by K. C. RILEY
My mind drifted to the word SLUT that had been written on my door. Mr. Johnson’s words, whore of hell, ringing in my ear only made it worse. None of it was right.
It didn’t take long for embarrassment and shame to sizzle back to anger. Regardless, of who was responsible for what happened with Kai and Christopher—me or Lilith—I was not going to be slut-shamed by anyone. Lilith was a part of me. And I was a part of her. Screw whoever wrote it. And screw Mr. Johnson’s demon slug. They didn’t know a damn thing about me. That said, I did owe Christopher a major apology. And I would have apologized, but he never showed up for class. And I still hadn’t figured out what he was doing at the hospital with Meghan. Maybe he had just been visiting. Maybe not.
My thoughts circled back to Kai again. Ugh. How could he leave without saying goodbye?
I spent the entire evening on the couch in front of a roaring fireplace down in the hall of Alexandria conjuring every book from Cassie’s list I could get my hands on.
There were so many pieces and translations to the story of Eden. Versions I had never heard of. The problem was that they were all incomplete. One version would end at only a page long and then pick up in another book in an entirely different language.
Some were in Russian, others in Greek, and still others were in early Sumerian and Egyptian. And yes. I used a small spell to translate. I had to. It was almost as though the authors were deliberately trying to hide something. But what? Which version of Eden and The Fall was right, and which was wrong?
I strolled through the halls of the creation story painted on the walls. Sister Clara had said to study them. That the paintings held secrets. According to the walls, Gadreel was tricked into giving Eve the apple that killed her. However, the versions in all the manuscripts and books swore it was Adam that had been tricked by the Elohim into giving Eve the poisoned fruit.
Eve clearly trusted Adam. Moreover, she had been made for him, biologically and emotionally designed to be with him. Adam loved her and apparently, she loved him back.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Kai’s soft lips, his warm heart. I hated that he had left. I hated how he left, especially given how much I wanted to kiss him as myself and not Lilith.
The same, however, was true for Jake. I missed his stupid grin. His messy morning hair, the fire in his touch and eyes. Not to mention the warm rumble in his voice when his lips were close, whispering in my ear.
Dividing myself between the two was beyond madness and was getting me nowhere, fast. The truth was that there was a part of my soul that loved both equally; the same and yet, different.
I had to focus and flipped back to researching The Four Maidens. I had to.
There were two enchantments I had found earlier in The Book of the Unnamed: the first was for ascending and the second, for finding Jake. For whatever reason, both required calling in the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Hooray for progress, but, how on earth was I actually supposed to call in the elements without putting Cassie, Josie, or myself in danger? And that was only the half of it.
I also needed to figure out how to cast both enchantments without activating Lilith. Thanks to Cassie, and I supposed Mrs. Ellington, I was no longer spell bound. Little enchantments, like speed reading and translation, I could now handle on my own without the book or Fallen venom. Bigger spells, however, seemed to agitate the darkness inside of me, Lilith. It was like she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into the power of The Book of the Unnamed.
There was still so much to do. So much to consider. My brain felt like one big rat’s nest.
The fire cracked before my exhausted eyes. I glanced at the large portrait of Sir Isaac in a black suit and white beard—sitting with Thalius on his shoulder—that hung over the fireplace. There was something different about this painting versus the one that hung in Mrs. Ellington’s library. In this version, Sir Isaac was wearing spectacles. It was strange. Why wear spectacles in one and not the other? I don’t know. Maybe I was just overthinking.
To my surprise, Sister Clara brought me a cup of tea and smiled.
“It’s spiced tamarind. Good for clearing and opening the light to the inner eye.”
“Thanks.” My inner eye needed all the light it could get.
She never said another word and she didn’t have to. Every part of me knew that she knew what I was up to. I supposed she was glad to finally see me taking things seriously through time and research. Time Jake didn’t have. But that’s how it went for the next three nights. Me sipping on hot spiced tamarind tea and studying into the wee hours of the morning.
By the fourth day, I had been researching all evening and had finally found a way to call in the elements without having to use a living vessel. It was a manuscript written by a high priestess from an ancient place called Lumeria, an island close to Atlantis. Way cool. In their magic system, they used what they called generators to hold and contain the four winds and the four elements, clay pots that held copper rods wrapped in copper wire. The pots were then filled with quartz stones along with bits of metal and crystals that acted as conductors.
All of the materials were doable. I was sure I could find the clay pots, copper rods, wire, and stones at the local hardware and garden store. There was no such thing as a Home Depot or Lowes in Shadowick. Nor a Chili’s or Starbucks.
The crystals I could borrow from the crystal room in Alexandria. However, there was still one problem. The ascension spell revealed in The Book of the Unnamed was a doozy.
Just a quick peek at the spell within my exhausted head stirred Lilith’s appetite. I quickly shut the book within me, weary of the fact that to invoke the ascension I would have to go through Lilith one more time. And I still didn’t have the amulet.
I stared into the glowing embers of the fireplace, pondering the conundrum when someone called out. And how? I was completely alone in the library.
“Don’t,” a voice uttered from the fire. Jake.
The demon I was sure was holding him captive screeched through the flames that ignited higher and angrier.
“Do not save me,” he barely uttered. “No. Stop.”
Jake hollered in an agony and pain that ripped through my being. The demon was torturing him, I could feel it. The beast screeched again through the hot, flickering flames until the fire instantly went out.
“Jake?” I whispered.
The hollow charred walls of the fireplace never answered, and I’d had enough. Warning or no warning, there was no way I was leaving Jake in whatever hell he was trapped in.
22
It was Saturday morning and I got an early start at Vye’s. I might as well. I had barely slept a wink. All I could hear was the demon screeching in the fireplace and Jake’s voice.
The very thought of tapping into Lilith in order to save Jake terrified me. That and the idea of being burnt to a crisp in an ascension gone rogue without the amulet. But, my hands were tied. It was either take the chance of tapping into her or let Jake die. And so, my mind was made up. It would have to be done…today.
I spent the entire morning going over the plan while pouring coffee, taking orders, and wiping down tables. The hardware and garden store was only minutes away. And I had already gathered four quartz crystals from the crystal room in Alexandria, one for each element and direction of the wind. I would make the generators and take them to the ruins where Mason was healed. There, I would invoke the ascension, the Black Mist. Death. It was the only safe place away from everyone that I knew of to do it. And there was no longer a binding spell protecting me from it. The mist would have to take me.
By 2:00 p.m., out of nowhere, I hugged Vye tight. She said she appreciated the hug but I was being extra weird and scaring the customers. She was probably right. I put away my apron, told her I loved her and was off to the hardware store.
There, I found the clay pots I needed along with the copper rods and copper wire. The stones they had were too big and they recommended I try The General Dollar Store down the street.<
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“Why on earth would a dollar store specifically sell white quartz stones?” I asked.
The woman at the register smiled. “People love using them for arts and crafts and floral-type projects. Not to mention a dollar store is a witch’s best friend.”
I almost choked. Luckily, no one was around.
“Anything you need for cheap—candles, stones, dried herbs and flowers.” Her eyes flickered all black like Mrs. Ellington’s maid as she continued to smile. “Us witches have to stick together,” she whispered.
Was the whole town on venom? And if so, the bigger question was whose? Somehow, I gathered she wasn’t getting it from The Society. It just didn’t feel right. Maybe Mrs. Ellington had her in her back pocket as well, like Louise. Or maybe she was a spy for the High Council.
Either way, there was no time to worry about it. Jake needed me.
I thanked her for the advice and minutes later was pulling up to the place. There was also still the matter of my old car, but there was no time to worry about that either.
I dashed into the store and combed through the aisles until I found the stones next to glass vases and silk flowers. They were the perfect size, and sparkled like white diamonds. Each bag was slightly bigger than the size of my hand and they were only a dollar. According to the ancient sketch outlined by the high priestess of Lumeria, I needed to have enough stones to cover the copper rods. Hopefully, sixteen bags would do it.
There were about three people before me waiting to checkout when my phone buzzed. An emergency text from The Society—a special training session this afternoon with a note that emphasized absence would not be tolerated. Great. An address then came through as an older lady rang up my order and placed the bags back in my cart. I glanced at my phone. The address seemed familiar.
After paying, I loaded up my car and slammed the trunk, irritated. It had taken me all morning to build up the nerve to do what had to be done. I got in the car and rationalized how it would still all work out given the point of all of this was to do it while there was still light.
I plugged in the address from The Society and my stomach dropped as though I had been pushed off a cliff. It was the ruins. They knew what I was up to, was my first thought as my mind succumbed to panic. Maybe they knew about Mrs. Ellington giving me The Book of the Unnamed. I swallowed the anxiety in my throat as I started the car and backed out.
“Calm down,” I said. “Breathe and relax. Maybe it’s exactly as it said. Just training.”
Right. That’s all it is, I hoped.
There were two cars I recognized as I slowed down to park, Josie’s and Alexei’s van. Hmmm. Where was everyone else?
I got out of the car, but no one was around.
“Hello?”
The chirping of crickets was the only thing that answered. I checked my phone. The text sent said immediately so where was everyone else? And where were the girls and Alexei?
“Surprise!” I heard, almost having a heart attack.
Josie was holding a bottle of champagne, Mason a sign that said Surprise, and Cassie a picnic basket in her hand. Boyd and Alexei were there too, smiling.
“What the…what is this?” I said, confused.
“Our way of saying thanks for saving me,” Mason said.
Josie’s platinum hair glittered in the sunlight. “You’ve been stashed away in the library for days.”
“We needed to get you out to do something fun,” Cassie said.
“Okay, but what about the text from the Society?”
Josie grinned like the devil. “That was all me. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“But why here?” I asked, still confused and more desperate than ever to get back to what I was working on.
“Well,” Cassie said. “That’s the surprise.”
“Follow us,” Josie added.
“To where?”
“That’s the surprise,” Alexei repeated, pulling out a football. He must have seen the look on my face, the one that said sports were definitely out of the question. “Don’t worry. It’s foam. It won’t hurt you.”
I fake smiled and watched my car and everything in it disappear as I followed everyone into the lush field of corn. I couldn’t let on what I was planning.
“Who owns this place anyway?” I asked.
“Don’t know,” Cassie said. “But it’s safe. No one comes here.”
One guess, it was Mrs. Ellington. “It’s November and the corn is still so green.”
“It’s the magic in the land,” Cassie replied.
I swatted the stalk leaves, gnats, and flies out of my face. The good news was that we wouldn’t be out here long. At least, I hoped not. It also seemed pointless to have to drive back to school, build the generators, and then drive back here at night. Alone. But, whatever. I just needed to get it done.
The boys eventually howled upfront which I guessed meant we were there.
“Why out here, again?” I asked stepping into the open field of the ruins that lay hidden beneath the ground.
“Because it’s the only place we can play safe,” Cassie replied.
The boys started throwing the football around at each other. Alexei threw the ball to Mason who was about to catch it.
“Distora Opus,” Cassie whispered.
The ball disappeared before reaching Mason’s grasp and reappeared in Cassie’s hand.
“Hey, no fair.” Mason’s eyes glowed blue as he growled and charged at Cassie.
Cassie dropped the picnic basket and took off running. Mason was close to tagging her when she yelled at me. “Think fast.”
Competitive sports always made me nervous. Probably because I sucked at them. Before I could get to the next thought, the ball magically appeared in my hand. Crap. Boyd and Alexei’s glowing eyes peered both at the ball and me like we were a rare, juicy steak.
“Run!” Cassie yelled.
They both charged and I took off screaming for them to stop.
“Wolves against witches, bitches,” Josie hooted while running and laughing at the same time. “I’m open.”
Alexei and Boyd were gaining. There was no way I was throwing a football. Mostly because I didn’t know how. Then again. I didn’t need to.
“Ditora Opus,” I said tapping into my own magic, what fraction of it I naturally had. I didn’t need the venom anymore. Besides, tapping into magic was so much easier in this place. Still, I had to be careful I wasn’t tapping into Lilith.
The ball disappeared from my hands. It was supposed to reappear in Josie’s. That was the intention. Instead, the ball reappeared spinning in midair. It was too high for Josie to reach. Alexei and Boyd stopped chasing me. Within seconds, Alexei was already in the air grabbing the ball before Josie could spell it into her hands. He took off running as Cassie and Josie chased after him. They were running as fast as him thanks to using speed spells.
Like a dork, I stood there, taking it all in—the game, the rules, and the magic at play. It didn’t take long to catch on. And before I knew it, the adrenaline of the girls catching up to Alexei had already taken over.
“Tackle him!” I yelled. “He’s getting away.”
The girls were so close. Alexei made it to the other end of the field, threw the ball to the ground, and howled as Boyd and Mason roared out of their heads. It was testosterone at its best.
Everyone came back over.
“Sorry,” I said, to the girls.
“Don’t worry about it,” Cassie replied, smiling. “We got this.”
We stood side by side in a line and faced the guys. Alexei took the ball and threw it in the air.
Finally understanding the game, I wasted no time. “Ditora Opus.” The ball appeared in my hands and I took off. The adrenaline pumped through my veins as I ran towards the end of the field. Mason was right on my tail.
“Josie!” I yelled.
The ball disappeared from my arms into hers. Alexei was on her tail while Boyd guarded Cassie. We couldn’t risk throwing the ball
because the boys would have easily gotten it.
“Josie!” I yelled, again. “Above me. Trust me.”
Josie nodded. The ball disappeared from her arms to a few feet above my head. And just like I had anticipated, Mason went for it. He was more focused on the ball than me. Before he could leap into the air, which was no problem for a Lycan of Anubis, even if he was in human form, I slid across the ground, knocking him off balance.
“Ditora Opus.” The ball appeared in my arms and I took off running before Mason could get back up. “Turesh Batar.” The spell moved my feet faster and faster. However, even with the spell, Mason was quick.
I ran like my life depended on it. I wanted to win. Bad. I could hear the girls screaming and cheering me on. Mason was within reach. If he tagged me, it was all over. For a split second, I thought of tapping into Lilith. But no. I needed to do this with my own magic.
Mason growled, ready to pounce. But he was too late. I had made it to the goal.
The girls screamed like they were losing their minds while the guys smiled, impressed.
Getting out with the gang was exactly what I needed. And after an hour, the guys had called it quits. Witches won three to one.
We all settled down on the picnic blanket while Cassie set out a small spread of cheese, crackers, and salami. Mason popped open the bottle of champagne which turned out to be sparkling cider. And that was okay by me, given my past performance the other night with Kai. Not to mention I needed to keep my head on straight for the ascension spell later tonight.
Josie handed out champagne glasses and Mason topped them off.
“To witches and wolves,” Mason said.
“Witches and wolves,” we all said, together.
The sun was warm and lazy as pink and golden hues began to set in the sky. The breezes were gentle, soft like whispers against my ear and the stalks of corn that surrounded us. We all talked and laughed our asses off about the game and who’d had the best play.
This was what life was supposed to be like. Normal, fun, and easy. Was it weird to not want the afternoon to end, despite the pieces that were still nervously missing? Jake and Kai?
