by Valia Lind
The moment I'm underwater, the screaming disappears. I let my magic wash over me, giving it a second. Some of the creatures living in this river race toward me, brushing against my skin as if giving me part of their strength. Just like that, I feel rejuvenated and I'm about to shut that stupid bird down.
Breaking the surface, I reach for my water magic and bring my own wave to the top, before I send it straight at Badb. She doesn't see it coming and it knocks her right out of the sky. The moment the screaming is gone, my friends are getting on their feet. Bloodied and bruised, but still fighting.
I send another wave at the birds and the shadow creatures, as Bri, Harper, Krista, and Meredith join the fight. The whole place lights up in an otherworldly glow, and when it settles, we are alone once more.
By the time we make it back to the Hawthorne's house, most of us are barely walking. We've all taken a beating, and the shifters got the brunt of it. They're still in their wolf and fox forms respectively, as they let their bodies heal. Mason stays close to my side and every now and then, I reach out and run my hand over his fur. Just to remind myself he's still there.
"Why didn't it work?" Krista asks some time later, as we're seated on the couch in their living room. Meredith, escorted by Connor and Mason, has gone to the Town's Hall to see if the Elders can find another way for us. Mark and Nolan went to the shop to pick up some things to help us heal faster. So it's just the girls and I in the room, each of us more exhausted then we can even explain. The ritual took a lot out of us, before the creatures attacked. We can barely move.
"We must've missed something," Bri replies, her head in her hands. She looks so defeated, I wish I had something to offer them.
"Maybe it was me," I say, because I've been thinking that from the beginning. "Maybe you need a pure water witch, and not my tainted blood."
"Don't say that," Bri says, looking up to meet my eye. "I stand by believing that you are more powerful because of your shifter side. You saved us, Sky. Don't forget that. There's has to be more to it. We'll figure it out. Somehow."
"The Ancients know what we're doing," Harper speaks up for the first time, and we all look over at her. She's half laying on the chair, her skin a sickly yellow from the attack. "What else are we doing to do? We lost our element of surprise."
"I don't know, Harper," Bri says, "I just don't know."
The silence descends on the room, the heaviness of the truth pressing down on us. We had one chance and it didn't work. There isn't a backup we can go to. We knew that going in. And in reality, with the way we're feeling, it's a miracle we survived at all.
"You guys really are lost without me," the voice sounds from the doorway, and we turn as one. A girl of about fifteen steps into the light, a mischievous smile on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Harper exclaims, getting to her feet with more strength than she had a second ago.
"Is that any way to greet your sister?" The pretty brunette asks.
Sister?
Harper and Brianna both move toward the younger girl, embracing her tightly. Krista isn't too far behind, giving the girl a quick hug.
"You're supposed to be at school," Brianna reprimands, using her big sister voice.
"And you're supposed to be kicking Ancient's butt, not wallowing in self pity," the girl replies, which makes me chuckle. Her eyes dart to me and I have to admit, I like her already. "And you must be shifter witch. I'm Maddie."
"Sky," I reply, pushing myself to a standing position and taking a step towards them. "I thought I was here so you wouldn't have to be?"
"Two witches are better than one," she shrugs, and I'm amazed at how mature she seems for her age. There's a calmness and intelligence about her, that I've seen in her sisters. So maybe, I really shouldn't be surprised.
"Seriously, Maddie. You shouldn't be here." Bri says, pushing the hair over the younger girl's shoulder.
"Clearly, I really should. If you guys checked your messages before doing the ritual you'd know it wouldn't have worked."
"What?!" We exclaim as one.
"I called each of you and left a message, as well as a text explaining what I found." Maddie says, placing her hands on her hips and looking at each girl in turn.
"I honestly don't remember the last time I looked at my phone," Harper comments, shrugging a little. I don't remember the last time I did either. We've been so focused on this, everything else has fallen by the wayside.
"What did you find? And how did you get here?" Bri asks. We walk back over to the couches, taking a seat. Our exhaustion might've been forgotten for a moment, but I feel it now.
"I finally got through to your mom," Maddie replies, pointing at Krista. "It's sad when old people are better at the technology then you are."
"Hey."
Maddie grins at the dig and I'm really really starting to like this girl. I can see how close knit she is with her sisters and I can understand why they've tried to keep her away from all of this.
"Once I told them what I knew, they sent Nolan to get me."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"What does?" I feel incline to ask.
"Nolan is half fae," Maddie replies, without a hint of irritation that I've asked the question everyone already knows the answer to. "He can travel between worlds, which means he can come get me and bring me home super fast."
I nod, fascinated by that notion. When all of this is over, I think I want to ask Nolan some questions. If we survive this.
"So what did you find out?" I ask next, and the girl grins at me.
"Well, for starters, Thunderbird Academy has a secret library, kind of like ours, that houses so many rare and banned books, that I can spend years there."
"Maddie."
"What?" She grins at Bri, before continuing. "One of the books spoke of the ritual that you were performing. But it explained it a little better. You were missing a witch."
"How is that possible? We had the elements."
"Not all five."
"What do you mean?"
Maddie takes out her phone, scrolling over a few times, before she turns it so we can see a picture. It's a pentagram with the elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Spirit.
"Spirit?" Bri asks. I've heard of it as an element before, of course. But I never knew it was a separate from the others. Many witches carry two, as far as I'm aware, considering our magic requires Spirit more often than not.
"Yes," Maddie replies, excitedly. "You need to separate the elements. A specific Sprit witch must be present."
And then she turns to Krista.
"Why are you looking at me?" The girl asks.
"Because you're a Spirit Witch," Maddie replies, grinning. "You're a Reader, Krista. That's the magic of the heart. You know that."
"But I've always classified as an elemental witch."
"Which you are, and your element is Spirit."
We sit back, digesting that information. If we were missing a witch, that means that we can still do the ritual. We just need to make sure we have all the elements. With brings up a question.
"Aren't we still missing an element?" I ask.
16
“You're right,” Bri stands, even weak, she needs to pace to think through the problem. She doesn't get far though, stopping to lean on the back of the chair.
"No, she's not. No offense," Maddie hurries to add. When we give her a puzzling look, she shakes her head. "You really are lost without me."
"Maddie."
"Okay, okay. Let's think this over. Bri, you're Fire. Harper, you're Earth. Krista, you're Spirit. I'm clearly Water, and Sky is Air."
"I'm not Air," I reply, squinting my eyes in confusion.
"Aren't you a mermaid shifter?"
"Yes?"
"That makes you strong enough to be Air."
"Maddie, just explain yourself," Harper says, clearly feeling as frustrated as I do.
"We learned this in class. Shifters have affinities too. We all know wolves are more in tune with nat
ure. It's like their superpower."
"Okay?"
"Well, depending on the shifter, some affinities are stronger. You're a mermaid, Sky. Which by the way is the coolest thing ever. But think back to stories, even human ones. Mermaid can make the oceans dance with their wind. They can control the weather. If any of us were going to be Air, it would be you."
I mull that over, realizing that's she's right. I can feel the truth under my skin. It's amazing to me that I came here thinking I'll discover one thing, and ending up in a completely different place.
"They are teaching you some good stuff in that school," Harper says, throwing her arms around her sister. Maddie hugs her back, laughing, and the sound makes me feel lighter. It wasn't my fault the ritual didn't work. We just didn't have all the pieces in place. That's easy to do when the teachings don't cover every avenue. We've discovered that with the Ancients. If their history was taught from the beginning, we would be better prepared.
"We'll try again tomorrow. The waning moon will be transitioning to full. I'll have Mark bring back more supplies." Bri turns to walk out of the room, before she pivots and comes back to where Maddie sitting. She gives her a kiss on the forehead, before she leaves.
"We should get to bed," Harper says, still hugging Maddie.
"We should. You guys look terrible." Maddie replies.
"Thanks, kid," Krista rolls her eyes, before getting up. We disperse to our rooms, Maddie going with Harper and Krista, as I take the stairs to where I've been staying. I have no energy to take my clothes off, as I stumble to the room. All the adrenaline from the last few hours disappears the moment I see the bed.
When I'm laying on my back, my mind begins playing over all the possibilities of tomorrow. We can't know if having five elements will make it easier or harder on us. I want to shut down completely and rest, but while my body is exhausted, my mind is still working.
I wonder about Mason and how he's doing. I know shifters heal faster, I've already discovered that for myself, but I'm still worried. We all took a beating tonight and it hurts me to know that Mason got caught in the middle of that. Even though I know it's his war as much as any of us.
A knock sounds at the door and I'm too tired to move, so I call out, "Come in."
The door opens and Mason stands there as if I've conjured him up with my thoughts. He doesn't speak, as his eyes roam over my body. I do my own study, before I scoot over on the bed. He shuts the door behind him, walking slowly over to the bed. Once he lays down next to me, it's like my body has a mind of its own. I move towards him, and he takes me into his arms, pulling me close.
"I was so scared tonight," I say, as I hug him. "When she showed up, I thought it was over."
"I know," Mason whispers, placing a kiss on top of my head, as he pulls me even tighter against him. "I was scared too."
"You? Scared?" I tease, but he gives me another kiss on the head.
"I can't imagine anything happening to you, Skylar. You have to know that by now."
I raise myself enough so that I can look into his face. He meets my eyes and I see the conviction there. There's no going back form this, for either of us. I trace my hand over his face, as he leans into it, shutting his eyes briefly.
"Nothing is going to happen to either of us," I say, as he opens his eyes. "We are going to get through this and then, you are going to take me on a proper date."
"Oh yeah?" He smiles and the gentle curve of his lips hits me straight in the heart.
"Yeah. I like all the stops. The dinner, the flowers, the romantic walk through town."
"Could we get desert?"
"Desert is absolutely a must," I smile, my face just inches away from him. "I'll even let you hold my hand."
"In public?" He gasps.
"In public."
"Well, that right there. It's worth fighting for."
We smile, his closeness and our teasing making my heart lighter. I've never imagined myself with anyone, it's easy to be a loner when you're alone. But Mason? He's everything I've ever wanted and so much more. I'm terrified of the way I feel about him, but I'm not running. I will never run from him and that's a promise I make right here and right now.
He reaches over, tugging one of my hair strands behind the ear and the movement is almost mesmerizing. I want to say the words, but I'm scared it's too soon. I don't want to scare him away, not when I decided I will do whatever it takes to keep him.
"You're beautiful, you know," he whispers, as his fingers trail down my neck and over my shoulder. "The most beautiful person I've ever seen."
"You don't have to..."
"I know I don't. But I want to." He runs his fingers over my lips, sending sparks of desire over my skin. "I want you to know that I am completely yours. If you'll have me. Maybe it's too soon, but I'm completely smitten, Skylar and there's no one else for me."
"Good," I reply after a small pause, where I tried to keep my heart from bursting from my chest. "Because I want you. From here on out."
I'm not sure which one of us moves first, but then we're kissing, and it's like it's happening for the first time. My whole world tilts on its axis before righting itself once more. I feel magic all around us, blinding me, even with my eyes closed. I can't tell what's real and what's not, but I know that Mason and I are of one soul. For now and forever.
When I come up for air, I swear he's glowing. And even though we bared out hearts, I know we'll still take it slow. So when I nestle myself back into his arms, he holds me close and I can finally sleep.
The next day is spent in preparations. No one thinks we'll be able to try a third time, not with the Ancients breathing down our necks. The security around town has been upped so high no one is allowed to step outside of their house without an escort. We're not giving the Ancients anyone who can fuel their magic.
We performed cleansing and protection rituals all over town, trying to ward off as much evil as possible. The coven has been doing these from the beginning, but we need a bit of extra help today.
Once the sun sets, we congregate back at the Hawthorne's house. Some of the Elders are present this time, as they're going to stay back here and do what they can to keep us protected. The rest are stationed around town, just in case. We're not taking any chances.
"Are we ready?" Meredith asks, studying each of us in turn. The girls and I exchange a look, before we nod. We are. Whatever happens, we're doing this.
This feels so ominous, as everyone begins to hug everyone. It's like we're all saying goodbye. When Harper reaches for me, I let her take me into her arms.
"I'm so glad you're here," she says, pulling back. "You're part of this family now, you know."
Tears come uninvited, but I push them back. I manage a nod, before Bri is hugging me.
"She's right," Bri says, "You are part of the family. And it has nothing to do with Mark and me." I give her a small smile, before my eyes land on my brother. He pulls me towards him and I bury my face against his chest.
"You got this, Sky," he mumbles against my hair, as I hold onto him tightly. I know my brother. I know how much he would like to be the one taking the brunt of this battle. But this time, it's my turn to protect him. He's done so my whole life. If I can do this one thing for him, it'll repay him a fraction. "I love you."
"I love you too," I reply, stepping back and out of his arms.
Next comes Mason, but we don't say our goodbyes. We don't say anything at all. He stands beside me, and it's me who takes his hand into my own. And that's how we walk out of the house and toward the clearing.
Returning to the same place isn't the smartest idea, but it's the only part of the forest we know will have all the elements present. Once again, we've been put into this corner and we have to make due with what we have. We don't speak as we walk toward the clearing. We all hold onto our loved ones and we stay focused on the task at hand.
The clearing is much like we left it, some of the items from yesterday still on the ground. I give Mason one last squeez
e, before I walk over to take my place by the bank of the river. Even though the moon is brighter tonight, the place feels darker.
"Are we ready?" Bri ask, as Maddie takes her place on my right. The rest of us line up the same way we did yesterday. We nod as one, reaching for our supplies. The wind picks up as we do our cleansing ritual and casting of the circle. A scream sounds somewhere afar off, but we don't lose focus. I can feel the unrest of the situation moving through our group, but we stay true to what we're doing.
"Air and Fire,
Water and Earth,"
Bri begins once more, as we reach for our magic, pooling it at our fingertips.
"Spirit of the Ancestors,
Do your work."
I realize then that the clue to the four elements was right there. We just didn't see it, because of our upbringings. I close my eyes as Bri continues.
"Cleanse and protect,
Cover us whole,
Let this town remain our home.
Protect and heal,
Protect and cleanse,
Protect and restore,
Protect, we request."
Our magic bursts out of us, surrounding the circle and the clearing. I feel it vibrating through me, as I focus on the air around me. It spins and twists, trying to blow us over, just as the earth begins to shake. Horrified, I come to a realization.
"The spell is a magnet!" I yell, as we try and hold steady. "They're coming!"
We should've realized this yesterday, but it's the only thing that makes sense. The Ancient's magic is coming for us like a swarm of locusts. My magic can feel it getting closer and closer.
"What do we do?" Krista asks.
"We need more power!" Bri replies. Where do we get more power? This is the extent of our magic, this is us, complete and spent. But then I see it, a spark of something in Harper as she turns toward Connor.
