Witch's Brew - Spellspinners 1 (Spellspinners of Melas County)

by Heidi R. Kling

  Cursing, I scrambled up the peeling trunk to blow out the fire. Nothing. I concentrated on the cooling spell as the blaze grew around me. My skin fought the heat until finally, a wet breath escaped my lips and reduced flames into simmers of smoke. Weak from exertion, I scraped down white bark and tumbled onto the dirt.

  My aim. My spells. My magic was so screwed up.

  Through a sudden curtain of fog, I spotted the bird. I watched it orbit over the grove and then drop the rattler into dark trees. What the…? Suddenly I was choking back a yawn—my eyelids weighted like fists pushed into my sockets. Gooseshivers popped all over my arms when I flashed on an old bedtime story Iris told me—Dorothy being lulled to sleep in a poppy field in Oz—a cautionary tale. Weak with fear, I scanned the forest canopy. I didn’t see anything, and I didn’t feel anything either. No dark or dangerous energy seeping from the woods. Then what was happening?

  Stumbling forward, I convinced myself that if I could just get to the grove in time, if I could snatch some of those euca leaves, I’d have the strength to get off the mountain, and maybe even the boost I needed to succeed in the Gleaning.

  I didn’t make it as far as the next boulder. The fog was thick with a sickening syrupy smell. It had to be them. They knew I was here.

  Burying my face in my sweatshirt, I tried not to breathe in the dizzying trap, knowing full well a swath of cotton could never protect me from a warlock’s curse.

  Iris! The cry fumbled out, but it was no use. Mom had no idea where I was. My coven thought I was at the library. My mother thought I was with my coven. And besides, I was out of her Hearing range. My final disjointed thought as I crumbled to the ground was bleak: Should’ve let the rattler bite me. Snake poison is nothing compared to a warlock’s.

  Select a choice: Lily Sees Boy/Boy Disappears

  When my eyes finally fluttered open, I was stunned to see a boy with wild black hair and piercing blue eyes staring down at me.

  A stranger emerged, staring down at Lily. The amulet dangling around her neck caught his eye. Leaning in for a better look, he accidentally brushed her hand, before disappearing into the euca-grove.

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  Children of Darkness & Light

  Lily

  When my eyes finally fluttered open, I was stunned to see a boy with wild black hair and piercing blue eyes staring down at me. I jerked up, awkwardly, slipping off the boulder. The only weapon I had, my swordfinger, trembled. Steady.

  I ran my eyes down his sculpted forearm, looking for the ink that was rumored to be the intrinsic mark of a warlock. He had none, though his eyes were a brilliant cerulean.

  “Sorry,” he said, his voice softer than his harsh eyes might suggest. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Oh yeah, sure. More like coming to finish the job?

  His lips parted slightly, as if he was going to say something else. But then they closed.

  I tried to play it cool. “I must’ve passed out. I was on a ridiculously long hike, and I guess I didn’t drink enough water.”

  “You sure you’re okay? You look really pale.”

  “I always look pale.”

  “Oh, okay. Are you out here looking for something in particular?” he asked, head cocked.

  Why was he being so nice? Where were his fangs? His dark energy?

  “I was scouting for…wildlife,” I lied. “For my biology class.”

  “Oh? Spot anything interesting?” he asked.

  “Not really.” I shrugged, playing dumb.

  “I guess I should be offended then.”

  “How so?”

  “You don’t think I’m interesting?”

  He was toying with me.

  I tried reading his face like Camellia had taught me. Tried gauging his energy. I still couldn’t get a dark read at all. He felt entirely neutral. Either that or there was something wrong with my usually spot-on instincts.

  How long had he been watching me? How long had I been asleep?

  I tried to stand and wobbled.

  He took a small step forward, as if to steady me. Before his hand could touch my arm, I balanced myself and he jerked back like I’d stung him.

  I reacted too. A strange buzz in the air. Weird.

  “What are you doing out here?” I asked, to keep him from asking more questions. “No water bottle or even a backpack?” I needed to distract him, until I’d regained enough energy to hightail it off the mountain.

  “I’m on a nature walk, too.”

  Was I imagining the smile in his eyes?

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Anything…unusual.”

  He knew. He totally knew what I was.

  He had to be the one who cast the spell to put me to sleep. But what was he planning on doing with me? The various options made me sick to my stomach. I had to get out of here. And fast.

  “Well, I better get going. My family will get worried and come looking for me. They’re probably already looking for me now.”

  I glanced down the trail, pretending to listen for footsteps.

  “Hmm. Okay. Let me walk you out then. Nasty rumors about Black Mountain after sundown. I’m sure you’ve heard?”

  “Nah, I don’t pay attention to rumors. See ya…”

  “Logan,” he said.

  I swallowed, and stopped.

  Why did I stop?

  Run.

  “See ya, then, Logan,” I said. Why would a warlock tell me his name?

  I stumbled into the mist, scrambling over rocks like an injured wild cat, instinctively knowing the shortest route to safety. Then to my horror, the same red-tailed hawk swooped along next to me, screaming. My finger lit up again, but the last thing I wanted to do was light something else on fire. Dry grass and flames do not mix well, and I was in enough trouble.

  “Wait,” a low voice called behind me. “You forgot something.”

  I spun around, half-expecting this Logan to come at me with his shinai. But he just stood there innocently, holding out my water bottle.

  “Set it on the rock and I’ll get it.”

  “As you wish, madam,” he said teasingly. “Though wouldn’t a simple handoff be easier?”

  “I’m a germaphobe.”

  As soon as the words escaped my mouth I realized how dorky they sounded.

  Germaphobe?

  He stepped forward, set the bottle on the rock, and then backed up a few paces. The bottle rolled off the stone onto the dirt. Without breaking eye contact with him, I walked a few steps forward and grabbed it. If it weren’t filled with damning Elixir water, I would’ve just ditched it.

  The closer I got to him, the more electric the air became. Tiny white hairs stood on my arms like dandelion fluff.

  “You’re sort of odd,” he said.

  “Um, thanks.” I snatched the bottle and bolted back down the trail.

  His footsteps quickened behind me.

  Playtime over. “Why are you following me?” I demanded.

  He stood there in the middle of the trail looking at me.

  Sucking him in, I took a mental picture of his pale face, the almond shape of his eyes, the sharp outline of his jaw. He was beyond hot. Smoking hot. Tree-caught-on-fire hot. In an expensive-looking short-sleeved black T-shirt, broad shoulders—but not too wide—just perfect, he looked about seventeen years old. I could see the boy in him as much as I could see the man.

  As my gaze drifted to his biceps, I saw it. The telltale mark of a warlock: black ink running down his arms in links of Celtic chains.

  I swallowed. “I said, why are you following me?”

  Instead of answering my question, Logan’
s eyes ran over my skin, the way I had his. His eyes on my body felt like lickings of flames. He licked his bottom lip, glanced out at the sunset. The rays painted stripes across his gorgeous face, his sinewy arms.

  My swordfinger took aim.

  He turned slowly, reptilian, eyes like stars.

  I wouldn’t try anything above your skill level. I’d just counter it into something much worse.

  His lips didn’t move, but I heard his voice in my head—arrogant but playful. The expression on his face was deadpan.

  “Did you say something?”

  “No spells please,” he said out loud.

  “So you do know who I am.”

  He shrugged, glancing back out at the sea. “The flower scent, the eyes…come on.”

  “But how can you see through my glamour? I disguised myself before I came up here.”

  “I’m not sure, but I can.”

  “How can you Hear me? Only my coven elders can do that.”

  “No idea.”

  “What are you?”

  “Clearly out of my element. But technically, I’m a warlock.”

  I guessed the girl who said warlocks were hot was MUCH closer to the truth than the one who suggested they were nasty, vulture-like creatures. Was this the reason witches and warlocks weren’t allowed to meet outside the Stones? The reason Black Mountain was forbidden? As Leader of the Daughters of Light I had accepted the vow of chastity. No dating. No…anything. But I didn’t care because I’d never been attracted to boys.

  Human boys.

  Heat rushed down my arm, pulsing until my fingertips glowed red. The air gave way to my magic as his shinai shot from his leather belt loop and spiraled out behind him, landing with a crack a few yards away.

  Logan’s eyes followed his weapon, his lips breathing out a sarcastic whistle. “Just a human girl on a nature walk, huh?”

  “Touché,’” I admitted. “I’m a Spellspinner. Just like you.”

  Logan

  He eyed the witch with more than curiosity. Unarming him was smart. He would have done the same thing in her position. “Here I am, trying to be hospitable, and you instigate a fight?”

  Her hair fluttered around her face as she spoke. “You can get your weapon back after I’m gone.” When her eyes narrowed they looked like half-moons. Father described witches’ scent like walking into a funeral parlor packed with cheap floral arrangements. Once again, Father was completely off base. She smelled like a garden lily after a spring rain.

  “Oh, can I now? You’ll allow me to get my weapon back on my own property?” he laughed.

  As he spoke, his shinai shuddered and then shot even farther away from them, leaving a stripe of flattened grass in its wake. It didn’t stop cruising until it hit the base of Black Mountain.

  “Have a nice walk then,” she said in a nasty voice, but her eyes were smiling. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, and admittedly you have been nice, but I can’t risk a sneak attack. I’m sure you understand?”

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “No?” Logan was genuinely curious. “Why not? I’m a warlock, which makes you my enemy—and you are on my property.”

  “Just because my defenses were down and you overcame me with your spell earlier doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you.”

  “That wasn’t me.”

  “I thought we were finished playing games.”

  “I swear to you, I didn’t do it,” Logan insisted. In fact, he still wasn’t convinced that she’d been enchanted to begin with. “Can you see my eyes?”

  “Of course.”

  “That’s weird. I concealed my eyes from you.”

  She shrugged, didn’t answer, but her face flushed rose. Logan wondered what her skin felt like, then forced himself to push away that treasonous thought. It was her floral scent, nothing more. Entrancing him, wearing down his defenses. As Leader of the Sons of Darkness, human girls were off limits.

  A witch entirely forbidden.

  He tried to catch another glimpse of her amulet, but it was tucked away. “So you have nothing to fear. As neither of us has a reputation in the Gleaning…”

  “…yet,” she finished. “Yet.”

  “It’s getting dark.” He eyed the long shadows lurking in the canyon. “Please let me walk you out. My…family may not be as easily impressed by a trespassing witch.”

  “One of them cast a spell on me, so obviously somebody knows I’m here already.” When Clay reappeared and circled overhead, Lily pointed at the hawk with her thumb. “Great, your bird is back to finish the job. He tried to kill me with a rattler earlier.”

  “Clay? No. He was warning me about you. He thought I was in danger. Dropping a snake is a sign that something is happening. Something profound.”

  “I’ve never read about that in my witchcraft books.”

  “My point is, my fellow warlocks didn’t put a spell on you. I was alone in the grove, and I didn’t see you until you were already sleeping.”

  “Oh, and warlocks are known to tell the truth.”

  He blinked. “We are.”

  “Um, yeah, okay, dude. This has been fun, but I have to get out of here.”

  Everything inside him wanted her to stay.

  “So is that cool? May I walk you back? I’d hate to see this nice exchange end badly. Besides, if you say no, I’ll follow you anyway.”

  Hair whipping her face, she surveyed the mist-covered Black Mountain. Logan should alert Father, his brothers. He should report her, this trespassing witch. It was treason not to. But then the amulet caught his eye again, its indigo light complementing her sea-glass eyes. He knew he’d do no such thing.

  Lily

  If Iris or Orchid or—goddesses forbid—Camellia saw me conversing politely with a genuine warlock, they would die, kill me, or die trying to kill me. And if they knew what I was doing up here in the first place, they’d kill me even more.

  Yet my body angled toward the warlock, his energy drawing me to him. The weird part was it didn’t feel bad. It wasn’t dark, it didn’t feel evil.

  I wasn’t afraid.

  “You can’t follow me.”

  We could not be seen together. My coven could never know I was here.

  He read my face and my mind.

  “Ah…” he said. “You were trying to cheat with euca leaves.”

  I faced him. “No I wasn’t.”

  Too late. I rubbed my forehead as he Heard my entire confession.

  “Look. Please don’t say anything to your master. I wasn’t on a coven mission or anything. How are you doing that? Reading my mind?”

  “Occupational hazard,” he said, apologetically.

  “You shouldn’t be able to.”

  “I’m still not sure,” he said. “During this walk I can Hear you, but only some of the time. Not sure what the trick is.”

  Then a strange thought occurred to me. I might not have a handful of euca leaves, but I had a real live warlock in my presence, who seemed willing to talk. I had to find out as much as I could to help me at the Gleaning. What were his weaknesses? His strengths? So far he didn’t seem that different from me.

  And besides, walking beside him wasn’t exactly torture.

  “So is it true you aren’t allowed to watch TV or read newspapers?”

  “Are you going to report this back to your coven?”

  “No. Honest.”

  “No internet even?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Why?”

  “Father, I mean, my master, doesn’t want us involved in human matters.”

  “Your master is your father?”

  “My legal guardian, yeah. And since we’re banished from the human world, we are also banished from the virtual human world. Make sense?”

  “Yes. But that sucks.”

  “We don’t exist in the human world so it doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Isn’t this their air you’re breathing? Their tra
ils we’re walking on? Their electricity you use? Or do you not use electricity either?”

  “Cheeky,” he said. “We’re allowed one light bulb per room.”

  I smiled. He had a good sense of humor.

  He shrugged. “Anyway, how could I miss something I didn’t even know about?”

  I imagined on my drive home—leaving this mountain—I might find out.

  “So what is your school like?” I asked.

  “You know, the usual—skinning rabbits, burning cauldrons…”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

  “I’m a bit of a pushover for a pretty girl, but I’m not stupid.”

  When we got to the outer ridge, outside the fog bank and into pink twilight, I pointed out my Jeep.

  “I suppose this is goodbye,” Logan said.

  “I guess so,” I said. “Thanks for not trying to kill me.”

  “It was my pleasure,” he said, “not to try and kill you.”

  I surprised myself by raising a palm to Logan, a gesture of peace.

  He held his own palm up to mine, taking the gesture further. Friendship.

  First the energy between our palms was quiet, static pulsing. But then, cool wispy rays of pastels popped into the air and grew bolder. Light danced like trapped faeries as the soft energy darkened into primaries.

  My palm began to burn, but I couldn’t pull away. Kaleidoscopes of heated rainbows bounced between our hands, freezing them in place.

  I closed my eyes, picturing myself falling backwards.

  The spell worked. I tumbled back. “Did you do that?”

  “I swear. I have no idea what happened.”