As Adam returned, he had indeed shaved the scruff from his face, though she had no idea how he'd done it. He slipped into the booth, letting out a loud sigh of relief.
“I ordered us all some hot chocolate. They do a great white chocolate one here. Everyone cool with that? I'll pay.”
Lila, surprised and grateful, nodded. She couldn't help but find irony in the fact he'd been the one to order it, given her earlier comparisons with his eyes.
“Yeah, thank you. I could really use some sugar right now. I feel like I haven't slept in days.” Everyone around her nodded sympathetically, recognition and understanding in their expressions.
“Look, I hate to be the one to bring this up, but we are here for a reason, and I just wanted to ask... did any of you, you know, get messages from your parents?” Elsie and Troy shifted uneasily, giving small nods, while Sadie and Adam looked apologetic and shook their heads.
There was another awkward pause, reminiscent of their initial meeting, then Elsie broke the silence, her voice strong and determined.
“I got mine... you know, after. I felt it when they left.. got killed.” she seemed to want to face the words, and what she'd seen. “I scried with fire, saw it happen.” she sighed shakily. “My dad, he was writing with his blood, but he never finished. If I had to guess, I'd say he was writing a name, but I didn't see it, and it's gone from the site.”
Troy spoke next, his voice soft and more serious than he'd been since Lila had arrived.
“I was in the bath. It was horrible. I heard them screaming, and the water turned black. It was like I was there. There was someone... hooded... who stabbed them. They used an athame.” he sounded pained, and the group shuddered as a whole. It was unnatural and forbidden to draw blood with an athame – to do so would be to invite darkness into its very core and darken its purpose, which was to focus the energies of the wielder. To use it to kill could also corrupt the souls it claimed, but Lila seriously doubted they wanted to think about that.
“My mum contacted me through a mirror.” she added to the conversation. “It was horrible, I'm not going to lie, but she just told me I had to talk to you guys and figure it all out.” Lila continued. “The whole thing... it was completely shattering, but we have to get past it. We have to figure out what happened, because my mum? She kind of made me think that this isn't the end of what we saw. It's the beginning.”
“So, what do we do now?” Adam asked, seeming to accept her as the leader of the group, an unspoken hierarchy settling over them like it was meant to be. Lila wasn't sure she was ready for it, but their faces said it all: they needed her, and she had never been able to turn her back on those in need. Pushing her inner doubts aside, she straightened her shoulders, held her head high, and tried to emulate the confidence and power her mother always had to the coven.
“First, we have to visit your houses, talk to your covens, find out if anyone knew about any activities our parents were worried about. I hate to say it, but we should check their diaries too. Then... then we've gotta go to where they died.” she hung her head at that, unable to shake the pain from even thinking about visiting that place.
The others seemed to share her pain, each of them falling silent and just giving a weak murmur of agreement. None of them wanted to visit that place, but they all knew that, ultimately, they had no choice. At the end of the day, if they intended to find out what had happened to their parents and what may lay ahead for their covens, the site of their parents murders was the biggest lead they had into everything.
“Okay... then... that's set. Sadie... would you object to being first on our magical mystery tour?” Lila asked, knowing somehow that the girl would agree. When the nod came, she let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. “So, let's get this show on the road.”
Chapter Two
They ended up spending another two hours at that booth, the talk easing into casual conversations about their lives, their houses and their covens. It felt like they had always known each other and, the longer they spoke, the more Lila saw their personalities and affinities for the element they were bound to. Troy's moods were fluid, like water – even his eyes seemed to be pale blue pools, ever-changing and expressive. He flipped between teasing and being serious almost between sips of the delicious, sweet white chocolate drinks Adam had bought. Adam was quiet, but when he did talk, his words were carefully chosen, as stoic and stable as the Earth beneath them.
Somehow, Lila knew that he was also capable of hurting people without meaning to, of unleashing an avalanche of things he could never take back. She supposed that was why he was so careful of what he said. Elsie, once she had shed her pain and opened up, was bubbly and warm, with a little spark which only came with the fire which burned inside of her. She too seemed to have the potential for real temper, but it was hard not to like her. Sadie was breezy, confident and able to steer them all in what direction their discussion went. She filled every silence easily, and even reached over to brush her fingers over her new friend's hands in comfort. Sadie was like a breath of fresh air, something they all craved, needed right now.
By the time they moved on, they were a lot more relaxed. Sadie took the lead, getting into her car and driving off slowly so that they could follow her. It was an odd sight, each of them driving in procession, a rainbow of colour – if you could class their cars as colourful. Most of them had obvious second hand cars, a little beaten up, but well-loved. Troy was the only one with a brand new car, a sleek red Mazda which looked almost like a sports car, but Lila knew nothing about cars other than how to drive one, so she couldn't say for sure.
It took them about an hour and a half to reach Sadie's house in the midst of Clinton, which actually wasn't too far from Markdale. To Lila, it resembled her own town's attempts to maintain a time which was quaint and picturesque, resulting in hamlet-style housing and greenery around everything. She smiled, pulling up beside Sadie and getting out. “So, this is home, huh? It's so close to where I live and yet, I've never been here before. Don't you think it's kinda weird, how all the elements are kept separate? Imagine if we all met up and tried a ritual or -.”
Sadie shook her head, cutting Lila off mid-sentence. “That'd be risky. That's the problem, too many witches spoil the casting, and all that? That's how Salem happened. Everyone tried to join together, made a huge ruckus and got everyone hung for their trouble. Or burned. Or drowned.” she gave a shudder. “The whole elements thing is just about balance. With all of us at each point of the pentagram, we help keep everything running smoothly. Our powers are joined.. just, contained. That's why the leaders bring back a share of the power – it keeps the... conduit, I guess you could call it... running.”
Lila pondered this, then realised something. “So.. because our parents didn't share power...” she trailed off. Sadie nodded.
“We're gonna have to do it real soon.. but it has to be where.. where it happened.” For the first time, Sadie seemed unsure, and a little sad. Acting on impulse, Lila reached out and hugged her. They became aware of the sound of gravel crunching, and Lila looked up just in time to see Adam's brown Hyundai rolling up. It was the kind of car which had probably once been red, but had darkened due to pollution and was faded in parts, particularly the driver side door. As Adam emerged, using a key to lock his car, Lila decided to mess with him and fool around. Folding her arms, she raised an eyebrow.
“You're late.” she mocked lightly, staring him right in the eye. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a smirk at the very corner of his lips, and he straightened, saluting her.
“Won't happen again, Ma'am!” he promised, and Sadie burst out laughing.
“You two are ridiculous.” the blonde shook her head, golden locks catching the sunlight.
Lila smiled in response, then looked out on to the street, expecting the others to arrive any minute. When they didn't, she frowned in confusion. “Where are the others?” she asked, glancing at Adam and Sadie. “Do I have to scry for them?”
“I guess we could just conjure something up to let them know they can meet us here.” Sadie piped up, and the others agreed. Between them, they cast a kind of barrier, which would alert Troy and Elsie to their presence while also telling them they didn't have to follow if they didn't want to. Casting the spell took moments, and Sadie stopped to speak to one of her coven members who had obviously seen them driving back up to the house. She introduced herself as Camilla, and seemed very interested to meet the other coven leaders. Well, thought Lila, I guess it's not exactly a common occurrence.
“Any news?” Camilla asked softly – Of course everyone in the covens knew what was going on; they had all lost someone – the death of anyone in the coven was felt through the normal human grief, but also the jarring sensation of the lost one's magick returning to the coven so that it might be passed on to the next leader.
Lila shook her head. “I'm sorry, we're working on it though. I promise. It's all under control.”
This appeared to be exactly what the young woman needed to hear, her white-blonde hair bobbing as she nodded, appearing sympathetic to their cause. “It can't be easy. You're all so young, but I see strength in you all.” The statement itself wasn't particularly odd, but Sadie seemed to weigh her words more carefully than the others, giving a small nod of thanks and seeming relieved to hear it.
“Cammy can sense auras. It's an air thing.” Sadie explained. Apparently, subtle shifts in the air were caused by the strength of a witch, and the stronger they were the more likely that Cammy would sense them. Lila had never thought of herself as particularly strong, but that had been without the added boon of her parents magick, and obviously not something she'd had measured before.
Blushing, Cammy gave a small shrug, seemingly modest. “We all have our gifts.” she murmured gently. Almost as if she were embarrassed by the talk turning to her, she glanced off down the pristine paved street with its large, vibrant homes. “I was on my way to Hannah's.” she explained. “She's awfully worried about it all, but now I can pass on some good news. Call me if you need anything, okay?” she asked, giving Sadie an affectionate grin before moving on.
After waving her off, the three of them walked into Sadie's house, heading into her parent's old room. All of the new coven leaders could keep the houses thanks to the support of the coven, who all pitched in out of the respect for their deceased friends. Sadie stalled at the door, hand hovering just over the handle. Lila took her hand, speaking softly. “We can do it. Stay here.” she willed comfort and safety to her through the touch, managing to relieve the stress in the other girl's features, which turned to a look of gratitude. Nodding once as if to affirm her intent, she made her way into the bedroom with Adam at her heel. The room was furnished modestly, obviously for comfort rather than style. Soft blue bedding dressed the bed, where Lila perched before opening the drawers next to them. They were still full of clothes, telling her that Sadie was obviously in the same head space as her, refusing to give up on her parents memories until she felt absolutely able. If Sadie were anything more like her, that day would take a considerable amount of time to come.
She searched through a few drawers, careful to return everything to its original position, until she found a leather bound diary, wrapped in cord to keep it closed. Lila placed it to the side, deciding it would be best if they all looked at it together; It felt too much like invading someone's privacy, despite them being gone. If everyone looked together, it would simply be coven leaders trying to do their best for their coven.
Throughout this time, Adam remained near the door, practically backed up against the wall but looking like he was afraid to touch anything at all. For someone who seemed to be so in control, balanced and strong, it was surprising how much he resembled a scared little boy. Lila ignored it, for the moment.
“Sadie, is there anything else you can think of which might help us? Reference books, maybe your mother's wand? We can use it to divine her last intentions.” Lila asked delicately, aware of how much distress this invasion of privacy was causing. It hung over the whole room like a veil, and Lila wanted to shorten the experience as much as possible. Sadie nodded, swallowing hard. “I'll get it.” she answered softly, disappearing up the hall to her own room while Lila smoothed out the sheets, surprised when Adam came to help. Looking up at the older boy, Lila voiced her inner thoughts. “Why didn't you help?” she asked. “With the search.”
Adam frowned, shifting uncomfortably. “I dunno. I can sense them here, I guess. I can hear their voices in the walls. Like, echoes. Conversations they had in here, I suppose.” Lila was surprised, standing up straight to look at him. “You hear echoes?” she asked, biting her lip. “I do, too. It's part of my gift, I guess.” she explained. Adam looked strangely relieved at her answer.
“Most people think I'm crazy. It's not meant to be part of Earth's power, but I still have it.” he answered.
Lila shrugged, running her fingers along the walls to invite the spirits in. “Don't be scared of them. They literally can't hurt you. They're just the houses memories. The house is made of stone, it's basically like hearing Earth itself. I'd call that a blessing, not a curse. You're special.” Adam seemed to ponder her words, going silent again as it seemed was customary for him. She didn't get a chance to ask him about that, though, as Sadie was soon back, holding a long wooden wand in her hand, with intricate runes carved along it, creating a swirling pattern. It was truly beautiful. Most people associated wands with things like Harry Potter, expecting sparkling stars to come shooting out of the tip. In reality, it was completely different. A wand was simply a tool to focus a Witch's energy and send it out in the precise way he or she wanted, another tool of the trade much like an athame. In comparison to the blade that Lila's own coven used, a wand was perfectly attuned to work with the air coven. It was a conduit for the coven leader's power. As the first full moon since their appointment as coven leaders had not yet come, she knew it would be almost exclusively full of Sadie's mother's energy.
“Priestess Jennifer Aossi, I summon you to our cause, our search for your killers.” Lila spoke softly, and Sadie's head shot up. “No. Not that. You can't!” she yelped, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. Lila understood; it was hard to see the spirit of someone she loved, and Spirit as an element could be very unsettling, leaving you feeling drained if you weren't careful. Sadie turned ash-white as an apparition of her mother appeared in front of her, but it was only an echo being, one stage up from a memory and only able to form simple words.
Almost immediately, the apparition turned to Sadie, who burst out with a wail of, “No, no no, NO!” and ran from the room to cower in the corridor just outside, heaving with sobs. A pang of regret flooded Lila and the echo wavered, only to steady again as Adam put his hand on her shoulder, lending her his strength and support. It felt good, having someone who could understand this seemingly horrible, freakish thing she could do and not judge her. Turning her full attention to the echo, she tried to sound braver than she felt. “Jennifer... forgive us for disturbing you, but we need to find out what happened to you. What can you tell us?”
There was a pause, and then suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped like a brick, the fallen Witch's face turning cruel, stripping away the serene facade of peaceful death and shredding it into a blood-covered mask fit for nightmares. A breeze whipped up around them, battering them with small objects which flew across the room. Lila screamed, dropping down and covering her head, while Adam tried to counteract the spirit's powers with hi
s own. It didn't seem to have much of an effect, but Lila couldn't see much through the haze of dust and debris. The spirit had turned malevolent and their only option was to banish it from here. Luckily, Lila was the proud owner of a photographic memory, and the spell came to her easily. Figuring out how to implement it, however, was a different matter entirely. “Adam! Sage!” she yelled over the whizzing noise of the veritable tornado unleashed in the hallway.
While Adam searched for the sage, Lila worked on distracting the spirit she'd drawn from the wand, holding the wooden tool out towards the translucent being. “You remember this? Jennifer?“ Lila's tone was full of false mockery; she needed to keep the witch's attention on her so that she wouldn't hamper Adam's progress. “Hundreds of years, bound to your coven. What would you do if I snapped it?” she asked, earning a painful, banshee-like scream in retaliation. Lila winced, trying to block it out before it damaged her eardrums irreparably. Darting backwards, she managed to narrowly avoid being hit by a flying vase, swiped off of the side board by Priestess Aossi's ghost.
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