Electricity sizzled from every spot he touched me. My heart did a weird flip in my chest. The heat off his body wrapped around me like a cozy blanket. I tried to hold my breath, but a wave of his fresh rain scent invaded my senses. When my feet hit a flat surface, I glanced over my shoulder to look at his face. He had to feel this. Please feel this. Please. I can’t be alone in this.
But his eyebrows were scrunched together and his mouth a straight line, like I’d annoyed him by tripping in the dark. He yanked his arm back. “Watch your step,” he snapped. His voice was all wrong. It was low and rough, and the tone sharp. He shook his head then walked away.
My jaw dropped. Was he seriously annoyed I fell? Real women slit throats and slip on steps, dude. It happens. I wanted to be angry with him for snapping at me, but my heart sank with every step he took away from me. I just didn’t understand. If I’d done something wrong, he needed to tell me. I deserved at least an explanation. Besides, he kissed me. Not the other way around.
“Are you okay?”
I peeled my gaze from Tennessee’s back and looked over to my left where my new stepsister stood watching me. Her golden eyes were bloodshot, and her long blonde hair was tangled like she’d been tossing in her sleep. She crossed her arms over her chest and held herself.
I sighed and rubbed my face with my palms. “Yeah. Just processing all of this. You?”
She glanced over to where our five companions climbed onto the dock. “Oh, just trying to look like I’m not entirely freaking out on the inside.”
Royce turned and smiled. He waved for us to follow. “C’mon. Witches don’t get cold feet, only cold hearts.”
“I like him, and he’s right. Let’s go.” I walked over the little plank-like bridge connecting the boat to the dock.
Everyone tried to look upbeat and optimistic when we approached, but their smiles didn’t reach their eyes.
I tried to ignore my thoughts on Tennessee. I really did. However, I immediately scanned the dock for him. After a second, I spotted him up ahead standing on land. With only a full moon for lighting, he was difficult to see. Long black hair, black shirt, black jeans, and black boots. Even his skin looked dark from his tan. I narrowed my eyes and looked beyond him, but I only saw a black sky with twinkling stars.
This is the island of the Crones? There was nothing here. An empty island. The ground under Tennessee’s boots shimmered and seemed to sway in the ocean’s breeze. Is that grass? On either side of the dock, the water crashed onto a narrow sandy shore. I don’t understand, there’s nothing here.
Tennessee held his arm up, and something dropped out of his palm. It dangled from his fingers and glistened in the moonlight like a sliver of glass. It hung there for a moment then swung back and forth. I gasped. The item stopped moving for a second then it swung again, this time angling to the right. A pendulum!
“Time to meet the Crones.” Henley pushed her shoulders back and marched across the dock toward land.
What Crones? There’s nothing on this island. I frowned. I’d definitely missed something. Right? Right. Maybe this was a stepping stone to finding them? I shrugged and followed her.
I wanted to get up to Tennessee to watch him use the pendulum. I’d always wanted one. The wooden dock beneath our feet creaked as Libby pushed by me. She raced up ahead and stopped just beside Tennessee. He looked down at her and smiled. It was a warm reaction, like her presence didn’t bother him at all. His lips moved as he spoke, and she threw her head back and laughed.
My stomach turned and twisted. I wanted to know what he’d said, but the breeze off the ocean rushed by my ears and cut off all distant sounds. More than that, I wanted to be the one to make him smile, to make him laugh. I wanted him to see me the way he saw Libby. Sure, he’d kissed me like I meant something to him, but he only spoke to me when required. Wait…is he with her? Oh God. Nausea bubbled up my throat, and I swallowed it down. I shook my head and forced myself to focus on the conversation happening around me.
“…Crone?” Emersyn eyed the horizon in front of us with wide eyes. “I mean, what kind of creature are we talking about? Does it fly? Have fangs? I need to prepare myself.”
“Oh, no. A Crone is a witch.” Henley glanced over her shoulder and winked at Emersyn. “When a female witch turns seventy, she can take a vow of worship and service to the Goddess. In return, She grants them extended life. Most of them live to be like two hundred years old. They come here to this hidden island to live. They’re extremely wise and full of old magic.”
Emersyn sighed so loud we all turned to look at her. She shook her head. “I wish you would’ve told me that a few hours ago. I might’ve actually slept.”
Royce threw his head back and laughed. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m so glad we get to keep this one. This quest will be interesting.”
At least I knew a Crone was an elder woman witch. I’d read enough books on witchcraft to know. Emersyn hadn’t. I should’ve told her. I should’ve known she would have no idea. I needed to do a better job.
Wait a second. This quest. I frowned as Royce’s words registered. We were on a quest. I’d been so caught up in my confusion and Tennessee that I hadn’t put much thought into the word “quest.” Now I did. It wasn’t a journey or an adventure, but a quest. Which meant it would be challenging and dangerous. Was the Hierophant killed on one?
I looked back up to where Tennessee walked ahead of us. His back was straight, his gait confident…but his muscles were tight and tense. He held the pendulum out in the air in his right hand. Libby walked on his left side like a shadow. Her side braid bounced against her shoulder blades while she walked. I took a deep breath. I had bigger concerns than a boy at the moment.
“Guys, what’s this quest we’re on?” I asked.
Whatever conversation they’d been having without me died. Silence followed. I looked over and caught Henley, Royce, and Cooper exchanging worried glances. Like maybe they considered not telling us. Emersyn’s wide eyes snapped back and forth between them and me.
My pulse quickened, sending adrenaline coursing through my body. “Guys?”
We walked until we were a few feet from Tennessee and Libby without an answer.
“STOP,” I yelled.
To my surprise, everyone froze. No one met my eyes…except Tennessee, who turned to face me.
I glared at him. I funneled all of my confusion and anger right at him. “Before we get to the Crones and Emersyn and I look like fools, how about you tell us what this quest we’ve been forced into is?”
Emersyn stepped up to my side. “And that’s not a request. Start talking.”
Emersyn’s courage worked differently than most people, or, rather, than how people expected it to. It was there, like a bear in hibernation. If provoked, it came out strong and sharp. I wanted to smile at her, but I needed to hold my ground.
I crossed my arms and glared at all of them. “Listen, I understand the omission of things before. But we know now. We’re witches and we’re part of this Coven we know nothing about. We’ve been selected just like you five for this quest, except unlike you, we have no idea why or what we have to do.”
“You’re right.” Tennessee’s voice was back to its velvety state, which I both loved and hated. He stepped forward, and thanks to the full moon, I saw the colors of his eyes. “I apologize. I…I have a lot on my mind. This quest is complicated.”
“I’m listening.”
He sighed and lowered the hand holding the pendulum. The wind swept his hair into his face, and it took everything in me not to push it back for him. “The Hierophant is our spiritual authority. They’re the person who communicates with the Goddess. Without them, we’re running a bit blind. The Hierophant has a locket, given to them by the Goddess. It contains all of our race’s secrets, prophecies, old magic. Basically, everything we could ever need to know. It’s been around since our race was created, after the fall of Eden itself. It’s ancient.”
“Only the Hierophant
can use it,” Cooper said, taking over the explanation. He stared at the horizon with a wistful expression. His thoughts were probably on Cassandra. “When the Hierophant dies, the locket disappears. The Coven must then go on a quest to find it. We only get three weeks to do so before it’s lost forever. That is the quest we’re on now.”
“We lost Cassandra last week,” Tennessee said, his voice barely over a whisper. He looked down at the dirt, and a patch of grass popped up like his emotions had created it. Actually, they probably had. Earth was one of his elemental magic gifts.
“Technically we have two weeks left,” Royce added.
Henley raised her left hand above her head. She flexed her fingers then curled them into a fist. The moon dropped lower and grew a little bigger. Light surged around us so it looked like sunrise.
Henley nodded and smiled before turning her attention back to us. “That’s why we wanted to ease you into this, maybe train a little before we started.”
“But the Goddess must know something we don’t.” Cooper cracked his knuckles. His gaze bounced around, and he looked almost as nervous as Emersyn. “Since she made us start tonight.”
“We know you’re confused and probably scared, understandably so.” Tennessee stepped forward and dipped his head to meet our eyes. “And we’re sorry for that. We’ll do better at explaining while we go.”
“Is this quest going to be dangerous? Could we get hurt?” Emersyn asked.
“Very,” Cooper confirmed. “And yes.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know much more about it than you.” Royce chuckled like he’d just made a joke. He leaned his elbow on his sister’s shoulder. “We don’t know where the locket is or how to find it.”
Cooper groaned and tugged at his short hair. “We usually have prophecies for quests. They serve as clues. But without the Hierophant, we have to work with the information the Goddess sends us. All we know right now is to visit the Crones.”
“When Cassandra was dying…” Tennessee cleared his throat. He shook his head and his hair flew around. “She told us the locket couldn’t be found until the Empress and the High Priestess claimed their ranks.”
“And you cannot claim your ranks until those blocking spells are removed.”
Everyone jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Standing just behind Tennessee, an older woman appeared out of nowhere. She had long charcoal-gray hair braided on both sides of her head. Her skin was tan, like she spent all of her life in the sun. She was barefoot, with vines of flowers wrapped around her ankles and little silver rings on her toes. A silver diadem rested on her head. The symbol on the front, pressed to her forehead, was a circle with a half circle on each side.
I’ve seen this symbol before…in books. The Triple Goddess symbol. The symbol of the Crones.
She looked at each one of us with big, silver eyes, like she saw down into our souls. She raised her palms up to her waist and smiled. A warm gust of wind swept in, and it shimmered like glitter floating in the air. In an instant, everything changed. A whole flock of women in matching pigtail braids and floor-length white sheath gowns stood with their arms behind their backs. There had to be thirty of them, maybe more. Behind them, the open, empty island transformed. A castle of gray stones glistened like coral under the water on a sunny day.
My jaw dropped. What? How?
The Crone with the diadem smiled, and I liked the way it made her cheeks dimple and her eyes twinkle. “We have been waiting for you. Come.”
Without another word, she turned and walked away. The other Crones parted and let her pass through the middle. None of them spoke to us. Not even to give us their names. The Crones at the opening of the path smiled and waved us forward.
Tennessee glanced over his shoulder at us and shrugged. He tucked the pendulum back into his front pocket and dipped his head. “Thank you.”
I grabbed Emersyn’s arm and dragged her forward to follow Tennessee, cutting in front of Libby. I wanted to be at the front, where I’d know what was happening first. I hated being in the dark. I liked to lead. And okay, I wanted to be next to Tennessee. When I caught up to him, he glanced over and looked me up and down before turning to watch the path in front of him. Warm shivers ran down my spine. I wanted him to look at me like that again. It made me think I wasn’t alone in this…this…whatever this was. I shook my head. When I had a moment alone with him, I’d ask my questions.
The air in front of our path shimmered. I squinted. What the hell? A wall of pulsating purples, blues, greens, and pinks stretched as far as I could see in both directions. It looked like the pictures I’d seen of the Northern Lights, or like a rainbow in an oil slick. The Crone with the diadem didn’t even slow her pace. She strolled right through it. I frowned and glanced up to Tennessee.
He glanced down at me and shrugged. “I suppose.”
I nodded and kept walking. Five feet later, the rainbow wall was right in front of me. I took a deep breath and stalked through it. The air smelled like roses. There was a misty sensation, but I didn’t feel wet. It was cold, but refreshing in the Florida summer heat. I looked down at my skin and found I shimmered like I’d put sparkly lotion on. The purple in my hair glowed like I was under a black light. Three steps later, the air turned warm and the lighting went back to normal. I glanced down at my body, and my feet froze in place.
My clothes were different. Before the rainbow wall, I’d had on a black muscle tank with Chewbacca on it, black cutoff shorts, and black boots. Now I had on a white sleeveless sheath dress that cut off above my ankles. I wiggled my toes against the cool, rich dirt. Oh no, the mark! I panicked and looked down only to find the collar scooped just below my neck. I was covered. What just happened?
“Rituals require ceremonial white,” Tennessee whispered beside me.
“Very good, Emperor,” the Crone said with a proud smile.
I glanced over at him and had to bite down on my bottom lip to stay quiet. Tennessee in all black was dangerous and intoxicating…Tennessee in all white was dazzling and hypnotizing. I blinked and forced myself to look away. The warmth in my chest was absolutely from the temperature in the air.
I cleared my throat. “But how?”
Tennessee’s lips curved into that sexy smirk I loved. He winked down at me. “Magic.”
The Crone with the diadem smiled and raised one hand in the air to get our attention. “My name is Myrtle. This ritual must be completed before sunrise, so we need to begin now. We will talk after.”
“What do you need us to do?” Tennessee asked.
“We saw the pink moon, so we prepared.” Myrtle gestured toward the ground behind her. “The pentagram is ready. Empress and High Priestess, please go stand in the center. Face each other and hold hands. The other five of you, please take a point each.”
I reached my left hand back behind me and waited. After a second, Emersyn took it and squeezed. “Let’s do this, Em.”
“I hope I don’t regret this,” Emersyn whispered. “Whatever this is.”
I led my stepsister forward until I saw the pentagram. Fortunately I was familiar with the symbol. I wore it as a charm either on my necklace or my choker, depending on if my father would be around. Still, the knowledge of what it looked like did nothing to prepare me for the sight before me. On the ground, stretching a good thirty feet, the five-pointed pentagram was burned into the dirt in thick black lines. A circle surrounded the star shape.
My heart fluttered with a mix of emotions. Excitement, anxiety, fear….so many all at once. I was glad for the excuse to hold on to Emersyn. I followed my instructions and positioned myself at the center of the pentagram, facing Emersyn. I held my hands out, palms up. Emersyn took them without hesitation. She looked at me with wide champagne eyes.
I smiled back. “We’re in good hands.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. Her palms were sweaty and her fingers trembled.
I hope that wasn’t a lie. I wanted to tell her to open her eyes and watch whatever was about
to happen, but I feared she might not cope well. Part of me worried I’d wake up any second and this all would’ve been a dream. So there was no way I wasn’t going to watch. I took in my surroundings. The castle was still off a bit in the distance, and the docks were just barely visible to my left. Behind me and to my right, the land dropped off out of sight. The crashing of waves echoed in my ears. Every few seconds, water splashed up on the ground. The ocean. So close. Something told me that was intentional and relevant.
Back to my right, Henley smiled up at the moon from her point. Across from her, Libby eyed the Crones with a weird expression I couldn’t place. Directly to my left, Cooper had his eyes closed like maybe he was praying. To my right, Royce winked and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back and looked directly in front of me, over Emersyn’s left shoulder. Tennessee’s mismatching eyes bored into me with such intensity I had to look away or I’d forget what my name was.
I really need to talk to him. Later.
“Royce, my dear.” Myrtle broke through the silence. “Please trace the pentagram lines with your gift.”
Gone was his smirk and goofy demeanor. He nodded and focused on the ground. He held both hands out and wiggled his fingers. After a second, the black lines of the pentagram were covered with flower petals of every size and color.
Myrtle nodded in approval. When she opened her mouth, she spoke in a language I’d never heard before. Movement in my peripheral vision made me jump. The Crones formed a circle around the pentagram, closing us in. They raised their arms out to the sides and held their palms to face each other. Their heads tipped back so their faces greeted the sky. They began chanting soft and low, growing louder by the second. I tried to hear their words, but it was in that same weird language.
The moon moved until it sat right above us. It dropped down so low I couldn’t see the whole thing at once. Its light lit up the island like midday sun. Henley gasped. Myrtle yelled something out, and the ocean breeze changed. It blew stronger and faster, curving around the circle like a protective force field. Flower petals swirled through the air, wrapping around our bodies and through our hair. We were in the middle of a tornado of the Crones’ making.
The Lost Witch Page 11