Bound

by Christina Garner

  There was only one more place she needed to go, and it would be the hardest.

  Eden paused in the antechamber before the door to the ritual room. Entering would be the last of the firsts. Her stomach roiled both in trepidation and hunger—she’d never made it to the kitchen for something to eat.

  All of the other firsts had been hard, but she’d forced herself to go to each place where something awful had happened so she wouldn’t be caught off-guard, reduced to tears the first time she was told to fetch herbs from the greenhouse or climbed the stairs to visit Courtney. She’d taken Davida’s words to heart, and while she’d never get over that night, she knew she must move forward.

  But the basement.

  The basement was where it had begun. Where Eden had felt the spell going wrong, felt it taking on a life of its own until Bes’tal had appeared. Where he’d taken enough of Carolyn’s soul to kill her.

  It was the final first and the hardest.

  The hinges protested as they always did, but opened, and Eden stepped inside.

  She gasped, hand pressing against her heart as though it had been pierced. Unlike the rest of Coventry House, the ritual room had been left mostly untouched. Only the structural damage had been repaired. Singed tapestries hung in tatters around the walls, black soot streaking the gray brick. Wax had pooled and hardened in the center of the room, remnants of the candles used in the ritual.

  Eden traced a hand along a support beam—one that had fractured in her fight with Bes’tal. It hadn’t been returned to pristine condition, instead made ugly by the obvious repair. Of all places, why had they left this room looking so awful? This was where they spent most of their time as sisters, learning to be witches.

  Soon other sisters shuffled in, arriving for the lesson Alex had mandated. Each seemed as taken aback as Eden was by the condition of the basement. Most had never seen the damage, having escaped the house before it had caught on fire.

  “He did this?”

  Eden hadn’t noticed Paige’s approach. She scanned the room, appearing stricken.

  “We did this. When we fought.” Eden warned herself not to say more. She had to remember who knew what, or things would get even worse.

  “I saw what he was capable of.” Paige’s voice trembled. She refused to look at Eden directly. “How did you fight that?”

  “I don’t know.” Eden studied the floor. Even before she’d taken his soul, the more Bes’tal had attacked her friends, the more she’d known how to counter, but she didn’t know why. “I think that’s part of the problem.”

  “It’s the problem.” Alex spoke from behind. Both women turned. “And it’s one I’m going to fix.” Her expression hardened into what might be called a smile. “Buckle up, buttercup.”

  Paige tilted her head, her expression growing cool. “Didn’t Eden save your life?”

  Alex’s eyes flashed like cut emeralds. “Actually, Eden let Bes’tal hit me in the chest with a fireball. It was her boyfriend who saved my life.” She turned her pointed gaze to Eden. “And I’ve repaid him, haven’t I?”

  Eden managed to nod, but nothing more. Her insides twisted into knots. Something about being in this room was making her feel out of control as if she were marooned on an island, surrounded by water she dared not drink.

  “Get in the circle.” Alex jerked her chin toward the center of the room and spun on her heel.

  “And I thought Alex with a little power was bad,” Paige said.

  “You and me both.” Eden managed a small smile.

  “Did our spell work?” Paige pitched her voice low. “Any bad dreams?”

  “None.” Eden gave a grateful smile. “Thanks again for your help.”

  Paige shrugged. “We’re sisters, right?” She sounded more resigned than happy, but it was a massive improvement.

  Eden searched for something to say to cement whatever peace seemed to be happening between them but was left wanting. Paige stepped to the side to stand with fellow first-year, Skyler, leaving Eden to stand alone.

  “What was that about with Alex?” Sarah approached from behind and handed Eden a candle.

  “Alex stuff. But on steroids.” Eden passed her hand over the wick and licked her lips at the rush of adrenaline as it sparked alight. Handling magic felt different now—dangerous and intense.

  “Why didn’t they just fix it?” Sarah’s eyes were wet as she took in the still-damaged room.

  Eden swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. “Some things can’t be fixed.”

  Sarah squeezed her hand. “Some things can.”

  “Form a circle.” Alex barked the order, sounding more drill sergeant than priestess. “Sit.”

  “We’re not waiting for Davida and Mikel?” Skyler sounded dubious.

  Eden glanced around, equally surprised at the realization the council members weren’t present.

  “They left last night.” Alex sounded matter-of-fact, but something in her eyes made Eden wonder if she was feeling as confident as she seemed.

  “They…left?” Sarah sounded incredulous, and Eden realized she’d never shared what she’d overheard in the stairwell.

  “They had other business and knew everything here was well in hand.” The words sounded odd from Alex’s mouth. Like when a child plays dress up, and the clothes don’t fit.

  “Well in hand? Look at this place.” Ariana, a third-year Eden didn’t know well, gestured around the room.

  “The Council and I agree there is a fine line between moving on and denial.” Alex took a seat on a cushion at the head of what remained of the red pentagram on the floor. The black soot had been wiped away, but small cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. “This room will serve as a warning of what happens when you don’t pay attention or when you think the rules don’t apply to you.” Her gaze swept the room, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who she was talking about. “The rules of the universe apply to you, and so do the rules of Coventry House. I loved Carolyn, but she was too soft. Things are going to change.”

  A collective groan passed among the sisters; some shifted in their seats.

  “Carolyn was soft?” Skyler muttered.

  Skyler had pledged with Eden and Sarah, though neither knew her well. She’d formed a tight clique with some of the older sisters and had mostly blown off her fellow freshmen. Eden was surprised to see her now hanging out with Paige.

  “Carolyn let her affection for ‘her girls’ get in the way of doing what needed to be done.” Skyler wilted under Alex’s glare. “Luckily, I don’t like any of you all that much. What I love is magic, and I’m committed to seeing it thrive. Safely. Responsibly. So get over yourselves.”

  “Not exactly the St. Crispin’s speech,” Courtney whispered on Eden’s left.

  Alex launched into a monologue about theories of balance and energetic alignment. It was heady stuff and hard for Eden to fully grasp, but she forced herself to focus, even as the voices babbled in her mind. She would be responsible.

  Twenty minutes later, the lesson moved to practice, both to Eden’s relief and dread. Theory would never be her strong suit—she was more of a doer. But the doing had become dangerous, and despite the binding, Eden’s pulse raced with fear.

  Alex broke them into groups of four based on their level of training. To both of their shock, she let Eden and Sarah be in the same circle.

  “I figured she’d separate us out of spite alone.” Sarah looked sideways at Alex as she spoke to some sisters across the room.

  “She’s got an agenda.” Eden was sure of it. “She must.” Kindness was not in Alex’s nature.

  “Probably, but I’ll still take it.” Sarah flashed Eden a small smile.

  Paige and Skyler were most definitely not smiling as they made their way over.

  “Just don’t piss her off,” Skyler muttered through clenched teeth.

  The words barely made it to Eden’s ears, and she wished they hadn’t.

  Paige pressed her lips together and cast Skyle
r an expression of agreement.

  “Guess you guys drew the short straws.” Eden tried to sound jovial—not like a person housing hundreds of souls who each wanted to suck the life—

  “Haaaaa…” Skyler’s laugh bordered on hysterical then trailed off. “You’re so funny. Isn’t she funny?”

  Skyler shot Paige a tight grin, her expression reiterating, don’t piss her off.

  “A total riot,” Paige said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “You should see her at parties.”

  Skyler’s eyes grew wide, but she sat down too, leaving as much space between Eden and herself as a group of four allowed.

  “You can both calm down.” Sarah fixed each with a cold stare. “Eden is fine.”

  Paige and Skyler swung their gazes to Eden who swallowed. “I’m…fine.”

  “That was totally believable, and I feel completely at ease now, thanks.” Skyler’s flat stare spoke volumes before she glanced away.

  “Glad to see you’re getting cozy.” Alex slipped into the chasm between Eden and Skyler. “Ready to get your glamours on?”

  “Glamours?” Eden all but choked on the word.

  Skyler frowned. “Isn’t that a little advanced for first years?”

  “Afraid you can’t handle it?” Alex’s expression reeked of mock concern.

  “That’s…not what I’m afraid of.” Skyler cut her eyes toward Eden.

  “The only thing to do with fear is attack it.” Alex sounded resolute. “Right, Eden? You’re not afraid of a challenge, are you?”

  “No.” Eden’s heart thrummed. “I can handle it.”

  “See?” Alex turned back to Skyler. “Nothing to be scared of. Now close your eyes.”

  Eden did as instructed, plunging into the darkness behind her eyes, left alone with the voices and their terrible hunger.

  The lesson bordered on torture, but somehow, Eden managed not to give in to the voices even as they became more insistent. They wanted power, and it crackled all around her. It would be so easy to take—

  No.

  Eden tightened her hands into fists and pushed away their desires.

  Sarah’s expression was one of question and concern. Eden was grateful she hadn’t given it voice. Not with Paige and Skyler there. Eden returned a tight smile and unclenched her hands.

  “I’m having a little trouble.” Eden kept her voice light. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”

  Skyler flashed a look that said, how long have you got?

  “Me too,” Paige said. “Why is she giving us glamours? I don’t even think that’s a first-year skill.”

  “I think that might be the point.” Eden glanced at Alex as she left one group and joined another. “She can’t kick me out, so she wants me to fail.”

  “Lucky us for getting caught up in that net.” Skyler’s mouth twisted.

  “Sorry.” Eden felt as though she may never stop having things to apologize for.

  “It just means we have to work harder,” Sarah said brightly. “And the joke will be on Alex because we will all pass—no matter what she throws at us. And when we do, we’ll be stronger than she bargained for.”

  Eden wished she shared her friend’s confidence. Without more power, she wasn’t sure she’d ever get the glamour to work.

  Sarah hated to ever think Alex was right, but if such a thing were possible, their lives needed to get back to normal. Or if not normal, at least to a point of equilibrium.

  Coventry House would never be the same, and neither would Sarah, but life had to go on. All around her, bundled students with their faces lowered against the biting cold, raced to class. Life hadn’t stopped—hadn’t even paused—for them. Life didn’t care about what Sarah and her sisters had lost. It simply continued in a forward motion, and Sarah allowed herself to be swept up in it.

  That need had brought her to campus, even though she wasn’t due back until next week. First, she would have lunch with Kai, and then she would attend her Civics class. She didn’t care if she learned a single thing. What mattered was: She showed up.

  Sarah slipped into the room where Kai was teaching a tai chi class. Too injured to participate, Kai called the forms from the front of the group. Sarah liked it better when the weather wasn’t so miserable, and the group practiced on the quad, but there was still something soothing about the slow, graceful movements. Their familiarity was comforting.

  She’d felt the same about the lesson in magic that morning. Alex in charge left a lot to be desired, but Sarah had to admit—if only to herself—that she was the right person for the job. For now. Yes, she was obnoxious, and Sarah despised how she treated Eden, but Alex was the best person to snap the sisters out of the inertia of fear and grief.

  Still, teaching them glamours was an odd choice, and she was sure Eden was right about Alex having an agenda. Why force them into something so advanced, and why only the four of them? One of the other first-year groups was working on a potion while the other a much simpler spell.

  Each in her group had struggled, but none more so than Eden. She’d tried to hide her frustration but hadn’t fooled Sarah.

  Sarah unpacked the sandwiches she’d picked up at the cafeteria and added two sugars to Kai’s coffee. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed two girls staring at her and whispering. It wasn’t the first time that day. The whole town knew what had happened at Coventry House, but thankfully, not many realized she was a sister there. The attention left her feeling exposed and uneasy, and it occurred to her that was how Eden must feel every moment at Coventry House.

  Class ended, and Kai walked over, her gait improved but stiff. Sarah suppressed her irritation that her girlfriend would rather be in pain than be touched by witchcraft.

  Kai smiled and picked up her coffee. “Thanks, babe. I’m glad you came.”

  “Me too.” Her eyes flicked toward the gossiping girls.

  Sort of.

  Kai sat and unwrapped her sandwich.

  “Is it weird to be back?” Kai plucked the sunflower seeds from her wheat crust. “I mean, it is for me, and no one is even staring at me.”

  Sarah was wondering how Kai could know about the two girls behind her but realized she was referring to a small group huddled in another corner. One even pointed.

  “Well, I always wanted to be popular.” Sarah took an angry bite.

  “You’re the belle of the freak show ball.”

  Something in Kai’s tone and the way she smirked over the rim of her coffee made Sarah laugh. Or maybe it was just how absurd and awful all of this was. She’d spent so much time crying; it felt good to laugh.

  “Is that really appropriate?” One of the gossip girls had approached, her friend glowering at her side.

  Sarah’s cheeks grew hot, and she stared at the floor.

  The two walked on, but Sarah set the sandwich aside, her appetite gone.

  “It’s okay.” Kai squeezed her leg. “They don’t know what we went through and have no right to judge how we process it.”

  “I’m not entirely sure I am processing it.”

  “What do you mean?” Kai asked.

  “The Council, they did a thing. At the memorial, Eden sensed something, and I think she’s right.” Sarah felt uneasy admitting this to Kai. At the same time, she was grateful for the relief the ritual had granted her.

  “Did something like what?” Suspicion clouded Kai’s features.

  “Like speed along our mourning?” Sarah wasn’t sure how to describe it. She just knew the pain was more muted than it had been. She’d cried last night, but eventually, she’d stopped. Before the ritual, she’d been sure she would cry forever.

  Kai frowned. “You can’t magic away your pain. That’s not how grieving works.”

  “Maybe it is for witches.” Sarah met Kai’s gaze in time to see her lips press into a firm line. “I just mean… Before that ritual, I could barely make myself take a shower. Maybe I shouldn’t be glad I feel a little better, but I am. Nicole, Haley—they were barely acquai
ntances to you. To me, they were sisters. The vows I took settled into my bones and made me bond with someone like Rebecca—even though I couldn’t stand her as a person. If I let myself feel all of the loss of the past couple of months, I’d never leave my bed.” Sarah wiped the tears threatening to spill. How could she make Kai understand? “I get why those girls would judge me, but I can’t take it if you do. You asked me to let you heal your way. I need you to let me heal mine.”

  Kai gazed at her for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she caressed Sarah’s cheek. “Okay.”

  The word lacked conviction, and Sarah suspected she was going to have to deal with that at some point. But for now, she leaned in and laid her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

  Chapter 8

  “This is pointless.” Eden tossed her phone aside in disgust. “I wish Jules was here.” Her eyes widened as she realized the callousness of her words. “I mean, I wish she were here for other reasons too. Or no reason, just that she’d be here.”

  Sarah glanced up from her laptop, her expression one of empathy. “It’s okay. I was thinking the same thing.”

  Eden sat on Quinn’s sofa while Sarah lowered herself to the floor, both of them searching phrases like “how to get rid of demons” and “Wiccan exorcism.” There were hints here and there that such a ritual existed, but even in the secret app, no steps were listed, no ingredients given. Hours of searching and they had nothing to show for it.

  “When is Kai getting here?” Eden checked the time.

  “She’s taking a raincheck.” Sarah stopped typing. “I think magic spooks her.”

  “It’s hard for me to imagine anything spooking Kai.” To Eden, she always seemed fierce.

  “Maybe that’s the wrong word, but it definitely makes her uncomfortable.”

  “Can you blame her? She hasn’t exactly seen the softer side of Wicca. She can barely walk because of me.”

  “That was Bes’tal, not you, but yeah. It hasn’t exactly been wood nymphs and unicorns.”