Snow Witching White, page 15
I flopped onto her messy bed. “Provost Morgane was angry, fearful.”
Cassia’s gaze narrowed, calculating what I’d said. She smiled again. “All part of the act. Don’t worry about it.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. If I didn’t need to worry about a Dark Angel I’d switch to my next concern. “I need you to take me to where Stone is staying. Can we apparate?”
“Apparating by students is tracked.”
Between trying to leave at lunch, the mistakes I’d made in class, and the accident in the provost’s office, the last thing I needed was to be found breaking the rules. “I’m already in enough trouble.”
Cassia giggled. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“What?”
She tucked in her red shirt and threw a dark cloak at me. “I said you don’t know the half of it. The witches are gossiping about you and Damien.” She sang his name.
“Ridiculous and you should tell them so.” My pulse throbbed. I didn’t want these rumors getting back to Stone. “Stone and I are…”
“You’re what?” She paused at the door and wiggled her brows.
“Nothing official, but…you know.”
“I do know.” She flashed a wicked grin before leading me down a back set of stairs and through a narrow hallway.
My muscles tensed. “Where are we going?”
“We can’t go out the main door. Provost Morgane would know. Lux.” Cassia’s wand lit up. “Light yours.”
I slipped the wand from my belt and held it up. “Lux.”
“The Obsidian’s Fire wand.” Awe spiked in her voice. “Does Mistress Lita know?”
Her question made me tremble. “I’m going to tell her.”
Cassia nodded. “This way.”
I wasn’t comfortable with sneaking around. I shouldn’t have to hide where I was going. I needed to talk to Stone. Our last kiss had been interrupted and I wanted to confirm he’d received the note the provost had sent. I wasn’t sure I trusted her. Maybe she’d burnt the note and it hadn’t gone anywhere except up in smoke.
Creaking brought me out of my thoughts. A dark passage opened.
“A secret tunnel?” My jaw dropped and I stared at Cassia. “How do you know about a secret tunnel?”
She winked and laughed. “How else would I meet up with the warlocks late at night or sneak out to a party? The warlocks don’t live in the academy.”
The warlocks lived and studied separately. It was an interesting dynamic, an unfair dynamic because they didn’t seem to have the same resources.
She put her finger to her lips in a be quiet sign.
My gut clenched. What was the punishment for breaking another rule? My great grandmother had already gotten me out of trouble once today. I didn’t know if she’d do it again. I guess I’d find out at dinner, which I’d have to be at soon. I didn’t care if I was late, seeing Stone was more important.
Cassia seemed okay breaking rules. I guess after escaping from the human dungeon she’d become a rebel. “This way.”
The dark tunnel sloped down. The damp walls smelled musty and the drip, drip, drip of water told me we must be close to the moat. I shivered.
“Help me.” She got on her knees and pulled on a rusty ring. A panel lifted from the ground.
I got down to help raise the square door and peered into a dark hole with an old ladder going down into the blackness. “You’re kidding.”
“After a time or two you don’t even notice it’s creepy.”
“You hated the tunnels in the human dungeon.”
“I…I did but I’ve been using this tunnel for years.” She scooted to the edge and climbed down. “You want to see Stone, don’t you?”
I did. Throwing my leg over the side, I started going down the ladder. I jumped down at the end into a stinky puddle of water. “Where are we?”
“Under the moat.” Satisfaction oozed. “Almost there.”
Despite all the wards, this passage was completely unprotected.
Ducking to walk through the narrow tunnel, I worried the entire thing would collapse and we’d drown. Cassia stopped and I bumped into her. The tunnel ended.
Air whistled from my lungs. “It’s a dead end.” Why would she lead me astray?
“It’s crystalline limestone, silly.” She chanted a few words and grabbed my hand, pulling me through. We exited on the other side with a plop.
Night had fallen. No stars were visible in the sky. The moat swirled behind us and I hunched my shoulders glad we hadn’t been exposed to the dirty water.
“Come on.” Cassia grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stadium.
We edged around the outside and ran past the medical building. The roar of the waterfall was louder, closer.
She pointed. “That’s where the warlocks live. Easy peasy for partying.”
Damien had pointed out the dormitory.
Cassia stopped at a small, squat building between the medical lab and the warlock dormitory. An acolyte dressed in black stood at the door. He clutched his wand in his hand.
“I’ll distract him.” Cassia smoothed her hair. “You go in.” She sauntered out, swiveling her hips in an obvious way. “Hello there.”
The acolyte raised his wand. “Hello.”
She directed his attention away from the door.
My stomach knotted. I dashed forward and opened the door, slipping inside. “Stone?”
The building had seen better days. Bricks had fallen out of the walls and the floor was scuffed and dirty. Silence greeted me.
“Stone? Lukas?” My spirits sank.
“Destiny?” Stone’s blond head peeked around a corner. His green eyes gleamed when he spotted me and he grinned. “What’re you doing here?”
“Visiting you.” My pulse picked up its pace and I beamed tremulously. Finally, we were together and alone.
His smile faded. “You disappeared on me.” He took it as a personal affront.
“Did you get my note?”
“Yes.” He continued to frown. “At least I knew you hadn’t been kidnapped. Again.”
His sarcasm sliced through me. I crossed my arms. “I can take care of myself.”
“That’s my job.” His intensity rubbed against my own insecurities. It was like a play we over-rehearsed.
I hated how he believed I was a job. “Is that all I am to you? A job. Someone to protect.”
His broad shoulders dipped and his anger fell away. He took my hand and I sensed our core connection, yet it felt tenuous at the same time as if it might fray. “No.”
Bumping his hip suggestively, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip past. “Well anyway, I’m here now.”
“That you are.” His lips twitched and he pulled me against him. “For how long?”
Disappointment wormed through my chest. “I have to meet Mistress Lita for dinner.”
“You mean, your great grandmother.” He pulled back and arched a brow.
“Yes.” I sniffed. Was he mad about me leaving or the relation?
“Come here.” He yanked on my hand and brought me up close again.
Zings sizzled up my spine. Smiling, I raised on my tiptoes for his kiss.
“Oh, sorry.” Cassia walked in. “Is Lukas here too?” She must still be interested in Lukas even though she flirted with others.
“Back there.” Stone’s slumber-ish voice showed his desire.
I hated that I had to leave him alone so often.
She skipped toward where Stone had indicated and stopped to stare at us. “Aren’t you going to join us?”
I hadn’t seen much of her or any of Lukas. But I also wanted to spend time alone with Stone. “Be right there.”
Stone’s heavy-lidded eyes opened wider. He angled his head in a questioning way.
She winked. “Take your time.”
Thinking of her and Lukas’ situation, I wrung my hands. “I’m sorry about what you saw with Damien. You’re not jealous are you?”
“I don’t know.” Stone considered. “The warlock would be a better fit for you.”
My heart jolted. “You fit me.”
He laughed and stood taller. Using his hand, he measured the height difference between us. His expression went serious. “A warlock could help you navigate the ins and outs of the coven. He could help you learn quicker, teach you to fly on a broomstick.”
The slight hint of jealousy bolstered my emotions.
“I can’t help you learn your magic or control your powers.” Stone agitated his hands in a helpless way. Not at all like him. “When you disappeared, I realized I can’t even protect you at the coven.”
I wished I could prove to him that I could protect myself while also showing I needed him. I wished I could share my other concerns about coven leadership. Bitterness flooded my mouth thinking about the Secretum Bond. I wished I could make him feel better about the situation. But I could take this from bitterness to bliss. “You can help me with this.”
I stood on my tiptoes again and brushed his lips with mine.
He bent his head and wrapped his arms around me tighter. The kiss filled with punishment and passion. He was angry at himself for being unable to protect me. I had to communicate to him that I could protect myself. I put more power and pressure into the kiss. I wanted him to know we were equals.
“Excuse me,” Simon’s whimpering cut across my bliss.
Pulling apart, Stone kept his arm around my waist. Why did we keep getting interrupted?
The acolyte held out a small electronic device. “I’ve received an encrypted message for Stone from King Zacharye.”
“You have?” Confused, I didn’t realize witches had the hi-tech communication devices. My pulse raced. It reminded me of how the banshees had hi-tech equipment while living a nomadic life.
“When I sent a message to the fairies about Violet, I also sent a message to the king.”
Stone took the device and clicked a couple of buttons.
Holding my breath, I waited for him to explain or share more. Just as he was a confidant to the king, I wanted to be his confidant. Guilt trampled my thoughts. Of course, I couldn’t tell him everything. “What does it say?”
His expression went blank giving nothing away.
“Well?”
“King Zacharye…requests…my presence.” Stone’s unfocused answer and seriousness showed he was deep in thought.
“You knew the king wanted you by his side.” Stone had sacrificed to stay with me, protect me. Maybe he should’ve gone with the king.
“King Zacharye needs me now. Something’s happened.” Stone’s clipped tone told me there was more in the note.
“What?” I realized establishing a new government was time consuming and had risks, but the biggest danger, the regent, had been arrested. The kingdom was under control. Stone had promised to arrive as soon as he could, as soon as I was done learning.
“I’m not at liberty to say.” Stone’s voice chilled. He surveyed the area.
Simon stood right next to us and Lukas and Cassia had come out of the back room.
It must be because of them he wouldn’t share. Surely, he’d tell me later. “How urgent?”
“According to this message, very urgent.” Stone rubbed his chin.
“Are you going?” My love plunged downward. He’d promised the king he’d arrive after his time at the coven.
Tension stretched between us. Between all of us. My heart ticked out each silent second.
He cleared his throat and pulled back his shoulders. “It wasn’t a request. The king commanded me.”
Chapter fifteen
Loneliness wrapped around my heart.
Stone was leaving. I could see it in his expression and sense it by the way he held his body. He wouldn’t deny the king’s demand.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at dinner with Mistress Lita?” Simon held a parchment burnt around the edges. The parchment hadn’t been in his hand earlier.
My chest squeezed, sending sadness through my veins. “Tell Mistress Lita I have to cancel.”
“No.” Stone grabbed my arm. “She’s family. Besides, I have to finish deciphering the message.”
There was no doubt in his voice. He was leaving. He had to go.
“I’ll walk back to the academy with you.” Cassia slipped her arm through mine. “Bye Lukas.”
The werewolf frowned and furrowed his brow. We’d ruined his plans for the night.
My sadness gnarled. This couldn’t be my goodbye with Stone. “You can’t leave tonight.”
“Tomorrow.” Stone’s immediate response disheartened me. He already bent his head toward the device, not paying attention to me anymore.
Would I ever be as important to him as serving the king? Of course, working for the king gave Stone a purpose he didn’t have here. Here, he had nothing.
Cassia ushered me out of the building and we trekked back to the academy. She said the spell for the drawbridge and I didn’t even pay attention. I was too numb. Stone leaving was best for both of us. He could assist the king and feel purposeful, and I could focus on learning.
We crossed the bridge and she walked me up the stairs to Mistress Lita’s suite of rooms, where my friend said goodbye.
The door opened without a knock.
“You’re late.” My great grandmother’s voice quivered. “I was worried about you.”
She didn’t sound that worried and she obviously knew my whereabouts. Simon had found me with Stone.
A round table set for two had been added to her cheery room. A nice and intimate dinner for me and my great grandmother. It was just the two of us now. I’d lost my parents, my grandfather, and now possibly Stone.
“Sorry, Mistress Lita.” I couldn’t even muster true regret. “I was busy.”
“Call me Gigi. Your mother did.” Her sweet suggestion warmed my bones. “Look at this beautiful flower.” She held up a plant with small black buds. “Once dried it can become a potent herb in a potion.”
“What does it do?”
“This and that. And it’s hard to find. Only grows near the waterfall’s edge.” She pouted her lips, seeming concerned. “Enough about this. How are you? You seem upset.”
Her sympathy almost undid me. My eyes burned and I heaved. I slumped into the seat next to her. “Stone,” I held back a sniffle.
“If he’s hurt you, I’ll take care of him.” The threat sent a chill through me. Just like Stone, she’d protect me from anything.
I had yet another champion. I wasn’t sure if I appreciated it. I’d saved Stone from the cave in, I’d discovered the tunnels in the human dungeon to plan our escape, I’d taken control of the banshee clan. Surely, I could take care of myself. Why didn’t anyone believe me?
Not that I didn’t appreciate her support. Through my unshed tears she appeared even older. “Stone received a message from King Zacharye.”
Her mouth opened in surprise. “This Stone is important to the new king.”
She’d come to realize how paramount he is to the kingdom and to me.
“He is.” I pulled my shoulders back. I was proud of him.
She poured tea into the cups. “What was in the message?”
“I don’t know.” We hadn’t had time alone to talk. “But the king commanded him to return to Reximus Palace right away.”
“We can make arrangements for him to leave tomorrow.” Mistress Lita’s efficient movements mirrored her words.
A sob escaped. “I don’t want him to leave.”
“What would he do otherwise? Stay here and sit around?” Her assessment was the same as the provost’s and my own thoughts. “This Stone is a man of action. He’s a confidant of the king. Why would he stay?”
I couldn’t claim our love out loud. I believed he loved me. What if he loved his duty more? “He’s my protector.” I pulled out the lame excuse.
“Hah.” She snorted. “You don’t need a protector. Soon, you’ll be stronger than him, more powerful than him. Then what will he be?”
She spoke slowly, hinting that he was a lowly creature. He’d still be my guy. In the future, we’d have a more defined relationship. He’d said so himself, although it wasn’t a promise. And we wouldn’t be staying at the coven.
“How would it be if you two stayed together?” It was a rhetorical question. She snapped her fingers and fully filled plates with Cornish game hen, dark rice, and corn sat on the table. “With your powerful magic, he’d lose his sense of self. He’d have no purpose here. He’d be lower than a warlock.”
Her display of power and confidence proved I’d be able to do that soon.
“What has he been doing since he arrived?” The challenge in her question said she already knew the answer.
“Not much.” Slouching back in the chair, I let the sadness change into a private pity party. Sitting around is not something Stone had ever done in his life.
“And will he be happy with that? Will he stay happy with you?” Her questions stabbed with sharp points. Correct points.
If he stayed while I learned, he’d start to resent me, hate me even.
Mistress Lita straightened and her lips pursed together in triumph. Decades of leading the coven must’ve worn on her yet she looked great. Whatever her true age, she was beautiful. I wondered if this was how my mother would’ve appeared if she’d lived.
Had she always known she wanted to be the leader? Of course, she’d have known her lineage since the moment she was born. I hadn’t. It had been a shock discovering I was half witch. But I knew I didn’t want to end up alone and controlling.
If I didn’t want to become leader, I didn’t need to stay at the coven. Professor Nilsen at Reximus Palace might be able to help control my magic and maybe Cassia would come with me. I knew I couldn’t lose Stone by keeping him tethered to the coven, a place he didn’t want to be and had no purpose. And I didn’t want to stay in the coven without him.
Things solidified in my brain. “You’re right.”
Mistress Lita’s smile grew brighter. She believed she’d gotten what she wanted.
My next statement was going to wipe the smile off her face. “I’m going to leave with Stone.”
