The twin uprooted from Montana had arrived here and connected immediately. But Coventry was not exactly the paradise she’d thought it would be. This island of witches and warlocks, its history, its people, its magick held frightening secrets. Only some were buried underground. She and Cam had been sent away long ago because the island wasn’t safe. What Alex now knew was that Coventry might never be safe for them.
Coventry would remain a mystery. Like Shane. Like Michaelina. Like why the truth-inducer spell didn’t work on her.
“Are you sure of that?” Ileana had tapped into her brain.
When Alex explained, Ileana pooh-poohed her. “Rubbish! You got that right out of my spell book. Of course it worked.”
“I thought so, too, at first,” Alex protested. “She seemed to be spilling everything. Then she betrayed me. How do I know which was the true Michaelina?”
Miranda softly said, “Maybe they both are. Listen to me. No one is just one way, one-dimensional. Not even your uncle Thantos, though you might like to think so. Like anyone else, a witch can be confused, unsure of what and who she really believes. You ordered her to tell the truth — perhaps she did. In Michaelina’s mind, she may have been merely exploring her options.
“The first one that appealed to her, that spoke to the rebel in her, was most likely Sersee. Then she met you. My guess is the two of you captivated her, piqued her interest, and probably got her to question her loyalty. It’s a start —”
The thought popped into Alex’s head so unbidden and so quickly she couldn’t squash it. For a certified wacko, Mom’s pretty smart!
“I HEARD that!” Miranda put her hands on her hips and pretended to be angry. She wasn’t very good at pretending.
Which sent all four witches into a major fit of giggles followed by the tightest, longest, most loving group hug ever.
“All’s aboard that’s goin’ aboard!” Forgetting for a moment where they were, the quartet looked up, startled, as the ferry pulled up to the dock, its captain covered with bruises.
“That happen often to you?” asked Alex, pointing at the welts on his arms, although she knew the answer.
“Whaddaya, some kinda witch doctor? Happens all the time,” he groused. “My last run of the day, some witch put a spell on the lake, messed my vessel around. I got bounced, nearly capsized.”
Hence the nickname Bump. The flabby Cap was used to bumping around his boat like a pinball, courtesy, Cam guessed, of The Furies and other mischievous sprites on the island.
“S’why I don’t spend any more time around here than I need to. No, sir.” Then Bump bellowed, “Didja hear me? All ya witches, get on yer broomsticks and move it.”
Never prouder to be witches, Cam and Alex — the T’Witches, born Apolla and Artemis — did just that.
Ileana walked Miranda back to Crailmore, turning down the invitation to come inside. She had no interest in seeing Daddy Dearest or hearing his warped version of history, particularly his lies about Karsh and Nathaniel’s friendship.
The beloved trickster wasn’t here to refute the hulking tracker. Well, Ileana thought with a toss of her luminous blond locks, Lord Karsh Antayus might no longer be alive, but his memories, his truth, lived on in his precious journal. He’d bequeathed it to her, Ileana, the daughter he’d never had but reared with all his wisdom and love.
And all he’d asked of her was to be generous of heart, to read the pages he’d written for her, to share them with Cam and Alex, and to keep the girls safe so that they might fulfill their destiny.
Limited powers or not, nothing would stop Ileana from granting his last request.
Nothing!
Except this: When she arrived at Karsh’s cottage, and went to retire the precious journal, it was not where she’d left it.
It was gone.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
H.B. Gilmour is the author of numerous best-selling books for adults and young readers, including the Clueless movie novelization and series; Pretty in Pink, a University of Iowa Best Book for Young Readers; and Godzilla, a Nickelodeon Kids Choice nominee. She also cowrote the award-winning screenplay Tag.
H.B. lives in upstate New York with her husband, John Johann, and their misunderstood dog, Fred, one of the family’s five pit bulls, three cats, two snakes (a boa constrictor and a python), and five extremely bright, animal-loving children.
Randi Reisfeld has written many best-sellers, such as the Clueless series (which she wrote with H.B.); the Moesha series; and biographies of Prince William, New Kids on the Block, and Hanson. Her Scholastic paperback Got Issues Much? was named an ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers in 1999.
Randi has always been fascinated with the randomness of life … About how any of our lives can simply “turn on a dime” and instantly (snap!) be forever changed. About the power each one of us has deep inside, if only we knew how to access it. About how any of us would react if, out of the blue, we came face-to-face with our exact double.
From those random fascinations, T*Witches was born.
Oh, and BTW: She has no twin (that she knows of) but an extremely cool family and cadre of bffs to whom she is totally devoted.
T*Witches: Kindred Spirits Page 15
