AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Steph’s eyes widen. “I didn’t smell anything.”
I shake my head. “The others didn’t seem to, either. Someone would’ve said something, right? Or at least looked around, searching for the cause of the scent? But they all just stared at me, waiting for me to speak.”
“Someone was performing an old spell to keep you from talking,” Erik murmurs, and the rest of us shoot our gazes toward him.
“No. I would’ve felt the magic. Everyone in the room would have,” Steph says, shaking her head in a quick, frenzied motion.
“You didn’t smell it or feel it the first time, either,” Leif says quietly. “None of us did.”
“But…” Steph starts, then pauses to clear her throat, “who? Who would even know what you were going to ask about, want to prevent you from doing it, and have the strength, power, and knowledge to cast a spell that none of the council members could sense?”
“That’s a really good question,” I say, my words slow and measured.
“It was obviously someone who knows about the prophecy, and they’re trying to stop you from speaking of it,” Jesse says, then turns his attention to Steph. “Someone on the council is trying to prevent her from finding out what she needs to know.”
“My first instinct is to argue with you,” Steph says, her tone dropping with resignation, “but you must be right. And whichever member it is, they’re more powerful than anyone knows. No one should be able to cast a spell right under our noses without us knowing like that.”
I listen as they discuss it, and though it seems like a rational explanation, it doesn’t feel right. I looked at each council member as the magic was happening, and none of them seemed to be conscious of it. Even if the person had an amazing poker face, I would’ve seen something in the eyes, right? I would’ve felt the answer in my gut when I looked at them.
And I didn’t.
“What is it, Eden?” Jesse asks, noticing my expression.
I meet his dark gaze. “I don’t think it was one of the council members.”
“But, it had to be, right?” Steph asks. “No one else was here.”
“No one we could see,” I whisper, and she gasps.
“You think someone snuck in here, simultaneously cast an invisibility spell and the spell that prevented you from speaking, and not a single witch in the room could feel it?”
I swallow thickly and nod. “That’s exactly what I think.”
She stares at me for a long moment, obviously processing, then her frown deepens. “But if the witch is that powerful, able to hide from some of the most talented and formidable witches in North America, how were you able to sense the magic? To smell it and feel it and know without a doubt it was happening?”
“I don’t know, Steph,” I say. “I really don’t. But I did sense it. And I did smell it. I just don’t know what it means.”
“Maybe they’re trying to protect you,” Jesse offers.
“Protect her from what?” Steph asks. “Getting the answers she needs?”
He shakes his head. “Maybe the answers will cause more harm than good. Or maybe just letting the others know she’s aware of a prophecy concerning herself will put her into danger.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. The prophecy, itself, seems to be putting me in the line of fire. How would me knowing the details make it worse? That doesn’t make sense. If someone were trying to protect me, they’d want me to know everything. Knowledge is power.”
“Unless,” Steph says, her eyes widening, “you knowing what it entails is part of the prophecy, itself.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, thoroughly confused.
“I’m not sure, really, but there’s a chance the prophecy can’t come to fruition until you know the details.”
“I’m still not following,” I say, my brows pulling low over my eyes.
“Okay, let’s say, for argument’s sake, someone a thousand years ago prophesied that you would…um…burn a specific house to the ground. This house is out in the middle of nowhere in an area you’ve never been to. An area where you would never have cause to visit. But then, you hear the prophecy, yourself. You now know the house exists, where it is, and that you’re supposed to burn it down. The odds of that prophecy coming true jumped exponentially with you simply hearing the words.”
“Holy shit,” I whisper, holding her gaze. “That actually makes sense.”
“We should go,” Erik says, his eyes darting around the room. “The hidden witch could still be nearby.”
