Susanna handed me the phone. With a sigh I hoped Ethel couldn’t hear, I braced myself for the conversation. “Hello?”
“How are you?”
I filled her in on my condition. “Mostly worried about the convention.”
“Do not show weakness,” Ethel said sharply. “From the moment you arrive, your every action will be watched. You must appear confident.”
“And when I don’t have the magic to back up that confidence?”
“You have plenty of magic to hold the office.” Ethel sighed. “We have enough time to win them over. I won’t die until the transition is secure. I’ve seen that.”
“Yes, premier.”
“Rest. We will face the clans together.” Ethel hung up.
I handed the phone back to Susanna.
Dr. Stiles ushered Susanna out of the room, then studied me. “It’s a convention, Michelle, not war. You’ll be fine.”
Why was it that war sounded like the less dangerous of the two?
Chapter Three
“Mom, I’m fine,” I repeated futilely.
She pressed a hand to my forehead. “The headache is gone, but you’re dreadfully short on magic.”
“Nancy, that’s not a metric for health, and you know it.” Dad captured Mom’s hand in his.
“I’m a mother. I’m entitled to worry when my child comes home with tainted magic and I end up treating her.” The unspoken again hung in the air.
“This one wasn’t my fault,” I muttered, not that the facts of the situation had mattered so far.
“Nancy.” Dad’s voice softened. “This isn’t like before.”
Mom pursed her lips. “No, Greg, it isn’t. It’s like the time before and the time before that. One magical injury after another.”
“I’m right here,” I said. Not that it mattered.
“And she’s an adult, doing the job she chose.” Dad motioned to me.
Mom rolled her eyes. “It’s dangerous! How many times do you have to see our child injured before you recognize that?”
“I’m here, right? You can see and hear me?” Even with the little magic I had right now, I’d have felt an invisibility spell. There wasn’t one, sadly. That would’ve been better than having my parents argue over me like I was seven, not twenty-seven.
Dad looked directly at me. “Yes, I know you’re here.”
“This is between your father and I.” Mom hardly glanced in my direction.
“Is it? Well, then I suggest you continue the conversation elsewhere.” I yanked open the front door and motioned for them to leave. “I’ll see you in the morning and look forward to spending time with you at the convention.”
“Sorry,” Dad muttered as he walked out the door.
Mom glared at me. “Your job isn’t safe. Why, if you hadn’t worked with the police—”
“Let me stop you right there. I chose to work with the police. I chose to work on dangerous cases. I chose to fight demons, and I chose to do that spell. Getting my powers back is wonderful, but I’m not going to change my life. This is what I do, and every day I hope I can continue to work with the police when I’m premier.”
I clamped my mouth shut before I ruined the moment by saying something I’d regret. Like a better mother wouldn’t criticize my job so harshly.
“You nearly died.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears.
Well, what kind of monster would I be if that didn’t yank at my heartstrings? I gently wrapped my arms around her. “I love you, and I don’t plan on fighting any more demons or trying any more spells that court death. Okay?”
She nodded and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve.
“You can scold me for poor choices after the convention, deal?”
She nodded again and hugged me tightly. “I love you so much.”
“I know, Mom. I know.” And because of that, and the times she’d put aside her own feelings and done what was best for me, I hugged her back.
Even so, it was a relief when the door closed behind them. One thing I’d learned in the past few months was it didn’t do to dwell on past decisions. Which seemed like a great philosophy while I was brewing a cup of tea, but it didn’t make it any easier to leave the memories in the past and write the report for Rodriguez.
By the time I finished the report, my stomach was rumbling. “Just a few more minutes.”
A knock came from the other door to my apartment. Not the front door, but one next to my dining room table that connected my apartment to the one next door.
The day’s excitement faded away. Only one person would be at that door.
“Come in.”
Elron stepped through, waist-length silver hair pulled back by three braids on each side of his face that joined in the back to make a six-strand braid. The style left his pointed ears bare and let his blue eyes sparkle. Not many elves would fall in love with a witch, but this one had.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” I went up on my toes to give him a kiss.
Moments later, he leaned back, the sharp angles of his face softened by the happy smile. “What did I do to earn such a lovely greeting?”
“You showed up.” I grinned. “While you’re here, Susanna won’t come back demanding to go over one more detail. Mom and Dad won’t come back and fight about my job, and for a few hours, I can forget that I’m terrified to be introduced to the clans as their future premier.”
“In that case, what would you say to a sunset dinner with a guard no one will challenge?”
“Well, I’d say the very sexy elf I’m engaged to knows how to show a girl a good time.”
Elron returned my smile and led me into the garden.
Landa’s landscaping would never dare to be anything but perfect, and the picturesque English garden’s pebble paths crunch underfoot. The destination wasn’t a surprise. Not much could hide tonight’s guard, a thirteen-foot-tall T. rex who’d adopted me. He wasn’t really a dinosaur, more of a magical construct who looked like one and was immune to most magic.
Ty leaned his big purple and pink head down for cheek scratches, and I obliged. He grunted and thumped an oak tree with his tail.
“We had a chat. He will not let anyone disturb us while we eat.” Elron pointed behind Ty, where a table for two was set with covered plates.
I kissed Ty’s nose. “Thank you.”
He nudged me gently before taking a careful step back, narrowly avoiding trampling a hedge.
I wrapped an arm around Elron’s waist and gently squeezed. “Thank you. After days of being hounded by everyone, this is perfect.”
“A reminder that when I cannot be with you, I am still here, supporting you.” He pulled out my chair. “When you return from the convention, we will have dinner again, just the two of us.”
“I can’t wait.”
Elron smiled as he uncovered strawberry salads and filled the cups with lemon water.
“How was work?” I stabbed a strawberry, wishing it was the man at the disposal company. That was a story about my day I wouldn’t enjoy telling.
“The greenhouses are doing well. I settled in a new Helenium today. Lovely orange-red flowers. If you catch it at sunset, you can see a small sun setting into its petals.”
“Elron, that sounds lovely, but I haven’t a clue what Helenium is.” There were a few downsides to being in a relationship with an elf who specialized in rare magical plants.
He studied his plate for a moment. “It is similar to a sunflower. This variety of Helenium looks like a smaller sunflower, but the coloring and the magic are unique.”
“It’s hard to picture. I’ll have to come see it.” A simple pleasure to look forward to after the convention.
Elron nodded. “By then, I may have more news. The university is reviewing a plan to expand the department. Two more greenhouses and a show garden. If it is approved, I will need to do more trips searching for specimens.”
“That’s exciting! Could some of those trips include me? I’ve been asked to re
view cases across the country, so we could pair up our work travels.” The stack of requests on my desk only grew. There simply weren’t enough witches willing to work directly with the police, and magic had a way of causing problems. It was a daily reminder of why someone like me, who believed in witches working with other groups, needed to be the next premier.
Elron arched a brow. “Now that is an idea I can agree with. While you are at the convention, I will make a list.”
We lapsed into silence as we ate. As if noticing the lack of conversation, the cicadas increased the volume of their buzzing symphony. This wasn’t the first romantic dinner Elron had done over the past few months. Every one of them managed to remind me of the night he proposed, and why he hadn’t been willing to set a wedding date.
Now the demon was dead. We still didn’t have a wedding date. In fact, we hadn’t spoken of it. The ruby set in a silver band rested heavily against my skin.
Maybe elves were patient enough, with their multi-millennia lives, to be engaged with no hint of when the wedding would come, but I was not. I didn’t have Elron’s view of time, though I now shared his lifespan. Another bit of magic and twist of destiny we’d hardly spoken of. He still felt guilty for bringing the woman who cast the spell into my life.
To his credit, he’d asked her to heal me when I had no magic of my own. Linking our deaths to his last breath hadn’t been part of his plan. Shared life should have made marriage seem like less of a commitment, but if anything, it had made him keep his distance.
“How was work?” he asked.
“Good. Took more magic than I’d like. An entire animal rescue and all the animals in it ended up affected by a poorly spelled cleaning agent. Rodriguez and I got the animals out. The owner will have to get a witch, or several, to come in and remove the magic. It was too big of a job for me while I was on call.”
“And the animals?”
“Safely in the hands of animal control. They’ll be treated and re-homed.” My mind was still on the lack of wedding plans. I hadn’t been happy when I discovered my life had been joined to his. He could feel as though pressing the marriage issue would make me feel trapped.
“Michelle?”
“Hum?”
Elron set down his fork. “You have not looked at me for five minutes.”
My cheeks heated. “I haven’t?”
“No, and I would like to know what is bothering you.” The blue eyes that usually seemed so kind drilled into me.
I pushed my plate away and folded my arms on the edge of the table. “I want a wedding date.”
He dropped his gaze.
“At first, you wouldn’t set one because of the demon. Well, I killed him. I killed all of them. I told you’d I’d move mountains and walk through fire to be at your side, and I meant it. So, can we make some wedding plans? There’s an elf I’d like to marry.” I held my breath.
He lifted his head. Deep creases ran across his forehead. “You still want to marry me after everything?”
“Yes, I do. Then, and now, my love for you is tougher than dragon hide and as unrelenting as the ocean.” I reached across the table, palm up, hoping he would meet me halfway. “In a nice blend of a witch and Elven traditions.”
His fingers brushed my palm. “Spring?”
“Spring is a great time for a wedding. Perhaps even in a garden?” I resisted the urge to capture his hand. He had to come to me.
“Rebirth, renewal, hope.” His fingers curled around mine. “A good time of year for a wedding.”
“So it’s settled, spring?” I bit my lip to keep from saying too much. Months of waiting, and here we were.
A slight smile spread to a joyful grin. “We’ll marry in the springtime.”
“In a garden, with the first blooms around us,” I added, not wanting him to wiggle out of the agreement later.
He bowed his head. “As my lady wishes.”
I snorted. “Don’t go all formal on me now.”
He lifted my hand from the table and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I would never.”
“Right.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I do want one thing.”
“Michelle, I—”
I held up a hand. “Stop. It’s not that serious. I don’t want to tell anyone we picked a date until after the convention. It’ll give me something to look forward to.”
“Ah, if that is what you want.”
“I do.”
I winked, but it was mostly for show. I needed this, something good I could hold on to. Because last night I hadn’t found peace praying at my altar in the woods. No matter how many times Ethel, Mom, Dad, Elron, or Susanna told me all would be well, I didn’t believe them. The witch community wasn’t going to fall in love with me at first sight, not a formerly clanless witch marrying an elf.
Trouble was coming, only I couldn’t see from where.
Chapter Four
“It is my pleasure to introduce to you my chosen successor.” Ethel’s voice was strong and firm as it rolled across the auditorium. Her gaze kept lingering on the section closest to the stage, where the ministers of every clan of witches in the country were sitting. Well, almost all of them. Both my parents were ministers, and they were in the two seats to my right.
From my seat behind Ethel, I couldn’t see her expression, but from the time I’d spent with her, I suspected it was a warning glare followed by a stare that felt like she could see into their souls.
As the premier, Ethel was the head of all the ministers, really of all the clans and witches in the country, but we still needed supporters, especially during a transition of power.
Even without being at the front of the stage, I could see too much of the crowd. In past years, the premier’s opening speech probably hadn’t drawn this much of a crowd. At least half were frowning, and that didn’t bode well for my time as heir apparent, never mind premier.
“She is a witch born with the mark of the Ieldra and has already lived up to the promise of power and ability written into her skin by her clan scar. Many of you know her from the recent great work, where she was the focus point and caster of the spell that rid our world of demons.”
Soft gasps and whispers raced through the crowd as the witches who hadn’t known who I was started putting the pieces together.
Ethel waited for the audience to quiet before continuing. “The future premier, Michelle Oaks.” Clapping, Ethel turned to look at me.
I stood up with a polite smile plastered on my face. My palms were sweating, but with more than ten thousand witches and six cameras focused on me, I didn’t dare wipe my hands on my slacks.
The ten feet between my chair and the podium seemed like a mile. Months ago when Ethel Bailey had told me I’d be making this speech, it hadn’t seemed nearly so scary. Now, under the hot lights and with everyone watching me, I wished I was back home at the lodge, surrounded by peaceful forest.
Rather than running away, I did exactly as I had been instructed and took careful steps over to the podium. Ethel moved back, her smile encouraging and yet toothy enough to remind me of the stakes. In a few seconds, I would be speaking as the future premier, and all these people would be weighing and measuring my every move.
I rested my hand on the edge of the podium, grateful to feel solid wood under my fingers. I glanced down, and as promised, my speech notes were there. Taking a deep breath, I started the speech I’d rehearsed at least a hundred times.
“Good evening, and welcome to the Fall Convention. In case you missed the premier’s introduction, I’m Michelle Oaks of the Docga and Wapiti clans, the next premier.” My notes included a prompt to smile, so I did, and I hoped it was warm and appealing rather than frightened.
“In the few hours I’ve been here, I’ve already heard twice as much fiction than fact about me.” Ethel’s advice—Smile. Don’t look nervous. Check your notes—kept echoing through my brain, making it difficult to remember what I was supposed to say. “For instance, I haven’t yet, nor do I ever intend to, munch o
n babies or drink their blood. I had a spinach omelet for breakfast.”
Chuckles rippled across the audience, and I smiled a little wider. “Like you, I’m a witch.” I pushed magic out of me, sending up bright flares of red, white, and blue sparks that fizzled out high above my head. “I want all of us to prosper, live long, healthy, happy lives, and fully integrate into the society in which we live.”
My smile faded and I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to announce. Once I said these words, there was no going back. I wouldn’t be able to take them back or wish them away. “I grew up without a clan. While some of you may consider that to be a handicap, I consider it to be an experience that shaped me as an individual and gave me insight into what all of us could have. There are a great many benefits to the clan system, but all of us need to take a good look at the world around us. We cannot continue to hold to the old ways, ignoring everything else.”
A heavy silence settled over the audience.
“As premier, I will be working to find a balance between our culture and progress, because I’ve seen witches abducted to bend them to a clan’s will. I have watched my family members be tortured in the name of tradition and clan.” I forced my eyes to stay open so I couldn’t relive the memory of what had been done to my mother. “And I have watched the laws of this land rendered unenforceable because agreements signed years ago forbade them from interfering in internal matters.”
I let my gaze trail over the crowd, doing my best to make sure each of them felt like I had looked them in the eye. “That ends today. We are witches. We will always be witches, but we do not harm one another. We do not use clan ties to hurt other witches. We are not above the laws of this land, but part of it.”
The rapt attention and lack of normal shifting or whispering unnerved me. I just needed to get through one more line. “I hope you will join me in building a new way of life, one where tradition and progress can live side by side.”
Stepping back, I waved and started back to my seat. Behind me, the light applause slowly grew until it was thunderous, with witches all across the room amplifying the sound of their group. It was more support than I’d expected, and that in and of itself was a win.
A Witch's Magic Page 3