Oath Of The Witch
School of Necessary Magic Raine Campbell™ Book 04
Judith Berens
Martha Carr
Michael Anderle
Oath Of The Witch (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2019 Judith Berens, Martha Carr and Michael Anderle
Cover by Fantasy Book Design
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
A Michael Anderle Production
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
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First US edition, February 2019
The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright © 2017-19 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
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Author Notes - Martha Carr
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
Books by Michael Anderle
Connect with The Authors
Oath of the Witch Team
Thanks to our beta reading team
Mary Morris, Kelly O'Donnell, Nicole Emens and Larry Omans
Thanks to the JIT Readers
Keith Verret
Micky Cocker
Angel LaVey
Diane L. Smith
Daniel Weigert
Misty Roa
If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
The Skyhunter Editing Team
Dedications
From Martha
To everyone who still believes in magic
and all the possibilities that holds.
To all the readers who make this
entire ride so much fun.
And to my son, Louie and so many wonderful friends who remind me all the time of what
really matters and how wonderful
life can be in any given moment.
From Michael
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live The Life We Are
Called.
Chapter One
Raine smiled at the light dusting of snow on the grounds as Agent Connor pulled into the circular drive. Other cars filled the area, along with dozens of students, some of whom exchanged hugs with their parents. Others looked happy like they were escaping the clutches of dark wizards pretending to be their parents, including a pair of elf girls who all ran but from their scowling mother who shook her fist at them. A few others sniffled and embraced their parents tightly.
For her part, Raine couldn’t decide if Christmas Break had been too short or too long. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Uncle Jerry and her hometown friends, she’d missed her school friends. Also, phone calls and a few days with Cameron weren’t the same as seeing him every day.
“We’re here.” Agent Connor smiled. “Do you need any help with your luggage?”
She shook her head. “There isn’t much in my suitcase.” She leaned over to open the door. “I’ve learned to pack light on the short breaks.”
“One second, Raine.” The FBI agent looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I want to remind you that if you need anything, you can come to me. I know I’m not a professor, but I can be a resource to all of you, particularly you since you want to join the FBI.”
“I know.” She gave him a sheepish grin and felt a little guilty. “It’s not like I try to avoid you.”
“I’m not saying that, but it is something to think about.” Agent Connor put his hand on her shoulder. “Remember, the FBI is a team with many resources. The more you get used to taking advantage of all the resources available to you, the further you’ll go.”
“Thanks, Agent Connor.” Raine opened the door. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She stepped outside and moved to the back door. After retrieving her suitcase and offering Agent Connor a final wave, she extended the handle and walked toward the main building. Her excitement built with each step. She was back at the School of Necessary Magic.
The car pulled away. The agent didn’t leave the grounds, but he needed to go to his own cottage.
Raine looked around and smiled at an irregularly shaped but smooth patch of solid ice near the trees in the distance. An ice rink, she realized. It had to be Dorvu.
There weren’t any dragons in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That was for sure.
A blond freshman boy walked slowly through the front yard and gesticulated and talked, even though he was completely alone. She wondered if there was someone or something invisible near him. He adjusted his opaque dark-green glasses. Raine vaguely recognized the boy but didn’t recall him wearing glasses.
She might not be a fashionista, but even she had to question the style choice. The glasses looked heavy and thick from a distance, but an enchantment might make them lighter than they appeared. Unfortunately, he also needed to use another one to make them look less ugly.
Raine turned away from him. A girl with the same glasses crept along the edge of the main building and also apparently talked to thin air. A quick check of the area revealed a half-dozen other students with the same eyewear, which totally confused her. With her non-magical friends and guardian back home, she could miss out on magical trends, but it wasn’t like they never talked about that kind of thing on the news.
Nonplussed, she shook her head and made her way to her dorm room, maneuvering carefully through the dense crowd of students who milled around the entrance to the main building. She didn’t see any of her close friends on the way in, but several more people wore
the green glasses.
A scowling Kerry caught her eye from a distance, and Raine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The senior had been nothing but rude to her the entire time at the school, but at least the other girl confined it to snotty comments and being difficult during Student Council meetings.
Christie waited in the dorm room, pacing back and forth when Raine finally arrived.
The bubbly blonde hopped off her bed and clasped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. “Welcome back. It’s my favorite Campbell,” she chattered.
Raine opened her mouth to reply, but her roommate smothered her in a hug. Her words emerged muffled and unintelligible against the girl’s shoulder.
Christie pulled away and laughed. “Oh, sorry. What were you trying to say? Did I tell you about what I did during break? No, of course not. You just got here.” Christie took in a deep breath, giving Raine a chance to speak.
Raine smiled and put her hands on Christie’s shoulders, holding her in place for a moment. “I asked if you know a lot of Campbells.”
“More than you’d think.” Christie moved over to her bed and sat, drumming her fingers on her knee. “Is everything okay at home?”
“Yes. It’s the same as always.” Raine shrugged. “I like my old friends, but usually, they want me to do a few magic tricks for them before we go off and do other stuff. See movies, that kind of thing. I’m still merely Raine to them, not Raine the witch.” She exhaled a quiet sigh.
“What’s wrong? Do you need help solving something?” Christie jumped up. “This is just like a movie I saw. What was it called?”
“Whoa, no conspiracies going on and I don’t know if anything is wrong, but an odd thought struck me. I’ll always be close to them, but every time I go back, they talk about some new movie that came out that I haven’t seen yet or some new song.” She chuckled quietly. “It’s weird. Here, with the glamor and wards, we’re cut off from the outside world in many ways. There are no phones except that old landline in the headmistress’ office, and no radio, no TV, and no Internet. I feel like I time travel when I go back home.”
Christie tapped her lip with a single finger in thought, almost looking calm. “You know, I never really thought about it that much. I have such a good time here that I don’t even notice that other stuff, but you’ll go out to town more next year. That’ll help.”
“Do you go out a lot? To town?”
“Not much. I can get most of what I want in the kemana and it’s a good place to take long walks, burn off energy.”
Raine couldn’t help herself and smiled again at Christie. “Speaking of stuff, what’s up with those weird glasses?” Raine glanced at the door as if she expected one of the wearers to stumble inside.
“Oh, that?” Christie blew a raspberry. “That’s only Arc Eighty-Eight.”
“Arc Eighty-Eight?” Raine stared at Christie like she’d spoken Atlantean.
“It’s a game—an augmented reality game that came out at Christmas.” Her words sped up again as she grew more excited. “You put on the glasses, and it changes things so you see different worlds—not Oriceran, though, only different magical worlds. It’s a role-playing game thing. You can fight monsters and stuff or simply build places.” She tilted her head. “It’s almost like portable Louper. There’s no golden token, though, and it changes what you see rather than puts you in a fake place. I guess it’s really not that much like Louper at all.” She laughed.
“Really? Why didn’t I hear about it? Plenty of friends back home play AR and VR games.” Raine gave her companion a confused look.
Christie’s mouth made a little ‘o’ as she slapped her hands against her cheeks. “I get why you’re confused now. It’s a technomagic game, and it requires actual magical ability to use it. Some company in Seattle produced it. One of the wizards involved in designing it graduated from the School of Necessary Magic. He said he got the idea from the goggles we use here for driver’s ed.” She shrugged, looking out the window and back at Raine. “I’ve heard that’s way more fun in a place with higher background magic. Plus, the more people near you, the better it is—something about how the glasses can connect to each other, so I imagine it’d be super-fun at a magic school since we’re so packed together.” She smiled sheepishly. “I’d try it first in a wide open space. You know, sometimes me and magic…”
“But a magical fantasy game?” Raine blinked. “This entire school is filled with magicals. What’s the point?”
“Plenty of non-magicals play games about non-magical stuff. Besides, why not have a little fun?” Her voice came out in a chirp
“You’re right.” She smiled. “I might have to try it out. I used to play an FBI-themed VR game when I was younger until Dad found out and stopped me.”
“Why did he do that?”
“He said a nine-year-old shouldn’t investigate killers.”
Christie laughed. “No wonder you investigated those missing druids in your first semester here.”
The door opened, and a weary-looking Sara stepped through, followed by Evie. The new arrivals both toted their suitcases and dropped these hurriedly before the girls all exchanged hugs and greetings.
Raine cleared her throat, still curious about the game. “Have you guys heard of Arc Eighty-Eight?”
“The game? Sure.” Sara twirled a few strands of her red hair around her finger.
Evie nodded her agreement. “What about it?”
“Have you played it?” Raine asked.
Both girls shook their heads.
“I was too busy with baking. I’m on a cake kick right now, and I got to bake some cool cakes during the break.” Evie’s gaze flicked to Sara.
The other girl smiled warmly at Raine. “I was too busy with art. Why? Are you into it now? I know a few people back home who played it.”
“No. When I didn’t hang out with some of my old friends, I practiced magic or studied. I didn’t want to get out of practice or fall behind.”
Christie put her hands on her hips, a fake frown on her face. “Vacation’s supposed to be about relaxing, not working harder, Raine.”
The girls all laughed
Raine blushed. “I didn’t grow up around all this, so I always feel like I’m behind.”
“You work hard.” Sara’s gaze dipped, a wistful look in her eyes. “And your hard work pays off.”
“Um, has anyone seen the guys?” Raine wanted to change the subject. She grew up with no knowledge of her magic potential, but Sara had been raised by a magical family who was already disappointed in her because of her lack of magical control. There was no reason to make her feel bad.
The other girls shook their heads.
“Let’s go look for them,” she suggested.
She headed toward the door, a bright smile on her face. They might all have their troubles, but as long as they were together, they could get through them.
Chapter Two
The girls didn’t catch up with the boys for a couple of hours, and by then, everyone was hungry, so they all headed to the dining hall to eat. Christie left them to chat with some of her friends from her own class. The girls sat with Philip, William, Cameron, and Adrien around several tables that were placed close together.
Raine smiled softly at Cameron. She’d seen him during the vacation, but it was good to see him again and be able to spend so much more time with him even if he could get a little overprotective at times. Of course, he made sure to sit right beside her.
Pixies with brightly colored hair flitted around the dining hall. The ceiling decorations had changed since last semester. Realistic three-dimensional images of various huge colorful birds with two, four, and even six pairs of wings flew overhead, along with the occasional dragon. Raine assumed they were images of Oriceran, but they could easily have been purely imaginative. There was still so much she needed to learn.
She almost laughed. Even if she knew there was more to discover, she’d slowly adjusted to it all. Magical professors, shifter
boyfriends, and pixie-made meals weren’t the kind of thing she could ever imagine when she was growing up. To hear about magic on the news or occasionally run into an elf wasn’t the same thing as living, breathing, and eating magic.
“So that’s when I presented my wedding cake.” Evie spread her arms in triumph. “It was perfect. My best work so far.”
Raine’s head snapped so hard toward her friend, her neck hurt. “What? Wedding? You didn’t say anything about a wedding before. W-who? When? Why? How?”
All her friends turned to look at her with puzzled expressions on their faces.
Evie shook her finger. “You weren’t listening, were you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She blushed. “I got caught up in thinking about stuff.”
“I baked a cake for somebody’s wedding—friends of the family.” Evie lifted her chin and pride radiated off her like magic off the kemana.
Oath Of The Witch: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (School of Necessary Magic Raine Campbell Book 4) Page 1