by Pat Esden
The woman’s gaze went from Keshari, to the satin bag in her hand, then to Chloe, and back.
“Mama,” Keshari greeted her. “I’m glad you’re back. I’d like you to meet Chloe, from my Folklore class.”
She dipped her head. “Blessings to you, Chloe.”
“To you as well,” Chloe said.
Keshari held out the bag of salt to Chloe. “For you. A gift,” she said, then to her mother, “May I go have coffee with Chloe? We have been wanting to get together.”
Her mother eyed the bag again. She frowned and said something to Keshari in what Chloe assumed was their native language. Keshari’s voice hardened then lifted, like it did when she was debating in Folklore class. She glanced at Chloe.
Chloe pasted on a polite smile, despite the anxiety flip-flopping inside her. She had the feeling her magic was now general family knowledge.
Keshari’s mother grinned and flagged both hands. “Go. Enjoy the sunshine.”
“Thank you, Mama.” Keshari took Chloe by the hand, towing her out of the tent. Once they were out of earshot, she let go. “Sorry.” She cringed. “I told her the truth.”
For a moment Chloe’s jaw clenched, but a refreshing sense of relief almost instantly replaced her tension. “I’m glad you did. I get so tired of lying.”
“It made my mother happy. She believes good fortune brought you to our tent.” She stopped beside a coffee stand. “You want to get something to drink?”
Chloe smiled. “Only if I’m paying.”
Keshari’s voice once again took on the resonance of a singing bowl. “My grandfather has a saying: ‘Share a coffee with a man and he shall be remembered for forty years.’ I hope the memories of this afternoon and our friendship last even longer.”
“Me too,” Chloe said, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like it might really come true.
Chapter 8
Lift up your wand and chalice. Step bravely, hound at your side. The great adventure awaits.
—The Fool Card
Chloe and Keshari wandered away from the farmers’ market, sipping coffees and heading toward an equally busy Waterfront Park. As a rule, Chloe usually avoided talking about her family and personal life. But with Keshari, she found herself opening up and whispering one detail after another. Keshari spilled about her life as well.
When they stopped talking to watch a team of runners stream past—all lean and glistening with sweat, their footfalls thudding in unison—Chloe understood why talking to Keshari felt so comfortable. It was more than that they both had abilities. It was that they’d both faced similar challenges because of it. Keshari knew the fear and loneliness of keeping secrets from the outside world, of having only superficial friendships beyond the small circle of her family and fellow practitioners. She understood the devotion, practice, and sacrifices mastering a powerful craft entailed. As Chloe suspected, Keshari’s family wasn’t Hindu like many of the local Nepalese. They followed an ancient form of Tengrism mixed with some Buddhist traditions. In a lot of ways, their beliefs and craft were in step with the witchcraft Chloe’s family practiced.
Despite all that, or perhaps because of it, as they walked along the shoreline, Chloe couldn’t help but worry a little. Everything about Keshari and her background indicated she would have fit in with the Northern Circle. Yet she’d turned them down, submitting to her parents’ wishes without question. Meanwhile even if Chloe’s parents and all her brothers and sisters insisted she shouldn’t join, she still planned on doing it. Was there a special reason Keshari’s parents had been dead set against her joining? From the little she’d heard and seen, Keshari’s mother seemed like a reasonable person. Chloe wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answer, but she respected Keshari’s opinions, especially about magical paths.
They threw their empty coffee cups in a recycle bin and sat down on a swinging bench that overlooked the lake. The low sunshine reflected off the tossing waves and the windshields of the boats making their way out beyond the breakwater. Lake Champlain was breathtaking. Stretching all the way north to Canada and west to New York State, it was way larger than Chloe had thought before she came here. But she couldn’t just sit and stare at the water in silence forever.
She enjoyed one last swing, then scuffed her feet against the ground, bringing the bench to a halt. She shifted toward Keshari, gave in and asked, “Why didn’t you join the coven?”
Keshari met her gaze, her eyes offering nothing except honesty. “My parents thought it was a bad idea.”
“Was that the only reason? What did you want?”
Keshari’s shoulder raised in a half-shrug. “I have a lot to learn about my own beliefs. College. Work. I never seriously considered it. It does not fit with my dreams.” She glanced down, her voice hushed. “I want to go to Tibet and study under a shaman—and collect obscure folklore while I’m there.”
“That would be amazing.”
“But you are considering joining the Circle, yes?”
Chloe nodded. Her gaze returned to the lake. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her mind reach out to the air and water. Everything felt peaceful, perfect, and right. Everything said she could trust Keshari to keep secrets. So she took a deep breath and then told Keshari about the coven’s plans for discovering new cures. Keshari gasped in amazement when Chloe revealed that the coven possessed the crystal from Merlin’s staff.
“I didn’t even know that existed,” Keshari said.
“Neither did I.” Chloe swallowed hard. She probably shouldn’t have said anything about that, but it felt so wonderful to talk freely for a change. “Please don’t say a word to anyone. The coven would kill me.”
“Do not worry,” Keshari assured her. “The secret is safe with me.”
Chloe’s instincts told her Keshari was speaking the truth. She breathed a sigh of relief. Kill wasn’t exactly the right word for what the Circle—or the High Council of Witches for that matter— might do. Wiping her mind clean of memories was a more traditional punishment for revealing secrets. She shuddered as her thoughts—despite herself and how much she tried to avoid it—went to that boy lying in his hospital bed. Maybe she deserved to have her mind screwed with. Still, in this case, it wasn’t like the Circle wouldn’t proudly announce the existence of Merlin’s crystal to the witching community at some point. This wasn’t a forever secret.
“So what was the meet and greet like?” Keshari asked.
Chloe described the maze and told her about the other potential new members—Em and Midas, plus another mystery person that the coven had turned away. She didn’t talk about what made joining so vitally important to her. That wasn’t something she shared with anyone. “Everything they’re doing fits into my dreams. It feels like it was meant to be. I think our parents are wrong.”
“Then what holds you back?” Keshari rested her hand on Chloe’s arm. “Why didn’t you leave the high priestess a note or text her to say you wished to join?”
As the question sank in, fear settled in the pit of Chloe’s stomach. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized she was delaying, but she knew the answer instantly. “There’s this guy, Devlin.”
Keshari nodded. “I know him.”
“You do?” Chloe’s eyes widened. But she shouldn’t have been surprised. They were both local. They might have even gone to the same schools.
“He has bought things from us now and then. He also gave me the invitation.”
Her excitement shriveled. Okay, so Keshari didn’t really know him that well.
The corners of Keshari’s eyes crinkled as she grinned. “You like him, yes?”
“Yeah, probably too much.” With a sigh, Chloe sat back and pushed her feet off the ground, letting the bench swing once more.
Keshari giggled. “I don’t blame you. He’s gorgeous, and smart.”
“I just don’t want to mess up
my chance of being a part of the coven by getting involved with him. What if we get together, then things fall apart—like next month? And I suspect there’s zero chance I’d turn him down if he made a move.” Chloe glanced toward the shoreline and to where a guy was hurling sticks into the water for his golden retriever, so much like Devlin’s dog. “I wish I knew if this was just a bad case of lust or something deeper.”
“You’re the only one who can judge that.”
Chloe raked her fingers down her pants legs. “I’m also worried about Devlin.”
“You are?”
“Kind of.” Chloe hesitated, but this wasn’t a coven secret. This was hers to share or not as she saw fit, and she really wanted answers. “When Em did the maze, she used her ability as a psychic medium to call up a spirit to help her. It came in the form of an orb. No one else heard it speak, but the spirit gave me a message, a warning for Devlin. ‘Yin. Yang. Betrayal’.”
Keshari rubbed one of her necklaces, fingering one bead at a time as if asking her gods or goddesses for their input. She stopped and licked her lips. “I’ve talked to spirits before. All the women in my family do. I can see why the message worries you. But communicating with spirits can be misleading.”
“What do you mean?” She intellectually knew what Keshari meant, but not how it applied in this case.
“How did you feel about the message? Are you certain it was for Devlin?”
“Are you suggesting that it might not have been?”
“Yin and yang. The balance of light and dark. The warning could indicate that the harmonic balance between you and Devlin is off and could lead to betrayal. It could have been one of Devlin’s ancestors revealing that its death was the result of a betrayal by someone unbalanced. It could be a message for you.”
“Me?” Chloe’s breath knotted in her chest. She shook her head. “It couldn’t have been. I’m sure it was for him.”
“Why do you think it spoke to you and not to anyone else in the room? There were lots of witches there, including the medium. Why you?”
“I assumed it was because it knew I’d keep the warning a secret from everyone except Devlin.”
“You’re worried that your compassionate motives for joining the coven might be waylaid by your physical desires. Yin and yang. But are you sure of the coven’s motives? Are they following an altruistic path? Is this a warning to you from your ancestor?”
“Wow,” Chloe said. “You sure got a lot out of a tiny message.”
“I’m not an expert in interpreting messages from the spirits, just ask my grandmother. But I know one thing. Spirits can be godsends or tricksters. You need to trust your intuition.”
“Honestly?” Chloe shook her head. “It never occurred to me that the coven might want to find out about cures for anything other than helping people. But they aren’t living a low-key lifestyle and that takes money. There’s this girl, Jessica, for instance, she doesn’t exactly wave the I-love-humanity flag.”
Keshari folded her hands on her lap. “How you interpret the spirit’s message and what path you decide to take belongs to you, not me or your parents.” She smiled. “No matter what you decide, I’ll be here for you.”
Tears welled in Chloe’s eyes. Normally she was good at keeping her emotions to herself, but this time they overwhelmed her. She threw her arms around Keshari, hugging her tight. “Thank you. That means the world to me.”
Keshari squeezed her back. “So—what does your heart say now?”
“My heart…” Chloe released Keshari and sat back. She closed her eyes, listening to her heart, a steady fast thumping that matched the excitement coursing in her veins, the same thrum she’d felt when Devlin first mentioned the coven’s goal. All traces of anxiety and fear had disappeared from her mind. She was going to do this. She’d known that when she’d received the invitation. She opened her eyes, feeling calm and ready. “I’m going to say yes.”
Chloe took out her phone and punched in Athena’s number. It rang once, twice…Her voicemail picked up. “Bright blessings. You have reached Athena Marsh, I’m currently out of my office. Please leave a message. Joy be with you.”
Chloe wet her lips, then spoke into the phone. “I’ve thought about it and I’d love to join the Northern Circle if you’ll have me. Blessing to all of you, Chloe.” She put the phone away, turned to Keshari and sighed. “So it went to voicemail. I guess all I can do now is wait and see what happens.”
Keshari grimaced. “I don’t mean to put a damper on things, but you are going to have to tell your parents eventually.”
Chloe nodded. She would worry about that later. “I’m going home for Thanksgiving. I’ll tell them then—” Her phone chirped and she stopped talking to glance at it. Her breath stalled. “It’s a text from Athena.”
“That was quick.” Excitement glistened in Keshari’s eyes. “What does it say?”
Chloe drew a deep breath, a chill of both excitement and fear spiking through her as she read the message:
That’s wonderful news. We will make plans for your initiation. Be prepared. It will happen without warning.
Chapter 9
Happy 10th birthday to my special little witch. Love, Dad
—Tag on box containing a 14k gold pentagram charm
It was after six by the time Chloe got back to her apartment house carrying the Tears of Tara salt and the straws she’d bought for her mother. What she needed to do was spend the rest of the weekend getting ahead on her household chores and studies, which would give her free time to spend with the coven later, especially with the upcoming initiation.
Lost in thoughts of what the initiation might entail, she climbed the porch steps and went inside. She hoped it wasn’t going to be too grueling. But whatever it involved, it would be mentally tough and involve further testing of her magic abilities. Keshari had suggested that Chloe not let them see the full extent of her skills. “Just in case,” she had said. Chloe knew what she meant—in case things went bad. In her heart Chloe agreed, but she couldn’t make herself believe anything bad was going to happen. At the same time, she was sure she’d need everything she had to get through the initiation.
She was halfway up the stairs to her apartment when Juliet came streaking out from a first floor apartment. The apartment’s tenants, the Rescue Twins, were on her heels. The Twins were two beanpole-thin guys who always had on their UVM Rescue Squad uniforms, hence Juliet had given them the Twin moniker.
“Perfect timing!” Juliet squealed. “We’re going to my place for pizza and beers.”
“It’s the good stuff.” One of the Twins raised a six-pack of Switchback Ale to prove the point. The other hoisted a four-pack of squatty bottles.
“Sounds great. I’m starving.” Chloe smiled and started up the stairs again. “I’ll just drop off my stuff in my apartment and be right there.”
“Don’t disappoint us,” Juliet called after her.
“Promise. I’ll be right there.” She wasn’t lying either. She was famished, so much so she could probably devour an entire pizza by herself. But as she neared the door to her apartment all thoughts of eating vanished. Something the size and shape of a greeting card was stuck on her apartment door.
Adrenaline surged into her veins. The initiation.
She dashed down the hall and was in front of her door in a second. A tarot card. From a Rider-Waite deck. A guy with a rod and bundle over his shoulder and a dog at his side, about to step off a cliff. The Fool card, indicating a journey of self-discovery. She just needed to make the leap. The go-for-it card.
Chloe pulled the card loose from the tape that secured it to the door. She flipped it over, expecting to see directions telling her when and where the initiation would take place. There was nothing. No writing. No map. Only the normal back of a Rider-Waite card.
Her lips twitched into a sly smile. Athena knew she could use psyc
hometry to uncover information. She probably wanted her to dive deeper to get the details.
Unlocking her apartment door, Chloe went inside. The last traces of evening light brightened her windows, but the rest of her room was dark and shadowy. She set the card and things she’d bought on the coffee table and took off her charm bracelet. She reached to turn on the desk lamp—
Her instincts jumped to high alert. She wasn’t alone.
Someone grabbed Chloe by the arms, pinning them hard behind her back. She twisted against the grip, struggling to get free.
But then she stopped. The initiation. That’s what this was.
Her breath seized in her lungs. But what if she was wrong? What if this was something else?
A musty smell flew up her nose as a second person blew a cloud of fine dust into her face. Her head whirled. Her eyes burned. She clamped them shut, tears seeping out the sides. Mushroom spores, Calvatia caeus. She’d gotten them in her eyes once when she first started working at her father’s botanical supply business. Temporary blindness. It would go away. But there was more to this dust, the dizzying sting of magic.
“Are you ready?” A voice snarled close to her ear.
Shit. It was Jessica.
Chapter 10
With your eyes closed, dreams become more real, so do nightmares.
—Athena Marsh, high priestess of the Northern Circle
I won’t be blind for long, Chloe reminded herself as Jessica shoved her into the back of a car. Not Devlin’s car. This one was higher off the ground like an SUV. The back seat wasn’t built for comfort. A Jeep Cherokee, maybe, like the one she’d seen at the complex parked in front of Chandler’s workshop.
“Hands behind your back,” Jessica snapped. She wrapped duct tape around Chloe’s wrists, yanking it tight. “Now sit up. No talking. If you refuse to do anything we say or resist in any way, we’ll throw you out of the car—and the coven. Understand?”
Sweat stuck Chloe’s shirt to her back. She nodded sharply, but kept her face expressionless and her thoughts to herself. No way was she going to give Jessica the pleasure of knowing how angry—and afraid—she was. Initiations weren’t supposed to be easy. Still, drugging her and being so rough was taking it to a whole different level.