“Push all of your energy into the circle,” Myrtle shouted. “We will handle the rest.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tennessee
I thought I was prepared for anything the world threw at me. The wind whipping around us like a hurricane? The ocean sending ten-foot waves to crash against the shore? Both of those were my elements, and though I wasn’t controlling it in the moment, I knew it wouldn’t hurt me. The flower petals soaring through the air and slapping my face? I was used to Royce’s tricks. I knew he had it under control. Even the Crones in action weren’t a big deal. But nothing prepared me for the hurt in Tegan’s eyes when she looked away from me.
I’m such an idiot. I took a deep breath. Though she’d looked away from me, I kept my eyes on her. Blocking and unblocking spells were rare, full of ancient magic. I had to be ready in case something went wrong. I needed Tegan to be okay. She had to come out of this unharmed. My mind flipped through dozens of scenarios where the ritual went disastrous. My chest grew tight, my breathing heavy. My pulse pounded through my body, making my fingers tremble. The ground rumbled at my feet. Calm down. You have to stay in control during this.
She had to know why I’d distanced myself from her. I needed the chance to explain why I couldn’t be with her, even if the explanation was a lie. I don’t know how to pretend she means nothing to me.
Myrtle shouted in our ancient language, and the Crones’ chanting grew louder than the ocean’s roar. The wind blew faster and harder. Royce’s flower petals blurred together in my peripheral vision. I wanted to look around to see what was happening, but I needed to keep my attention on Tegan. Being in the center of the pentagram during a ritual meant dangerous things. I had to be ready…for what, I wasn’t sure. But she wasn’t getting hurt in front of me.
Movement on the ground caught my eye. When I looked down, smoke billowed out from below Emersyn like her feet were on fire. It was thick and white as snow, pouring into the air, but there was no source. Besides Emersyn. The white smoke wrapped around her legs like a snake, slithering up and around her body. Her hair whipped around like she was Medusa, the blonde strands seeming to take on a life of their own. The golden color once muted by the moonlight glowed bright neon yellow at the ends. Her arms shot out to the side. The smoke coiled around her tight. Flames erupted from her fingertips like she held ten candles. Little balls of fire dropped to the ground.
My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to suck in the air my lungs weren’t getting. It’s working. Emersyn’s elemental magic was claiming her right in front of our eyes. I looked back over to Tegan, anxious to see where her gifts lie, but nothing was happening. She stood there with Emersyn’s hands gripped in hers. Her pale green eyes were wide, except not in fear. She smiled and gazed at her sister. I saw the flames from Emersyn’s fingers reflected in Tegan’s eyes. Her black and purple hair whipped around behind her, and her smile grew bigger and wilder. Her cheeks flushed, and I could’ve sworn I heard her giggle, like this was the coolest thing she’d ever seen. Why isn’t anything happening to her? Why isn’t the spell working?
“Emperor!” Myrtle yelled out in our ancient language. When I looked over, her silver eyes were sharp and burning lasers into me. “Give the circle all your power.”
I nodded and turned my attention back to Tegan. You can do this, Tennessee. Help her. I gritted my teeth and summoned all of my magic into my arms. I waited until they shined brighter than the sun…then I pushed it out of me and straight toward Tegan. My power slammed into her like lightning. She shot into the air like a rocket with her back arched and her body curved like a crescent moon.
There was a whistle like a freight train, and then the ocean crashed onto the shore in giant tidal waves. Water slammed into the circle, splashing everyone.
Oh no. Oh God. What have I done? This is too much. Why did she tell me to give it all? My pulse skyrocketed. I opened my mouth to suck in oxygen, but my lungs screamed in protest. Calm down! Rein this back in! I held my arms out toward the circle and narrowed my eyes. I gritted my teeth and tried to pull my power back in. My fingers tingled with my magic, but the ocean fought against me. What have I done?
Water surged upward and pushed at the bottom of Tegan’s bare feet until she floated in the air above our heads. I pulled at the water with my power, summoning it back to the ocean, but it refused to budge. There was a pop like a firecracker, and light erupted from within Tegan’s chest. Her back arched further until she was almost horizontal. The light from her chest shot into the sky. Her body spun in tight circles over and over, growing in speed like an Olympic ice skater. She threw her head back and screamed.
In an instant, everything stopped. The wind died. The water returned to the ocean.
Tegan dropped and hit the ground on both knees. Her fists slammed into the dirt, and fire shot out from under her. Flames erupted around her. Within the blink of an eye, every inch of the black pentagram lines were on fire. I meant to move, meant to race forward and make sure she was okay…except my body froze. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. I stared at her crouched form, holding my breath. After a second that stretched for hours, she climbed to her feet. I exhaled the air I’d been holding, and my body swayed. She’s okay. She’s fine. She’s not hurt.
She looked down at the ground and jumped backward. The flames followed her like a shadow and lit the hem of her dress. She cursed and swatted at the long white fabric. Her arms flailed around her body. The ocean roared and slammed back into the circle. The waves were tall and erratic. The current was vicious. Half the Crones fell over and disappeared into the water. Libby and Henley dropped to their knees. Royce and Cooper swayed. Emersyn screamed as a wave took her feet out from under her. Tegan reached forward with both hands to grab her and pushed the water away from her sister. All around Tegan, the ground was dry, like the water formed a protective ring around her. I watched, frozen in shock, until Myrtle screamed.
I gasped and threw my hands out in front of me. The raging water calmed instantly at my instruction. The waves and current dissolved into a flat nonmoving body of water like a swimming pool. I took a deep breath and gently escorted the water back to the ocean. My gaze snapped back to Tegan. Holy hell. She had water magic. Tegan had water magic. Her elemental power…was water. Holy hell. Just like me. I couldn’t believe it, but then again, I could. Of course, she had water power. Of course, the element she possessed was the same as mine. She was my soulmate. Of course, we’d share this magic. It should’ve been a relief, an excitement. Instead it was salt to the wound.
Tegan blinked her eyes and looked around the circle in confusion. I couldn’t see Emersyn’s face, but her expression must’ve been wild because Tegan’s eyes widened when she saw it. She stared at her sister for a second then looked over her shoulder at me with wide eyes and her jaw dropped. Her eyes met mine, and the color drained from her cheeks. Hurt flashed in her eyes. My heart sank. I hadn’t meant to upset her. I wasn’t even sure what face I was making. I hated being the cause of her pain. I have to talk to her. I have to explain somehow.
Something landed on my shoulder and I jumped.
“Whoa, easy. Just me,” Cooper said with a soft voice.
I blinked over at him and realized with a start that everyone else had joined together with the Crones in conversation. I frowned and wiped my face with my palms. When I looked back to my adoptive brother, I tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Sorry, just… I don’t know.”
He nodded. “I know.”
No, you really don’t. But I didn’t say that. I couldn’t.
He waved for me to follow him over to where everyone else stood. When we got up to the group, the Crones silently backed away and let us walk to the center where Myrtle and my Coven-mates were. Henley, Royce, and Libby all wore shocked expressions but with a hint of smiles.
Myrtle whispered something to the twins and they nodded. She then turned her silver eyes to me and smiled. “Ah, Emperor. Your power was an honor to witness.”
; Tegan’s eyes snapped to mine and then looked away. Dammit.
I smiled at Myrtle, “Thank you.”
I closed the distance between myself and the twins. Emersyn held her left arm out in front of her with the black Roman numeral III etched into her skin. I swallowed and turned to Tegan. I needed to see it on her. I reached out and took her left wrist in my hand, then pulled her arm out until I spotted the High Priestess Mark. The Roman numeral II was simple and clean, but it radiated an aura I didn’t have words to explain. I felt a blast of heat on my skin. I peeked up and met her gaze. We stared at each other for a second, probably far too long in front of other people, before I peeled my eyes away.
I cleared my throat and focused on her Mark. There were questions I needed to ask, but I didn’t trust my voice to speak them.
Myrtle sighed and it filled my body with a sense of peace. Some of her old magic, no doubt. “The spell was successful. The five of you were the combination needed to aid us in the ritual. Empress, High Priestess, welcome. Your magic is now free.”
Emersyn twirled the ends of her golden hair, which miraculously weren’t charred. “So…my powers, my elemental magic…is smoke?”
Everyone nodded, except Myrtle who eyed Emersyn with sharp eyes. She placed her finger under Emersyn’s chin and brought her head up. “My child, you have a strong, yet gentle magic inside you. It is unlocked, but you must let it out.”
“What about Tegan?” Libby asked from right behind Emersyn. She narrowed her eyes on my soulmate and crossed her arms over her chest. “What the hell just happened with her?”
The Crones all exchanged glances. Myrtle smiled and looked over at Tegan. “Our High Priestess is the Aether Witch.”
I frowned and glanced at Cooper. The Aether Witch? I’d never heard of it. The look on Cooper’s face suggested he hadn’t either. “Myrtle…I don’t believe I am familiar with the term. Can you please explain?”
“The Cards in The Coven all possess elemental magic. But the Aether Witch is elemental magic.”
“Excuse me, what?” Tegan asked, her pale eyes wide. She’d yet to pull her arm out of my hands.
Myrtle smiled and patted Tegan’s cheek. Then she turned and looked at me. “You must leave now. You must seek out Leyka. He is on an island in the Bahamas. Follow the stars, and you will find him. He will tell you how to find the Hierophant’s locket. Go now. You have less time than you know.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tennessee
“What did she mean I am elemental magic?” Tegan asked once I’d pulled our sailboat away from Crone Island. She paced the deck between the steering wheel and the seats, gnawing on her bottom lip and staring at her Mark. “She said it like it was different than what you have.”
I sighed. The sky around us lightened to the same shade of purple as Tegan’s hair with the coming sunrise. “I’m not familiar with the Aether Witch terminology. Myrtle is over three hundred years old. She was born in Salem. Her own mother was killed during the witch trials. She knows things younger generations have forgotten. That’s why the Goddess has kept her alive this long.”
Tegan turned to face me. It was the first time she’d looked at me since the ritual. My pulse fluttered to life. There was a heat in her stare that melted the ice I’d felt in my veins since I’d discovered she was forbidden. “Tennessee, I need you to not play humble right now. I know you know more than you let on.”
“Tegan…”
She raised her palms to stop me. “Please, Tennessee. Just tell me what you’re thinking.”
There was something about the way she said my name… It unraveled me. It twisted my insides. I glanced behind her to where Cooper sat on the bench with his head in his hands. Beside him, Royce and Henley looked more like twins than the actual twins. They shrugged at me in perfect unison. On the left, Libby narrowed her eyes and watched Tegan. I knew everyone wanted me to be their leader, to make all the decisions…but the twins were bigger than this quest, bigger than me. One false move and they could destroy the world.
After a long moment, Libby turned to me and nodded. “Tegan is right. Stop being modest. You know more about the race than the rest of us. We all want to know, except Tegan has the right to know.”
“Please, Tennessee?” Tegan stepped closer to me. She was back in her black tank with Chewbacca on the front. It suited her so much better than the white dress. “If I’m the Aether Witch…help me understand what I am.”
“I’ve already texted The Coven Elders to ask what they know about the term, because I’ve never heard it before.” Kessler, Evaline, Constance, Timothy, and the twins’ parents would be awake relatively soon. Though, our Hermit was the one who’d know for sure, and we never knew when Kenneth would look at his phone. But Libby was correct—Tegan had the right to know. And I had a really, really bad feeling I knew exactly what it meant. I wasn’t going to elaborate until I got some confirmation first. “I wasn’t being modest or humble. However, I think I know what she meant by you being elemental magic. And I think you already suspect it, too…”
Tegan took a deep breath, then nodded. “Tell me.”
“I think, and I could be wrong…” I prayed to the Goddess that telling Tegan this wouldn’t cause problems for Salem’s Prophecy. “We are all gifted specific elemental magic, even if we’re given more than one like myself. I can only control Water, Air, and Earth, if I tried to work with Fire I’d essentially be the same as any human. But the Aether Witch…I think it means you can control any element you want to.”
Six pairs of eyes widened and stared at Tegan’s back. No one spoke. I was met by silence and the waves rolling under us.
“Just her, right?” Emersyn asked.
Everyone turned to her. Well, not Tegan. She stared down at her open palms.
Emersyn ran her fingers through her hair, though I expected it was in an effort to hide the way her hands trembled. “Because I don’t think I could handle that. Kinda freaking out as is.”
There was another beat of silence, then Royce threw his head back and laughed. He clapped his hands. “I love this girl. If I wasn’t gay, man…” He shook his head and let his sentence drift off with a grin.
Cooper’s eyes snapped to Royce. His eyebrows scrunched together, and his lips smashed into a straight line. Yeah, definitely can’t tell Coop about my glyph. Henley and Libby laughed and teased Royce.
Emersyn winked at him. “Let me know if you jump ship, m’kay?”
I looked back at Tegan who remained frozen in front of me, still staring at her hands. Maybe it was the soulmate thing, or maybe I just knew how to read her. Either way, I knew she was afraid and trying not to show it. I didn’t blame her. She was new to our world.
The violet ends of her hair blew into her face on a breeze, and it took everything in me not to push it back with my fingers. Although, I don’t need my fingers. I summoned the wind to brush her hair back in place. Her eyes snapped to mine, and the slightest little smile pulled at her lips. She knows I did that. I wanted to keep the smile on her face. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her who she was to me, and what I was to her. I wanted to tell her she wasn’t alone, that I’d help her every step of the way. But how was I to tell her some of it without telling all of it?
While Cooper was preoccupied by Royce, I reached forward and took both Tegan’s hands in mine. She gasped and met my gaze.
I leaned forward and whispered, “You don’t need to fear your power. It’s simply an extension of you. The more you train, the easier it gets. The more comfortable your magic gets.”
She swallowed roughly and squeezed my fingers. “But it’s so much power. I don’t know how to use it. What if I hurt someone?”
I smiled. She’s worried about hurting people. With our fingers laced, I ducked my head so our eyes were level. “Tegan, we’re on your team. We’re family. The Coven protects our own. We’re going to teach you, once this quest is over.”
She blinked rapidly, like she was barely holding back tears.
“What about during this quest? I almost drowned everyone!”
“But did I let you?”
She shook her head.
I smiled again. “Water is both of our elements. I won’t let it hurt anyone.”
“Stay close to me, then. Please?”
“Yes.” My voice cracked and shook. I took a deep breath and prayed she hadn’t noticed. However, the way her eyes dilated and the way she licked her lips suggested she saw everything. We stared into each other’s eyes without speaking, the way we always did when we werethis close.
Back away, dude. You can’t look at her like this. Especially not with Cooper right behind her. When she glanced down to my lips, I stood and dropped her hands. She frowned and stepped away from me, the hint of the same hurt I saw earlier flashing in her eyes. Crap. Fix it. Make that go away!
“Wait.” I stepped toward her. How do I fix it? I can’t have this talk right here, with everyone. Wait… Everyone. There was only one way to distract her from, well, me. I smiled at her and she blinked. She frowned and cocked her head to the side. I cleared my throat. “Henley, Royce, and Libby, please take Tegan and Emersyn and show them how to access their magic. Basic level stuff here, okay? We will train them properly when we get back home.”
Tegan’s face lit up in a way I’d never seen before, and it filled my heart with a high I couldn’t put into words. “Thank you!” she said.
“You’re welcome. But only basics.” I smiled and moved my gaze to Cooper. “Coop, take the wheel. I need you to follow the stars and guide us to Leyka. Henley can help if you need her.”
“On it, boss.” Cooper stood and stretched his muscled arms. “What about you?”
“Now that the girls are caught up, I’m going down in the water to get us more speed.”
The Lost Witch Page 12