“I’m sure you don’t.” She patted the covers and backed to the door. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” My eyes closed as soon as the door clicked shut.
Chirping woke me before my alarm went off, and I opened my eyes to see Maria lifting the covers off the cages. “I came to check on you,” she said as I sat up, tugging my covers to my chin.
“Thanks.”
“How do you feel?” She sat at the end of the bed.
“Fine, good. Thanks for taking care of me last night.”
“No problem dear. You know you can come to me when you need anything. We’ll be true family soon enough.”
Wondering what the day had in store for me, I dressed and met Jude in the hall.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine, thanks.” I tugged my sleeves over my hands as the cool air from the hall chilled my body.
I didn’t like seeing you like that. I heard Jude’s voice in my head. We can’t afford to be off our game.
I know. I’m sorry.
We followed Alex and Jacob to the breakfast room, where Miguel sat at one of the tables. Miguel stood as we approached. “Camille. Jude.” He nodded and took his seat. “I trust Jude appropriately reveled in your scene last night?”
“Of course he did.”
“You will feel differently about one another soon enough.”
“What does that mean?” Jude moved to the front of his chair.
“When you are of the same coven, you feel a brotherhood for the other members. They become your family.”
“But I’ll be able to choose to go back to live at home, right?” I asked.
“But of course, dear.” Maria covered my hand with hers.
I drank two cups of the special tea Maria had for us each morning, thinking I needed all the immune boosters I could get.
“Alex and Jacob will escort you to the chapel once you’ve freshened up,” Miguel told us as we stood to go.
Should we be worried about the chapel thing? Jude asked me as we walked to our rooms.
I have no idea.
Once I’d fed Uno, Due, Sette, and Otto, I met Alex, Jacob, and Jude in the hall.
“So, do you guys know what this chapel thing is?” Jude asked them.
“The fourth phase of coven initiation is the element of fire and when you must swear to uphold the family’s edicts. The house of Michael holds the honor of being the council leaders. You must prove your commitment to the coven and ability to hold dominion over other beings.”
Commitment to the coven. The words stuck in my brain, and I wondered if there would be some test of authenticity. If so, this would be when they would lock me in the dungeon.
The chapel doors were wood, with an angel carved into an inset, and I guessed him to be Michael. Miguel, Maria, and a woman I hadn’t met yet stood around an altar at the far end. Two candles on the table created the only light in the space. We made our way down the aisle to them passing stone walls lined with stained glass windows. I guessed they may look spectacular when the sun shone through them. As it was, the panes appeared to be varying shades of tinted black glass.
“Thank you, Alex and Jacob, you may leave us,” Miguel said as we approached. “Welcome children.” Miguel extended his arm in greeting, motioning us to move closer. “This is Guinevere. She is a seer of truth. Because this phase of the coven training exposes secrets of the family, we must be sure you are committed to the path of joining our coven.”
You can do this, I told myself. You are committed to joining the coven to gain your full powers.
“Camille.” Guinevere smiled and extended her hand out to me. I rested mine in her palm. She closed her eyes, and my brain began to hum. Over and over, I thought: You are committed to joining this coven.
Guinevere opened her eyes. “Her desire to join our family is strong. She will complete the training. And of you, Jude?” She wrapped her palms around his hand. “He feels abandoned by his father and family. He wishes to be of the family of Michael to gain the family he should have had all along.” Her eyes opened, and she dropped his hand. “You have chosen well again, Miguel.”
I drew breaths in and out of my nose thanking the stars we hadn’t been detected.
“Thank you.” Miguel uncovered a metal plate, red with heat. A tool with a round end lay on top of it. “This is the seal of Michael; it symbolizes our allegiance to his family.” He raised his sleeve to expose a brand on his inner wrist. Movement caught my eye, and Maria and Guinevere followed suit.
Jude leaned in. “The detail is amazing. It looks like a tattoo.”
“The metal of the brand is sealed in the skin,” Miguel noted.
I guessed this wasn’t the time to bring up that I wasn’t that great with pain. Wishing I were still hung over, I gripped the tabletop.
You can do this. Don’t show weakness. Jude’s voice echoed in my head.
We are not Marines.
“Ladies first?” Miguel lifted the seal and held out his palm.
I jutted my chin out. “Of course.” Raising my sleeve, I turned my right arm up and held it out to him. Maria and Guinevere held my forearm, and Miguel pressed the brand to it. The surface of the metal felt like ice, and a bone-chilling sensation traveled up my arm to my chest. My heart skipped as a frigid mass settled like a weight on the muscle. In my mind, there was only one interpretation to the effect the seal had on me. I did not belong in this coven. A chill spread throughout my body.
“It will only sting a few minutes.” Maria’s words brought me out of my shock.
“It’s fine.” I forced a smile at her as she poured some salve on the wound and covered it with a bandage.
Miguel pressed the brand to the metal plate and smoke rose into the air. “Jude.” Miguel lifted the brand from the hot metal.
Jude pushed up his sleeve and held his arm out, his fist clenched into a ball. I kept my eyes fixed on Jude’s face. He winced, as Miguel pressed the brand to the skin, and Jude’s eyes cut to me. His chest rose as if sucking in a deep breath, and I wondered if he’d had the same experience as me.
“Well, that smarted a little.” Jude chuckled. He was either really good at faking, or the emblem hadn’t had the same effect on him. If he hadn’t felt the chill, could it be that I hadn’t aligned myself with the right person? Doubts filled my head. Had I let my feelings for him cloud my judgment? Was he actually a spy? Bait to reel me in?
“I’m so happy for you.” Maria squeezed my shoulders and pulled me to her. “I feel like you’re my own daughter.”
“Thank you.” I patted her back, and she released me.
“There is much to learn. We will retire to the library for you to begin your studies.” Miguel motioned to the door.
Wishing we could go back to our rooms so I could figure out what Jude had experienced, I followed Miguel to the vast room of books. My fingers were like ice, and I shoved them into my jacket pockets. As Miguel led us through the stacks, I realized his demeanor seemed different. He held his chin higher, and his shoulders expanded.
When we passed a gentleman, the man bowed his head. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Miguel’s smile spread across his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Each patron we passed reacted the same way, congratulating Miguel and bowing to him. I guessed our passage into the last stage of coven training warranted some new respect or appreciation of our mentor’s talents. Or perhaps it was just that he’d snared me and a herald. I cut my eyes to Jude, praying he wasn’t deceiving me.
“Here.” Miguel stopped at a table stacked with books. “These are all the written histories of witches and our coven. These will be your texts for the next week. You should begin. I will retrieve you before lunch.”
“You’re leaving us here alone?” Jude asked.
“Alex and Jacob are in the hall if you need them.” Miguel tipped his head, took a step backwards, and then spun and retreated in the direction we’d come.
I
’m officially freaked out. When that seal touched my arm, it was like someone pierced me with an icicle. This cold aura shot up my arm and is sitting in my chest. I’m freezing. He rubbed his arms with his hands.
Did I trust Jude? He could be telling me that story to elicit the same from me. I bit my lip, wondering what to tell him.
I’ve got to get out of here. That much I’d told him before.
I second that. We finish the training, gain our full powers, and find a way out.
I’m not leaving without my dad.
What about the sword?
I’m going to do as much reconnaissance as I can this week. I didn’t add that I had no intention of joining the coven. Powers or not, I had a sinking suspicion that being initiated into the coven made you theirs. I hated that I had doubts about Jude. He’d proven himself over and over. It became a matter of me trusting my instincts. My gut had said to trust Jude until that brand was pressed to my arm. Perhaps, the chill enveloping me had me thinking weird.
I love you. His words sounded in my mind. Tears formed in my eyes. We’re going to get through this, he told me.
I was glad he thought I was scared rather than ashamed for doubting him. Picking up the text on top, I opened it and started reading. Sitting motionless cooled my body further, and I tucked my knees to my chest.
You can’t let them guess what happened, Jude said.
Putting my feet to the floor, I sat up straight, tucking my hands under my legs. The story distracted me as it started with the first witches sired by Michael barely a hundred years after God created man, followed by the lines of Gabriel, Raphael, and finally Uriel. It relayed how witches fostered peace between vampires and humans. After all, vampires finally had someone to fear.
I set the text down and picked up the books one after the other, wanting to find the one specific to Michael’s line. Would they have given me access to information about Sonia, Thanatos, or Theron? The bottom book held the title Coven of Michael, and I opened to the first page. It described how not all of those sired by Michael’s line joined the coven. Some families formed their own covens, but Michael’s remained the largest coven in the witch community, spanning five thousand years.
“Skipping ahead, already?” Miguel’s voice startled me.
“I’m not a huge history fan.”
“Too bad you don’t have Jude’s memory. You’re both looking peaked, did you get up at all?”
Jude stood. “You told us to study.”
“That’s right. I did.” Miguel’s lips formed a thin smile. Did he think we were bound by his commands now? If so, I would surely foster that thought. It could only serve me well.
In the dining hall, I downed two cups of tea, glad I’d taken to doing that each meal so it didn’t seem I was trying to warm myself.
“Why don’t you have an hour of rest, and then we’ll meet in my study,” Miguel said as he set his napkin on the table.
“Thanks, I want to feed my birds.” I dabbed my lips and pushed my chair back.
In my room, I started a fire and ran a hot bath, soaking until the water cooled. I found my outdoor layers and fitted them under my pants and sweater. I noticed the birds hadn’t chirped since I’d entered the room and crossed to observe them. They huddled on the far sides of the cages. Whatever had taken root in my body made them scared. I prayed there was a way to undo what Miguel had started. At least I hadn’t been brainwashed yet.
“Dominion,” Miguel started when we met him in his study. “Michael’s line is given dominion over the witches. As such we have dominion over all the beings of the earth. This is your last trial, to master dominion.”
Thinking Michael’s coven was sounding more like a cult every second, I sneaked a glance at Jude. I pondered the horrific tasks Miguel had lined up for us. Hoping we’d passed all of his loyalty trials, I followed him and Jude to the weapons hall.
“Dominion over inanimate objects is one thing. But allegiance of a living being is another.” Miguel picked up a cage containing a rabbit.
Wondering if he could brainwash me into not knowing who I was, I watched as he opened the door of the cage and let the rabbit jump away. Perhaps mind manipulation would alter my desire to join the trinity. But if that was the goal they could have turned me against them already. They sought to have all of us, I realized. I was bait.
“Call to the animal,” Miguel instructed.
“I’m guessing not like here bunny, bunny?” Jude asked.
“No, reach out to him with your mind.”
It took the whole afternoon to get the rabbit to come to us. I wondered if I could use the same trick on the canaries. But I didn’t want to gain their affection by force.
Miguel led us out of the hall and locked the door. “You should work your muscles. Give your mind a break.”
We followed Alex and Jacob to our rooms to get our workout gear. I hated that I was spent from our afternoon of wooing the rabbit and prayed the following days would be power-light so I would have enough energy for my camouflage spell.
As was our habit at the gym, Jude and I ran in opposite directions.
Is this day ever going to end? he asked as we ran.
I need another drink.
No more drinking. We must stay sharp. Look for any chance of getting out. Maybe the library will be emptier tomorrow.
We’re going to die here, I told him.
Where is that coming from?
I don’t know. I can’t get warm, even running. I turned over my arm, noting the bumps that covered it.
I’m getting in the hot tub after this.
That sounds amazing.
After my run, I showered and put on a bathing suit. Jacob trailed me as I walked to the pool room.
“No swimming today?” he asked as I passed the lanes.
“I’m beat.” I wondered if he was finally starting to warm up to me, but he made no further comments. The man was all business.
With the hot water surrounding me, my body finally relaxed, and I reclined my head on the wall.
“Miss.” I felt a tap on my arm. “It’s been twenty minutes.” Jacob’s face hovered over mine.
“Wow.” I sat up, realizing Jude was across from me. “Thanks.” I took the robe Jacob held out to me and hurried up the stairs.
“No wine tonight?” Miguel inquired as I let my glass sit in front of my plate.
“I’ve had enough of that for a while.”
“How’s your wrist?” Maria rubbed her hand down my arm.
“Fine. It’s barely red.”
“I can’t wait to see Michael’s seal on you.” Maria beamed.
I prayed it took correctly. I’d wondered if it would show up on the wrong person or someone who had the wrong intentions. Perhaps all was required was a willingness to join the coven though.
At the end of dinner, we made our way to our rooms in silence. Inside, I fed the canaries and opened the window to converse with Jude.
I’m beat, he said.
Me too.
Goodnight.
Jude.
Yes.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
Shivering, I latched the window, piled the logs in the hearth high, and started them ablaze. Wishing I had an electric blanket, or a castle’s equivalent hot brick or warm water bag, I huddled under the covers fully dressed. It took a while to warm inside my cocoon, but eventually I did, falling into a fleeting sleep filled with dreams of angels, snakes, vampires, and witches.
Waking at the sound of my alarm, I dreaded facing another day. But I couldn’t give up or let them see a weakness. We would get through this. We were going to get out somehow, back to my family, and find Alena and Hunter. With renewed motivation, I hurried to the shower and dressed.
After breakfast, we started our schoolwork and were given an hour in the gym. With just enough time for a quick shower, I didn’t dare try to sneak about. When we finished lunch, Miguel led us down the first basement level to a room lined with cages of
various animals. I scanned the room, spotting a turtle, snake, various birds of prey, a wolf, small African deer, chimpanzee, and several monkey species. I strained my eyes to see the animal in the far corner. A mass of orange fur was all I could make out.
Miguel crossed to the cage I studied. “This is Felix. He is an orangutan. If you can convince him to do something, then you can probably convince a human. These creatures are for you to practice on. I wouldn’t let them out of the cages, especially the larger cats. Start with the reptiles and move up, getting them to obey some simple commands. I’ll leave you to it for a couple of hours.”
I have an idea. Jude spoke to me using our secret communication. I’ll do the magic, and you rest up. They’ll never know which one of us is directing the animals. That way you’ll have enough energy left to do some snooping around later.
Good idea, but what about the trials at the end?
Practice for an hour and then rest. If you need help when we’re tested, I’ll help then too.
You don’t think Miguel would know.
I have no clue. But we’ve got to get some more reconnaissance time in.
Agreed.
We started on opposite sides of the room with the smaller animals. When we got to the mammals, the task became harder.
“It might help if we had some treats or something.” Jude laughed.
I joined him in front of the wolf. “Maybe two heads are better than one.”
He worked until he got the canine to roll over. Then it was my turn, and I pretended to try to direct the animal. But in actuality, Jude did.
See it’s working, he said.
Just don’t over tax your energy. We need you in good shape too.
Are you kidding? I’m as strong as a horse.
Don’t say that too loud, you might offend one of our friends. I pointed to the donkey.
He got the spider monkey to clap, donkey to walk in circles, and chimpanzee to wave. Jude rubbed his forehead as we approached Felix’s enclosure. The doors to the room flew open, startling me. Miguel approached us. “I believe you two may be a bit over zealous. I don’t want you burned out by week end.”
“My head is starting to hurt.” I set my fingers on each side of my temples.
Kingdom of Darkness (Kingdom Journals Book 2) Page 23
