“What did Crowe do?” Clio asks, jaw clenching as his fingers dig into my skin a bit.
“You know he’s a shapeshifter? Well, he went full grizzly on me when my power was gone.”
“He what?” Clio demands, flaring his nostrils and glances around as if Crowe will suddenly appear to fight him.
“He wanted to prompt me to see what I could do under pressure. It was sleazy, I admit, but I used pyrokinesis on him, Clio. For the first time.”
Clio lifts a hand to scratch at his lip, trying to push away his irritation as he acknowledges my comment. “I’m proud of you, Li, but if I hear about them pulling anymore stunts like he’s already done, I’ll rip him to pieces myself. You better believe that.”
“Don’t worry. Once I figure out what I’m capable of, I’ll get back at them.” I shoot him a smile before my gaze comes to rest on the small hut of Ambrossi’s house behind him.
Clio glances over his shoulder, noticing where my eyes are focused. “I don’t want you to be late, and you’ve got other matters to attend to, so I’ll see you later, okay?”
I nod and he bends down to kiss me just as deeply as he had the first time before he disappears into the beginning darkness of twilight with his anger still apparent in his posture. I sigh, knowing he’ll have to work it out himself and ruffle my hair with my hand before I make my way to Ambrossi’s hut. I knock on the door, and he calls to me to come in. The inside of his house smells of herbs and flowers—similar to The Sage’s room. There’s a huge circular table in the middle of the room covered in a variety of herbs and on the nearest wall are different cubbyholes also filled with plants.
A boline sits in the middle of all of it.
Ambrossi peers up at me from where he stands beside the table, his dark blue eyes glazed over with exhaustion. Beside him, Angel holds a boline of her own, working to cut up a stem of lavender.
“Lilith! So nice to see you,” Ambrossi greets, stepping around the table to me. “What can I do for you?”
At the sound of my name, Angel looks up as well, offering me a small smile.
“Well, I wanted to say goodbye,” I state, shuffling the dirt on the floor with my foot awkwardly. “And Angel, I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for missing so many sessions of Coven duties.”
Angel sets down the boline, wiping her hands together to get rid of any traces of the lavender stalk before beaming at me. “It’s okay, Lilith. I’ve been told you’re a member of the Council now…that’s great news!”
“Y-yeah…it is,” I mumble, swiping my hair behind my ear to show them the gem.
“Congratulations, Li. I always knew you were capable of great things,” Ambrossi says, grasping my elbows in his hands as he plants a kiss to my cheek and backs away.
The moment is so heartwarming that for a long second, I’m unsure of how to respond. Angel senses my tension and breaks the silence.
“The Council found me a new apprentice to take over your Coven duties so things have been just as smooth as always,” she assures me.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I say with a breath of relief. That’s one less thing for me to worry about at least. “Who is it, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Your friend, Helena,” she replies, resuming her work on the lavender.
“Oh.” Her lack of attendance at her last apprenticeship must’ve gotten her fired.
Angel nods. “She’s been helpful.”
“So what do your parents think of your new job?” Ambrossi asks, changing the conversation as he walks back over to his table.
“I haven’t told them. Things are—complicated,” I say, for lack of a better explanation.
“I understand. When I was chosen as Ignis’ Healer, my parents back home had a difficult time adjusting as well. Remember, things won’t always be this hard.”
Why does everyone keep telling me that?
“Training will be rough with The Council,” Ambrossi warns me, crinkling his forehead. “Do you have your amulet?”
I dig into my pocket to pull it out, holding it in view.
He shoots me a thumbs up. “Good. If things get out of hand, do not hesitate getting a pass from The Sage to visit me. I can’t stress that point enough. I know The Council has their own Healer, but I’ve been taking care of you since I was an apprentice so I’m the best help for any issues you may have.”
By the tone of his voice, I wonder if he doesn’t trust The Council to take care of me, and that causes me to think he knows something about their true practices as well. I leave his house thinking how ironic it is that although I’ve lived in Ignis my entire life, I didn’t know those around me until it was time for me to leave.
Chapter Eighteen
Crossing Over
THE SAGE IS the most powerful and knowledgeable witch of all the Covens. These questions you have about your accident—about the whole incident with Iris and Willow—if anyone has the answers, it’ll be her.
Even though I’ve been passed many nuggets of wisdom during my visit to Ignis—many of them, like Clio’s confession, unexpected—Fern’s words are the ones that play over and over in my head as I pick my way through the woods on the edge of the Grove. She’s right, that much is blaringly obvious, but I’m unsure what I can really do about it. For a long time, I wonder why the thought hasn’t occurred to me sooner.
If I confront the Sage, will she actually answer me or push it away like she’s so good at doing?
Everything that’s happened to me since the last day of school circulates in my head, and I take a deep breath reaching up to ruffle my black hair as I attempt to calm the storm before it gets out of hand. My head whirls with the memories, threatening to shut down my entire system to process it. So many things concern me lately that I’m not sure which ones are the most important. I want to know the truth of my accident, of course, but the truth behind Willow’s execution seems a bit more pertinent to my safety. If she really was like me—looped into the same position that I currently am in—I have to know what happens next.
My life may depend on it.
“So you get all your feelings out…hardened and otherwise?” a voice calls from the woods, and I jump, cursing under my breath as I turn to see Crowe.
He emerges from the tree line, a hint of a smile on his face as he holds his palms out, exaggerating the blue sleeves of his billowing robe.
He better consider himself lucky he’s out of my reach, I grumble to myself with the urge to smack him across the face. “Were you following me?” I ask, knitting my eyebrows together to glare at him, hands clasped into fists at my sides.
He nods, not seeming fazed by my anger. “I wanted to make sure you’d be okay off grounds. It’s dangerous out there, after all.”
It’s no better in here.
“Did The Sage tell you to do that?” I grumble. The deal had gone too smoothly, of course there were catches.
He shakes his head, a hint of an amused smirk on his face as he studies me. “No, she didn’t. I just thought I’d keep an eye on my apprentice.”
I narrow my eyes at him thinking about the amount of time I had been gone. I glance up at the sky again to gauge the lowered position of the sun. Has he tracked me since this morning? “That’s uh, ‘sweet,’ and all, but I can look out for myself, remember? That’s why I’m in this mess in the first place,” I snap, trying to hide my irritation as I run my tongue along my lip.
He shrugs. “I mean no offense by it.”
I purse my lips. Right. I stare at him for a long moment and lift my hand to my cheek. A blast of my telekinesis soars at him, sending him flying across the clearing into the nearest tree. I stare across the ground, shocked at the sudden attack. I freeze in place, debating whether or not to help him to his feet.
After the treatment I had endured yesterday, I decide to let him help himself.
“That’s for yesterday,” I stutter quickly, folding my arms across my chest to seem as if I’m in control.
Crowe glances up at me thr
ough his spiky red hair as he stands to his feet and brushes himself off. “That’s fair, I suppose.” He cocks his head to the side then raises an eyebrow, leaving me to wonder if he knows the truth. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a better mood now that you’ve gotten your way?”
“My mood is just fine, thank you,” I reply, holding my chin high to regard him.
“Right,” he mutters, lifting his elbow to show a bloody cut running down the length of his arm.
It looks almost the same as the one he had inflicted on me after meeting Thorn and Callista; I laugh silently at the irony. “I just didn’t expect to be ambushed,” I admit as he walks to my side. “Though really, I should expect just about anything from you people now, huh?”
Crowe gives a small shake of his head and his eyes roll back into his head. “Well, regardless of the greeting, I’m glad you’re back,” he says, and I can tell by his tone just how hard it is for him to mutter those words.
I nod but I can’t muster up the same emotion…even if it is fake. The small break of freedom was a Godsend but now that it’s over it means having to readjust to the Grove all over again. Silence falls over us as he leads the way back to Headquarters. He tries to keep my pace, but I let myself exaggerate my limp at some point—hoping he won’t see the real pain behind it—to stay just a few paces behind him. Despite the truce we called before I left, I have a feeling that not everything will be just peachy—our beginning had been too rough for us to ever be friends. Keeping him in my sights gives me a sense of comfort with the idea that at least he can’t use the element of surprise on me again.
If he tries, he’ll regret it.
“I have two more people to introduce you to.” He glances at me over his shoulder. When he sees how far behind I am, he slows his pace a bit.
“Members of The Council too, I take it.”
“Of course. You’re yet to meet the Aens and Alchemist representatives though I’m sure you’ve seen them around.”
I puff my cheeks out as the images of the two people I had taken notice of during meals floods my mind. Of course I know meeting them can’t be avoided forever, but the thought of having to learn more names and faces is an unnecessary burden to bear.
My arms hang at my sides and I reach into my pocket to fiddle with Ambrossi’s amulet. I have to honor The Sage’s words and fulfill my new duties which means I have no choice but to accept the oncoming meet-and-greet. “What are their powers?”
“Hyacinth is a clairvoyant. She reads minds; she can probably read our thoughts right now,” he says with a slight smirk. “While clairvoyance isn’t exactly the rarest of gifts, the range of which she can hear is pretty remarkable.”
I frown at his description, on the verge of a pout as I drop the amulet back into my pocket. The voice I had heard prodding around my mind the day before had no doubt been her trying to get an idea of who I am and what I’m about. Introductions aren’t required for her to poke in my life. All my fears and worries have been exposed because I hadn’t known to hide them.
Have any of them ever heard of boundaries?
It’s no wonder The Sage doesn’t seem surprised by anything I have to say; Hyacinth has probably already told her all the dirty little secrets my mind has to hide. “And the other?” I ask, scratching my cheek to distract myself before my thoughts fuel my anger again.
“His name is Lynx; of course’s a Healer,” Crowe replies, chewing on his lip as he eyes the path ahead.
“No surprise there,” I mutter with a roll of my eyes. “How does being a Healer get you into The Council?” If any Healer should be given the “respectful” spot of The Council’s Healer, Ambrossi’s legendary skill should’ve been enough years ago. Instead, the highest promotion he got was being moved to Ignis from his home.
If it could be called that.
“Well, he’s not real good at it yet, because—”
“New powers are hard to control, right.” I finish his thought, fighting the smirk as I remember throwing him into the tree with the wish he would get on with his point.
“Don’t tell anyone I said anything, but he’s been able to do something no Healer before him has ever been capable of,” Crowe says, dipping his head to me as if he’s afraid of speaking the words too loud.
That catches my interest, and I walk a bit closer to him without realizing it. “What’s that?”
“He was able to heal an injury caused by magic—one that would’ve otherwise been fatal back in Alchemist.”
I freeze in place, staring at him with my jaw hanging open. “M-magical damage? As in, a wound caused by a witch?”
“He fixed a tear in one of his Covenmate’s hearts caused by telekinesis after a battle between Covens.”
“No Healer is capable of that!” I exclaim, eyes wide as they probe him, searching for some kind of lie. He stares back at me, face blank of any emotions as he tries to guess what’s running through my mind.
I have no answer for him, let alone myself, as my insides scramble for some sort of answer while my mind goes to Ambrossi. He has tried everything in his power to heal me—studying books way beyond his years to grasp an advanced understanding of medicine—to fix the damage of my childhood “accident.” For all his studying, he had been insistent on informing me that magical damage beyond a point can not be fixed.
No Healer in any of the five Covens, living or dead, is capable of it.
Unless that’s what The Council wants us to believe.
“Apparently he is,” Crowe says, dragging his finger along his jaw. “I wish I could’ve seen it for myself, but I heard it caused quite a bit of an uproar in Alchemist. As you can imagine, that drew The Sage’s attention and got him brought over to the Grove.”
“How long ago was this? I’ve never heard anything about it!” I demand, hands grasping the collar of his shirt. His nonchalant tone irritates me, and it’s obvious he can’t tell how serious the matter really is.
I’ll make sure he knows.
“It’s been a few years,” Crowe replies, running his hand through his hair before he gently plucks my hands off him and takes a few steps backward as if he’s afraid I’ll wring his neck next.
He’s not wrong.
“That’s all you have to tell me?” I demand, throwing my hands into the air.
Crowe shrugs, breathing in sharply as he catches the rage on my face. “That’s all I know. I mean it was before my time, and definitely before yours. The only one who could really tell you much about it is Lynx, and of course, you’d have to meet him before any of that could happen.”
I suck in a gasp of air, and my eyes dart away to stare at the nearest tree worried that the flare in my emotions might send my powers out of control again if I’m unable to wring them in. Too many emotions hit me all at once for me to form a clear thought, and my lungs suddenly ache under the pressure of a panic attack. I reach a hand out, presumably for balance, but my telekinesis keeps me from collapsing to the ground.
I swallow the emotions away and look up at him, my face blanched. “I-D-do you think he—”
Crowe scrunches his face before realization softens his features. He lifts a hand to stop me. “There’s a chance he could help you, but I don’t know how good that percentage is. While it’s true he’s been in training for a while, his situation is complicated. Like you, he’s still learning how to optimize himself. Right now, he’d probably hurt you more than help, and I don’t think any of us want to take that risk.”
I can’t imagine my leg in any worse condition than its current state, but I don’t counter his point. I blink at him to try to hide the disappointment as I steel my face behind a steady mask of counterfeit emotions. “Right.”
“Maybe one day though,” Crowe promises, setting his hand to my shoulder.
The gesture only infuriates me further. He may not have intended to give me false hope by offering me the information that he had, but I feel stung by it. I wish he wouldn’t have told me a word about Lynx’s reason for being a pa
rt of The Council, but I had asked the question.
Be careful what you wish for, I suppose.
“Come on, I think you’ll enjoy meeting them,” Crowe’s voice breaks into my thoughts as his hand drops off my shoulder.
My eyes flick to meet his as we resume walking, and I wonder what emotion he sees as he looks back at me. If you believe that, you really don’t know me.
I don’t say another word as I follow him back into the building at the heart of the Grove. Rayna is the first one I see, and my stomach crawls at the thought of her trying to spark another conversation. It seems as if the day can’t come to an end fast enough. I swallow roughly, fidgeting from side to side as I stay close to Crowe, wishing it was time for bed already. She knits a shirt, her eyes barely straying to me, much to my relief, as Crowe and I enter the Common Room.
I notice the blonde girl again, sitting in the corner with her gaze on me, but she doesn’t say a word as she watches my frantic movements. My eyes lock onto her purple ones causing me to pause. A small smile graces her lips as her straight white-blonde hair falls frames her round face. A burly man sits beside her who appears to be a little older than me, around Ambrossi’s age. His shaggy dirty-blonde hair conceals his aquamarine eyes from sight as he stares down at the floor, hands clasped together in front of him as if he’s deep in thought.
“Lilith, this is Lynx,” Crowe states, gesturing him to me.
I compose myself, trying to make a better impression in the last two remaining members of The Council than I had done with the Advisory Council of Fairies as I limp toward him, hand extended in my best attempt at civility. He looks up at me, eyes immediately focused on my leg. He doesn’t say a word as he returns the handshake, the slightest hint of a frown on his strong face, but I have the distinct feeling his thoughts are on my injury.
“Over there, that’s Hyacinth.” Crowe gestures to the blonde.
She dips her head. It’s nice to meet you.
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