Bewitched, page 9
This is a joke, right? I mean, how am I supposed to put this on my key chain without looking like some old-timey prison warden?
I glance at my door with its ornate bronze doorknob and the large keyhole above it.
All right, so this isn’t a joke. The coven just hasn’t updated their rooms’ locks in a century or so.
Really hoping those lamassu do a decent job protecting this place because my lock obviously does shit.
I pocket the key anyway.
“What do you think?” I say, glancing down at Nero.
My panther looks out at the room, then rubs his face against my leg.
My eyes sweep over the place. “I’m glad you approve. I love it too.”
CHAPTER 12
“Fuck. Moving.” Fuck it so hard.
I collapse onto my bed.
My arms shake from carrying things up three flights of stairs over the course of the day, and my ass and legs are numb from the exertion. And that’s not even getting into the fact that many of the notes and labels I put on my stuff have fallen off. And Great Goddess of Earth and Heaven, everything is not where it’s supposed to be, and my head hurts from it all.
But you know what? It’s done.
I stare up at my ceiling, hearing the muted laughter of witches in nearby rooms.
A thrill runs down my spine. This is my life now. I attend Henbane Coven. No more waiting and yearning. I get to live here and learn here and lean into all my long-awaited dreams.
I survey my tiny room all over again, and my eyes eventually rest on Nero.
My familiar lounges on a throw blanket I’m pretty sure he dragged off my bed and onto the floor and is chewing on a bone I got him from the butcher’s. The bone makes a sickening crack; then I hear Nero’s rough tongue lapping up Goddess knows what.
“Can you not do that on my blanket?” I ask him.
He ignores me.
Defective familiar.
“I should return you,” I say to him. “I bet I could buy like fifty cute, fluffy familiars for the price of you.”
Now Nero glances up at me, and he licks his lips. Pretty sure that was panther for sounds tasty.
I sigh.
After heading over to the window, I shimmy the pane up, letting in a gust of cool air.
Outside, the giant oak tree I saw earlier looms like a dark shadow. One of the tree’s thicker branches tees off just beneath my window. The location and sturdiness of it is so convenient that some previous witch must’ve spelled the branch to be that way, either for herself or her familiar.
I turn to Nero. “I’m going to leave this window open for you so you can come and go as you please.”
In response to my words, my familiar rises to all fours. After giving a satisfied stretch, he hops onto the bench seat beneath the window.
“Now, remember, no hunting humans or house pets, okay?” I tell him. “They’re not on the menu.”
Nero glowers at me.
“Oh, and no eating other witches’ familiars,” I say. “Oh, and definitely do not attack lycanthropes. It won’t end well for you.”
Nero gives me a disgruntled look, like I’m the world’s cruelest master.
“Just about everything else is free game. I’ll leave my window open so you can get back inside.” I chew on my lower lip. “You can climb, right?”
He gives me another disgruntled look.
“Geez,” I say, holding up my hands. “No offense meant.” Well, maybe a little offense meant. He is an ass, after all. “I just wanted to make sure.”
With that, Nero springs out of my room and onto the oak branch. Without a backward glance, he slinks down the tree before silently dropping to the ground and prowling off into the darkness.
I worry my lower lip as I stare after him. That oaf better not get himself hurt. And he better stay warm.
I sit on the edge of my bed. I’m utterly spent from a day of moving, and I need to take a shower and try to unwind, but my body still buzzes with energy. Now that I have a moment alone, I want to explore. There are new smells, new sounds, and a heady thrum of power in the air itself that I want to acquaint myself with.
Decision made, I push off the bed. I’m nearly to my door when I hear rustling from the oak tree outside. A moment later, Nero quietly hops into our room.
“Back already?” I ask. “I thought you’d be out exploring all evening.”
He comes up to me and rubs against my thigh before plopping down on the blanket he stole from me once more.
“I was just about to leave,” I say. “Want to explore some more with me?”
In response, Nero yawns in my face.
“Fine. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
I grab the doorknob and head out of my new room, closing the door behind me. Halfway down the hall, I hear claws scratching against the back of the door.
Fucking cats.
I walk back to my room and open the door. Nero glances up at me, then silently slips out. I look at the inside of the door and—
“Holy Mother of Magic Mushrooms, Nero, why do you have to be such a beast?” Several deep claw marks have gouged the base of the door, and wood shavings litter the ground.
Cats, man.
The lights in the hallway flicker. They look like a relic from a century ago, and judging by the magic sputtering off them, I’m guessing they’re as old as they appear.
I head down the stairs to the first floor. This level is full of common rooms, most of which I have seen only in passing.
I head toward the house’s sprawling library, Nero padding along beside me. When I enter, I don’t see anyone inside, all the plush velvet sofas and chairs empty. On the far side of the library, a massive fireplace holds the dying embers of a banked fire.
And then, of course, are the books. Hundreds and hundreds of them nestled neatly into almost every square inch of this place.
I move through the room, stopping to touch this book or that, all while Nero follows beside me. Many of the tomes are moth-eaten, their gilded lettering rubbed half away and their pages yellowed. I bite my lip as I read the spines of books written in Latin and Ancient Greek, the old languages as familiar to me as the face of a dear friend.
Farther in, I see books on Nostradamus’s writings and the Dead Sea Scrolls and several other dated texts, some religious, some not, and some occupying that space people like to call heretical. It’s a space we witches have lived and died in.
There are historical books on witches and witchcraft, as well as books that analyze general spellcraft. It’s all very academic, and I relish every bit of it.
When I get to the far end of the library, near the stone fireplace, I hesitate. To my left, an ornately carved door is set deep into the wall. Magic pulses softly from it.
Shimmery wards run along the edges of it, locking the room from supernaturals unaffiliated with Henbane Coven.
I used to be one of them. In fact, the first and only time I tried to open this door was sometime last year when I was visiting Sybil. I can’t remember why I came into the library or why I tried to enter the room, but I definitely remember getting shocked. Part of me is certain the same thing will happen now.
Only one way to find out.
I reach for the handle. My hand closes over the metal knob, and I wait for a moment, readying myself for the wards to lash out at me.
Nothing happens.
Below me, Nero nudges my leg, as if to tell me to hurry up. It must be nice for him, not having to worry about getting fried by protective magic.
And I am still worried. I haven’t opened the door after all.
I take a deep breath. No time like the present.
I turn the knob and pull. Above me the ward flares brightly for a moment, and yet…no painful spell lashes out at me. Instead, the door creaks as I open it. Beyond the threshold is darkness.
A second later a wave of power crashes into me, and I stagger back. It isn’t a ward striking me or anything of the sort. It’s simply magic. Lots and lots of cloying, potent magic. I practically choke on it all as I grope around for a light switch.
I don’t find one, but in the darkness, I can just make out a lantern set next to the door, a partially melted candle inside. A lantern but no matches.
I sigh.
Going to have to use magic for this.
I pick up the lantern and scowl at the wick. “Oh, how I hate making up a new spell. Just light this fricking flame from hell.”
Whoosh.
A crimson flame bursts to life inside the lantern, and maybe it’s just me, but it looks a little demonic.
Um.
Shit.
Pretty sure I just summoned a bit of hellfire.
I glance at Nero. “You saw nothing.”
He stares unblinkingly back at me.
I worry my lower lip as I step into the room, lifting the lantern with its red flame. Not even one night in, and I’m already breaking the rules by using dark magic.
I can’t focus on those thoughts for too long, however, because the sight around me takes my breath away.
“Grimoires,” I whisper.
Hundreds of them. They’re packed along the shelves, their conflicting magic rolling off them. It’s already making my head throb; it’s like being sprayed with dozens of clashing perfumes.
There’s a long table that runs down the middle of the room, presumably where you can read over the books.
“Can’t sleep?”
I yelp, nearly dropping my lantern at the voice behind me.
I swivel around and face another witch, one who probably also lives here.
Her gaze drops to my lantern. “That’s some interesting light you’ve made for yourself.”
“Uh…” This is where I get kicked out not a day after I move in.
“It’s a head rush, isn’t it?” she says, stepping up next to me.
At first, I think she’s speaking about dark magic, but then I notice her attention is on the grimoires around us.
“Mm-hmm,” I agree, even as the throbbing in my temple increases.
“Many of these were supposedly written by coven members who lived here, though some of them are far older.” She gives me a conspiratorial look. “Maybe one day you or I will have a grimoire stored in here.”
The thought is so wild, it distracts me from the fact I’ve been caught almost literally red-handed with dark magic.
“I’m Kasey, by the way,” the witch says, holding out her hand.
I take it. “Selene.”
“I know. I saw you at the harvest party—you made an entrance with that familiar of yours,” she says, her gaze drifting down to Nero.
“Uh, yeah, he’s really a sweetheart. Totally misunderstood.”
Nero gives me a look like I’m so full of shit, which I obviously am, but Kasey and the rest of the witches living here don’t need to know that. I’m sure it’s terrifying enough to know you’re sharing your house with a panther. Never mind that he has an attitude.
Kasey’s gaze moves back to the grimoires around us. She points at one bound in plum-colored cloth. “That one helped me with the potency and longevity of my spells in my wards class—just a heads-up in case you’re taking it this semester.”
I don’t think I am, but—
“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll be sure to check it out.”
Kasey smiles at me. “Well, I’m heading off to bed.” Her eyes drop to the crimson flame in my lantern before rising to mine once more. “Oh, and by the way, be careful not to burn anything—magical fires are notorious for not going out, and flames like that”—her eyes flick back to my lantern—“hunger for power.
“Nice meeting you, Selene.” Kasey nods and leaves.
“Bye,” I call after her.
Once I’m sure Kasey is gone and the house is quiet once more, I speak to the lantern. “Thank you for the assistance, demon flame. Now go back to hell from whence you came.”
The candle flickers out, leaving behind a vaguely corrosive smell, and some magical black residue smudges the glass panes of the lantern. It’s that tar-like substance that gives it its name—dark magic.
It draws from forces of darkness and collects sin and blood as tithe. It’s forbidden, evil magic.
And my new acquaintance Kasey saw me using it.
CHAPTER 13
The week following my move-in flies by in a blur. I fully settle into my new room, Nero forms a routine with coming and going from the house to the woods around the coven. My bookshelves are finally all organized with my old notebooks, and my current one is filled with my class schedule and maps. I’ve picked up my course textbooks and even flipped through a few of them.
I’m ready for my first day of classes tomorrow.
I clomp down the stairs now, Nero prowling next me like a shadow. From the hall to my right, Sybil chats with another witch.
When my friend sees me, she calls out, “Selene! Where are you going?”
I should definitely be doing a better job of getting to know the witches I live with, and now is an opening to do so. I’ve already chatted with a few of them, and I’m embarrassed to admit that when I’ve been able to, I’ve written down their names, their familiar’s species, which rooms they live in, and anything else distinct about them, like some sort of obsessed stalker.
I mean, it does work.
“I’m going to take pictures of the different buildings on campus and put together a map.”
“Didn’t you do that yesterday?” she says.
I hesitate now. Did I?
Sybil uses my hesitation to head over to me. “Babe, you can chill out on the studiousness,” she says quietly.
Over Sybil’s shoulder, the witch she was talking to now eyes me curiously.
I lower my voice. “You know I can’t.”
I wish it were different. I wish I didn’t need to work harder just to be treated normally by my peers. But it is what it is, and Sybil of all people knows this.
She frowns. “It’s just, we’re finally under the same roof, and yet I haven’t even gotten to hang out with you since you moved in.”
I swallow, feeling this tension forming between us. I don’t want that. I’m adamant about proving my worth here at Henbane, but I also don’t want to strain my relationship with my best friend.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I just…don’t want to screw this up for myself.”
Sybil’s expression gentles. “You won’t. You’re brilliant.” She lets out a breath, then nods to the door. “Go ahead then. Map out the coven, and when you get back, let’s hang.”
I sit on a stone bench at the back of Lunar Observatory, the northernmost building on campus, as the sun dips below the horizon. One of my notebooks lies open on my lap, this one detailing all sorts of information about Henbane Coven, from my class schedule, to notes on where things are, to what times certain buildings are open and closed. There are also notes on the idiosyncrasies that certain buildings have, like the fact the chairs in Cauldron Hall are prone to levitating, thanks to a prank that was never fully reversed.
I smooth my hand over the pictures of Lunar Observatory that I’ve taped to the page, lingering on the glass dome atop the building that’s supposedly spelled to make the heavens appear closer than they are.
There’s a thrum building in my veins and tightening my chest. At first, I think it’s simply me wishing I had an astrology class this semester—I don’t—but…the feeling is persistent. It lingers even after I finish scribbling notes and close my journal. If anything, it seems to grow as I slip my notebook in my bag and glance up at the twilight sky.
I stand just as the lamp in front of me flickers on. I’m slinging my bag over my shoulder when magic brushes against my skin, the touch like a stroke of a hand.
Empress…I have found you.
I suck in a breath, snapping my head up. I glance around, but there’s no one in this section of coven property. Yet now that I’m focusing on it, I swear I can feel those smoky-ale eyes on me.
There’s a pressure forming in my chest, right over my heart. I move my hand to it, trying to massage the tension away.
Right as I do so, that familiar indigo magic billows out from the tree line bordering the buildings, slithering in my direction.
Last time that magic coiled around me, it knocked me out and left me trapped in a tomb.
Can’t let it get to me again.
My feet move before I fully form the command in my mind.
Run.
I’m sprinting, my arms pumping and my bag banging against my side as I force my legs faster and faster. Past All Saint’s Hall, past Morgana Hall. My thighs burn, and my breath is already ragged. The wind howls in my ear as I push myself harder.
He followed me back.
Goddess above, he followed me back.
It was one thing to hear his whispered voice carried on the wind. But to see his magic again and to know he’s on the other end of it…
My nausea rises, and I force it down. Barf later, once you’ve escaped.
I feel rather than see a plume of inky-blue magic wrap around my waist like a phantom arm. I cry out, even as more of Memnon’s—and it must be Memnon’s—power fills the air around me, until it obscures the forest and buildings and the darkening sky.
Come to me, my queen…
I’m breathing harshly as I stop. I feel the tug of his power already, seeping into my skin and slipping into my lungs.
You left me before, but not again…never again…
The compulsion to follow that voice builds within me. I can’t tell what sort of spell this is, but it must be one.
I follow the line of indigo magic back to the tree line. It continues deep into the Everwoods forest. I take a step toward it, even as my rational mind screams at me that I’m being enchanted.
But my blood is heating, and my skin throbs at every soft brush of Memnon’s power.
Don’t be a fool, Selene! It’s just his magic lulling you into some false sense of safety.
I pinch my eyes shut, keeping my feet rooted in place.
Return to me, Empress. We have been parted for too long…
There’s something sensual in those words and that voice, something that reminds me of the Memnon from my dreams. It breaks my resistance altogether.
