by Wendy Knight
“You need to stay alive for more reasons than that, Destiny,” he said and when her eyes flew up to his, he quickly changed the subject. “Looks like a root of some type. You need this in a love potion?” He frowned, turning it over in her hand. His fingers brushed across her wrist and she shivered as warmth spread from his touch up through her arm and across her chest.
Realizing he was waiting for an answer, she shook her head. “I don’t—I don’t think s—so. Everything I’ve ever used or heard of using is in the cauldron.
“Where’s my sister?” Fate bellowed.
“We’ve gotta go!” Luca bellowed.
Destiny tucked the root back into her hand, motioning with her head toward the voices. “You can tell they’re related.” Quin took her hand in his, holding it close to his chest as he led them back out. There were holes everywhere. Destiny couldn’t believe she hadn’t fallen or tripped or died.
“Easy,” Quin said, catching her as she did trip, even seeing the hole, which was irony, if she wasn’t mistaken. He pulled her closer to him until she was steady on her feet. Her left side pressed against his right side, all aflame and tingly. She stared up at him, heart thudding in her chest.
“Destiny, I swear on my life if you don’t get out here right this minute I’m going to do worse to you than the warlocks will.”
Destiny yelped. Quin raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t explain, instead dragging him behind her as she dodged around the stalagmites, trying to do as little damage as possible. “Coming. Coming!”
Fate was already running out of the tunnel by the time Destiny made it around the corner. Damien ushered them after her, Luca waiting just at the edge. Then they both turned and followed as they all fled through the cave.
Until they hit the stairs. Luca mentioned under his breath that they were known as the stairway to heaven, which was fitting because he might die trying to run up them all. But no one hesitated. Gasping, legs burning, lungs burning, they sprinted up stair after stair after stair. Fate stumbled to a stop at the top, breathing hard, hands on her knees. Destiny caught her, Quin right behind and the other two only a few steps away. Because no one had the stamina to go another step, Fate apparently decided this was a good place to ask questions.
“What… was… it?” Fate asked.
Destiny shrugged. “Dunno.” She held out her hand, which was shaking, she was embarrassed to see.
Fate held up the small, dried root. “What is this?” she wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never used this in a love potion before.”
Luca dove for it. He took it and cradled it in his hands like it was the most important thing in the world to him.
It was then that Destiny understood. “It’s the Koka Cookei root. To wake our mothers.”
Fate promptly burst into tears. “Are you sure? How can you be sure?” she asked, nearly in sobs. Destiny remembered a time when Fate did not cry.
“Because I’ve been studying it obsessively, trying to find a relative or a replacement. I’d recognize it anywhere.” Luca turned it over in his hands, eyes glued to it. All those times he’d been on his phone, all the times he’d been reading silently—
It was to find a way to save her mother.
Destiny would have aww’d but she didn’t have the breath.
“Well, well, well. Your crazy obsessiveness saved the day after all,” Quin said, bumping Destiny with his shoulder.
“As I knew it would.” Destiny smiled. “Now run.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
HOURS AND HOURS OF DRIVING LIKE maniacs later, Quin gave directions to the coven. Fate was on their tail. Damien had ditched his car where the road split to head home and rode with Fate, and Luca rode with Destiny and Quin now. He’d spent the last eternity quizzing Destiny on every aspect of her life — probably to distract her because she was checking the rearview mirror more than she was checking the road in front of them. But mostly, Quin suspected, because he was trying to get to know the daughter he’d never realized existed until a few days ago. And also because after this day was over, he may never get the chance again.
Quin, though hanging on Destiny’s every word, watched behind them. Casually, so she wouldn’t notice. He’d seen the first of the warlock scouts a half hour ago. He could feel them coming closer, like watching a tsunami rushing toward shore. There was nothing he could do but wait.
On the plus side, he learned that before cross country had started, Pepsi was Destiny’s drink of choice. She hated chocolate, hated ice cream. Loved shoes and the color pink. She’d taken her first step when she was nine months. Her mom had tried to keep her and Fate penned inside a play yard when they were two, so she could do yard work. They’d both escaped, crossed a rickety bridge, and gone to play in the river.
Just in the time it took Alina to get to get to the garden and weed the row that had her back toward them.
Destiny could hide in the shadows. She’d learned it from her mother, but Luca said Alina hadn’t been able to do that when he’d known her. It was more of an ancient warrior witch’s trait. He’d heard of it in stories and legends, but never met anyone who could actually do it. Even Alina’s sister, Winnie, couldn’t hide like that.
She’d played softball her whole life. Fate had played soccer. She was a Steelers fan and “bleeds black and gold.” Except he’d seen her bleeding from nearly every inch of exposed skin, and it was definitely red.
She’d never had a boyfriend. Fate and Damien had been together for years. Fate had tricked him into taking a love potion, but she was completely unapologetic. “And they wear off after, like, a week” Destiny said. “But he’s still here.”
“If they wear off so quickly, how is that going to stop the warlocks?” Quin asked.
Destiny met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know. I guess maybe the potion from this cauldron will be extra powerful. Maybe it won’t wear off.” She bit her lip, and his eyes were suddenly glued to her mouth. Did she have any idea how gorgeous she was? What she did to him every time she looked at him?
No. No she didn’t, because she was watching the rearview mirror now, and he was completely forgotten.
As it should be, since they were running for their lives.
Get her out of your head, you idiot. Distraction would be very bad right now.
It could get her killed, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. Plus there was her little habit of picking up his thoughts, which was awkward.
But Luca was talking. “While you’re mixing the love potion, I’ll find the book that has the spell to wake your mother. After the warlocks—”
“No.” Destiny glanced at him apologetically, like she’d yelled it instead of saying it very quietly, barely more than a whisper. “No. I’ll wake her first. And Quin’s mom.” She smiled at him in the rearview mirror and he nearly forgot he was trying not to let her distract him. “I need her, Luca. We need her. To help mix this potion. That’s the only way it will be strong enough.”
Luca studied her for several long minutes.
“Turn here,” Quin said, interrupting the silence.
Her father finally spoke. “Okay. The coven won’t like it. I’ll do what I can.”
“We owe nothing to the coven. And there’s nothing they can do to stop us.” Destiny shrugged, but her eyes were sad. “If they fight us, we all die because the warlocks are right there, and we can’t afford to not be united right now.”
So Luca’s attempt to distract her had failed. She was just very good at hiding it.
“That’s my girl,” Luca said with a grin.
****
FATE CARRIED THE CAULDRON against her chest, huffing and puffing because it was heavy, and the coven? It was very, very big.
It looked like a city, guarded by a very high gate and many, many witches, who watched them silently as they drove through. She saw Winnie among them, and figured they must all know who she was and why she was here. “That building there is the hospital ward.” Luca pointed to a smaller build
ing to the east. There were sidewalks between the skyscrapers, but no roads. They had parked a ways back in an underground parking garage, and she’d been forced to leave her beloved truck and the safety, however false, it had brought.
“The hospital’s the smallest building here. Why don’t they have a bigger building to treat their warriors?” Fate asked, still gasping.
“Here,” Destiny took the cauldron for a while. It was heavier than it looked, and she cast Fate an impressed smile.
Fate beamed.
“Most warriors are easily treated with potions from the archives, or the ones Winnie brought back from your house. But we are running low, with no one able to replenish them. If the witch isn’t easily treated with a potion, there usually isn’t any help we can give her.” He winced, realizing how harsh that sounded.
Destiny wasn’t surprised though. Fate just looked grim.
“How do you keep this hidden from, like, Google Maps and low flying planes?” Damien asked.
“It’s a spell. It lasts from the rising of the sun and disappears with the setting of the sun. Only the small buildings are allowed to have lights on after dark.”
“Weird,” Fate and Destiny murmured together.
“The buildings are so old they’re starting to lean in toward each other,” Quin pointed out. “The streets are cobblestone because witches have been here for centuries. Way before Columbus. It was their safe hold, and it’s the last remaining. Witches are a dying breed, not only because of the warlocks who want their power but the many persecutions by their governments and people. The U.S is doing everything it can to save those who are left because they’re the only thing that can stop the warlocks.” He glanced over at Destiny. “You’re the only thing that can stop the warlocks.”
Destiny clutched the cauldron tighter.
“No pressure,” Fate said with a smile, bumping Destiny with her shoulder. Destiny juggled the cauldron Fate had accidentally knocked loose.
Quin caught it just as it slipped from her fingers and settled it back into her grasp, his hand brushing hers. She involuntarily sucked in a breath at the heat that spread from his touch. She looked from their hands to his face and met his gaze, so dark and so intense she couldn’t break from it. “Thank you.”
He grinned, as if he could read her mind. She was reminded of the first time they’d met, that cocky smile that had sent her pulse racing. Yes, you’re gorgeous. And you’re trouble.
How right she had been.
But he wasn’t just trouble. He’d saved her. He’d distracted her when she was scared, he’d made her laugh when she wanted to cry. He’d shown her how much he cared, how far he was willing to go to save those he loved. He’d broken through the bars when she hadn’t understood how to do it herself, and he’d trusted her and left her behind them when she knew she needed them.
She realized that she’d stopped walking, and so had Quin, and they were standing in the middle of the walkway staring at each other while everyone in the silent city watched.
She cleared her throat and looked away. “I want to see my mother. Then we can make the potion.”
Luca, one eyebrow raised, nodded silently. Fate grinned, twining her fingers through Damien’s.
“I can carry that, if you need a break,” Quin said quietly. He was still trying to hide that smile.
She shook her head, clutching it tighter despite her shaking arms. “I got it. Thanks, though.”
Lucas pulled the door open to the hospital building and held it while they all ducked through. It wasn’t at all what she expected, no medieval equipment, no potions bubbling, no cackling. There were broomsticks lined up neatly along the wall, though. Other than that, it looked like a regular hospital, everything white and stainless steel. The nurses wore scrubs, not antiquated robes, and they bustled around busily. “We still get the random flu or virus. In the past, the potions have cured all of that, but as our potion witches have disappeared, our stock ran low, as well. Many times our witches are forced to go to regular doctors because they have access to medicines we don’t.”
“How could they let this happen?” Fate asked. “Why didn’t they do anything to save the potion witches?”
“Ancient and Eldest tried. But the rest of the coven leaders believed warrior witches were the ones to focus on saving, not potion witches. It wasn’t until it was too late that they realized the entire coven falls apart without your potions.”
“It’s not too late,” Destiny said quietly. “We’re still here.” Fate met her eyes and nodded.
“Quin?” Suddenly a man who looked like an older, shorter version of Quin was sprinting down the hall toward them.
“Dad!” Quin left Destiny’s side and raced to meet his father. They collided with the force of a wrecking ball, wrapped in a bear hug. His father was crying, but Destiny couldn’t see Quin’s face to see if he cried, too.
“I was so worried. They were telling us of all these battles—” He held Quin out, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “You look like you’ve been thrown around by a tornado.”
Quin glanced back at Destiny, and she saw that he was not, in fact, crying. Maybe he didn’t cry ever. Maybe he was like Fate.
She reminded herself that Fate cried now, too. She glanced over at her sister, who had one hand in Damien’s and her head on Luca’s shoulder. A single tear traced its way down her cheek.
The smell hit her first, like rotting flesh and bad onions. Destiny tensed, waiting for the voice that went with it. “Well, well, well. I told your mom all along that you were the prophesied twins. She always argued with me. ‘They’re potion witches,’” Winnie said in a high voice that sounded nothing like Alina. She came around the corner, dressed all in black and kohl-lined eyes narrowed. “‘They’re not warriors.’ Doesn’t she feel like an idiot now?”
Destiny glared and Fate hissed. “We’re not warriors. And we won’t save this coven by fighting.”
“Luca, where is my mother?” Destiny asked as Damien’s hand tightened on Fate’s arm. Her sister was trying her best to escape so she could claw Winnie’s eyes out, probably.
“Potion witches can’t defeat the warlocks and end this war. You’ve been warriors all along and she just didn’t want you to know. Because you’d leave her, just like everyone else.” Winnie planted her hands on her hips.
“First of all, she left you, just like everybody else,” Destiny snarled. “And now you’re alone, and you’re a fraud. And secondly, I. Am. Not. A. Warrior.” She advanced on her aunt because there was no one to stop her. “This war will end with a potion, not a battle.”
Luca was suddenly between them, pushing Destiny gently down the hall. “Your mother is this way.”
“She’s a warrior, Luca. Your daughter isn’t a potions witch, she’s a warrior. Like your mother and like me. Everything Alina stood for is crumbling under her twins’ feet.”
Winnie laughed, and suddenly Fate was free and Destiny darted past Luca and they both tackled her. Destiny sat on her chest and Fate caught her hands. “What good is a warrior without her wand?” Fate hissed. “But a potions witch always has magic flowing through her blood. And by the way, everyone knows you didn’t make those potions.” She spun her fingers and a rag appeared. She shoved it in Winnie’s mouth and sat back, dusting her hands. “You are nothing to us and we are not like you.”
“We actually have hearts. And we don’t smell like a thousand dead bodies rotting in the sun.” Destiny nodded and stood up. She picked up the cauldron and nodded to Luca. “Where’s my mom?”
He smiled. She’d expected a reprimand or at least an exasperated glare, but his smile just grew, until he was grinning while he led them down the hall. “This way.”
“Admit it,” Fate said, skipping along beside him. “You’ve wanted to do that for years.”
Luca just laughed.
They turned and twisted through the halls. Winnie didn’t follow them, and Quin had disappeared, too, probably to see his own mother. “Almost there,�
� Luca said over his shoulder.
A very old, very wrinkly woman with long, long white hair appeared before them. She wasn’t there, and then she just was. Fate squealed and danced backward. Destiny nearly dropped the cauldron.
And then there was another one. Except this one had silver hair to match their silver eyes. They were dressed in robes and had wands in their hands. “I’m afraid there isn’t time to see your mother,” the white haired one said.
The silver haired one reached her hand up and touched Destiny’s black braid. “I remember,” she said softly.
“The warlocks are at our gates. We have to stop them now, or they will tear our city apart,” the white haired one said.
“Who are you,” Fate demanded, blue eyes narrowing dangerously, “to say I can’t see my mother?”
The white haired one smiled. “We’re you, just hundreds of years older.”
Destiny frowned. “What?”
“We found the strength to fight the warlocks in the first place. One night, one day,” the white haired one touched her own hair, and then reached out to brush a lock of Fate’s from her face. “You will end it.”
“One night, one day,” the silver haired one said.
“We’ve heard,” Destiny said drily. “And we’ve met the warlocks. Alone, untrained, unarmed, and unprepared. Do you know who came to our aid? Not you.”
“We see our mother first, and we save her. And Quin’s mom. Then we’ll make the potion that will stop the warlocks.” When the white-haired one opened her mouth to speak, Fate shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. “Or we could stay here and argue with you.”
Instead of anger, the barest hint of a smile passed across both wrinkled faces. “I am Eldest. This is Ancient. We were potion witches once, too. Until the battle burned it out of us.” She reached up, placed a palm against Destiny’s cheek. “Please don’t let it burn you, too.”
She backed away, letting them past. Luca hurried around the corner and through a doorway. “Alina,” he breathed.
