“Okay, everyone who’s going on the quest stand right here.” Tegan held her right hand out in front of her. “Those of you not, please stand back by the table. Kenneth, stand right here beside me, please.”
We all moved to follow her directions without speaking. She turned around and held her palms out in front of her. Her magic poured out of her in a cascade of neon lights. It swirled around, glowing brighter with every second. She held her left palm out and took Kenneth’s hand in hers. Just like the night before in the gym, a bright white square appeared in front of us. It looked like a blank canvas glowing under a blacklight.
Tegan cleared her throat. “All right, anything else before we go?”
“Yes.” Kenneth looked each of us in the eyes. “No one mention Lonan. That is not our battle to fight and most certainly not right now.”
Everyone nodded.
“Oh, Tegan?” Bentley stood on top of the wooden chair so he could see her. “You still have the Tarot deck, right?”
“Yep,” she answered without hesitation. She patted her leather jacket. “In my pocket.”
“Good.” Bentley sighed with relief. “The Goddess said when you retrieve one Elemental Stone, it must be brought back here to Salem. Do not bring it with you to find the next Stone. We can’t risk other species getting more than the one they were given.”
I frowned. That made perfect sense, though it threw a bit of a wrench into the plan. “So we separate every time we get a Stone?”
Bentley nodded. “The Goddess said for Tegan to read the Tarot after getting each Stone, and it’ll tell you which Cards to send back.”
“That sounds fun,” Deacon mumbled.
“All right. We’ll do that. Good luck, guys.” Tegan looked over her shoulder at the rest of us and grinned. “Hold on to your knickers, kids.”
My body flew forward. The ground sped by under my feet. Cold air slammed into my face, pushing my hair back. That white square lit up so bright it stung my eyes. I threw my hand over my face…and then the light was gone. I looked up – and gasped.
The living room was gone. Instead, we stood in a clearing in the woods surrounded by towering green trees. The air was colder than Salem, though not unbearable. Tree branches swayed in the breeze, and leaves fell to the ground. Birds chirped in the distance. The sunshine seeping through the trees was bright and golden. The sky above us was a glorious light blue. I took a deep breath and almost sighed at the crispness. Wherever we were, we were far from city pollution.
I spun in a circle, eyeing our surroundings. There was nothing in the clearing except wooden staffs with flaming torches on the ends. But we weren’t alone. The energy around thrived and sang. My magic pulsed in my veins. The ground trembled and sent little bolts of electricity into my feet.
“Something’s coming,” I whispered to my group.
I hadn’t even finished speaking the warning when a dark shadow swept over us. A loud roar ripped through the clearing and echoed around me on all sides. The trees shook and the ground trembled. That was when it hit me. We’d landed right inside the dragon’s den, uninvited and unannounced. I held my palms out to summon my weapons when Kenneth’s warning replayed in my mind. Don’t go in guns blazing.
A shadow passed in front of my face, and then the ground rocked. I stumbled back a step just as a massive object landed a few feet in front of me. My eyes widened. The dragon had to be eighteen feet tall. Its scales were light gray like cement, and it looked just as tough. I glanced over my shoulder and gasped. I hadn’t heard the roar echo… I’d heard five other dragons. They towered over us like skyscrapers.
The one on my left was a dark chocolate color with blazing orange eyes. It whipped its horned tail around and spit fire right at us. The flames shot across the clearing and slammed into a cloud of rainbow mist. A navy-blue dragon reared its head back and bellowed. Trees swayed off to my right, and then a dragon as green as grass burst into the clearing, spitting fire in a wild circle. The two dragons behind me hissed. One was ivory, and the other was slate gray. They bumped shoulders with each other, then spit flames of their own at the same time.
I opened my mouth to call for Emersyn…but Tegan was faster. She threw her hands up, and the flames raced to her like a long-lost friend. She twirled her fingers and sent streams of fire circling around us. Lightning shot across the sky and rumbled through the clouds. The ground trembled under her. Rich, brown dirt rose up and hovered in the sky.
The horned-tail dragon with orange eyes leapt forward, snarling and snapping its teeth. Tegan didn’t even look in his direction. Her magic acted without her telling it to, or at least that was how it looked. The dragon lifted into the air and flipped upside down. Rainbow mist swirled around the clearing, forcing the other five dragons to step back.
The light gray dragon in front of me roared and shook its head.
“I can hear them, but they’re not speaking English!” Chutney cried. “No one attack. I think they’re calming down.”
I cursed. We should’ve brought Kenneth with us. We should’ve known the other species might speak languages we didn’t. Hell, we spoke a language they didn’t. Kenneth was our Hermit Card, and his power was the gift of language. He could speak all of them, any of them, without ever having heard it before. Why did we leave him?
The dragons roared and puffed smoke from their noses. Their glowing eyes narrowed on us like we’d be the first meal they’d had in months. But then I remembered the first time I saw Lonan…then the last. He was just a teenager like us doing his job.
I raised my palms in the air and took a step forward. “We aren’t going to hurt you.”
That brown dragon bellowed, still hanging upside down.
Tegan flicked her wrist, and it flipped back down to its feet. “We’re here to talk.”
“But we can’t do that while you’re in dragon form,” I said softly, but sternly. I had to let them know I wasn’t afraid while not sounding weak.
The light-gray dragon rolled its shoulders. It puffed smoke out of its nose and then shifted in a wave of gray smoke. A second later, a guy about my age with jet-black hair and golden eyes stood in front of us.
He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m King Kothari. Speak now or burn.”
I frowned and took a closer look. You’re the king? Not that the guy didn’t look intimidating and powerful, but he looked a little too wild to be the ruler of the entire species. His hair was windblown, and his jaw was littered with black scruff like he was a few days late on shaving. But it was his aura that threw me off. His energy was raw and tense, like a bomb about to explode. Speak now or burn? Kings didn’t talk like that. They weren’t outwardly aggressive like that.
Call me crazy, but I call bullshit, Tegan whispered into my mind. Her pale-green eyes were narrowed on the self-proclaimed king. She dropped her magic, but I knew it’d be back in a heartbeat if needed.
I cleared my throat and stepped forward until I was only a couple feet away from him. I bowed my head slightly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Tennessee Wildes. I mean no disrespect, but I do not believe you’re being truthful with us.”
He arched one eyebrow. “You don’t think six dragons could take one of you?”
I dipped my head. “I don’t think you are the king.”
The navy-blue dragon reared its head back and roared.
“They’re talking,” Chutney whispered.
The supposed leader narrowed his yellow eyes on her. “You have an anipath.”
A hurricane-force gust of wind whipped through the clearing. I leaned into it and held my ground with my own magic. Darkness spread across the sky, blocking the sun’s rays and casting us all in shadow. The trees swayed and the ground rumbled. I looked up, and my confidence faltered. A dragon as black as night flew over the clearing, its wingspan touching each side. It dipped down and slammed into the dirt right in front of me. I craned my neck back to look up at its face towering over twenty feet above me. I waited for i
ts deep purple eyes to meet mine, then I bowed my head.
The dragon puffed, and then it was gone. Faster than the blink of an eye, he’d shifted into human form. He still towered over me. He had to be almost seven feet tall. However, his face looked young like my own. He was shirtless like his imposter, wearing only faded jeans. His skin was deeply tanned. He, too, had a scruffy face, but unlike his imposter, he carried an aura of calm power. I stood there silently, waiting for him to speak. This was his land, so I’d show him respect.
He cocked his head to the side, and his long brown hair slid over his shoulder. His purple eyes shimmered and flickered with light. “Emperor. What brings The Coven to my land?”
Chapter Six
TEGAN
He knows who we are.
I frowned and peeked over my shoulder at the elder members of our Coven. Including my own parents. How is it other species know who we are, yet we don’t know them? Kind of ass backwards, don’t ya think? I said to my group’s minds.
Deacon snickered. But it wasn’t funny. By keeping us in the dark, it made us look like fools.
Thankfully, Tennessee held his calm. He smiled that charming smile he rarely used and held his left hand out toward the dragon king. “I’m Tennessee. You must be the real King Kothari.”
The king stared at Tennessee’s hand for a long moment before he reached out and shook it. Then he did something that surprised me. He smiled. “Call me Koth. My apologies, but these days, we have to be careful. This is Silas.”
That’s a hot name.
Tennessee turned blazing eyes on me.
My cheeks burned. Oops. Did I say that to everyone? My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.
Deacon covered his mouth and laughed.
Royce didn’t even try to hide his amusement. “Goddess, I missed you,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
Silas, the one with yellow eyes who turned into a gray dragon, stepped forward and snarled. His eyes were sharp. “Something funny?”
“Oh, they have a telepath!” Someone cheered from up in the trees. The branches rustled, and a massive bald eagle swooped down into the clearing and landed beside Koth. It shook its feathers, and then a young-looking guy stood in its place. He grinned wide and unabashed. “And yes, that was comical. Though not at your expense, dearie.”
Silas growled and crossed his arms over his chest.
The guy who was an eagle was slender and had mocha skin. The dirty blond hair that fell to his shoulders was either ridiculously curly or dreadlocks. He had an intricate-looking staff in one hand. When he stepped forward to shake Tennessee’s hand, his eyes changed colors about three times. “Welcome to Issale, Coven of Cards!”
“This is Elan, our Shaman,” Koth said. He narrowed his purple eyes. “We hadn’t gotten to the welcoming part, my friend.”
Elan cocked his head to the side and looked at me. Little black lines shot out of his eyes and spread over his skin. The tip of his staff glowed a bright, neon-blue light. His eyebrows rose, then he shook his head and the lines vanished. “I see what they’re here for. They mean us no harm.”
I frowned. “Are you psychic?”
“At times,” he said with a smirk. “Are you telepathic?”
I shrugged. “At times.”
Elan chuckled and leaned against his staff. “I like her. I’ve seen this very moment of your arrival for months, though I am anxious to see it unfold in real life. My liege, your lead, of course.”
Koth rolled his purple eyes and shook his head. “For those of us who aren’t psychic, why don’t you tell us what brings you here unannounced and uninvited.”
Tennessee cleared his throat. “Forgive us for our manner of arrival. We meant no disrespect. We’re here because there is a prophecy we must fulfill by Samhain’s end, and the process of doing so has led us to your land.”
“You mean Salem’s Prophecy?” Koth’s glare softened, and his aura grew weary.
“Yes.” I stepped up to him, held out my left hand, and bowed. “I’m Tegan, and unfortunately I had the bad luck of being born a twin. The blonde behind me is my other half, Emersyn. In ten days’ time, we will either fail or succeed in Salem’s Prophecy. We very much would prefer the latter.”
Koth laughed in a short burst. “Yeah, we’d very much like that, too.”
I grinned. “You’re familiar with this prophecy, then, yes?”
“Yeah. Our Shaman keeps us connected to the rest of the supernatural world. Especially anything involving The Coven.” Koth sighed and ran his hand through his long, multi-toned brown hair. “You have quite a task ahead of you, but I don’t see how we can be of any help.”
“Are you also familiar with the Elemental Stones?” Tennessee asked in a soft voice.
Koth’s eyes widened. He glanced down to his Shaman then back to Tenn. “Yes?”
Tennessee nodded and smiled a little. “That is the manner of the help we seek.”
Koth frowned and crossed his massive arms over his chest. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“This morning we received a new prophecy. It said To mend the bond between them all, These Elemental Powers you must call. It then instructed us to come here, where we’re told the Air Stone has been for quite some time.” Tennessee sighed. “Basically, we need all five Elemental Stones to perform the required spells.”
“So you’ve come here to confiscate it from us?” Koth’s voice rumbled like thunder.
“No, of course not.” Tennessee held his palms up. “You were given that Stone by the Goddess much like we were. It is not ours to take. We simply just need to borrow it.”
“We’ll return it as soon as we’ve closed the Gap.” I made a point of saying this nice and loud, not for the dragons’ benefit but for Tennessee’s. I hoped the more he heard me say this, the less mad he’d be. Could’ve been a futile attempt, but I’d try anything.
“So let me get this straight…” Koth took a good, long hard look around our group. “You came here to borrow the Air Stone so that you can permanently close the Gap in Salem ten days from now?”
“Yes,” Tennessee and I said at the same time. Again.
Koth cursed. “I would love to help ensure that happens, but I don’t see how I can. Shaman?”
“The thing about my visions is I can never see this important stuff, the stuff that relies on people’s choices. I see a potential future of peace between our races. However, I agree with my king in that I don’t see how we can part from the Stone.” The Shaman stood up straight and twirled the staff around in his hand. Those black lines spread across his face then faded away. “You see, this Stone isn’t a mere symbol. We do not have the magic your race does. We rely on the Stone. It gives us our power, including our ability to shift. It connects us to the spiritual and supernatural world.”
“What if we could find a way around that?” I asked, though I had no idea what that would even be.
“In theory, of course.” Koth tilted his head. “Do you know a way that we don’t?”
“What if in place of the one Stone, we gave you five stones?” Tennessee looked around at our silent group behind us, then he glanced up at the trees. “A stone for each individual Element that would serve as a temporary placeholder until we can return the Air Stone to you.”
My heart fluttered with excitement. My soulmate may not have been acknowledging me much or even looking at me, but we were working together. That’s a good sign, right? “These stones would hold The Coven’s power within them.”
Koth frowned. “You could do that? How?”
Elan, the Shaman, chuckled and shook his head. “She’s the Aether Witch.”
Each of the dragons gasped and looked to me with wide eyes. They bowed their heads like I was someone important. I blushed. I’d learned how rare my magic was, but it wouldn’t help me with Tennessee to harp on my abilities.
I turned to Larissa. “What do you think?”
Larissa pursed her lips and thought about it
. “We’d need five replacement stones connected to their shifter magic. But yeah, we could create potions to treat the stones in each Element’s name and power. That would work.”
“Perfect! I saw that we would do something with these, but I admit I didn’t expect this.” Elan cheered. He reached into the leather satchel hanging by his hips and pulled out five stones about the size of golf balls. “These stones are used in every ritual I perform. They’ve been handed down from Shaman to Shaman since our species was created.”
I grinned. “Excellent.”
Tennessee leaned down to look at the stones, then straightened. He turned to the king. “Well, my liege, the choice is yours.”
Chapter Seven
TENNESSEE
Meditation was not my cup of tea.
The Shaman, Elan, said I looked tense and wound tight. My father, Timothy, Cooper, and well, everyone else in my Coven had agreed. Next thing I knew I was sitting with my legs crossed under me on the shore of an enormous lake. Elan told me it was Lake Champlain, which meant we were somewhere in northern Vermont.
I looked out at the dark blue water and tried to soak in the peace of my surroundings. In the distance, mountaintops stood against soft blue sky that was trying to give way to sunset. The water below was so flat it perfectly reflected the colors of the trees. Vermont may be known as the Green Mountain State, but the leaves had other things in mind. There were oranges and yellows, and every shade of red you could imagine. Or more. The breeze off the lake was bitter and ice-cold. I wondered how the dragons enjoyed the brutal North Eastern winter.
Despite all of the serenity and beauty, I hadn’t been able to relax. Part of the problem was Tegan. The rollercoaster ride she’d taken me on left me with all kinds of side effects. I’d never realized romance could cause PTSD, and I wished I hadn’t learned it at all. But the bigger problem was reality. It had finally hit me like a freight train. For twelve years, I’d planned and trained for Salem’s Prophecy, for the time when we’d finally make our ancestors’ mistakes right.
The Eternal Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 5) Page 5