She shot him a questioning look, and he leaned in. “He’s a commoner.”
“A commoner who’s anything but common,” Bea said with a smile. She really did have eclectic taste in men. Sagely wondered what her collective looked like, and how they all interacted. Though the idea of having a collective of guys intrigued her, she couldn’t picture it actually working.
“Hey,” she said, turning to Quill. “Is your dad here?”
He took a huge bite of his burger and pushed it into his cheek before answering. “Nope.”
He went on chewing, and his brother brought her plate from the other table just as she was about to ask more. She decided to leave the questions for another time. He obviously didn’t want to elaborate.
Twenty-Six
As people finished eating, they made their way towards a fire in the center of the yard, where, no joke, a huge cast iron cauldron bubbled. People stood around it in the warm, lingering evening, fanning themselves with paper plates. At least the smoke was keeping the mosquitoes away.
When Sagely finished, Quill’s brother took away their plates, and Quill leaned in to her. “Are you ready?” he asked in a low voice, his eyes searching hers.
The concern radiating from him calmed her like a healing balm. She smiled. “How bad can it be?”
“I’m ready for it to be official,” he said. “For you to be one of us.” He stroked her hair, cupping the back of her head and drawing her in for a fierce but tender kiss. When he pulled away, he locked eyes with hers again. “I won’t let anything threaten your safety,” he said.
She shivered at the apprehension in his words. Something was going to happen, and he knew what it was, but she didn’t. It put her on edge, but before she could pry it out of him, Majori Yordine stepped away from the cauldron and held up a copper mug, steam rising off it.
“Welcome, sisters and brothers,” she said, her commanding voice rising over the gathering, which fell silent as every face turned to her. “Our coven is our family, and today, it is my privilege to welcome a new member to the family. Sagely was gifted magic and would like to train to become a witch.”
She gave Sagely an encouraging smile. Sagely stood and squared her shoulders, hoping she looked fierce even in a yellow sundress. Yordine’s strong features and voice made her wish she’d worn something that conveyed the kind of power the older witch had.
“Sagely, please come up for the laying-on of hands.”
Sagely walked up to her, keeping her steps even, not hurrying. Quill had told her about this part. He’d told her that she could talk to the Majoris and explain that because of her past, she didn’t feel comfortable being touched by strangers. But she was determined not to let one asshole from her childhood hold her back any longer. She was ready to move on, and this seemed symbolic of letting go of that pain. This time, she was choosing to be touched.
“Magic is often spiritual, mental, and invisible,” Yordine said. “As energy, it isn’t always apparent. But it’s also a very physical energy. It is most strongly conveyed through mind and touch at once. When we welcome a sister, we share with her a trace of our magic. Therefore, we are all bound in one coven and can sense when someone needs help. I’m sure you have sensed magic in us, and you have a bond with our strongest member. Today, you will get a small fraction of that bond with each and every member of our coven. Together, we form one magical family. And you become a member.”
A family. It had been over a decade since she’d had one of those. She’d never let herself want one after that, knowing it was impossible. She’d never allowed herself to imagine a foster family becoming permanent. Though she’d had a good one for six years, she’d petitioned for emancipation the moment she reached sixteen. She knew she would never have a family again.
But now she did.
Unexpectedly, her eyes throbbed with unshed tears. Could it be real? After years of being on her own, counting on only herself, could she really have such a huge group of people who cared about her, what happened to her, and if she was safe? She’d be sharing something with them that she hadn’t allowed herself to share with anyone since she was eight years old.
She would no longer rely solely on herself. She’d feel their pain, their need, their loss. She’d be called to save them and protect them if they were in danger. And they would protect her, share her pain. It was a huge responsibility, and suddenly, all she could think about was that warlock she’d accidentally killed. It was too much responsibility.
“Now, as we accept you into our coven, we share our magic with you as you share yours with us.” Yordine slid a silver knife from her belt. Its ornate handle fit into her hand, and the curved blade had some kind of symbols along the dull edge. The sharp edge glinted in the firelight.
Before she could move, Quill was between them, looming over Majori Yordine. She didn’t flinch when he stepped up to her, dominating her space.
“Sagely will not share her blood.”
Share her blood? What the hell?
“It’s only one drop,” Yordine said calmly. “The welcoming ceremony requires it. We drink of the elements. Plants from the earth, water from the rain, air from the sky, and fire from the spark of life.” She tossed something into the cauldron with each word—a handful of basil leaves, a pitcher of crystal clear water from the platform next to the cauldron, something that looked like steam pouring out of a bottle when she removed the stopper and dropped it in. Lastly, she thrust her palms at the bubbling mixture, and fire danced across the top like some kind of flambe.
“And a bit of the new member’s essence for our coven when she becomes one of us.”
Quill loomed over her. “No.”
“What’s going on?” Sagely asked, stepping up to his elbow. she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is it because I have faerie blood?”
His jaw tight, Quill shook his head, his eyes locked on Yordine’s. They seemed to be having another silent conversation, leaving Sagely to wonder again about their close relationship as student and master. After a minute, Quill turned to the rest of the coven. When he spoke, his voice was every bit as commanding and powerful as his Majori’s. The coven listened with as much respect as they did when she spoke, too.
“Sagely was gifted magic from me,” he said. “But she already had an ancient magic locked within her. When I healed her, I inadvertently unbound the parcel of magic that had passed from generation to generation in her family.”
The coven stepped forward to hear, and Quill’s mother and sister squeezed in beside her. “He’s the most powerful warlock anyone in this coven has ever seen,” his mother said, pride evident in her voice.
“When he healed you, it didn’t even put a dent in his magic,” Willow said, just as proud of her brother as her mother was.
“But Sagely’s magic is different,” Quill said, his brow furrowed with concern. “We have spoken with the Wise One, and even she has no first hand experience with it. Up until now, it was believed to be gone, if it ever existed. Some believed it was only a legend. Until now.”
“Void magic,” Majori Yordine said.
Several people inhaled audibly and glanced around nervously. Sagely was getting a little tired of the gasp-and-stare-at-Sagely routine.
“Since we don’t know exactly what it does, or how to use it, we will be learning along with Sagely. If you’ve heard of it, you know it can be used for the dark arts. So before we share her blood, she’d like to give you a choice. If you don’t want this unknown and unpredictable magic, with whatever it entails, we will not drink together tonight.”
Several people nodded and look relieved.
“You should also know that if you are bound to Sagely, it might be dangerous to you and your family,” he said. “We already know that the faeries want the magic back. And we also believe that the attack that happened recently here in the school may be connected.”
“It may be Viziri’s doing,” Majori Yordine added.
“If you choose to share in this unknown m
agic, you take on the responsibility of protecting Sagely at all cost, with your life if necessary,” Quill said. “And judging by recent events, it may be necessary. You might have to do things you wouldn’t normally do. If you don’t want to compromise the lightness of your magic, or you fear it might be tainted from joining with Sagely’s void magic, abstain from the drink.”
“Great,” she muttered. “You make me sound like an STD.”
“On the contrary,” Majori Yordine said. “Your magic is sacred. You’re the only person in the witch community who carries it, as far as we know. It must be safeguarded at all cost, until we have mastered it and know its uses.”
“You must be safeguarded,” Quill said, frowning at Sagely. “No more spontaneous trips into town. It’s too dangerous. We can’t risk anything happening to you.”
“And should you not wish to participate in this part of the ceremony, we do asked that you keep this quiet,” Majori Ory said, stepping forward. “If Viziri has not gotten word of it, we want to keep it that way.”
“This Viziri guy is the most powerful witch in the world?” Sagely asked with a shudder, remembering the black cloaked figure slicing her throat open. Give me what’s mine. That’s what he said. Was that was the faeries had said, too?
“Yes,” Majori Ory said, his mouth turned down in a grimace.
The Majoris motioned for her to lie on the platform beside the cauldron, which looked like a narrow picnic table without benches. This was it. A hundred strangers were about to put their hands all over her body. Her throat tightened, and her breath started to come quicker. But she forced herself to think of this differently. To welcome and relish their nearness, the hands she had given permission to touch her body. Quill stood beside her shoulder, as if ready to spring into action the moment she’d had enough.
“Tell me about this guy, Viziri,” she hissed at Quill. Anything to distract her. But he shook his head and smiled down at her, smoothing her hair back.
“Try to absorb their magic,” he said. “Feel each witch’s signature. It’s like a fingerprint—similar, but no one’s magic is exactly the same.”
Majori Yordine handed her a copper mug, and she sat up and took it. A layer of blue flame danced on top of the liquid, which released a silvery mist when she blew on it. She took a small sip, and was surprised by the slightly spicy, clean flavor of it. Basil, mint, lemon, and something sweet. She took another sip, and her body started to relax. She could feel her magic pulsing stronger, but also steadier.
Reassured, she lay down again when she’d finished the drink. She could do this. She was in absolute control. The moment she told them to stop, they’d stop. No one would touch her if she didn’t want them to.
Eli stepped up beside her first. “I accept you as a member of my coven and my family,” he said.
A feeling of power surged through her as he waited for her answer. Not one person would touch her until she said yes. “I accept,” she said.
Eli pressed a hand briefly on her forearm, smiled at her, and stepped away. One by one, the witches came up to welcome her, each one pressing a palm onto her body somewhere—her arms, legs, torso, and head. As she accepted each one as part of her family, she began to relax and absorb their magic like the gift that it was. Quill was right. She could recognize some signatures before they even touched her—Ingrid’s, Raina’s and Shaneesha’s, and a few of the other students.
When at last she’d been gifted magic from everyone who wished to share a bond with her, she sat up and scooted to the edge of the table. Quill looked relieved as he helped her up.
“Were you afraid someone would try to steal my magic?” she whispered to him when no one was watching.
“No, of course not,” he said. “I trust our coven. But I’m still a man as well as a warlock. I don’t like seeing all those people touching you.”
She shoved him playfully. “You’re such a guy.”
He shrugged but seemed to relax. “Ready to drink some blood brew?”
“Ew. Do you have to put it like that?”
He took both her hands in his. “This is serious, Sagely. When these people take a part of you, they will have a trace of your magic. You are bringing back a lost art, a lost magic, to our people. They will treat you with the respect you deserve. And they will fight for you if it comes to that. Only you can give this to us. But we won’t take it if you are unwilling to share.”
“Give me the knife,” she said, taking it from Yordine.
“One drop,” Quill cautioned. She could feel the magic coursing through her. She made a small cut in her wrist and held her hand out. Yordine chanted steadily as she took Sagely’s outstretched hand and held it over the cauldron. At last, she tipped it and let a single drop of blood fall into the bubbling mixture.
Sagely looked down in time to see a swirling blackness spiral down from the drop to the bottom of the huge pot, as if a whirlpool had opened in it. A black hole. A few people gasped, and others craned their necks to see in.
Next, the Wise One took Sagely’s hand in hers. “On behalf of the Winslow Witch coven, I invote the spirit of our mother earth and her four elements. Let all here bear witness to your union with our coven. We invite you now to become one with us and one of us, our sister.”
From the folds of her skirts, she drew a dull metal ring. This one had a single marking, a circle within a circle. The other witches strained forward to see the strange new marking—no one else had the mark of void magic on their ring. Quill had explained how it all worked—each witch started with a single marking, that of their original magic. They gained more through mastery of other elements.
“I accept,” Sagely said, sliding the ring onto her finger.
Instantly, the inner circle of the two turned a featureless, infinite black. Several witches gasped and stepped back, while others squeezed in closer to see. Sagely held up her hand for a minute, so they could all stare.
Then she dropped her hand and turned towards the house. “I’m going to go lie down,” she said. Quill followed her onto the porch, but she stopped and pressed her hand to his chest. “No, stay with your family.”
“We’re your family now, too.”
“Look, I’m happy to be a part of this. Don’t get me wrong. But I still want to be me, too.”
He caught her wrist. “What’s wrong, Sagely?”
“I just want to be alone,” she said. “Being the freak gets old fast.”
“You’re not a freak,” he said, cupping her cheek in his palm. “You’re a treasure.”
“Well, that gets old, too,” she said. “I’m fine, I just need to be alone for a minute. All that touching was overwhelming. That’s all it is. Please trust me.”
With that, she turned and went into the cabin, then down into the hidden school, and into her room, where she changed into sweats and curled up with Muffy. Ready to get lost in someone else’s problems for a while, she picked up a book and read until she fell asleep.
Twenty-Seven
Sagely woke to the sound of footsteps outside her room. Sitting up, she glanced around. Muffy was curled against her hip, and her wall sconce was sputtering. Her heart pounded, and she held her breath. It was probably Quill. But what if it wasn’t?
After a minute, someone tapped on the wall outside.
“Quill?” she asked. Maybe he thought she was mad at him. Usually he didn’t knock.
“Can I come in?” asked a shy, girlish voice.
Sagely nodded, as if she could see her through the wall. But it worked, somehow, because…magic, she supposed. Willow stepped through and perched on the edge of the bed.
“Is your arm okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Sagely said, pulling her sleeve down over her wrist.
“Do you want me to go?”
“Not really,” she said honestly. “What’s up?”
“It’s just…I don’t know any other witches who are part faerie,” Willow said, giving her a shy smile.
“Before yesterday, I d
idn’t know you were, either,” Sagely said.
“Witches don’t usually like faeries,” Willow explained. “If you couldn’t tell from the biting and stuff the other day, when they attacked you.”
“I thought that was because they wanted the magic back.”
“Yeah, it was,” Willow said, twisting her hands in her lap. “Anyway, I just wanted to see if you were okay. I have some healing abilities. It comes with the faerie blood.”
“What else does it do? I know they don’t have the same kind of magic, but they have some other powers, right?”
Willow’s face pinkened. “Do you think I’m pretty? Like, you might like me?”
Crap. She must have caught Sagely staring. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m not into girls. I don’t know what it is.”
“It’s the faerie,” Willow said, nodding. “It’s how they keep the blood pure. Most faeries are only attracted to other faeries. So you feel a pull towards us that normal witches don’t.”
“Well that explains some things,” Sagely said slowly, remembering her mad lust for Fox, even when he was about to kidnap her.
“I think you’re pretty, too,” Willow said, still looking at her hands. “If you wanted me in your collective, I’d say yes.”
“Wait—what?”
“I mean, no one is going to say yes to me,” she said. “Warlocks think I’m a gross faery.”
“But you’re so pretty. And they don’t get to make a collective, anyway.”
“Yeah, but they can accept or not,” she said, raising her head at last. “Just like with humans, a man asks, and you get to say yes or no.”
“Oh, right.” Sagely hadn’t really gotten past the polyamorous thing down to the logistics of how it worked. But if it was all based on love and respect, everyone would have to be okay with it. She wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of proposing to a guy or not. She put away the thought for later.
“It would be weird, with you and Quill,” she said slowly.
Willow brightened. “So you’re going to ask him?”
Magic of the Void: A Reverse Harem Witch Series (Winslow Witch Chronicles Book 1) Page 13