure you can do this? I’m pretty heavy—”
“Cooper Bishop.” Saraphina put her thin arms on her tiny little hips. Her pale translucent pink wings sprouted from her back. She arched one red eyebrow at him and her lavender eyes sparkled. “Do you dare to challenge my abilities?”
The male, Cooper, threw his hands up in surrender. He bowed his head and smiled. “My apologies, Saffie the great one.”
She giggled and it made my stomach turn. Bile rose in my throat. Who does this male think he is to be so callous with her? To make her laugh in such a way.
“May I see the spell? I must admit I find myself curious…”
He held a piece of parchment out to her. “Please, read it. Then perhaps perform it on yourself. Just in case. You never know.”
She licked her lips and read aloud, “By word of magic, strength in deed, See my life, all memories I need. Plant a clone in your garden divine, Both good and bad, forever mine.”
Cooper shuddered. “My sister is terrifying at times.”
“This spell is strong, hold it tight in your heart and it will protect you.” She handed the parchment back to him, then stepped up and wrapped her arms around his hips. “Brace thyself.”
I exhaled and smoke billowed from my body from the fire burning inside me. My gaze latched on to the way her arms held him. My stomach tightened and flipped. My pulse quickened. I suddenly found my sword gripped firmly in mine hand though I had no recollection of grabbing it. And then he had the audacity to coil his arms around her like they were intimate.
He grinned down at her and I wanted to pluck his eyeballs out with my bare fingers. “I’m ready.”
I growled but then the memory faded and I was right there in the snow watching him walk beside her. I balled my fists. I hated him then. I hate him now.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Saffie
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
It was late at night, near midnight, and the four of us were huddled under a tree in Salem Commons – the big park a few blocks over from my house. We’d spent the last hour convincing Cooper of what was probably a horribly dangerous idea and somehow he’d agreed to it. Now that we were here, I was more than a little nervous and the bitter cold temperature outside was not helping me calm down.
“We don’t want to fight one, Cooper.” Savannah drawled and batted her long black eyelashes at him. “We just want to watch you kill one.”
He gave her a blank stare. “Civilians don’t lure demons into traps.”
“But you’re in The Coven. Which is why you’re luring it.” Gigi wagged her eyebrows.
“I am so going to regret this.” Cooper put his hands on his hips and sighed. He looked to us with stern green eyes. “Fine, but there are rules. First, no helping. Second, no helping. Third, no helping.”
I giggled and covered my mouth with my hands.
Gigi narrowed her brown eyes and pursed her lips, making her lip ring catch the moonlight and glisten. “Question, are there any demons that are afraid of penguins?”
Cooper did a double take. “What?”
“Ya know…” Gigi twirled the blonde ends of her hair around her fingers. “Like mummies are afraid of cats.”
“Well, that’s a movie. And no, sorry, I don’t think so.”
Gigi threw her hands up in the air. “See, exactly why we need this. I have to know how to kill a demon in my human form otherwise seafood is on the menu.”
Savannah tied her long black and turquoise hair in a knot on her head. “Yeah, and poetry slams aren’t as aggressive as they sound.”
I snorted. “I’m sure you can write some kind of poem spell for killing demons.”
“Well they don’t call me Savage Savannah for no reason.”
Gigi rolled her eyes. “You call yourself that, no one else.”
“Hey, didn’t I have to carry you while trying to run from evil spirits last night?”
“Remind me to never introduce you to my sister.” Cooper shook his head. “She loves a good bad influence.”
Savannah threw her hand up. “Oh, that’s me!”
Gigi’s eyes went wide with excitement. “I can do that, too.”
I turned to him. “Is your sister in The Coven, too?”
Savannah scoffed. “All the Bishops are in The Coven. Y’all make up half of it, don’t ya?”
“Almost, yeah.” Cooper chuckled then looked to me. “My father, mother, uncle, two sisters, and little brother are all Coven members.”
My jaw dropped. “Why? I mean…how?”
He shrugged. “There is always at least one Bishop in The Coven because we’re one of the founding bloodlines of the species.”
Like Eliza
beth Bishop? I wanted to ask him but I was also terrified to. Savannah and Gigi were awesome and always super supportive…but there was just something about that medium reading that made my skin crawl. I’d have to get Cooper alone then I could ask him. And then I’d ask him how he ended up in my dream.
“You okay, Saffie?”
I shook myself and looked up to find him watching me. I cleared my throat. “I was just thinking…could your sister help her with a poem for fighting demons?”
“My sister can do literally anything, especially if she thinks it’ll annoy me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, she gets some kind of twisted joy out of it.”
I snorted. “No, I meant why can she do literally anything?”
“OH.” He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s a long story, but she’s the single most powerful witch that’s lived in like a millennia.”
Savannah gasped. “Oh my Goddess, I need to meet her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” Cooper’s lips quivered like he was trying not to smile and failed. “You have to be careful with her or you’ll bite off way more than you can chew – but wait, what am I saying? We can ask Bettina. She’s just as brilliant as my sister but lacks that twisted that might get you killed on accident thing.”
Savannah bounced. “Who’s Bettina? Can she really help me with a poem?”
“That’s her gift, she can create new spells for anything she wants.” He laughed deep in his gut. “Even turned our friend into Poison Ivy.”
“Oh my God, can we call her right now?”
“Yeah, because he’s stalling.” Gigi narrowed her eyes on him. “You don’t know, we’re stubborn like basset hounds. We won’t forget.”
Savannah crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, and we already ate so that’s the only thing that could’ve derailed us.”
Cooper sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with. But I was serious about the rules, all right?”
My stomach tightened. Here we go. “What are the rules for real?”
The Cursed Witch Page 21