Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Laurel’s sure strides force us to hurry after her, which I’m sure is by design. With her back straight and her long, silver hair and peasant skirt flowing behind her, she navigates our path like she owns the place.
On the other end of the spectrum, Eliza and Orion move with the coiled strength of predators. They don’t need to demand attention. They draw it with undeniable magnetism.
As we cross the grounds, the crystal-lit pathways undulate beneath my feet, pulsing with energy that seems to reach up through my sneakers.
With Laurel so far ahead of us, I hustle next to Orion and drop my voice. “Do you think being Zoe Hallowind’s daughter will be a problem for me here?”
Orion slows his pace and glances around to ensure our conversation is private. “For her entire life, your mother was a great and respected witch—an Emberwood Elite. But in the end, she broke favor with the Wiccan ways.”
“When she helped Sebastian, right?”
“How much do you know about that?”
“Nothing. He was the one who found me and brought me home. He removed the first block holding back my powers. He said he’d gone to the coven for help about a serious problem with a tear in the veil, and they wouldn’t help him. He said my mother came to him later and agreed to help.”
Orion grabs my wrist and stops at an intersection of pathways, allowing three girls to merge onto our path and go ahead of us.
When they’re a fair distance ahead, he continues.
“The way the coven tells it, Zoe misused her gift and attempted to bridge the veil between life and death. Spirit magic is one thing, but necromancy is quite another. It is dark and dangerous. And as you know, it ended… badly.”
A chill races down my spine. “Is that how she died?”
“That’s the story as I know it.”
“But isn’t necromancy raising the dead to control them? I can’t imagine she would do that. From what I know of her, she was a strong and principled woman who believed in justice and equality.”
Orion looks around and then nods. “From what I know, she was all those things.”
“Then how can Laurel and the rest of the coven think that? They were friends. I know that from the pictures of her and the notes I found around the house.”
“I honestly don’t know, Pops. It’s a taboo subject. Nobody talks about it, so I can’t say what really happened or how your parents ended up dying.”
Not for the first time, I feel like life is stacked against me. The comfort I’d felt getting to know myself back at Hallowind House slips away, and I’m left feeling exposed and confused.
An outsider in my life.
The trees here are strange, ancient, and seem to have an energy all their own. Arching branches create the framework for the cathedral-like canopy above us.
All of it adds to the alien strangeness.
As we enter a round clearing, my stomach drops. There must be close to fifty students standing in a perfect circle around the perimeter. They’re all dressed in what I assume is the uniform for the training academy.
The girls are wearing flare-sleeved dresses that fall to their mid-thighs, accessorized with a cute, chunkie lopsided belt and knee-high boots.
And boys are looking good in fitted slacks with button-down shirts.
And while the style is the same for everyone, they range in jewel tone colors from ruby red, emerald green, sapphire blue, burnt umber, dark purple and more.
And not all of them are human.
I don’t know much about magical races, but at least a quarter of these people are definitely ‘other’.
“Control is an issue with more than just witches, I see.”
Orion casts a sidelong look and smiles. “True story.”
“Go, join the circle,” Laurel murmurs, giving us a gentle wave forward.
“But I’m not dressed for this. Maybe I should hang back. I can join the welcome circle next week.”
She frowns. “You’re an Emberwood witch and an Elite at that. Now, go on.”
“It’ll be fine,” Orion whispers. “Eliza and I need to join the shifter crowd, but if you get freaked out, we’ll be just across the circle.”
“Yeah, no, that’s fine. You go. I’m good.”
He chuckles. “Shifters can smell lies, but good try. Honestly, though, Poppy. You’ve got this.”
I’m glad someone thinks so.
Taking a deep breath, I step toward the circle. Two guys—one with copper hair and the other with intricate tattoos winding up his forearms—wordlessly part to create a space for me. I slip between them, heart hammering against my ribs.
At the center of the circle stands a petite woman who radiates authority.
With a slash of pink streaking her dark hair, she wears flowing midnight-blue robes that seem to move despite the still night air.
Her gaze sweeps the gathering of magical pupils, and I swear it lingers on me for a heartbeat longer than the others.
I might just be paranoid.
A moment of panic hits, and I find Orion and Eliza across the circle. They haven’t abandoned me. Laurel’s moving around the outer edge of the circle, presumably to stand with a group of onlookers on the opposite side of the clearing.
“Welcome to the Arcana training program.” The woman opens her arms as her voice carries effortlessly across the clearing. “I am Headmistress Briar, and it is my greatest pleasure to be a part of your journey.”
As she speaks, a rush of calming energy washes over me and I take the first deep breath I’ve managed in ages.
“It is neither a failure nor a shortcoming to need help to improve the mastery of your powers. Whether you’re a newly transitioned vampire dealing with bloodlust, a witch who struggles with control of your affinity, or a shifter dealing with the complexities of duality, hail and welcome.”
“Hail and welcome,” the group repeats in perfect unison.
I miss the cue completely, my mouth hanging ajar. The copper-haired guy beside me shoots me a quizzical look, and heat crawls up my neck.
Headmistress Briar gestures to a group of people standing together in the circle. My stomach drops as I recognize Wylder standing there with three polished, mean-girl types.
“Our seniors are here to guide our newcomers through their struggles,” Briar explains. “They have graciously volunteered their time and expertise, so call upon them if you need anything.”
I’ve caught the eye of the mean-girl posse, and they’re leaning close and whispering to one another.
Awesome. Yay me.
The headmistress raises her hands, drawing my attention back to the center. “We call upon the corners, the elements, the very fabric of our world.” Her voice takes on a rhythmic quality. “Goddess of old, we seek your divine guidance as we open ourselves to your gifts.”
The air changes. It thins as if the clearing is suddenly at a higher altitude. Pressure builds in my ears, and my skin prickles with goosebumps. A whirlpool of energy forms above us, spiraling down toward the headmistress standing unflinching at its center.
Something inside me responds, a vibration that is both exhilarating and terrifying. Power is waking within me, pushing against my skin from the inside.
Headmistress Briar navigates a slow circuit around the inner edge of the circle, stopping before several students. When she pauses, they seem to glow for a moment before sparks of different colors erupt around them.
“A diverse group with us at the moment. Very exciting.”
As she works her way around the circle and closer to me, my own internal vibration intensifies. My fingers twitch, and I clench my fists to keep from reaching out to touch the energy swirling around us. My breathing comes faster, shallower.
The headmistress draws closer, only five people away now. Four. Three.
I can barely stand still. The power inside me churns, demanding release. Sweat beads on my forehead despite the cool night air.
Two people away.
One.
I can’t do this. I need to escape this pressure before I explode. I shift to step back, to move away from—
A terrible screech splits the night. Something massive and dark plummets from the trees above, straight toward me. Before I can react, I’m slammed to the ground, the weight of the creature pinning me down. Hot breath pants against my face, smelling of ozone and something metallic.
The circle erupts in chaos as screams pierce the night. Colored lights flash as students scatter and summon their powers.
Massive talons press into my shoulders. A beak—impossibly large and curved like a scimitar—hovers inches from my face. The creature’s eyes burn with literal fire, its pupils dancing with flames as they focus on me.
This is it. This is how I die.
Not even half an hour into emergency witch training, and I’m about to be eviscerated by some magical beast.
The creature’s head cocks to one side, studying me. Then it opens its beak and speaks, its voice like stones grinding together. “A grave witch. This one more dangerous than the last.”
The crushing weight of the creature presses me into the hard earth, pinning me down like a butterfly trapped for display. Its massive talons impale shoulders with brutal force, piercing through my body, straight to the ground beneath.
I can’t move. Can barely breathe. The pain is unfathomable, and I scream as the creature shifts its weight and fiery heat sears my upper body.
The beat clacks its beak closer to my face, its gaze burning with ancient judgment. Its eyes are the color of glacial ice, with pupils that contract and expand like a camera focusing. “She carries the echo of a broken oath.”
The words reverberate through me, setting off tremors in my chest. I feel them more than hear them, like bass notes too deep for human ears.
Chaos erupts around us. Students scatter in all directions, their panicked cries piercing the night. Flashes of colored light burst through the darkness… magic exploding all around.
Orion shouts my name, but the sound feels distant, like I’m being held underwater.
“HALT!” Headmistress Briar has her palm raised as a rush of energy hits us like a pulse of power.