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“But if I’m bound in the coven, I’ll only be able to do magic with someone else...” Maya ran her fingers through her hair, frustration evident in her voice. “Being bound seems less and less like the right thing for me.”
Austen hesitated for a moment, a contemplative look crossing his face. “I’d like to show you something.” She nodded, curiosity piqued.
Austen motioned for her to follow as he left her father’s room, the objects still floating in the air even after he exited. Maya found it mesmerizing, but quickly hurried after him, finding him heading back to the guest room where he was staying. A part of her remembered the old warnings about following strangers into bedrooms, but she dismissed it. Trusting Austen felt instinctual, even though she usually distrusted everyone. There was something about him that drew her in, a connection she didn’t feel with Clarissa Jackson.
Austen placed his suitcase on the bed and opened it, revealing neatly folded clothes and a medium-sized black bag within. “What I’m going to show you, and tell you, needs to stay between us.” His gaze was serious. “I need you to swear that to me.”
“I swear,” she replied, her curiosity growing.
“Good.” He reached for the bag and opened the drawstrings, hesitating for a moment before turning towards her. “There’s so much I need to tell you, to teach you, and I know you’ll have many questions. But I can’t answer most of them until I return. Your powers have awakened now, and you’re a woman, so it’s important that you know at least this much.”
Maya’s eyes narrowed, sensing that this moment would change her life forever.
“The blood that runs through my veins runs through yours, and because of that, you will be in grave danger.” Austen’s words floored her, his gaze intent on hers. “The Witch-Hunters have a special interest in our family, so you must keep your existence, your connection to me, and your magic a secret. You cannot trust those in your coven.” His face darkened. “It wouldn’t be the first time members of a coven betrayed their so-called family to the Witch-Hunters in exchange for immunity or something of the like.”
“We’re...related?” Maya’s voice was barely a whisper. Was he a cousin of her mother’s? Or perhaps a brother she never knew about?
“Yes,” he confirmed, and suddenly he seemed much more significant to her. This must have been what she’d felt from him all this time—their shared blood. Maybe that was why their hands had sparked when they first touched.
“I’ll explain more when I return, but until then...this is yours.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a beautiful necklace.
“It’s mine?” she whispered, looking up at him and then back down at the necklace.
He nodded, unclasping the chain before putting the bag down and moving behind her to fasten the necklace around her neck. “It’s passed down to the firstborn daughter of our family once she comes of age and her powers manifest.” He rested his hands on her shoulders.
Maya clasped her hand around the orb, and suddenly, magic surged through her, powerful and overwhelming. Austen’s hands on her shoulders connected their magics, clashing as they met.
There was a loud bang as the objects floating in her father’s room hit the ground hard.
Something within her sparked to life, something she hadn’t felt before while doing magic. But she didn’t dwell on it, instead feeling like a third party observing the connection.
“I have to leave sooner than I thought.” Disappointment and urgency mixed in Austen’s voice as he moved towards the bed, then turned back to her. “Never take that off, and never let anyone else see it.”
“Why?” Maya questioned, clasping the pendant in her hands, still numb from everything that had just happened and confused by Austen’s urgency.
“I can’t answer your questions now!” Austen frantically threw his belongings into his suitcase. “But I will once I return. Everything will be answered.” Slamming the suitcase shut, he turned to Maya and, to her shock, drew her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Soon.” And then he was gone.
Long after she heard the front door slam shut, Maya remained in the guest room, clutching the chain around her neck, which seemed to throb as if it were alive.
What the hell had just happened?
The next few days at school, Maya felt like she was moving through a fog. She kept the necklace Austen had given her, wearing it but always keeping it hidden under her blouse. She didn’t know how she managed to get through her days, maintaining her grades, keeping the Chronicle running smoothly, and hiding everything from her father. Somehow, she also found time to train with Clarissa and the others at the Brew. There was still a lot she didn’t understand, and Clarissa’s constant praise of Harper only added to her frustration. But at least she discovered that some spells were in Latin, which made up for a lot of the other annoyances.
Considering everything Austen had told her, Maya avoided any group activities involving magic. Clarissa’s annoyed looks grew more frequent, and Maya found herself assigned the grunt work in retaliation. But she soldiered on. If the Witch-Hunters were out there and if she and the others were really in danger, she wanted to be prepared. It just would be less annoying if Clarissa wasn’t constantly pushing them to consider binding their coven. The woman was relentless.
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“I don’t understand why you are all being so hardheaded about this,” Clarissa growled. “You’d think that you’d be smart enough to understand what is at stake here! Your lives! The Witch-Hunters have been more active recently, and should they catch wind of us, they will come. And you’ll all be sitting ducks. You need to bind your coven as soon as possible!”
Harper’s cell rang, interrupting the lecture. “Harper,” Clarissa snapped. “I’ve told everyone to keep their phones off while you’re studying.”
“I’m sorry,” Harper apologized, blushing in embarrassment. “Millie just, you know, she wants to hang out and I haven’t been able to really do so—”
“You don’t need people like Millie Rosette associating with you, honey,” Clarissa sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You are the leader of this coven; you need to step up and show your subordinates that you can protect and lead them.”
“Subordinates?” Maya took issue with that.
Clarissa ignored her, eyes on Harper. “Until your coven has been bound and I am satisfied that you can defend yourselves when the Witch-Hunters arrive, you’re not allowed to spend time with Millie or anyone else who isn’t a part of this coven. Is that clear?”
Harper hung her head, nodding. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good girl.” Clarissa patted her approvingly.
“What is she, a poodle?” Sam whispered to Maya, folding his arms over his chest.
Maya snorted, having thought the same about Clarissa’s treatment. “Aren’t we all her trained dogs learning to bark on command?” Sam frowned at the thought.
“I hope you all understand that this is for your own good,” Clarissa continued. “Training is your priority now. You can’t focus on anything else while this is going on. Quit your extracurriculars, after-school jobs. Starting next week, your training begins immediately after school ends.”
“No can do,” Angelo replied, not even looking up from where he was transplanting some herbs from a smaller container into a larger one. “I’m not quitting football.”
“Magic training is more important than throwing pigskin around like a Neanderthal,” Clarissa scolded.
“Tell that to Coach,” Angelo retorted.
“I’m not quitting the Chronicle,” Maya added. “I brought it out of retirement, and I have no plans of leaving it to others to run. That’s my baby.”
“Why am I not surprised that you’re fighting me?” Clarissa shook her head. “You must get this rebellious streak from your father because your mother wasn’t difficult like this.”
It was probably the nicest thing Clarissa had ever said to Maya, and it made her grin in satisfaction.
Sighing, Clarissa turned her stern gaze to Jason and Sam. “You two need to concentrate on your defensive spells. You’ve got offensive magic down, but you need to know how to protect as well as attack.” She then turned to Angelo, her tone softening slightly. “Your horticulture knowledge continues to impress me, Angelo. You have a knack for green witchery. I want you to continue honing that natural gift of yours. I have some books on magical plants and their various uses that I want you to look over.”
She shifted her attention to Dawson. “Unlike Jason and Sam, your offensive spells need a lot of work. You need to know how to attack your enemies. To kill them if necessary.”
Dawson stood up, defiance in his eyes. “I don’t want to learn how to kill someone.”
Clarissa raised an eyebrow, her voice cold. “Let’s see if you still think that when Witch-Hunters are torturing and murdering your family and friends.” She dismissed him with a wave and turned to Maya. “I don’t know what is up with you, but spells are more powerful when they’re done in groups, in your coven. You can’t just get by using solo magic. You need to learn to do coven magic, and since you’ve been jumpy and utterly bullheaded, I’m putting you with the best to help work out whatever issues you have with this. Me.” She then addressed Harper. “Why don’t you oversee the others’ work?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Harper nodded, gaze lowered.
“I’m not doing magic with you,” Maya frowned at Clarissa, taking a step backward. Austen’s warnings echoed in her mind. She wasn’t sure if it was the same when done with another female, but she didn’t want to risk Clarissa getting addicted to her magic.
“I’m not giving you a choice in the matter.” Clarissa took a step towards her.
“I’m serious! I am not doing magic with you.” Maya grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. “I’m out of here. Steve’s waiting for me.”
“I did not say today’s training was finished.” Clarissa’s voice was a low warning.
Maya’s hand reached for the doorknob but pulled away when it began to visibly glow with heat. Her eyes narrowed, catching Clarissa whispering an incantation. “I’m leaving. So, stop it.”
“When the Witch-Hunters come for you, are you going to tell them that?” Clarissa taunted.
“Considering they’re Witch-Hunters, I’m guessing they won’t be using magic against me.”
“You never know what they’ll throw at you.” Clarissa tilted her head. “Sort of like now.” She raised her hand and pointed it at Maya. “Constrict and choke.”
Suddenly, Maya’s throat tightened, restricting her air passage, making it almost impossible to swallow. She grabbed at her throat, dropping her bag as she gasped desperately for air.
“What are you doing?” Dawson snapped. “Stop it!”
Maya fell to her knees, trying desperately to breathe.
“She needs to understand the seriousness of what we’re trying to do,” Clarissa said, her eyes cold and unyielding. “This isn’t a game.”
Black spots began to dance in front of Maya’s eyes as her lungs burned for oxygen. Her throat hurt from her desperate gasps.
“Aunt Clarissa!” Harper cried in horror. “You’re going too far!”
“The Witch-Hunters won’t stop whatever they’re doing, no matter how much you beg them!” Clarissa snapped. “Has no one understood this?”
“YOU are not a Witch-Hunter!” Jason snapped right back at her.
Terror welled inside Maya, along with something else. It was that primal power that had seemed to activate when Austen gave her the necklace. It roared inside her, surging forth like an explosion. Suddenly, Clarissa was thrown against the far wall, crying out as the impact caused the objects on the wall to come crashing down before her body followed.
“Aunt Clarissa!” Harper cried, hurrying towards the fallen woman.
Taking in her first true gasp of oxygen, Maya coughed, holding onto her burning throat, her chest aching, and her vision still blurry.
That power, whatever it was, subsided back inside her, hidden.
“Are you okay?” Dawson was by her side in a second, helping her up to her feet.
“That’s it.” It hurt to speak, Maya’s throat horribly sore, her dark gaze fixed on where Harper was helping a disoriented Clarissa to her feet. “I’m done with this. Find another sixth.” With that, she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the Brew.
“Non-verbal magic.” Clarissa ran her hands through her hair, a mix of anger, confusion, and adrenaline racing through her system. “Why didn’t anyone tell me she could do non-verbal magic?!” She turned on the five kids still in the Brew with her. “I should know these things!”