So I did. Every detail. I even handed her the coin, though she couldn’t read it. I told her the prophecy, and how I’d been instructed to bring Tegan, Cooper, and Bettina.
When I was done, she sighed. She closed her eyes. “He has come sooner than I suspected he would.” Then she mumbled something in the ancient dialect of our language, the one I didn’t know.
Tegan nodded, then spoke it back.
Myrtle pushed the teacup close to my face. “Drink. You really need it.”
“You asked me to come here first, so I am here.” I lifted the cup to my mouth and drank.
“First, and this is important, be cautious with how you use your friends. The Goddess gave you help, which Michael has graciously allowed, but this is still your task. You mustn’t forget that.”
My stomach rolled. I nodded and drank more tea. No pressure.
“You must seek Leyka next.” She turned to the Bishop siblings. “You’ll find him where you did before.”
Tegan and Cooper laughed and nodded.
Bettina looked to me and frowned. She needed to not look at me. I wasn’t strong enough for her right now.
“Through the Strait and roll the dice.” Myrtle recited the prophecy as she dug through her pile of crystals. Then she turned and handed us one, and Tegan four. “Put these in your pocket and leave them there.”
I stuffed mine in my front left pocket. “Myrtle, why did you want me to come here first?”
Myrtle stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Over the last six centuries, the Lead Crone has held on to one piece of information, one that we pass on only to our replacement. And that I tell you now. The journey to restore the Lancaster line begins at the birthplace of our species.”
A cold chill slid down my spine and I shivered. Tegan shuddered and it made my pulse go nuts. She never looked nervous. Cooper’s face paled. Anxiety rolled off of Bettina in waves.
I swallowed my rush of fear. “What is there?”
Myrtle shook her head. “Of that, I am not sure. No one has been there since, except for your ancestor, Henry the VI.”
“So we’re going in blind…” Bettina whispered. “Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.”
Cooper wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “How do we get there?”
Tegan shuddered again and began pacing. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and headed for the door. “I have to call Tenn before I go there. He’ll have felt that just now.” Then she disappeared.
My heart pounded in my chest. I stared at the door Tegan had just slipped out of and tried to figure out why she was panicking. I felt the wild energy rolling out of her. She was calling her soulmate because she knew he felt her pulse go nuts.
I turned back to Myrtle. “How do we get there?”
She sighed. “Through the Strait of the Dead.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
JACKSON
“An Angel lives here?” I shielded my face with my hand and squinted through the brightening sunrays. “Or is this another glamour like on Crone Island?”
Tegan chuckled. “Nope, this is exactly as you see it. Welcome to Pig Island in the Bahamas.”
Cooper shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “This makes so much more sense now.”
“Kind of feels like a joke, doesn’t it?” Tegan asked then pursed her lips.
“I’ve heard of this place.” Bettina strolled forward then spun in slow circle. “I’ve always wanted to come here.”
Here was an island with powdery pale sand and aquamarine water…and an entire civilization of wild pigs. They were everywhere. Some white. Some pink. Some spotted. Some huddled together under the shade of some trees. Some were belly up on the sand. But a surprising amount were frolicking through the crystal clear ocean.
I sighed. “I don’t understand. This is where we’re to find the Angel Leyka?”
“I don’t see anything non-pig here,” Bettina grumbled.
“He is a pig,” Tegan said in a cheerful voice.
Cooper chuckled. “You gonna hog-tie him again?”
“That was fun,” an unfamiliar deep voice said from behind us.
We spun—and my jaw dropped. He was a couple inches taller than me with broad shoulders. He looked like the stereotypical surfer with his long, curly, sun-bleached blond hair and ocean-colored eyes. The tan and scruffy blond beard only helped the image.
“I thought about it, but then decided it wouldn’t be near as much fun without the boyfriend here to watch.” He leaned toward Tegan and pretended to conceal his mouth as he whispered extremely loudly, “Or is that still a secret?”
Tegan gasped and tossed a handful of sand at him. “Leyka! You could’ve gotten us in so much trouble for that! And you said it right in front of my brother!”
I frowned. THIS is Leyka?
Leyka groaned and threw his hands up in the air. “Listen, the last time I’d seen you guys had been in my house in Salem, and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you and Sir Tennessee share one tiny little mattress?”
Tegan flushed a deep pink. “We had to make do.”
Cooper grimaced and shook his head.
“Sure you did.” Leyka laughed and gave her an exaggerated wink. “Now imagine going from seeing you two like that, to then pretending like you weren’t soulmates. I could only help myself so much.”
“Wait. Hold on one second.” Bettina waved her hands around. “Are we not going to address that you were just a pig?”
“It’s kind of an inside joke.” Leyka turned to Tegan and Cooper and wagged his eyebrows. “Shall I let you two address that? After all, you were the ones who traded my pig self as payment for time travel. Which reminds me, did you know Cronos is not a fan of pork?”
I frowned and looked to Bettina, the only other person here who had no idea what was going on. Time travel? Cronos? I hadn’t heard the details of how they managed to travel through time, and I was suddenly regretting not asking.
Tegan pushed her hair off her face. “I have so many questions for you, Leyka.”
“I am sure you do, but now is not the time to tell my story.” Leyka cracked his knuckles. “Keltie will come to you when it is.”
“I’m sorry, but why are we here?” I snapped. “I mean no offense. However, time is of the essence.”
Leyka looked over at me like he’d just realized I was there. He held out his left hand for me to shake. “Where are my manners? I am Leyka.”
I sighed and shook his hand. “Hi. I’m—”
“Jackson Lancaster,” Leyka said for me. He pointed to my red rose tattoo. “So you’re the lucky one.”
“You know who I am?”
Leyka nodded, and for the first time since we’d arrived, all of the humor was gone. “Michael came for you already?”
My heart sank. He did know who I was.
I nodded. “Last night.”
“Has my sister given you instructions?”
“Sister?”
“Yes,” Tegan answered for me. “She told us we must go through the Strait of the Dead to the birthplace of our species.”
“Be sure to proceed with caution in the Strait, Tegan. You do not have Tennessee here to help break it.”
Tegan’s eyes darkened. “I know. I’ve prepared as much as possible.”
What the bloody hell does that mean?
Leyka turned his gaze back to me. “Did you bring the pipe?”
I blinked. How much does he know, and how does he know it? I pointed to Tegan. “It’s in her magical jacket pocket. How did you know about it?”
“Is it because you’re Nephilim?” Bettina cocked her head to the side and eyed the Angel.
Leyka’s eyebrows rose. “Is that the story going around?”
Bettina nodded. “Yes. You’re the last of the Nephilim, who was half arcana, and was turned into an Angel by the Creator but then trapped here.”
Leyka’s lips slowly curved into a sly smirk. “Now that’s quite a story.”
S
he arched one eyebrow. “So I’m right? You’re Nephilim, and that’s why you know about the pipe on the bones of the Lancaster who sacrificed himself to dispose of the chalice? Something like that, right?”
Man, I was glad she was there in that moment because my tongue was tied and twisted. I had too many questions to manage to voice one of them.
“I am not, nor have I ever been or will ever be, a Nephilim.”
She frowned. “But you’re an Angel?”
Leyka chuckled. “Nephilim are not Angels, and vice versa.”
“I don’t understand,” Bettina cried.
“Nephilim and Angels are like vampires and shifters…witches and humans.” Leyka winked at her. He looked back to me. “Do not discard of anything you find along the way. Also, there are no Fae involved in this. Should one suggest otherwise, you abort mission immediately. Understood?”
Okay, I don’t like that. I nodded, then shook my head. “Is that all the advice you can give me?”
“All that I am at liberty to give.”
I sighed and scrubbed my face with my hands. “Why did Myrtle send us here, then? She had to have had a reason—”
“Maybe it was for me?” Bettina looked to me and blushed. She gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “I assumed it was about your quest, but maybe it’s not? Maybe this is about me here?”
“You?” Leyka narrowed his eyes at her. “And who are you?”
“Show him, B,” Tegan whispered.
Cooper nodded in approval like she needed it.
Bettina took a deep breath then held her hand out in front of her, palm up. Pink mist swirled around her hand until it took the shape of the angelic runes hiding in her magic.
Leyka’s eyes widened, and when he looked up at her, his eyes sparkled. “So THAT’S who you are.”
All four of us jumped.
“What does that mean?” Tegan and I said together.
Bettina’s face paled. She took a step backward with wide eyes. “Who am I exactly?”
“The reason my sister sent you here.” Leyka smiled down at her. He held his palm out. “Take my hand.”
Light flashed behind him, and then huge white wings shot out of his back. They looked just like Michael’s. His blue eyes shimmered white and gold. Dark golden, almost brown, lines covered his upper body.
Bettina licked her lips and reached a shaky hand out. I stepped closer to her just in case, not that I knew what I could do against a literal Angel. The second her skin touched his, he swung his other hand over and held hers between both of his. Leyka closed his eyes, and his wings fluttered.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes. “There is a reason you were chosen to join him on this quest. These runes will unlock…something…on his quest. Though I cannot tell you what that will be.”
My heart did these weird palpitations that sent adrenaline and panic rushing through my veins. I didn’t know what that meant, or why. Her runes connect to my quest? Is that why I am drawn to her in the first place?
Leyka dropped her hand. “But I can tell you that if you use these runes on the wrong thing, you will destroy that thing. And there is not unlimited power in these, so choose wisely.”
Bettina stared at the glowing runes like they were a snake about to bite her.
Leyka’s wings fluttered and spread out. He lifted off the ground then hovered. “Remember, Jackson, there are two sides to every coin.”
Then he was gone.
I scowled. What does that even mean?
Chapter Thirty-Three
BETTINA
You will destroy that thing. I couldn’t get Leyka’s warning out of my mind. Of all the things I’d considered the runes to mean, it hadn’t been that. I had to use the runes to unlock something, but I had no idea what that was, and if I guessed wrong, then I’d destroy whatever it was. That was a lot of pressure. I was already somebody who overthought everything. Someone whose brain went into loops over inconsequential things. And this was huge.
No pressure. No pressure at all.
It’s not like an entire bloodline of witches are depending on it or anything.
I glanced over to Jackson and found him staring at the sand. His face was pale. If I failed him, he’d lose everything. Forty-eight hours was both no time at all and far too much. My nerves were already shot, and we’d just begun.
Jackson put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Let’s get a move on, then. How do we get to this Strait of the Dead? Tegan, did I hear you’ve been there?”
She nodded. “On my first quest, yeah.” She turned and headed for the shore while gesturing for us to follow.
Cooper went with her without hesitation.
I frowned and looked over to Jackson. “I don’t understand. Where is it?”
“Do we need to get a boat?” he yelled out after me.
Tegan peeked over her shoulder then waved for us again. Pressure wrapped around my body, and then my feet slid over the sand. Jackson cursed as we floated toward the siblings. When we got next to them, that pressure disappeared. I wobbled and stumbled back a step, but Jackson reached out and caught me. His palm burned through my sweater like I wasn’t wearing it at all.
My cheeks warmed. “Thanks.”
He dropped me the second I was upright. Which was good. He needed to. I needed to remember that he couldn’t touch me.
“How did you do that?”
“I can control water, or anything liquid.” Tegan shrugged and walked to the edge of the ocean. She glanced over her shoulder to the three of us just standing there, then rolled her eyes. “Blood is a liquid, y’all. Now don’t make me do that again. Let’s move.”
She held her hand out in front of her, and the surface of the ocean hardened. Without glancing back at us, she strolled on top of the water about ten feet then stopped and turned. She arched one eyebrow.
Cooper laughed and jogged to catch up to her.
“Am I ever going to get used to this stuff?”
At that, Jackson chuckled, and it made my heartbeat go nuts. “Magic in general, yes. Their kind of magic? I don’t think so. I still freak out every time I see Timothy use his ice. Come on. Let’s go find this bloody sword.”
I skipped to follow Jackson so I wasn’t left on the shore by myself. Each step I took I expected to plummet beneath the water, yet each time, it was as hard as cement. The only reason I hadn’t grabbed Jackson’s hand to hang on to was because this was Tegan. I trusted her. Well, that and I didn’t want Cooper to catch on to anything. His oblivion to my affection for the unattainable was crucial in my attempt to woo him…and myself.
Though it was about as destined to go as horribly wrong as this quest.
When we caught up to Tegan, she winked, then turned and led us farther into the ocean. It was the most unnerving thing I’d ever done. We were in the Bahamas. I knew enough of Pig Island to know that, so the water was a crystal clear aquamarine color. Exactly like Jackson’s eyes.
Not helpful, brain.
Everyone must’ve been lost in thought just as I was because no one spoke as we followed Tegan across the ocean. Something moved in my peripheral vision, so I glanced down—
I screamed and jumped on Tegan’s back.
A large gray shark swam directly under us. My heart pounded in my chest. I groaned and rested my forehead on Tegan’s shoulder. The scent of Christmas slammed into my nostrils and I gasped. I pulled back…and wanted to die. It wasn’t Tegan. I was on Jackson’s back.
He peeked over his shoulder at me and arched one eyebrow. His lips curved into a smirk. “You okay?”
Fire scorched through my face, and I knew I had to be bright red. I pushed off of him and pulled at the hem of my sweater. “Sorry. I…uh…um…”
Cooper hung his head and laughed.
“Sorry, B. I forgot about your fear of sharks.” Tegan grimaced and walked up beside me. She knelt down and pressed her palm flat to the water, and it rippled in little waves. “Excuse me, Mr. Dude, can you give us some privacy?”
/>
The shark flicked its tail then sped off.
Tegan stood and brushed her hands off. “He probably just called for reinforcements, so we better get moving before Poseidon’s army rides on us.”
I shoved her. “Don’t make me start shouting your irrational fears.”
“OH, please do.” Cooper grinned.
Tegan rolled her eyes. “Come on.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and walked beside her. The others were carrying on about something—probably mocking me—but I was too busy watching below us for apex predators.
After a few minutes, Jackson cleared his throat. “How much farther?”
“I say, you have excellent intuition.” Tegan stopped and turned to face us. She held both palms up. “Please keep your hands, arms, legs, and feet outside of your air bubbles at all times. I can’t promise that won’t pop them.”
“Wait— WHA—”
The ocean opened up under our feet, and we sank under the surface. Warm water rushed over me. It wrapped around my ankles and tugged me down until my white Converses hit the ocean floor. I gasped and— I can breathe! I spun to look at the others, and my jaw dropped. Jackson, Cooper, and I all had small bubbles surrounding our heads. Our bodies were in the water, but we could breathe. The ocean was literally on top of us, yet I was breathing like I was on land.
Cooper cursed and smacked his sister’s arm. “What the hell, Tegan? A little warning!”
Tegan, who stood there without an air bubble, rolled her eyes. “Right, like you wanted to walk that far under the water? The least amount of time y’all are in magical scuba gear, the better.”
“I don’t understand, why—” Jackson slammed his mouth shut. His face fell. “The Strait of the Dead is underwater, isn’t it?”
Tegan nodded and pointed behind her. “There she is, right there. Time to go swimming.”
My stomach flipped. “Swim?”
Tegan chuckled and walked backward. She wiggled her fingers, and we floated toward her. “That’s exactly what I said last time. Yes, we have to swim. The Strait is not like the ocean. But I’m here, probably for this exact part of the quest.”
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 66