Seth chuckled "Apologies, possum. I didn't mean to offend your little... whatever he is." Seth pulled himself upright and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Remember, if you want to see me, I'm just a word away. Just say my name, with intent, and I'll hear you."
Like hot waves of air rising from heated asphalt, he shimmered and shifted, his shape disappearing from sight, leaving her blinking and wondering just when exactly he faded to nothingness.
Bruce spat and hissed at the pantry and then turned and looked at her accusingly, as if Jade were somehow to blame.
"Look, if I ward the pantry, he'll just pick somewhere else to show up."
Bruce flicked his long tongue out at her.
"He will! And he'll do it in front of a bunch of people. They already don't like me."
Bruce made a 'pfffffft' sound and Jade sighed. She saw some stray crumbs on the counter and on a whim, she swiped them to the floor where Bruce happily scurried over and started flicking them up with his long, sticky tongue.
"Now I'm fighting with a lizard." She swallowed down a big gulp of her coffee, glancing at the time on the microwave.
She was late for work. Great.
#
Jade caught the third bus after her normal one and arrived at the Covenstead a full forty-five minutes later than usual. She hated public transit. As if she didn't already feel grungy and grimy from the sewer and then Seth, she had public transportation to add on top of that. She missed her car. She really need to go back to her apartment, shut the whole thing down and officially move to the Coven. Jade would then have her stuff, have her car... and be fully committed to coven life.
That part was still a bit of a stickler for her.
Henri eyeballed her from his reception desk and then pointed at his watch.
"I know," Jade scowled. Based on her appearance, she had nothing to indicate why she was late. She was in her standard 'uniform' of jeans and a graphic tee, hair in a ponytail, long enough that the ends of it touched the top of her spine. She didn't even really do her makeup - just some mascara to frame her eyes. With her pale grey irises, she found if she didn't at least wear mascara, everything tended to be overshadowed by contrast between her eye color and black pupils. One thing she didn't miss about having a 'normal' job was the wardrobe. Most of the other witches did tend to favor business-casual, but since Jade didn't see it written down anywhere she pushed the 'casual' side of that equation.
She dropped Henri's borrowed running shoes, tucked into a grocery bag, onto his desk. He snatched them easily and slipped them into a drawer under his desk.
"I know you were up running with Daniel. Why so late?"
She waved a hand in a vague gesture. "Just, ugh, one of those mornings." Jade didn't want to tell Henri about Seth. She didn't want to tell anyone about Seth. She knew she was already persona non grata at the Coven, or persona non whatever-was-latin-for "we don't like you and think you consort with demons and demon magic."
It wasn't consorting per se. More like she routinely got stalked by them. She didn't seek it out. Except for demon magic, but that was because it was really cool and more interesting than regular magic. Still, discretion was the better part of valor. Or so she heard.
Henri eyed her critically, his gaze going up and down her and then settling just off to one side and she knew he was reading her aura. He was really good at it and based on the look he was giving her now, hers must be screaming like a polygraph.
She debated telling him the truth, but one glance around let her know there were too many other Coven members about, some of them already giving her a 'look.' Jade's gaze settled on a trio of witches, two men and a woman, who were coming down the large Covenstead staircase, chatting quietly to each other while gazing sideways at her. Henri followed her gaze and made a sound.
"Ugh, don't mind them. Everyone's a bit tetchy today. There's something wrong with our magic. Have you noticed?"
The trio watched her all the way down the stairs, stopping only when they headed for the cafeteria. "No," she mumbled. "I mean, not really. Mine seems fine." She kept her voice low.
"Yeah? Does Paris know that?" Henri asked and she felt relief not hearing any maliciousness in his tone.
"Uh, yeah. He was with me last night when he started figuring this all out."
Henri grinned and leaned forward over his desk. "Last night? Do tell."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Getting my tarot cards read, Henri."
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" He smirked and then winked at her.
"Anyway," she drawled, loud and long. "It was Hannah who mentioned it first. I guess my magic's not affected. But, you know, don't tell anyone," she added. That was the last thing she needed - the rest of the Coven finding out that on top of her affinity with demon magic, while everyone else's magic was 'broken,' hers was working just fine.
"No worries. So, this means you and Daniel will probably be busy in Counter-Magic. If people's magic is going wonky..."
"I guess. They're still putting me through my paces. Checking my spells, getting me to recite herb combinations. Counter some minor spells they toss my way for practice or testing. 's pretty boring."
"Not every day can be a glorious day in the sewers."
"Don't remind me." Jade made a face and then spared a thought for how Bruce would fare in her house today. She made sure to close her bedroom door and after seeing the way Bruce eyeballed a pair of her pumps, she put all her shoes up high or in the closet. Maybe she should tell Paris she had the lizard - just so they didn't waste any Coven resources looking for him. "Uh, is Paris around?"
"He's usually the first one here. Sometimes, I think he sleeps here, standing up, like a horse, so he still looks completely unwrinkled the next day."
Jade's shoulders shook in laughter along with Henri. She could picture it perfectly.
"But," continued Henri, "I just sent some visitors up. A couple of other Coven heads have come for a visit - staying for our Coven Ball, looking around. You know, diplomatic shindig."
Jade made a face. "Is that a good idea with all of our magic wonky? Does it look bad?"
Henri waved a hand. "These things happen. Well, not exactly these things. I mean, I've never heard of the entire Coven being affected before, but magic's natural and like nature, sometimes there are weird events. I'm sure it will all get worked out. Besides, it's not like we're enemies with other covens. They're witches, we're witches. There's enough magic for everyone."
It seemed weird to Jade. She kind of thought of the Coven like it's own little country and other covens as little sovereign nations themselves. The idea that there wouldn't at least be some friction felt idyllic and almost... fairy-tale-like.
Then again, she was definitely a cynic. If she was dying of thirst in the desert and a glass of liquid appeared from her, she'd guess 'poison' before she guessed 'water.'
"So, shopping this weekend," Henri continued and Jade had to shake her head a bit to clear it. "I figure we'll start around ten-ish and then break for lunch and then continue on and then dinner out?"
"Jesus, how long can it take to find some outfits?"
"Oh my god, this is the event of the season. You can't just show up in any old thing. You have to look fantastic."
Jade raised one of her eyebrows at him. "I see most of these people every day and I'm pretty sure most of them saw me yesterday covered in sewer gunk. Who exactly am I trying to impress here?"
Henri rolled his eyes. "Just trust me on this. We need the whole day."
"I don't know, that seems like a lot of shopping. It's still a week away, right? I could probably order something online and have it shipped and still be in time."
"Absolutely not!" Henri exclaimed. "No, no, no, no! You have to try it on and Callie and I will coordinate."
It sounded like a lot of work and Jade made a face. Henri flapped his hands at her.
"You just... focus on magic and things you do well and leave shopping to me and Calli
e."
Jade wanted to stay and hash it out with Henri, ensuring she wouldn't have to endure a marathon shopping spree on the weekend, but she was running late. Henri made a shooing motion at her as his phone started ringing and he picked it up. She mouthed a 'bye' at him and then headed up the staircase to the third floor, where the Counter-Magic offices were located.
Josef raised his eyebrows at her as she entered and she gave him a sheepish grin.
"Are we cutting into your grand schedule, Jade? So glad you could finally join us."
She felt her face flush and wanted to immediately go on the offensive. How would he like it if a demon showed up in his pantry at seven in the morning for a quick chat? Would he still be able to make it on time for work? But that would entail letting the entire office know about Seth and she wasn't ready to go down that route. Instead she nodded tersely, and took a seat at the little cubicle they had set aside for her. Daniel gave her an inquiring look and she shook her head at him.
"What did I miss?" she asked under her breath, speaking out of the side of her mouth to Daniel.
"Something's up with Coven magic. We have a bunch of service calls today for Counter-Hexes, but we all have to be tested first to see how many of us are affected and to what degree."
Great. So, her hope of keeping secret the fact she was unaffected just sailed out the window. Josef directed them all to the medlab not two minutes later, where Dr. Gellar was set up with the same apparatus Jade had first seen when she arrived at the Coven. To Jade's knowledge, it was akin to getting an EEG - there were electrodes hooked up to the brain and equipment monitoring the results. She wasn't sure of the exact science of it - what it measured or how - but she knew when she arrived at the Coven, they had taken a baseline reading of her. It stood to reason that Gellar would be testing them again to see how far off their baseline they were. The science behind it was something Jade was interested in and she wondered if she could ask Gellar about it sometime. Obviously there was a measurable quality and quantity to magic - that's what the machine was for. But knowing that there was something wrong with the Coven magic and being able to sense or measure that was intriguing. How easy or complex was it to quantify magic in scientific terms? Could they use the results of their tests today to determine how to counteract whatever was going on with the Coven's magic? Would Gellar know the answers to those questions, not being a witch herself?
Jade felt a sharp poke in her side and turned an accusing eye to Daniel. He smirked. "You're up," he said, gesturing toward the chair with the electrodes. "Newbies first."
She could feel the eyes of the other Counter-Magic members as she stepped forward to the chair. She wondered if there was any kind of patient confidentiality she could invoke or if that would just look strange and cause more of a spectacle. There were nine other witches she worked with in Counter-Magic, including Daniel. She felt uncomfortable at the thought of having her power tested with them all watching. She was working on her control and her skill, but she was more than well aware that she didn't have the same level of training or experience as well... everyone else in the Coven. While Jade had worked some spells in the Counter-Magic offices, she never had to do anything with everyone watching. Her molars ground together, giving off a slight squeaking and groaning sound in her ear as she stepped up to the chair. Should she tell Gellar that as of last night, she appeared to be unaffected? Maybe she wasn't anymore. Maybe whatever was wrong with everyone else's magic in the Coven was now wrong with hers as well.
Jade wasn't sure what she wanted - to be unaffected and have her magic intact, or to be like everyone else and have there be something wrong.
Gellar smiled at Jade as she sat down. "How are you stitches doing?" she asked conversationally. Gellar, along with an assistant, a young man whose name Jade didn't know, started hooking up the electrodes.
"Fine," Jade answered, her tone short.
"No redness? Doesn't appear to be infected?"
"Nope. I'm good."
"Excellent. Now, we're going to put you through the same tests we used when you first arrived. Fire, water, earth and picking a charmed element. I'm going to measure your results and then use your baseline tests as a comparison. I should be able to then determine to what extent your magic has been affected."
No one else seemed interested in Gellar's spiel, so Jade guessed it was solely for her benefit.
Jade nodded tersely and then a question came to mind. "What about when you had Paris push my magic?"
Gellar nodded in understanding - during Jade's initial testing upon her arrival at the Coven, the end of her test had consisted of Paris trying to overwhelm Jade's magic with his own. Paris had explained it was a way of measuring power - one witch's magic was used to glamour over another. The amount of time the witch being tested managed to hold out determined their power level.
Not only had Jade held out against Paris' magic, she'd managed to push him back - something no one had managed to do before.
"No need for that just yet," said Gellar. "We know how strong you are and, based on what Paris and Hannah have told me about what's happening to Coven magic, it's being warped in a way. I want to run additional tests on the Coven members, but power testing requires several of the stronger witches of the Coven, Paris included, to be available. We're making arrangements, but scheduling is a nightmare."
It amused Jade that with all the magic and power in the Coven, things often still boiled down to the mundane aspects of life - time and availability. Gellar stepped back, ready to start the testing and Jade spared a glance over at the other witches. Gellar came closer again, fiddling with one of the electrodes. She bent low toward Jade.
"If you like, I can clear the room," she offered, her voice soft and quiet.
"No, it's fine," Jade replied, immediately regretting it. Gellar nodded once and moved away again.
"All right, Jade. Your testing was only a few weeks ago, so you probably remember the routine. Let's start with fire."
The word hadn't even died from Gellar's lips and a huge fireball erupted in front of Jade, causing everyone in the room, including the doctor and her assistant, to take a step back. Jade felt the heat of embarrassment and the flames from her magic lick at her face. She hadn't meant to do it so quickly, nor make it so big. She was nervous, and control was something she knew she wasn't good at. She tried to dial the orange-red sphere down a bit, make it less hot, less fierce, but all that happened was she extinguished it entirely. She heard a few titters from the group and from the corner of her eye she could see Daniel trying to give her an encouraging smile. She resolutely didn't look over.
"Okay!" Gellar said brightly, completely ignoring how badly Jade did. "Let's move onto charmed objects."
#
Paris didn't see anything out of the ordinary as he reviewed the scans of witches Dr. Gellar provided. Other than the obvious - no one's magic was working correctly. Except for Jade's. Gellar had forwarded along Jade's results when her testing was done and they were almost exactly the same as they had been when she was first tested. This told Paris two things: one, Jade was completely unaffected; and two, she hadn't learned much control since joining the Coven. He should be spending more time with her, working on her spells, putting her through some meditation exercises. He found it hard to remember that while she had a natural ability, she completely lacked any formal training. In a way, she was like a music prodigy - she could pick up the instrument and play, but was likely sloppy on technique and lacking musical theory.
There was a quick knock at his door and before he had time to reply, it was already swinging open.
"I knew I'd find you already neck-deep in work this morning." Veronica came in holding a tray of three coffees and Paris frowned for a moment before she spoke again.
"Look who I ran into outside." She turned back to the door and Paris found himself mirroring her expectant look. A man walked in, perhaps slightly younger than Paris, closer to Jade's mid-twenties. He had sandy blond hair and dark brown eye
s. Paris felt a moment of memory lapse when he didn't recognize him, before he felt the surge of familiarity.
"Paris," Veronica intoned, "you remember Dex, leader of the Fourth Coven, two counties over."
Dex came closer, coming around to stand behind Veronica and holding his hand out. "Paris, good to see you again."
Paris shook his hand firmly. "You too," he said with a grin. "How long has it been?"
"If you can't remember, then too long," Dex replied with a smile. "Running a coven doesn't leave us with much time to socialize, does it?"
"Certainly not," said Paris. He gestured over to the Queen Anne chairs by the fireplace in his office. "Why don't you both have a seat?"
Veronica and Dex headed over to the chairs while Paris managed to pull his office chair out from behind his desk, pushing it through the soft, plush carpet and over to the sitting area. He sent a quick message to his assistant, asking for a tray to be brought up and then joined Dex and Veronica at the hearth.
"Dex, I'm afraid you've come at a bit of a bad time, we're having a problem with our magic at the moment."
"I had wondered what was happening," Veronica said, a slight frown marring her features. "I felt as though something were amiss this morning, but I wasn't sure if it was just me. Then Dex mentioned it as well."
"Have you been in contact with your own covens? Are they affected?" Paris asked immediately, not sure if he was hoping they had been affected or not.
Veronica nodded. "Yes, but so far nothing. Just Dex and myself."
"So it seems to be localized here then," said Paris, adding it to the mental list he was keeping. "I'm not sure if that's good or bad news. I had thought about calling around to some other Covens or perhaps driving over to see if it's localized here or not."
"That might not be a good idea," Dex said. "At least, not until you get more information. What if it's like a sickness and you end up spreading it?"
"True enough," Paris agreed. "I suppose at this point the best course of action is to gather more information. So, Dex, I know Veronica stopped by to find out a bit more about Jade and catch up with us. What brings you by?"
Counter-Hex (Covencraft Book 2) Page 9