Cauldron of Ash

by Dorothy Dreyer

  Cauldron

  Of

  Ash

  OTHER BOOKS BY DOROTHY DREYER

  Phoenix Descending

  Paragon Rising

  Crimson Mage

  OTHER BOOKS BY JENNA LEE

  Emerald

  Topaz

  Ruby

  Lone Survivor

  Cauldron

  Of

  Ash

  Dorothy Dreyer

  Jenna Lee

  Cauldron of Ash

  Copyright © 2019 Dorothy Dreyer and Jenna Lee

  Cover design by Stephany Wallace of Mythical Worlds Designs

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  To those that still see the light through the darkness.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter One

  I never saw myself as a killer. But sometimes a witch’s magic cannot be tamed.

  When I think back on how it happened, there was no way for me to have avoided it. Unless I hadn’t shown up to the dinner celebration at all—which was plain unacceptable in Mother’s book. Despite the fact that I had assignments to complete and a track meet to train for, Mother had insisted that this dinner was more important. So I’d had to accept that there was no escape for me. I’d had to accept that the evening had unfolded just as fate had wanted it to—which, in this case, meant death.

  The blinding light of the camera’s flash sent me into a blinking frenzy. As spots danced before my eyes, my cousin Miranda gripped my arm, pulling me closer with her bony fingers and nearly stepping on my foot with her high heels. It took me a moment to clear the spots and see properly again, and even then, it was hard to hold back a cringe as my father aimed his camera at us.

  “Get closer, Reagan,” Miranda said, almost pinching the skin on my shoulder. “You’re not in the shot. Don’t you know how important this is? One of my top selling points is family values.”

  I pushed my mouth into a fake smile and squeezed myself against Miranda. I didn’t actually care that she was the top candidate in line for the job of Assistant to the Coven Council Director. Sure, it meant that she could one day climb to the top and be an actual Coven Council member, giving her and our family all kinds of benefits and perks. It was many a witch’s dream job. But not mine.

  Still, to appease my family, I posed and grinned as if Miranda were my best friend in the world and someone I was proud to be related to. As soon as Dad was able to get a few more shots in, I quickly untangled myself from my cousin and rushed to find my seat at the table.

  The private room of the restaurant was filled with family members, each of them beaming at Miranda. Everyone was dressed in their fanciest apparel, with those who could afford pearls and jewels donning them for everyone to see. Miranda, of course, looked stunning in her rose-gold dress. I was sure she had used magic to get into the tight piece of clothing, because I couldn’t spot a zipper or a button on it anywhere.

  “Sit up straight, Reagan,” my mother said, her teeth clenched. Her expression of distaste for my lack of social grace quickly dissolved as one of my aunts asked her about a recent gala. I would have rolled my eyes if it weren’t for the fact my father had a scrutinizing eye on me. I could already hear the criticizing speech he’d deliver once we got home. How I wasn’t good enough. How I was a disappointment. How I was nothing like Miranda.

  Well, I didn’t want to be like Miranda. Couldn’t they just accept me for who I was?

  Dinner conversations ensued, consisting of my relatives proclaiming how proud they were of Miranda and how they’d always known she would be the one to reach great heights in the family. I did my best to tune them out, but when my mother stood to give a toast to “our exceptional witch prodigy,” I stealthily slipped away from the table and maneuvered through the crowd to the powder room.

  I just caught the sound of applause as I escaped out of the room into the hallway, glad no one was around to see me stick out my tongue in a fake gag. I could be doing a thousand more productive things than this tonight. This was merely a useless drain of my night.

  The quiet of the powder room was a comfort to my spinning head. Maybe I shouldn’t have had that second glass of wine. But Mother hadn’t even batted an eye when I’d ordered it, so I’d thought I should take advantage of her leniency while I could.

  Whipping out my phone, I sent a text to my best friend, Whitney, which mostly consisted of emojis who were either puking or had their brains exploding. She sent me back a GIF that had me giggling, the echo of my laughter ricocheting off the walls.

  At the sound of the door opening, I ducked into an empty stall and quietly closed the door. I couldn’t risk being found by one of my aunts, who would assuredly drag me back to the party quicker than I could recite an invisibility spell.

  Peeking through the slit between the stall wall and the stall door, I spotted Miranda checking herself out in the mirror, a satisfied smirk on her face. She hummed some melodious tune, adjusting one of her earrings. When her gaze wandered to the rest of the powder room, I took a step back and held my breath. I didn’t want her to think I was hiding from her, but I didn’t really want to talk about how wonderful the party was or how magical this opportunity was turning out to be.

  Things were quiet, and I suspected she might be checking under the doors to see who might be in the powder room with her. Just as I was about to flush the toilet and emerge, feigning innocence, I heard the door open again. At first, I thought Miranda had left, but then I heard a scoff.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Miranda asked.

  I peeked through the slit again to see her facing a young Latina woman. I recognized her as one of Miranda’s competitors for the job.

  “Miranda,” the woman said, her voice soft and peaceful. “You look amazing.”

  “Cut the crap, Selena. Did you follow me here?”

  “I didn’t even know you were going to be here.”

  “Right. Like you haven’t been stalking my social media. You knew damn well I’d be here.”

  Despite Miranda’s nasty tone, Selena remained calm. “I swear I didn’t. I’ve been too busy to peruse social media. I’m actually…” She hesitated as if deliberating her words. “I don’t want you to get upset, but I’m here with Director Evans.”

  I could practically feel the red-hot blush flaming Miranda’s cheeks. “What?”

  “Director Evans invited me to dinner.”

  “Why?”<
br />
  “To discuss the assistant position.”

  Without missing a beat, Miranda grabbed Selena’s shoulders and gave them a stern shake. “You liar!”

  “I’m… I’m not lying.” Selena’s voice had a slight tremble to it as her body stiffened. “Miranda, you’re hurting me.”

  “You manipulative witch. You think you can just flirt your way into stealing my assistant job? The one I’ve been working my ass off for? For nearly six months? There’s no way in hell I’ll let you get away with this.”

  “I’m not—Miranda, you’re really hurting me. I swear I’m not doing anything wrong. He invited me to dinner. It was his idea. Please. Please let go of me.”

  “You’re totally screwing up my future,” Miranda screamed, her wide eyes wild. Purple veins began to stick out of her neck and temples. “I can’t let you do this to me.”

  Selena tried to pull back from her, but to no avail. “I’m not. Ow, stop!”

  I was about to burst out of the stall to stop Miranda, but suddenly, an aching buzz intruded on all my thoughts. I squeezed my eyes shut, clapping my hands over my ears. But my hands weren’t enough to block out the sound of Miranda’s chanting. I didn’t recognize the spell, but I could feel the malevolence in the entire room. It was like a heavy blanket of pain pressing down on me. No doubt it was similarly affecting Selena, if not worse.

  She was torturing her. My heart sped up, panic filling me at what lengths Miranda might go to. Would she actually kill her? Over a job?

  I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, holding my fists against my lids and trying to summon a protection spell, but the buzzing and the ache were overpowering my senses. I squatted, pushing my chin to my knees and begging the throbbing in my head to stop. Black and red swam in my eyes, and I smelled something burning.

  I wanted it to stop. I needed it to stop. I didn’t know what I could do, but I concentrated, just wanting the pain to come to an end.

  And then came a scream so loud, I thought the mirrors would shatter.

  I gasped, a strange feeling coming over me, as if my body had been sucked into a void. It took a moment for me to catch my breath.

  With my hand pressed tightly to my chest, I let out a breath and stood. Hearing a soft whimper, I peeked through the slit. The sobbing hadn’t come from Miranda. It was Selena, backed against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself.

  I threw the door open and sprung from the stall, my heart nearly bursting out of my chest when I saw it.

  A pile of ashes.

  A large pile of black ashes in the very spot Miranda had stood.

  I didn’t know what to make of it. My body swayed as my mind raced to find a coherent thought. My eyes went straight to Selena, who stood frozen in place, her head shaking slightly from side to side.

  “What… What happened?” My voice came out in a whisper.

  Slowly, Selena raised her chin and stared at me, the fear apparent in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but it took a solid minute before she could speak. “She… She turned into ash.”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth and fought not to collapse to the floor. I shook my head, not wanting to believe it. How could this be? I wasn’t even aware of such a spell.

  But there was no way to deny that the overwhelming feeling that came over me was from my magic. I stared at Selena, wishing she would confess that it might have been her doing, but Selena looked as shocked as I was.

  She shook her head. Her voice came out in a whisper. “Did… Did you do this?”

  I wanted to say no. I wanted to refute the thought of it and swear I was innocent.

  But I knew I’d done it. It was me. I’d killed Miranda.

  Chapter Two

  The door flew open, banging against the bathroom wall. The Council appeared within seconds, but I still couldn’t move. I was frozen in place. The only thing I could hear was the beating of my heart. Director Evans moved farther into the room and looked between us, asking for an explanation. I tried to form words, but nothing came out. Cold sweats ripped through my body. But of course, Selena was quick to defend herself.

  “I’m innocent here. I swear it was all her. B-But she saved my life.” She stuttered, pointing at me. I didn’t blame her in the slightest. After all, it somehow was all my fault—even though I had no idea how I’d done it.

  “But I—” The words lodged in my dry throat as I heard a gasp from behind the Council.

  My aunt pushed her way through the crowd. With wide eyes, she collapsed to the ground beside the ashes of Miranda. Her sobs grew louder and louder until she was screaming out. “No! Why, oh why? What have you done, Reagan?” I could tell she had no doubt it was me who had caused her daughter’s demise. She didn’t even think for a second it had been at Selena’s hands. I supposed that was what happened when you were the failure of the whole family. The clumsiest witch in the coven.

  As I glanced around, the weight of everyone’s glares pushed down on me. They wanted answers. They waited for me to explain what had happened, why Miranda was no more.

  The room was silent for several seconds, with only the dripping of the basin tap to be heard. I kept glancing around the room, trying figure out how I could possibly explain what had happened when I didn’t even know myself.

  Director Evans broke the silence. “If no one can explain what just occurred in here, Councilor Samuel will use a spell to detect who used the magic to end Miranda’s life. The truth will come out.”

  There was no escape now. I’d be busted for certain.

  The Council cleared the room, leaving me with Selena and my family. Selena turned around, ready to leave, when my mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “I think you should wait to see what the Council finds. They wouldn’t be too pleased to discover you’ve run off.” My mother turned to look at me. “And you,” she hissed, venom dripping from every word as she glared at me. “You better have a good explanation for when the Council reveals what you did.”

  I rubbed my sweaty hands up and down my arms. I felt numb.

  My aunt still lay on the ground next to the ashes, her hands covering her face. Tears stained her cheeks, but I was still in too much shock to register emotion. I just needed to know what the hell had happened, and only the Council had my answers. For the next twenty minutes, I didn't move a muscle, stuck between the cubicle stall door and the powder room.

  Finally, the Council reappeared, ready to announce the verdict. Before the words even came out of Director Evans’ mouth, I knew I had done it. Though by the look in his eyes as they pierced right through me, I could swear he was questioning how I’d done it. Surely, he had seen this before. Hadn’t he? In all the years being on the Council?

  “Councilor Samual has revealed that Reagan Dakana is responsible for the death of Miranda Sorgina.”

  My heart felt as if it had dropped into my stomach. I really had done it. I hadn’t meant to, but I had killed my cousin. My life had changed in an instant. I was a monster My mother squeezed her eyes shut, her lips pursing. The disappointment on her face pained me almost as much as knowing I was a murderer.

  “After much consideration,” Director Evans said, his voice stern, “and due to the fact that Reagan is a minor and didn't realize what she was doing, the Council hereby sentences Reagan to attend the Wildwood Falls Disciplinary Academy, where she will be instructed on how to use her magic only in goodwill.”

  I slapped my hand over my mouth at the verdict. Wildwood Falls? I’d heard bad things about that place, that the people there were crazy. But I supposed according to everyone in this room, I would fit right in.

  “That’s bullshit!” my aunt screamed. Her voice stung like blades in my skull. “I demand you reconsider. She destroyed my Miranda! She should be sentenced to Wildwood Prison, not a goddamned school.” She let out a huff of frustration as she pushed herself up off the ground.

  “How dare you question the Council’s decision?” Director Evans spat
out, shaking his head in disgust. No one ever questioned the Council’s word; what they said was final.

  “The Council is right,” Selena said, still looking dazed, but apparently obstinate about being just. “I know it was terrible, but Reagan didn't realize what she was doing, and she did save my life. Miranda attacked me. What Reagan did was only to defend me.”

  My aunt sent daggers toward Selena. She opened her mouth to retort, but as she caught the look Director Evans was giving her, she clamped her mouth shut and didn’t dare say another word.

  “It’s settled then.” Director Evans finished.

  The Council headed toward the door, followed by Selena. Director Evans stopped at the door and turned to face me. “Transport will be waiting for you outside.”

  “Wait. What? Already?” I blinked in confusion.

  But he was gone in a flash, no longer there to answer my questions. I was left with my mourning family, who most assuredly would rather it be me that had turned into ashes. I looked around, and it was the disappointment in my father's eyes that caused the tears to finally cascade down my face.

  No words could have explained how sorry and confused I felt. I still didn’t understand or know what had happened and I wasn’t sure if I ever would.

  Feeling ashamed and unwelcome, I didn’t stick around to watch my family mourn. Or judge me. I gathered up my skirt with both hands, ducked my head down, and pushed past my family, not once looking up to see the hurt that was surely written on their faces.

  A crew in bright yellow outfits passed me in the hall. The suits were like those worn by the health department when handling a contamination. They had equipment with them I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t until they had turned to go into the restroom that I realized they were there to collect Miranda’s ashes.

  Bile rose in my throat. An entire person reduced to ash, all at my bidding, whether or not I had meant to. Dead. Dead and gone. I sucked in a shuddered breath.