I nodded then swallowed down the nerves trying to choke me. “I call upon the spirits around us.”
We waited…but there was only silence.
I glanced up to Paulina and raised an eyebrow. She nodded.
“I call upon the spirits around us,” I chanted louder than the first time.
Silence.
I narrowed my eyes on the planchette and tried to summon my magic. “Spirits, I call for the one who spoke to me before.”
Still nothing.
Paulina frowned. “Spirits, are you here?”
Yet again we were met with nothing but silence.
“I am Paulina, Death of The Coven. I summon you to speak to us.”
Nothing. Not a thing.
Finally, after at least a minute or two of silence, Paulina shook her head and groaned. Then she looked up at Tegan and arched one eyebrow.
Okay, Paulina, end this. Move to good-bye, Tegan said into our heads.
As we slid the planchette over to the word good-bye, Paulina said, “I release you.”
Tegan walked over and moved the salt, opening the circle back up. She shook her head. “All right, come out.” She flicked her wrists, and the candle flames went out and the pentacle lines vanished.
Paulina cursed. “That’s not normal. I don’t like this.”
“What’s not normal?” I glanced around at the others, and all of them wore matching worried expressions. “Guys?”
“It’s not normal for not a single spirit to speak to us, especially Paulina. That doesn’t happen.” Tegan pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, let’s move ahead with the next step… I’m going to try and unlock Bettina’s magic.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bettina
We were in the living room now, sitting by the fireplace. The flickering flames warmed my body but did nothing to ease my nerves.
I’m going to try and unlock Bettina’s magic. Again, I shivered at the sound of Tegan’s words. I had no idea what that entailed.
It didn’t help that the entire Coven had joined us.
I sat with my legs crisscrossed on the white fuzzy rug in front of the fireplace. Tegan sat directly in front of me, mirroring my pose. The room was silent, but I felt the energy and power of the witches lounging around me. Most of them were sitting on the couches or leaning against the wall. Hunter, Emersyn, and Bentley sat protectively behind me with encouraging smiles. There were only two people in the room making me visibly nervous.
Tennessee, because he stood right beside us with his arms crossed over his chest. The raw power radiating off of him made me want to jump ship and flee as fast as I could.
And then there was Jackson. He was in the back of the room, standing in the corner like he wanted to blend in. But I saw him. I felt his presence, though I couldn’t quite explain how. Maybe I was just attuned to his aura. Maybe it was because I had feelings for him. I didn’t know, but there he was. He watched me with sharp eyes. A muscle in his jaw flexed, and I wondered if he was as nervous about this as I was.
“Ready?” Tegan asked, bringing my attention back to her.
I swallowed nervously and nodded. “How does this work, exactly?”
Tegan smiled and wiggled her fingers. Rainbow-colored mist spilled into the air. “It’s no biggy, really. I’m just gonna try and pull it out with my magic. I foresee no reason that it should hurt in any way, but let me know if it does.”
“You sound like our dentist.” I chuckled and shook my head, even though it wasn’t funny. “Sure. No problem. Vacuum my magic out.”
Tegan’s grin widened. She winked then reached down and put her hands on the inside of my forearms. She closed her eyes and spoke in the ancient language. Warmth spread from every spot our skin touched. Golden light shot out from between our arms. Her magic rushed out of her and coiled around my arms. The rainbow mist spread up to my shoulders then to the rest of my body until it covered every inch of me. It didn’t hurt, but it felt like little vibrations tingling against my skin.
She chanted loud in the old language, and then a blast of raw hot energy slammed into me like I’d been plugged into an electrical socket. I gasped. My back arched and my muscles tightened. The ground rumbled, and then cold air rushed under me. I looked down and bit my lip to stop myself from making any noise. We were hovering a foot above the floor. Without moving my head, I glanced around at The Coven, but none of them looked even remotely concerned. They just watched with curious expressions.
Okay, stay calm. They’re not worried.
A cold shock shot up my spine then raced down my arms. Bright pink mist billowed from around my hands. My heart fluttered. That’s MY magic! My eyes widened and I started to smile, but then it vanished. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, like it’d never been there at all. Only Tegan’s rainbow-colored magic lingered. My breath left me in a rush.
We lowered until my butt hit the warm, fuzzy carpet. Tegan’s magic faded away. When it was gone, she opened her eyes and frowned. She let go of my arms and sighed with frustration.
“Well?” My pulse skipped erratically.
She shook her head. “I can feel your magic in there, but it’s been blocked.”
“By what?” I groaned.
“A spell. An extremely powerful one—”
“Can you break it?” I looked down at my hands and scowled. “You said you were the most powerful.” As soon as I said it, I regretted it. “Shit, T, I’m sorry.”
She smirked. “I am singularly the most powerful, yes. I could try and break the spell myself, and maybe if you were anyone else, I would…but…”
“Myrtle,” Tennessee said under his breath.
“Myrtle?” I frowned, but then the word clicked in my memory. “Wait, like the Ouija board said?”
Tegan nodded. “It said ‘seek Myrtle,’ and she is the lead Crone. Whatever this spell is that has blocked your magic is old and strong. We’re going to need Myrtle and the Crones’ ancient magic to break it. There’s a reason that spirit told you to go to her. It knows something we don’t.”
“So we go to the Crones.” Tennessee sighed and looked to Kessler. “Can someone find out if Kenneth is strong enough for the trip? I’m not going there without him.”
Kessler nodded. “I’ll ask.”
There was a loud knock on the front door, and everyone jumped. Kessler rubbed his chest and frowned, then yanked the door open. It was dark on the porch so I couldn’t see who was there, but I did notice the way Kessler’s eyes widened and sparkled.
He cleared his throat then stepped aside. “Come in.”
A woman with white blonde hair that fell straight to her shoulders walked in carrying two huge bags in her hands. I recognized her in an instant. It was Mona, my professor. Her Def Leopard graphic T-shirt looked like something straight out of Tegan’s closet.
She stopped a few feet inside and gave a sheepish smile. “Um, I brought you dinner.”
“Oh, hell yeah,” Easton said as he jumped to his feet. “I like her. Kessler, you can definitely keep her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bettina
“Okay, we’re going to switch things up a bit today.”
My heart dropped like it was skydiving. I looked up to where Kessler stood just outside of the training room in the grass. All of us Swords were inside, standing on the mats. Tegan and her Coven-mates were off to the side, looking like they were ready for war. It was Wednesday morning, day two of having Kessler for our teacher and The Coven as classmates, and even though class had just started, I was already freaking out.
“We’re going to do a simulation.” Kessler raised his hands up to ward off questions. “Think of it like a virtual reality game. It’s meant to be fun, but also as close to real-life experience you can get while remaining entirely safe. Willow, come on over and set it up.”
Willow skipped over, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing with every step. When she got up next to Kessler, I almost giggled. She was at least a foot shorter th
an him and half his size. She turned around and held her hands out in front of her.
I leaned to the side to watch what she was doing. Bright blue magic shot out of her palms. She waved her hands around, twirling her magic into one massive ball. When it was about the size of a basketball, she threw it out in front of her. Blue mist shot out and covered every inch of the grass like a blanket. It stretched out like fifty feet. The air shimmered, the blue of her magic mixing with the golden rays of the sun.
A few feet in front of her, there was a white line drawn into the grass. At the edge of our designated field area was a short column with a glowing white orb on top. At first, everything was in shades of blue, but after a few seconds, the color faded and it looked normal. Willow spun back around with a satisfied smile on her face.
Kessler pointed to where the magic started. “When you cross this white line, it will trigger the simulation to begin. Your goal is to get all the way through the course and touch the orb without dying. Between here and there, you will be attacked by demons, of Willow’s making of course. You can use whatever weapons or magic you’d naturally use in battle. We want to see what you’ve got in a real-life setting, without putting you in real-life settings.”
I groaned. I wanted my magic, and it wasn’t fair. I’d have to settle for my sword only.
“We’re going to do this one at a time, so when it’s your turn, just cross the white line and start killing demons. But—”
“I’m going first!” Matt shouted, interrupting whatever Kessler was about to say.
Matt leapt to his feet then raced toward the simulation. In the blink of an eye, he crossed over the white line. The air in front of him shimmered dark blue. He took three steps and then ran straight into a wall of a demon. The demon swatted at him and sent Matt flying through the air…then he crashed on the ground in a tangled heap.
Kessler shook his head. “As I was saying…but before you go in, you’ll touch this gear here in my hand, and it will appear on you. That part is not simulation. You will legitimately have gear on. When you take a hit, red mist will shoot out of wherever you got injured, but you may continue to fight if this happens. However, if you take a fatal hit, black mist will pour out, and your turn will be done. Any questions?”
About a million. But I shook my head, just like everyone else.
“All right…” Kessler looked around the class. He must’ve sensed the nerves and panic coursing through us civilians because he turned to The Coven and smiled. “Royce, why don’t you show everyone how this is done?”
Royce nodded and walked over to Kessler. When he stopped and placed his hand on the black gear hanging from Kessler’s arm, a shadow passed over his own body. A second later, it thickened into what looked like normal sparring gear. Royce rolled his neck and stretched his arms. He unsheathed his long dagger and went straight to the line. Without hesitation at all, he crossed over it, and the air in front of him sizzled to life.
I hadn’t thought about whether Royce looked like a fighter or not, but he definitely was. He lunged into the simulation with his dagger raised. Demons popped up left and right. Royce sliced his dagger through the first one, and it exploded into blue dust. Two more demons jumped on him. But Royce just flicked his wrist, and vines as thick as my arm shot out from the grass and slammed right into the demons.
I watched in amazement and shock as Royce worked his way through the simulation. He took the demons out one after another, either with his dagger or with his wild earth magic. Vines and flowers blinded and tripped the demons. In a minute or less, Royce stepped up to the column and touched the golden orb.
The simulation faded away like it’d never even been there.
“Very nice job, Royce,” Kessler said with a smile and a high five. He turned to the class with a wild glint in his amber eyes. “Now that you’ve seen it, let’s give someone else a try. Genevieve Louis, you’re up.”
Gen clapped her hands together then practically sprinted over to our professor. She pressed her hand to the black gear he held, and just like with Royce, it appeared on her body immediately. She balled her fists then tapped on the chest pad. When it made a knocking sound, she nodded. “Let’s roll.”
Kessler gestured to the line, and she went over to it without hesitation. The first few demons to jump out at Gen were spider demons, and I didn’t miss the way Deacon cringed. Focus, Bettina. I looked back to Gen just as a puff of red mist shot into the air. She cursed and brought her weapons down on a demon’s back. As she fought her way through, there were four more puffs of red magic. Three quarters of the way through, a huge lion-like demon with tusks pounced on her, sending her crashing to the grass with the demon on top of her. It snarled then lunged for her throat. Black mist shot into the air.
“Excellent fighting, Genevieve.” Kessler clapped his hands as she stumbled back over to him. “Remember, some of these demons you’ll see here you haven’t learned how to kill yet. That’s part of why we’re doing this.”
Gen pressed her hand to the gear hanging from Kessler’s arm, and the ones on her vanished. “That was cool, but damn.”
Kessler chuckled. “All right, next up is Bettina.”
I gasped. Oh shit. Why me? I wanted to watch a few more people go to get a feel for it. Damn it.
I jumped to my feet then followed Royce and Gen’s lead and placed my hand on Kessler’s gear. Warmth wrapped around my body. I frowned and looked down. I’d just seen it twice, yet still I was speechless to see magic happening in front of me.
Take a deep breath. You’ve got this, Tegan whispered to me.
My stomach turned. For a moment, I’d forgotten Tegan was even here. My pulse kicked into overdrive. Tegan was about to watch me fight demons. I didn’t know why I was self-conscious about this, but I was. I pulled my sword out of its sheath and glanced around…only to find Jackson watching me with sharp eyes. Oh, god. Shit, shit, shit. Jackson was the last person I wanted to watch me fight.
Don’t think about them. Just kill some demons. Be like Elsa and let it go.
I repeated this mantra to myself over and over until I stepped over the white line. Blue light flashed over my eyes, and then everything cleared. I focused my gaze on the column at the end and charged forward. Surprisingly, the gear was weightless and didn’t hinder my movement in any way.
An oozer demon jumped out in front of me. I dropped to one knee and swung my sword right through its abdomen. It exploded into blue dust, and my confidence soared. I’ve got this. I leapt into a run. When a spider demon popped up from the ground, I lunged over it like I was a track and field Olympian. At the same time, I ran my sword through its spine, and the thing exploded.
That column with the orb was so close. All I had to do was make it there. I sprinted toward my goal with single-minded focus. A demon jumped out in front of me. I swung my weapon, and my fire opal blade sliced its head clean off. I didn’t wait to see the exploding dust. Two more demons got in my way, but I was moving too fast. The sheer force of my movement gave me the power I needed to barrel right through them.
But then three demons I’d never seen before with big horns and long, sharp talons jumped out in front of me, blocking my path. I slid to a stop and eyed my opponents. Mona hadn’t gone over these hideous beasts yet, so I had no idea where their weak zones were.
Screw it. Just go for it. I lunged into action, but right as I brought my sword down to impale the first demon, the third one jumped on me. I felt pressure on my back, and then black mist filled the air around me.
Damn it! I smacked the grass then pushed back up to my feet…then I noticed where I was. I was about five feet short of the spot Gen had gotten to. I grinned. Gen was the second best fighter next to Jackson, and I’d almost beaten her. Adrenaline rushed through my body. I spun and skipped back over to Kessler with a smile on my face.
“Impressive, Bettina. Those last ones are real nasty buggers.” He smiled down at me then turned his attention to the class as I walked away.
I
did it. Not too shabby at all. I felt light on my feet. Tegan gave me two thumbs-up and a huge grin. I hadn’t expected to get to the orb, but I’d gotten so much farther than I thought. I was so damn proud of myself.
“Jackson Lancaster, your turn.”
I stopped short and spun around. There was no way I was going to miss this. Jackson strolled over and tapped on the gear. His face was calm and his eyes were sharp. He looked ready to kill. He held out his talisman sword in one hand and a serrated dagger in the other. There was a beat of pause, then he charged forward. He sliced and diced his way through demon after demon without slowing down even a fraction. It was in that moment that I realized I’d never actually gotten to watch Jackson fight at his best. At midterms, he’d held back, even when they told him not to. Then at the battle of the border, I’d been too busy trying to stay alive.
But I saw now. My jaw dropped.
He didn’t use any magic, or at least none that I recognized. Not that he needed it. His weapons were glimmering flashes of light as he swung them around. I tried to keep up with his movements, but he moved so fast and blue mist kept exploding, blocking my view. An oozer demon appeared right in front of him, but Jackson jumped over it. There was a puff of blue mist, and then a beacon of golden light shot into the sky as Jackson hit the finishing orb.
The Coven went absolutely freaking nuts. They all cheered, clapped, and high fived him.
“Yo, Kess, can we keep him?” Easton shouted while still clapping.
Royce raised his hand in the air. “Or at least rent him out?”
“Yeah, do you have hourly rates?” Deacon said with a wicked grin.
Kessler shook his head. “Guys, you know that’s not how it works.”
Cooper shrugged. “Tenn will just request his presence and then send Tegan to portal over and kidnap him. It’s fine.”
Emersyn’s golden eyes widened. “Oh, maybe Willow can—”
“GUYS. Really?” Kessler shouted, but he was grinning as he shook his head some more.
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 37