The Aether Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 6)

by Chandelle LaVaun

  I glanced around at the crying faces of children and horrified looks on parents. We were doing this as a precaution, especially after the night before when the demons turned their attention on humans. There was no danger to them right now—the demons couldn’t come back for almost twelve hours. But we wanted them long gone by then. Because the truth was, their homes might not survive the next night. All of these people could be stranded. Alive, but stranded.

  Don’t forget your emergency documents, people.

  Social security cards. Wallets. Birth certificates. Passports.

  Family photo albums from before social media.

  I didn’t want to be a jerk. Since there was no immediate threat, we could stand to give them a minute to gather their belongings.

  Again, don’t leave your pets, or I will steal them.

  My magic brushed over a little girl crushed with devastating sadness and pain. It was so deep, it stopped me in my tracks. I tried to gauge what it was, but it was too much. Just then, Kessler came running back into the street.

  I pointed to the left toward the house the sadness came from. “Something is wrong.”

  A few moments later, Kessler came walking out of the house carrying a young golden retriever with a cone around its head and two casts. A little girl bounced at his feet, wiping tears off her face and thanking him for saving her dog. Behind them, a woman not too much older than myself waddled out the front door carrying a baby in diapers. Her stomach stuck out from her body way too far for her to be driving.

  “Where is her husband? Or spouse, or whatever?” I squinted and spotted the shimmer of silver on her left hand.

  “Marines,” Emersyn whispered and pointed to a decal on the back of the woman’s SUV. “I hope she’s going somewhere with help waiting.”

  My heart stopped. This was what we were fighting for. They might not have been gifted or blessed with magic and abilities like our species, but that didn’t matter. It didn’t make them any less worthy of saving. In fact, there were far, far more of them than us. But unlike us, they had no hope for surviving a war with demons. They depended on us to keep them safe, even if they didn’t know it.

  Get in your cars. Drive out of Salem in a calm, patient manner. Drive west.

  The little family backed out of their driveway and sped down the street.

  Kessler jogged back over to us and sighed. “They’re going to her brother’s house.”

  “There are so many more people to get out,” Willow whispered.

  “We’ll get out as many as we can.” Devon squeezed her shoulder. “But we better keep moving.”

  Emersyn hung back as the others continued down the street. She looked up at me with big golden eyes that burned like a bonfire. “Push harder, D. Farther. Get more of them out faster. Willow’s going to lose strength soon.”

  I nodded. “I can do this all day if I need to.”

  Chapter Forty

  TENNESSEE

  “Tegan, do you know what you’re doing here?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at me. “In general or in this exact moment?”

  I frowned. “I’m serious, Tegan. These are the Unseelie. They’re the most wicked, conniving, twisted creatures in the universe. We have to be extremely careful.”

  “I know.” She flipped a few pages in the Book of Shadows. “That’s why I’ve got you, babe.”

  “He doesn’t look comforted by that.” Royce tapped me on the arm with his fist and laughed.

  Lily rolled her eyes. She stood just behind Tegan, shining bright sunlight out of her palms. “Tennessee not comforted by his own power. Shocker.”

  “Yeah, Lily loves a shocker.” Easton winked.

  Lily closed her eyes. “I don’t think I made him wait long enough to date me.”

  Easton laughed and stretched out on the grass like we were having a picnic…not about to perform a spell that could easily piss off the Unseelie Fae and cause them to come out and attack us. The spell was to block them from getting into our realm, like they had the day before when they attacked Tegan. It was a risk, one I knew we had to take, but it still made me nervous.

  Chutney wrapped her arms around her body and danced in place like she was freezing. She stared at something behind me with longing in her eyes. “Why are we all the way out here, though?”

  Out here was the Derby Wharf Lighthouse. It sat at the end of a narrow stretch of land that stuck out from the shoreline. It couldn’t have been more than thirty feet wide. Running down the center was a pathway with grass along each side. We were all the way out at the end, just beside the lighthouse itself. It was colder than normal for October, according to the locals we’d heard discussing it. A bitter forty degrees with the sun up. But with the sun setting on us, the temperature was already dropping.

  Larissa had given us a potion to help us stay warm, but judging by the way Chutney kept glaring at her, I was assuming hers was wearing off already.

  “Because the Unseelie do not like the ocean,” Paulina said over her shoulder. She stood at the far tip of the land. Waves splashed up onto her feet, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  Braison closed his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t ask her why she knows that,” he whispered.

  Tegan closed the Book of Shadows then jumped to her feet. By the time she was upright, the Book had already transformed back into the crystal necklace, which she swiftly tucked under her black long-sleeved shirt. “Okay, there are two spells we can do here. One will require all of you to be interactive and—”

  “Is there an option where you just do your thing and we watch?” Royce gestured to the rest of us. “Like we’ll just have your back while you do all your magical epicness.”

  Henley scoffed. “Magical epicness? How are we related?”

  Cooper opened his mouth then shut it. He pursed his lips then nodded. “Actually, yeah. What Royce said.”

  Tegan chuckled and shrugged. “That is option number two, yes.”

  Royce rubbed his hands together and blew on his bare fingers. “We’ll take door number two, then.”

  Everyone chuckled, but their eyes were serious and sharp. And they were all staring at me. Even Timothy and Constance, who were supposed to be our Leaders. I looked to them and arched one eyebrow.

  Constance dipped her head. “I’ll follow your judgement here, Tennessee.”

  “Up to you, Emperor.” Timothy shrugged.

  Well, bloody hell. When did I become the decision maker? Did I miss the vote for new leadership? I stifled the groan I wanted to make and turned my eyes back to Tegan. She watched me silently, patiently. I knew Tegan hated doing all the work, because she didn’t want to diminish anyone else’s magic…but I also knew that sun was dropping and demons would be breathing down our necks in no time. The last thing we needed was to fight Unseelie and demons at the same time. We needed to get this over with.

  I sighed. “Tegan, just do it and get us the hell off this wharf. Please.”

  “You got it, boss.” She winked. “Timothy, please freeze the entire wharf leading out to the lighthouse. We don’t want any humans stumbling upon us. Lily, keep that sunshine overhead until I’m done so no demons get any ideas. Henley, do the opposite. Paulina, ask the spirits hanging by to form a circle around us, then let us know if anything tries to get through.”

  Timothy jogged over to the edge of the short, white lighthouse then dropped to his knees. Frosty white ice spread from his fingers all the way down the narrow wharf to the shoreline. Lily held both hands above her head and shot daylight into the sky, chasing the sunset away. Henley stared at the moon and wiggled her fingers. Paulina knelt closer to the water with her back turned to us. I heard her whispering but couldn’t make out the words.

  “Constance, do you have your crystals on you?”

  “Yes, I do.” Constance held a leather satchel up. “A circle?”

  “Yes!” Tegan grinned and gave our Leader two thumbs-up. “Now, I’m going to stand in the middle here, but the rest of you make
a circle. All I need you to do is push your magic toward me. I’m going to borrow it.”

  Without another word or joke, we fell into formation, making a circle around her. Crystals of every shape and color formed a ring around us, shimmering under Lily’s sunshine.

  Tegan wiggled her fingers, and her aura pulsed. “I call upon the power of air. Conceal us here with your magic so rare.”

  Rainbow mist poured out of her hands like a broken hose. It shot to the ground by our feet then spread up and over our heads until it formed a dome with us inside. It glistened in her rainbow colors for a moment then faded away. At first glance, the sky looked normal, but if I squinted, I saw the hint of her magic lingering in the air.

  “Wicked,” Easton mumbled and nodded in approval.

  Tegan winked at him and raised her hands. Constance’s crystals rose above the ground, then hovered. Tegan swirled her hands above her head, and the crystals whipped around us so fast they blurred together in the most beautiful and dangerous tornado ever.

  “Henley, cast our circle, please?” Tegan reached into the inside pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out a large vial. Then she tossed it over.

  Henley caught it and jumped right into action.

  My pulse quickened. My stomach flipped and turned. This spell was already more intricate than I had anticipated. It made sense, considering this was the Unseelie we were blocking, but my nerves were about damn near shot.

  A bright blue light shimmered from behind Paulina then rose up all around us. Spirits. I couldn’t see them in detail, only as a foggy light, but I felt their presence as ice on my neck. Henley finished drawing the circle with salt then retook her place with the group. Tegan closed her eyes and began chanting in the ancient language, except I didn’t quite recognize the words. They were from an older dialect, one no one used in thousands of years.

  My body warmed, but my blood turned to ice in my veins. I don’t like this.

  Tegan’s eyes flew open and met mine. Send me your magic. Everyone. Now.

  I summoned my magic from deep down inside me. My body glowed like a full moon. My magic swirled around me in a soft green mist. I pushed with everything I had. Green and blue lightning shot out from my hands and spread across the circle to Tegan. My magic hit her in the stomach, then her body lit up like she’d been plugged in. Her skin glowed, even brighter than mine, and it shined through her clothes.

  The air around her frosted over as snow swirled around her. The crystals sparkled with light as they whipped around us faster and faster. The spirits around us sharpened and actually took form. I glanced around at my Coven-mates. All of their faces were tight with concentration and effort as they gave everything they had. Lightning flashed from fingertips. There seemed to be a rainbow of mist flowing into Tegan—and that was when it hit me. Tegan’s magic was rainbow-colored because it included everything.

  Tegan threw her head back. Her body levitated off the ground, and her back arched. Her magic shot out of her body like a kaleidoscope. She opened her eyes, and they were solid white. My heart pounded. I clenched my teeth and tried to push my fear back down.

  Then it was over, and everything went back to normal, like nothing had happened at all.

  Tegan landed on her feet and smiled. “Well, let’s hope that worked.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  TENNESSEE

  Sweat dripped down my forehead and into my eyes. The saltiness stung, but I blinked through it. That sick, sweet scent of maple syrup burned my sinuses. There was demon blood on me somewhere. My stomach turned from the smell.

  The demon in front of me snarled and snapped its jaws. Thick, yellow venom poured out of its mouth onto the grass. Red glowing eyes narrowed, and then it charged right for me. I dropped to one knee and swung my sword right through its abdomen. Demon blood and guts poured onto the ground. I didn’t stick around to gloat. We’d been out here for hours fighting these bastards, and it seemed to make no difference. They were like hydras. Every time I killed one, another three popped up.

  A massive two-headed demon raced past me. I turned to follow it when Atley and Peabo flew by with their swords drawn. Lightning bolts flashed across the sky. The sun was rising, the sky already lightening on the horizon. We just had to hold out a little bit longer. A little? I scoffed at my own thoughts. My chest heaved. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. We’d been at this fight all night long. The demons just wouldn’t die.

  Koth and Silas soared over my head, their dragon wings spanning across the sky. They flew low to the ground. Fire poured out of their mouths, raining down on anything that crossed its path.

  Bright pink light swept over my face. I stumbled back and felt the spark of relief taking root.

  We did it. The sun was rising. Within seconds, any demons left out would be ash. We’d won one more night. I stumbled back and collapsed on the front steps. Finally…sunrise.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  TENNESSEE

  She placed her right hand over my heart. “If you ever need me, this is where I’ll be. Right here, real close. I will be in your heart forever. All you have to do is look.”

  I nodded and gripped her hand with both of mine. The tears wouldn’t stop pouring.

  She held her left hand up, and purple smoke swirled around her fingers. Then she pressed it to my cheek. Warmth filled me like I sat in front of a fireplace. The purple smoke circled around my face a few times before disappearing.

  When I looked back to Momma, her green eyes were red and puffy and full of tears. “Now, my love. Do you remember your name?”

  My name? Of course I remembered my name. It was…it was…

  My heart raced. “No, I don’t. Momma?”

  “Then you’re going to be just fine. I will always be proud of you. Now run, and remember, Hope is not lost.” Her voice cracked. “I love you to the moon…”

  “Tennessee!”

  I groaned. “And back.”

  Tennessee, wake up.

  “What?” I jumped and opened my eyes…then found Tegan’s head perched on the edge of the sofa. My heart pounded in my throat. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hi, babe.” She blinked up at me and smiled.

  I frowned and lay back down. Shit, it was just a dream. THAT dream. Again. How many times do I have to see it? I scrubbed my face with my hands and inhaled the faint scent of maple syrup, so I yanked them away with a hiss. Wait. My eyes flew open. The ceiling above me was not the same as the one in the room we’d been sleeping in. It was higher and made of darker wood. Something warm and soft pressed against my left side that I did not recognize. My knees were bent and my legs were in weird angles as I tried to fit on a sofa that was not long enough for me.

  I groaned. “Tell me I’ve only been asleep a few minutes. Tell me that.”

  Tegan chuckled and it sounded a little manic. “Nope. It’s ten.”

  “Ten?” I rolled onto my side, and my body cracked in several places. Oh yeah, great idea, Tenn. Sleep on a couch. “Where did you sleep?”

  “Oh, umm…”

  I opened my eyes wider and took a better look at my soulmate. Her pale green eyes were rather wild-looking. They were a little bloodshot, too, but the green sparkled like diamonds under a spotlight. She had little bags under them and weird wrinkles on her cheeks. I ran my fingers over the lines on her face. Her skin was blotchy, like she’d been rubbing her face all morning. Her hair was a tangled, hot mess of a knot on top of her head.

  “Tegan Bishop,” I grumbled. “Did you sleep at all? Answer me.”

  She exhaled dramatically and laid her head on the edge of the sofa. “Maybe.”

  I shook my head and scooched over to make room for her. “C’mon, you need rest. It’s only been three hours. We can get a few more in.”

  “Oh no. I can’t sleep.” She blinked real slow, like she was trying to hypnotize me. “I think I’m losing my mind. That’s why I woke you up.”

  I frowned and stared at her for a moment…then I leaned ove
r the edge and found mass hysteria on the floor. Books were spread out and sitting open. Random objects were holding page placings, because Tegan would never dog-ear a page. There were crumpled-up pieces of paper, notebooks with scribblings, and several maps from different decades. She had a cup of coffee, half drank but still steaming. Over on her left was a cup of tea, with the teabag still sitting in it. There also little vials sitting sideways and empty next to small plates covered in crumbs. The Book of Shadows and the New Book sat in the center of it all.

  I looked back to her and found her smiling like a madwoman and nodding. “You okay, Kitten?”

  She shook her head, grin still in place. “Noooope.”

  “Good. Good.” I stretched my legs out then rolled off the edge of the couch so I was sitting on the hardwood floor beside her. “All right, Kitten. Talk to me.”

  “Okay, okay, okay.” She sat up straight and pushed loose strands of black hair out of her face. “Okay. I’ve had way too much caffeine. And I might be losing my mind. But, okay, but…I’ve been going through the New Book and looking up stuff as I found it.”

  I nodded. “Did you find anything good?”

  “Ohhh yeah— Wait, you mean for the Gap? Not really. Turns out they have no bloody idea how to do this, since they weren’t the ones who opened it. Super helpful, but they’re trying.” She picked up the New Book and tossed it in my lap. Then she pointed to a symbol drawn on the page. “Do you see that? Do you know what it means?”

  I frowned and pulled the book closer to my face so my sleepy eyes could focus on it. The symbol drawn was one I’d seen many times. It was two ancient-looking keys crossed over each other in the shape of an X.

  I nodded and lowered the book. “Yeah, that’s the Hierophant’s symbol, for secrets and wisdom and shit.”

  But Tegan was already shaking her head. “That’s what I told myself for the last three hours, then I saw this.”