“I . . . I don’t want to.” He looked to her, his eyes filled with pain. “I didn’t leave on the best terms.”
“That hardly matters,” Abben replied. “Besides, you risked your life to save me. I’ll make sure they know that. I’ll make sure they know how much it matters.” There was something in Abben’s voice, a level of authority that let you know she had the power to wield influence when she wanted to. But that was the case for a librarian. It was Abben and her coven who guarded our history, who kept it safe. And like I’d just realized, that mattered more than people often realized.
“Come with us.” I looked at Nicco. “If I can face my father and the rest of the Council, then you can face your pack. It’s time they see you for the wolf you are.”
“And I’ll make sure they do.” Abben stood to her feet.
“Well, don’t go leaving without us,” Kianna said from behind us.
“Babbs!” I wrapped my arms around her. “You’re okay!”
“Okay?” She smiled. “You should see that dino. We killed it to death!”
“All right, ladies,” Abben said, “and wolf . . . let’s go home!”
20
The portal to Enchanted Lake was . . . let’s just say, less than enchanted. By the time we actually got there, I felt like I’d been through Hell’s half-acre. But I guess that’s the price you pay for using some rogue entrance that I was pretty sure hadn’t been approved by the Council. And poor Babbs, oh, my goodness.
“You okay, babe?” I asked, trying my best to smooth out her mussed hair.
“I guess,” she muttered. “That was almost like the time I ate six Snowcones then got on the Tilt-a-Whirl, only much, much worse.”
“Not super familiar with a Tilt-a-Whirl, but I believe you.”
Babbs pulled a few strands of hair from her face and took a look around. I wondered what it was she saw in that moment, if my home showed her the same side of itself that it did to me. The truth was, I’d never know. The vison Babbs saw was for her and her alone. It would never be replicated and never shared. It was just another small thing that made Enchanted Lake so magical, so unique.
“This place is . . .” Her voice trailed off into nothing.
Having been born in this place, it was nothing new to me, but I could see the wonderment in my friend’s face, the way she took in every small detail and the way she appreciated seeing it at long last.
“What do you see?” I asked.
“Colors,” she replied. “Colors I’ve never seen before. I’ve never felt air like this. I can feel the magic. I can feel it everywhere.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Babbs,” I said, feeling my own eyes tear up a little bit. She ran toward me, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me tight. She’d looked so forward to this day for so long and I couldn’t have been happier to share it with her.
I knew we had more pressing matters than letting my best friend take in the sights, but I didn’t care. Not in that moment, not feeling the happiness radiate from her in a way I’d never felt before. My whole world changed the day I left Enchanted Lake, and now, it had changed all over again. I’d sewn my clothes, danced my nights away, and made my own rules. Heck, I’d even managed to find some new friends along the way.
Babbs, Nicco, and I, along with our new coven of friends, took in everything there was. We visited the lake, the falls, the woods, and the sky. Each moment, each new experience, brought another level of excitement to Babbs, so much so that it even started to rub off on the rest of the group. We had the time of our lives.
Finally, though, after what felt like an eternity but was in actuality no more than a few hours, we stopped to take a breather, dipping our feet in the magical waters of Enchanted Lake.
“Hello,” Cally Whiterock, my former best friend, now mean-girl, said to me. “Would you look at this? Is it not enough that you inspire from afar, but now you’ve come to do it in person? And you’ve brought company. What witch of substance would be seen with—” Her words fell short as Abben turned to meet her eyes.
For the witch realm, no one wielded more power than the Council. No one commanded more respect. It was a simple fact, one everyone knew. A close second, however, was the Haerewayh Coven. I couldn’t help but smirk a little bit as I watched Cally shrink back, realizing who she was talking to.
“Hello.” Abben smiled. “I’m Abben Rose, of the Haerewayh Coven, guardians of the Enchanted Lake Legacy Library. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
“Cally Whiterock.” She swallowed hard.
“Whiterock,” she said. “You have family on the Council.”
Abben’s words spiked my interest. I repeated them over and over in my head. ‘Family on the Council.’ As far as I knew, that wasn’t true. My father was on the Council. He had been for most of my life. I knew every council member by name. I’d met them numerous times, even over the last few . . . wait.
There was a new person on the Council, wasn’t there? But she had nothing to do with Cally, at least not that I knew of. Cally and I used to be best friends. I’d met every member of her family. I’d slept over with them, eaten meals with them, and practiced magic with them. The lady on the Council wasn’t her family, right?
“You do?” I turned to Cally.
“I . . . yeah.” She looked to me, her eyes widening just a pinch. “Some distant family or something. I’m sorry. I need to go.” She turned, scurrying away before I had the chance to ask her any more questions.
“What was that?” Babbs asked. “Who was she?”
“My former best friend.”
“Former best friend!” Babbs gasped. “You mean there were girls before me? Shame, Ginni, shame.”
“She’s not half the woman you are.” I smiled.
“Well, obviously.”
“I need to speak with my dad,” I said. “Abben, do know which member of her family is on the Council?”
“I’d have to check the books,” she answered. “But I do know a Whiterock was admitted a while ago.”
“Okay. How about you guys go back to the library? I’m gonna go talk with my dad and I’ll meet you back there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Abben answered. “Hey, Babbs? Why don’t you come with us? Maybe we can find something on what’s happening with you and Kianna.”
“I . . . should probably stay with—”
“Our home is modeled after Genie’s bot—”
“I’m there!” Babbs snapped, then turned to me. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” I said. “I’m just going to see my dad. I’ll be fine. Besides, Nicco is with me.”
With the Haerewayh Coven and Babbs now gone off to the library, I was alone with Nicco for the first time in a long time. So much time in the magical realm had basically healed his wounds, leaving him the handsome, strong man I’d come to know. Though the scent of his wolf side still wafted through the air every once in a while.
“Thanks,” I said. “For what you did back there. With the demons.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “It was instinct, and love . . .” He stopped, sending a pang of pain through me.
I’d made it so clear to him that I wasn’t in love with him that he’s tried to stop using the words, playing down his affection and devotion every time we were together. Now, though, I wasn’t so sure I wanted it that way. People say traumatic experiences often lead to strong emotional attachments, and goodness knows, we’d had a few of those lately. I just wasn’t sure that was what was happening. My feelings felt deeper than that, more grounded somehow. Had I truly fallen for him?
“It’s okay,” I said. “You can say it if you want to.”
“No,” he answered. “I don’t want to. I don’t need to. Enough has been said. I know where each of us stands in this. It’s okay.”
There it was again, that pain in his voice, that hesitation that made my heart feel like it weighed a thousand pounds. Had I been too quick to judge my feelings? Too caught up in
my career and what I wanted to happen? Or . . . was it the opposite of that? Were my feelings really rooted in nothing but the emotional turmoil I’d recently been through?
I had to keep my mouth shut. The only thing worse than the thought of letting Nicco continue to think my feelings for him weren’t changing would be to tell him they had, only to have to take it back later. I’d wounded him once. I couldn’t do that again.
“I don’t know where I stand, Nicco. Just try to understand that.”
“What do you mean?” His thick, dark eyebrows arched.
“Questions will only confuse me more. I feel I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. The ones you deserve. Let’s not talk about it. At least not now, not for a while. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We don’t need to say anything else.”
We kind of had a moment, then he met my dad . . .
How was it that I hadn’t realized my father and Nicco had never actually met? Sure, my dad knew about him. He knew he followed me out of Enchanted Lake and into the mortal realm. He knew he was a werewolf and he knew he watched over me. Whether or not he knew Nicco slept only a few feet away from me and could often be seen getting out of the shower without first wrapping himself in a towel was still up in the air. And let me tell you, I wasn’t about to bring it up . . .
He studied Nicco, walking around him in a tight circle, scanning his form, taking in both his Lycan side and his warlock side. My dad had never been a fan of my dating anyone, not once. And something told me the idea of a werewolf imprinting on me wouldn’t sit any better with him. That fact was made all the more true by just how attractive Nicco was. I mean, what is it with dads and that crap, anyway? It’s like . . . if the guy is just a regular-looking boy next door who majors in history, they’re kind of okay with it. But when the guy looks like Nicco, it’s suddenly a much larger problem. What a load of crap, I thought to myself.
“All right,” My father said, finally turning his attention to me. “What can I help you with, daughter?”
“We’re seeking out a witch.”
“Name?” My dad asked.
“I . . . don’t know her name,” I answered, handing him the necklace. “But I do have this. She used magic to fix it. Her signature is still present. It’s fading, but it’s present.”
“I can amplify it.” He took the necklace from me, holding it in his hand and staring just a beat too long. “Where did you get this?”
“I bought it,” I said. “In Second Buckhead. Why?”
“It just looks like something your mother would have liked. She was wearing something similar when I first met her. I still remember.”
My dad always found a way to bring her up, though I knew it wasn’t on purpose. Neither of us could help the fact that I reminded him so much of her. Not that I minded. It was comforting, actually, to know that so much of her still lived on through me.
“Yeah.” I smiled at him. “It does seem like something she’d like.”
He held the necklace in his hands, slowly stroking the heart with his fingertips, tracing the edges in a slow, steady motion. I’d seen him do this before. Well, maybe not this exact thing, but something very similar. I knew how focused he could become, and I knew the power of his magic.
“There.” He opened his eyes. “The necklace will lead us to her.”
“Us?”
“You don’t think I’m going to let you go chasing her without me, do you? I don’t know who she is, but I can feel her hatred for you. Do you know why?”
“No,” I said. “I have no idea.”
“There’s something familiar about her, though her magic is cloaked.”
“I felt the same thing!” I said. “But wait. I have another question.”
“Yes?”
“Cally Whiterock. My old friend. She has family on the Council now, right?”
“Whiterock . . .” My father scratched his forehead. “No. There are no Whiterocks on the Council. That family lacks the power and the history. Where would you get such a notion?”
“I think we need to go to the library,” I said, taking his hand.
21
I headed into the library, followed by Nicco and my father. On first glace, it seemed empty as a tomb, with nothing but shadows and echoes filling its cavernous hallways. The doors opened on their when we’d arrived, almost as if the building itself was expecting us. And likely, it was . . .
“Is there no one here?” my father asked, impatient as ever.
“Actually.” Abben stepped out from a corner. “There is. Several people, in fact. Hello, Davven.”
For the most part, almost no one called my father by his first name. He was usually referred to as simply ‘Council’, as though he made up the entire thing or something. But hearing Abben say it didn’t surprise me. She wasn’t the kind of woman to hold back on things like that. More than anything, it was likely just a way to show she wasn’t afraid or intimidated by his presence. That this was her turf and she was willing to hold her own. And you’ve gotta respect that.
“My daughter tells me you have some information?” He looked to me. “Something I need to hear.”
“Turns out your daughter is correct.” Abben winked. “Smart girl.”
“Correct about what?”
“Well, you see . . . there is a Whiterock on the Council. A Victoria Whiterock, to be exact.”
I knew that name. I’d have recognized it anywhere. Victoria Whiterock was Cally’s mother, one I’d met numerous times before leaving Enchanted Lake. Only . . . she wasn’t on the Council. I’d met with them, all of them, and pretty recently, too. I would have recognized her immediately. I was sure if it.
“No,” my father replied. “There must be some mistake. The Council is made up of—”
“Eight members,” Abben interjected. “I know. I literally wrote the book on it.” She took a breath. “Victoria Sansa Blackwood was appointed to the Council on February seventh, one year ago. Her coronation ceremony was held next to the waters of Enchanted Lake, as is traditional.”
“No,” My father repeated. “One year ago, we appointed a Lanya Kinsight, a witch from another realm after her glowing recommendations from her former council.”
“Oh, yes.” Abben smiled. “That’s the name you may know her by, but her magical signature, bound for eternity to this book” —she handed my father a large leather-wrapped volume— “that signature links back to Victoria Blackwood, and as you know, signatures can be cloaked but never altered.”
“So wait,” I said. “The new woman on the Council . . . that’s Cally’s mom? Really?”
“The Council could never be fooled that way. We hold the strongest magic in the realms. This is impossible!” my father insisted.
“The truth doesn’t lie,” Abben answered. “I’m afraid you’ve been had, Mr. Black.”
“Had?” he exclaimed, the veins in his neck bulging with anger. “Impossible! I defy your words!”
“Defy all you’d like. That won’t change what is.”
“Dad,” I said. “Think about it. It kind of makes sense.”
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made that the woman sitting on the Council would be Victoria Whiterock. From the moment I’d met her, I knew she felt familiar, almost as if I’d known her. And now, if this were the truth, then my suspicions were right. The only question I had was, why?
“Why would she do this?” I asked.
My father stared at me, his gaze lingering on my face as though he were studying me. I’d seen that look before, the one of a realization as it fell over him. Was it true? Could we have been correct? Was it really my former best friend’s mom? Wait. That was it.
“It’s Cally,” I said. “She’s behind all of this. She’s mad at me for leaving. She thinks I walked out on our plans, that I left her behind.”
“That’s unfair,” my father answered. “You aren’t responsible for anyone’s life but your own.”
“I know th
at . . . but she’s of a lower standing than us. She always saw it as a bigger deal, as though her standing had somehow trapped her here.”
“Nonsense,” my father said. “Her choices are her own. But how could—”
“Illusions,” I interrupted. “Constructs and illusions. They’re her strong suit. She’s studied them nonstop for years.”
“Even so, Whiterock magic could never be powerful enough to cast such a cloak. You must be mistaken!”
“Unless . . .” I mused, my eyes meeting Abben’s.
“The talisman,” she said. “A spell cast with the power of the Greylock would fool even the brightest of witches.”
“What talisman?” my father asked.
It was a pretty long story, but in the end, I was pretty sure my dad believed us . . .
“This meeting will be called to order!” my father said.
I sat at the edge of the building, Nicco by my side. Hopefully, our plan would work. Hopefully, the truth would come to light and we’d get this thing figured out in time for me to get back home, finish my sewing, and get my butt on the runway.
“Cally Whiterock.” He turned to her, selecting her from the crowd. She stood, obvious fear in her eyes, her hands shaking. “Please stand and approach the Council.”
I completely understood. I’d be scared witchless too if I were being called out in front of literally the entire witch realm. Especially if, like Cally, I had no idea what was going on or why the meeting had been called in the first place.
Emergency councils happened in Enchanted Lake, sure. They just didn’t happen very often and when they did, it was a pretty big deal. Word had spread like wildfire about this one, about the sudden meeting no one knew the reason for. With the Vanguard standing outside the building, cheering my name as I passed them, I could only assume everyone thought it was due to me, due to my leaving the witch realm. And in a way, I guess it was.
Cally stepped into the center of the room, her shoulder-length hair hanging in small, tight curls around her face. I felt for her in a way. We’d once been pretty close, and even if she was trying to murder my career, or even me, I still couldn’t help but remember the good times. We were kids, younger than young, with our futures stretched far out ahead of us. We made plans, we made dresses, and we rarely left one another’s side. In the end, though, I just had to do what was right for me, what I felt I needed to do. And sometimes, that includes leaving everything behind, even friends and the promises you’ve made.
Witches & Stitches Page 12
