29. Cori
Cori
H er mouth was dry, like sand mixed with glue, and her words came out garbled. “Who are you?”
Cori racked her brain for defensive spells now that she could speak again, but none of them applied to being on a deserted island. Prudence glanced back at her; her mouth twisted in a delighted smile as if she held back a delicious secret.
“Cordelia, I have so much to tell you,” her kidnapper said. They walked at a brisk pace along the shore before coming to a small sandy cove where a quaint little fishing shelter was perched atop a rocky plateau.
It looked like it had been there for a century. The foundation of worn rock was juxtaposed with neat rows of siding. A thin tendril of smoke rose from the tidy stack of stones that made up the chimney.
Outside, there were camp chairs and various supplies propped up on simple wooden benches. Towels and T-shirts hung from a clothesline, and a little propane stove smoldered nearby. Prudence and Alfie were clearly not alone.
“How many of you are there?” she asked, her voice cracking like gravel under the strain of her fear and her partially numb tongue.
“Here on the island, or in general?” Prudence asked airily. She spun a ring around her finger as she peered out past the cove toward the beach.
“Maybe you should start explaining to me who you are and why you brought me here,” Cori snapped at her. “Unless you just want to get down to business and kill me now.”
Prudence’s eyes widened and her face went pale. “Cordelia, we aren’t here to kill you. We’re here to save you.”
Cori was thunderstruck. “What do you mean you’re here to save me?” Her heart drummed harder in her chest. Perhaps a witch like her would have a twisted perception on what it meant to save a Celestial witch who had made an Earth-altering prophecy.
Didn’t the prosecutors of the witch trials that led to the Covenant believe they were “saving” witches from the devil as they burned them on a stake?
Prudence walked to a set of camp chairs and motioned for Cori to sit. Her kidnapper stared back at her as though she were some sort of oddity in a glass jar. She offered her a little canteen of water, and she reluctantly drank from it. The lingering effect of the powder seemed to dry out her entire body. She drank deeply.
“The tongue-tie powder can make you super thirsty,” Prudence mused. “One of the other kids in our coven used it on me once right before school. My mom had to pick me up that day because the school nurse thought I was having a psychotic break.” She twisted her mouth into a reminiscent, playful smile.
Cori looked at her expectantly. She scanned her aura again, and there was no sign of anger, ill will, or malicious intent.
“We’ve been camping here ever since you drove up from New Haven. A few people came out ahead of time and scouted the place out, setting up camp. We had to stay close, yet considerably far away. When you were in New Haven it was so much easier to guard you.”
Cori’s head twitched with astonishment. Guard me ?
Prudence continued, leaning forward in her chair, and playing with the red buttons on her dress. “But it's so much harder to melt into the shadows in a place like this. I mean, all along the northeast, you can’t even go into a grocery store without getting the tingle, ya know? There are always a few witches around. But up here? Completely different ball game.”
Cori couldn’t help but smile despite her confusion and fear. There was something about this woman that was insufferably likable. Her Eye winked at her, filling her with a sense of trust, cooling her nerves.
“Exactly how long have you been following me?” Cori lowered her eyes and crossed her arms as she continued to scan Prudence for any signs of trickery.
“Oh me?” she asked, placing her hand on her heart. “Just since you left for college.” Cori’s mouth dropped open. “You’re only six months younger than me, but I begged to be on your guard as soon as I came of age. Being the coven leader’s daughter has its perks sometimes. Dad let me leave San Francisco as soon as I finished high school.” Prudence spoke excitedly, as if gossiping with an old friend. She sipped from her canteen and shoved a handful of trail mix in her mouth causally.
Cori’s mouth remained fixed open, and her heart clenched. Prudence had been following her? On a guard? “Excuse me,” she blurted out. “You’re from San Francisco?”
“Of course,” Prudence said nodding, crunching on some almonds. “From the Bay Area Gray Coven.”
Her skin prickled, and her blood ran cold as the air suddenly thickened. The sun, minutes ago intensely orange and high in the sky, was suddenly shrouded with gray clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Prudence shrugged, looking up. “Well shit, I don’t remember seeing rain in the forecast.”
Cori stood up. “You’re a Gray witch?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, excuse me if I’m a little confused.” Cori’s voice rose. “Just a moment ago you were telling me all about how you’ve been trying to protect me.”
“Exactly.” Prudence raised an eyebrow. She heard the crunching of boots on the sand behind her. Cori reeled around and saw Alfie approaching her from the direction of the shack. Prudence leaped up from her chair.
“Let me guess, Pru. You haven’t gotten past introductions yet, have you?” Alfie drawled.
“No,” she said with confusion in her voice. “But she’s freaking out.”
Alfie let out a tired sigh. “Pru, she was raised by Charms witches to think that Gray witches practice dark magic.”
“I know that,” Prudence snapped.
“Well, did you start with the bit that you’re a Gray, or did you start with the bit that Grays don’t practice dark magic?”
Prudence looked crestfallen. Cori opened her Eye to disappointment and resignation permeating her aura. “Maybe a part of me hoped I wouldn’t have to explain it.” She sank back down in her camp chair, eyes to the ground.
Alfie cautiously put out his hands toward Cori. “Please hear me out, OK?”
She took a steadying breath and nodded. Prudence looked up at her, dejected yet hopeful. A large raindrop grazed her shoulder before gliding down her arm as the sky continued to darken.
Alfie continued, “When our coven in London heard about your prophecy, we had a party that lasted a whole week.” Cori opened her Eye to him. He emulated earnest sincerity. “Ever since the Covenant, Gray witches have carried a burden. When the Covenant banned dark magic, we didn’t continue to practice it. At least most of us didn’t. We were charged with protecting it. When you predicted that those who have abused dark magic would be punished, it was as if the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, prodding them to continue.
Prudence rested her chin in her hands. “Imagine being a little girl, learning how to use magic. Gray witches have dark and light magic in their blood. In coven, I learned to push back the dark and recognize it. By the time I was ten, I knew how to pull dark magic from a spell or a potion. How to hold it in my heart and send it back to the Giver.” Large, cold raindrops were beating down on them. “But we also learn, very early on, that there are witches who use dark magic willingly. Because everyone knows how powerful a spell can be when there is both a light and dark element within it.” The rain was coming down faster as Prudence looked with pleading eyes to her cousin.
“Gray witches are the protectors of the Covenant, Cordelia,” he explained. “When we learn of a witch practicing with the dark element, it is our job to seek that witch out and reclaim the dark magic. We must return it to the Giver. Any dark magic that becomes a part of the Other weakens all of us.” Alfie sighed as he tipped his head back to regard the incoming storm. “That’s why you’ve offered us a respite. If your prophecy comes to be, we will be free of this burden, once and for all.”
Prudence looked up at the sky, crossing her arms around her as a heavy crack of thunder echoed over them. “Cordelia, without you, the Gray witches will be tied to an eternity of policing dark magic. Of course, we want to keep you safe,” she explained.
The rain fell in heavy torrents now as Cori turned toward her captors.
“Please, Prudence, call me Cori.”
“Only if you call me Pru.” Her painted red lips turned up in a smile.