“Twin, I’m just asking for all the details before we say yes. Of course we want to do whatever we have to do to get Deacon back home.”
“I say willing, because it is out of your control.” Keltie walked to the center of the room. “There is only one person in this room who can make this solution happen for you.”
My pulse quickened. It took everything inside me not to drag Tegan close to me.
“Who is it?” Tegan whispered. “Who is the one?”
“I cannot tell you until after you agree.” Keltie sighed. “The powers that be who rule this realm, the Creator and the Goddess, have strict rules I mustn’t break. If I am to give my help, there must be risk and sacrifice from you.”
Why am I not surprised? “How does it work? Do you already know who this one person is?”
“Yes, I know who it is.” She stood in the center of the room, looking like a timeless piece of art. “First, you all give me your word that you will let the one person make this sacrifice. Then I tell them, and only them, what it is they must do.”
Royce spun away from the wall. “Wait, we don’t get to know?”
Keltie pursed her lips and tapped her fingers along her pearls. “You don’t get to hear the explanation, but you will see the result. And this includes everyone in this room, not just those traveling through time.”
Myrtle shrugged and her eyes looked sad. “Blessed with power, cursed with sacrifice. That is the life of The Coven.”
Tegan squeezed my hand with both of hers. My skin burned from how hard she held on to me. We have to accept this, babe. I’m terrified, but we have to. Deacon will die. The world will die. We can’t be that selfish.
I looked down into her eyes and stared. I wished for the millionth time I could communicate like her, so I could tell her how much I loved her while surrounded by other people.
Her lips curved into a tiny little smirk. I love you, too, babe.
I couldn’t shake the fear racing through my body that I was that one person. It wasn’t going to be Tegan. She was a twin. She was the chosen witch from Salem’s Prophecy. She was the Aether Witch. The world needed her to save it from destruction. I, on the other hand, could be replaced. I could be parted from her.
But she was right. We had to accept. Our lives weren’t really free. Our Marks were a blessing and a curse, as Myrtle pointed out. This was literally our job. Whatever Keltie’s solution was, it would have ramifications, and we had no way of knowing just how bad they would be.
I had to be the leader I was supposed to be and make the vow first. I didn’t like it, but I was done fighting it. I sighed and rolled my shoulder. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Emperor’s power, I give my word.”
Tegan squeezed my hand. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine High Priestess’s power, I give my word.”
“By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Empress’s power, I give my word.” Emersyn sniffled and held Deacon’s hand up to her lips. She kissed his skin. “Does he have to say it? What if he can’t say it?”
“By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard,” Deacon whispered.
We all gasped.
Deacon’s voice was low and weak and barely audible, but it was him and he was saying it on his own. He cracked his violet eyes open just enough to look up at Emersyn. “With mine Devil’s power, I give my word.”
Tears poured down Emersyn’s face. She threw herself down and buried her face in his shoulder. I looked away to give them privacy.
Cooper cleared his throat. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Star’s power, I give my word.”
Royce wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulders and closed his eyes. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Wheel of Fortune’s power, I give my word.”
“By the Goddess’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine heart’s power, I give my word.” Myrtle’s voice was loud and clear.
Saffie took a deep breath then let it out slowly. She stared at Keltie with wide eyes that were eerily similar to Keltie’s, which was something I was dying to ask about but knew I couldn’t. “By the Goddess’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine heart’s power, I give my word.”
Leyka, who’d been mute and shell-shocked since Keltie’s arrival, plopped down in the rocking chair and shook his head. “By the Goddess’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine heart’s power, I give my word.”
Sometimes I forgot there were people not in The Coven. I’d never stopped to wonder what a civilian’s oath sounded like; I’d only been taught The Coven’s.
I looked down at Henley, the last of us to make the oath. Her eyes were wide and staring into nothingness. Her lips were pressed together in a firm line, her skin paler than normal. I opened my mouth to say something to her when her sapphire gaze snapped over to Tegan then filled with tears. I had no idea what my soulmate was saying to her, but it appeared to be hitting the spot.
Henley closed her eyes and leaned into Royce. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Moon’s power, I give my word.”
Keltie exhaled. “Thank you. For trusting me, for being strong. I see now why you all were chosen for your Marks. Be proud of who you are.”
Butterflies danced around in my stomach. My palms grew hot and sweaty. I shifted my weight around and tried to rein in the nerves and fear. “Now what?”
Keltie turned toward Deacon’s bed, and my heart stopped. But then I saw her smile in the window’s reflection. “Myrtle, Saraphina. You know not yet your destiny, but your souls are beautiful. Remember your strength.”
Leyka chuckled but it was tense and half-hearted. He wagged his blond eyebrows. “What about me and my soul?”
Keltie laughed and it sounded like wind chimes. She strolled over to stand in front of Leyka with a wide smile on her face. She cupped his face with both of her hands. “I’m so glad you asked.”
Bright white light shot out of her palms. Her red hair glowed like a Las Vegas neon sign, and it swirled and whipped through the air. Leyka’s eyes clouded over, and his jaw dropped. His hair turned to liquid gold. Trails of golden glitter coiled around his limbs, slithering over his body like a magical snake made of pixie dust. He lifted off the wooden rocking chair and rose in the air until his face was level with hers.
Holy shit.
It’s Leyka.
He’s the one to make the sacrifice.
I hadn’t expected that. Hell, I hadn’t even considered it. With six healthy Coven members, it didn’t make sense to choose the civilian. I hated to admit it, but I’d actually been suspecting we’d have to sacrifice Deacon’s life. I hadn’t wanted to, yet I still thought it. Judging by the fresh tracks of tears on Em’s cheeks, I suspected she’d thought the same thing. Except it wasn’t Deacon, or any Coven-member. It was Leyka. I didn’t understand. It didn’t make any sense. What did a civilian like him have to offer or sacrifice that a Card didn’t? Sure, I was grateful neither Tegan nor I were chosen, but it still made the hairs on my arms stand tall.
Then I remembered the Leyka we’d met a few months ago in the Bahamas was an angel.
There was definitely a story there.
Light flashed between Leyka and Keltie like a pinball machine. Their eyes were locked onto each other’s and sparkling like diamonds. That golden glitter wrapped around them in a ball and lifted them off the ground. They hovered there for what felt like hours before they dropped back to their feet and the magic faded away.
Leyka collapsed into the rocking chair, his aquamarine eyes still locked on hers. “Was that…?”
Keltie grinned and it lit up her whole face. “Yes.”
His shoulders fell and his face turned pale. “If I do this…?”
“Yes,” Keltie answered without hesitation.
He ran his hands through his long, curly blond hair. “And you…?”
“Yes.” Keltie’s cheeks flushed pink. “Trust me, Leyka.”
He glanced around the room at us,
then looked to Deacon. “And this will get all of them home? To the right future?”
“Unless we get tricked again,” Royce grumbled.
“As long as Tennessee demands a specific date, with the year, and city, then you should be fine.” Keltie peeked out the window. “She wants you to get home. It gives her more to play with.”
“Okay. All right, I’ll do it.” Leyka stood then pressed both hands to his chest.
He whispered something in another language, but it was too quiet to be heard. The air around him shimmered and swirled with soft rosy mist. He held Keltie’s gaze as the magic grew thicker. Then he pushed his magic into his own chest. There was a flash of light like a firework, and then Leyka vanished into a cloud of smoke.
We gasped and raced forward, but Keltie held us back.
When the smoke cleared, we found a cute pink pig sitting on the wooden floor.
Well, I’ll be damned. I stared at the little farm animal that was our friend. Royce whistled. I shook my head. I had no idea how I’d forgotten that detail. Leyka had been a pig on pig island in the Bahamas when we’d first met him on our quest.
“I assumed the transformation was—” Tegan caught herself before she revealed a detail we couldn’t share. She petted the top of pig-Leyka’s head and shook her head. “I had no idea this was possible as a witch.”
“It’s not the most common ability.” Cooper turned his head to the side and frowned. “Somehow I’d forgotten—”
“Cooper,” Tegan warned and held her finger up.
The air shimmered around the pig form of our friend, and then Leyka reappeared in his human form. He stretched his arms and legs and rolled his shoulders. He turned to look at his sister and niece. For a moment, that lightheartedness was missing from his eyes. “You understand I have to do this, right? You’ll be okay without me?”
Saffie closed her eyes and nodded. “I understand.”
Myrtle nodded. “We will be fine, and we will see you again.”
Leyka turned back to Keltie. “Okay.”
Keltie smiled. “You know what you have to do?”
“Yes, I do.” Leyka rubbed his hands together. “I remember everything you showed me.”
“Perfect.” Keltie spun around to face the rest of us. “You have until midnight to prepare yourselves, but you must be there when she returns. She won’t wait even a second. Saffie will guide you. Until then, do a healing ritual for your Devil. Time travel will rob him of strength he can’t afford to lose.”
Chapter Thirteen
EMERSYN
Time travel will rob him of strength he can’t afford to lose.
Those words kept repeating in my mind like an echo. We’d done a healing ritual for Tegan when she had Witch’s Shock and it worked…but that was only her magic being depleted and overused. Deacon was injured. Demon venom raced through his veins.
And the ritual hadn’t worked for Libby.
Stop it. Stop that, Tegan said into my mind. We have NOT lost him yet. Okay? Do not give up. He needs your strength.
I sighed and glanced over to my sister. She was annoying with her ability to read my mind, but she was also right. I nodded then returned my attention to Deacon. His eyes were closed, but I kept telling myself he was awake and listening. After all, he’d jumped in unprovoked to give his oath, so he had to be paying attention. It was a thin string of hope to cling to, yet I clung anyway. His face was pale and ashy. His lips cracked and dried out. His aura was weak, a soft hum, instead of that powerful force I was used to.
He needed this healing ritual, even though it didn’t sound like it would work.
For Libby’s, we’d performed it on the boat while we raced home. Tegan’s had been done on the beach, probably because water was one of her strongest elements. But for Deacon, we didn’t dare move him again. We knew we had to carry him all the way out to meet Cronos, so we decided his healing ritual would be done right here in the bedroom. I’d lit the fireplace hours ago when we did the memory spell. The flames still danced over the logs in flickering orange light.
I knew I should’ve been helping us get ready, but I couldn’t get my body to move. All I could do was sit here and hold on to him. I didn’t want to lose him, not when I’d just found him. I’d been that blind brat too dumb to see what I had right in front of me…to see what was marked for my soul. Now all I wanted was a chance to do right by him. To push aside all my fears and baggage and let my soul be happy. I just needed the chance.
Myrtle, Saffie, and Leyka had gone into another room. None of us had questioned them. Leyka had volunteered to let himself be handed over to a greater demon, the Time Demon Cronos, just so we could get back to the future. I had no idea what Keltie had shown him, but it didn’t matter. It was still the most selfless thing I’d ever seen. He was willingly letting himself get taken to a demon’s realm.
His family deserved a few moments alone with him before he did it.
Because as soon as this healing ritual was over, we were marching to our date with a demon. Keltie had left us as quickly as she’d joined us, wishing us luck and strength. I wished she’d stayed. My confidence was thicker when she was around.
“Okay, guys,” Tegan said in a soft voice. She turned toward the doorway and waved. “Let’s get this started. We don’t have much time.”
Deacon’s bed had been moved to the center of the bedroom. The fireplace cast the room with a flickering orange glow that helped keep my pulse from running away from me.
Tegan picked something out of a bag on the floor then carried it in both palms over to Deacon. When she got to the bed, she closed her eyes and blew air over whatever she held. Her rainbow magic slithered through her fingers, and then a soft white light shined up into her face.
She lowered her hands to Deacon’s chest and whispered, “For strength.”
I frowned and leaned forward. “What is— Oh.”
When she pulled back, a pile of gleaming quartz crystals shimmered against his skin. She started to walk away then paused and squeezed my shoulder. “You have to stand in the circle for this one. Sorry.”
My heart sank. “Oh. Right.” I nodded and stared down at him. I knew she was right; I just didn’t want to leave his side.
Tegan moved to stand at the foot of the bed. “Why don’t you stand opposite of me? By his head?”
Get up, Emersyn, I chastised myself. He needs you to do this for him. You’re stalling the process. I leaned down and pressed my lips to his cheek. Heat flared in my chest, only for a fraction of a second, but it made my eyes water. He was in there still, fighting. Feeling. I forced myself to get up then followed my twin’s suggestion and moved to stand opposite her.
When I looked up, I discovered the others had already joined us. Henley was on my right, with Tennessee standing between her and Tegan. Then on my left were Royce and Cooper. Everyone’s faces were grim, their auras heavy with the same despair suffocating me.
“I’ll cast the circle,” Henley whispered. She stepped out of her spot and picked up a little brown box off the floor. She made quick work of pouring the salt onto the hardwood floor while walking the circle and chanting the incantations in our ancient language. When she reclaimed her spot, she looked to her brother. “Royce?”
Royce frowned and held his arms out. His hands trembled like leaves in a storm. He looked up at Deacon’s face then refocused on his wound. He pushed his magic, but it was faint and shaky. Royce dropped his arms and exhaled like he’d been punched. “I-I-I can’t.”
“It’s okay, Royce. It’s not your fault,” Tegan assured him.
She was the only one of us whose magic hadn’t been completely messed up. Her weakened power was our regular full strength. Part of me was jealous of that; the bigger part of me was thankful we had her. She must’ve said something telepathically to Royce because he nodded and smiled at her.
Tegan held her hands up and curled her fingers in a wave. Red roses poured out of thin air, raining into our circle like a flash flood. Tegan
swirled her hands around, and the red petals floated over to the bed and buried Deacon until only his chest and head were visible.
Tennessee raised his hands out to his side. “I know we don’t have much right now, but let’s give him all we’ve got.”
“Everything,” Tegan whispered and pressed her palm to Tennessee’s. She laced her fingers with his, then she held her right hand out toward our brother. “We can eat some of Evaline’s soup and take a nap when we get back.”
Cooper raised both his hands. “In the air conditioning.”
“After a shower.” Henley chuckled, though her eyes were sad.
The rest of us held our hands up and pressed our palms to our neighbors’, like we had the last two times we performed a healing ritual. I took a deep breath and tried to steady the chaos of my emotions. It wouldn’t help his ritual if I were a complete disaster. I needed to get myself together.
“Henley, will you lead us?” Tegan’s voice was soft but still held the power I’d come to identify her with.
Henley’s eyes widened. “You sure?”
Tegan smiled. “You’ve led us on the other healing rituals. I think you’re better suited for tonight’s as well.”
Henley’s smile wobbled as she nodded and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath then began the incantations in our ancient language. I had no idea what she was saying. Unlike my sister, I hadn’t picked up any of the language. But I trusted Henley with my life…and with Deacon’s.
Warmth spread through my palms and seeped up into my arms. Just like the other times, golden light erupted from between our joined hands. It poured into the room. I felt my Coven-mates’ energy move through the circle as Henley’s chanting grew louder. I took a deep breath and reached down inside of me to where the heart of my magic brewed…then I called it to the surface. It surged through my body, and I pushed it out of me and into Deacon.
Henley pulled her hand away from mine and held them both straight out in front of her. The rest of us followed her lead. Magic flowed between us like a rushing river. Golden orbs of light the size of baseballs shot out of our hands and over to Deacon. They hovered over his body, casting him in soft light like the rising sun. They sat there for a moment, like they were waiting for his approval, before they finally dropped down to his body. The red rose petals melted away. Everywhere his skin was visible shimmered and glittered as our magic seeped into his.
The Aether Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 6) Page 8