“I didn’t suggest…” Kaleb huffs. “I agree with you all that it’s best to keep Callie away from the coven, at least until we know more about why Callie was raised human.”
“Anyway,” Felix jumps in rubbing his hands together, and thankfully interrupting a potentially heated discussion, “let’s get this started. Won’t know anything until we actually give it a try.” Then he gives me a toothy grin. “And by we, I mean you, pretty girl.”
“Yeah, I caught that,” I laugh, then chew on my lip again. “So, what do I do?”
Kaleb looks down at his notes, then back up at me. Offering up one of his gentle smiles, he motions for me to stand near the water, while he says, “I thought we’d start by testing if you have an affinity with water magic. I wasn’t able to find much outside several spells to make it rain, which I thought unnecessary.”
I give him a weak smile, while the others chuckle. I walk over near where Nolan sits by the lazy stream journeying into the forest, and nervous energy bounces around in my stomach. Crossing my arms over my chest, I wish I hadn’t left my red sweater upstairs. It’s so abnormally warm today that it seemed weird to wear it.
“First one is a one word spell,” Kaleb announces, moving so that he should be able to see what I’m doing-- or will do-- maybe. “Point your finger at the water and say ‘Aguamenti’. It should produce a jet of water.”
“Sounds like something out ofHarry Potter,” I mutter, before huffing out a sigh. I feel ridiculous with everyone watching, but I gamely point my finger at the water and yell, “Aguamenti.”
Nothing happens.
Felix and Donovan both crowd around Kaleb as he makes his notes. They look surprisingly serious and don’t show any signs of disappointment. Nolan and Connor give me encouraging smiles-- Nolan’s marked with subtle signs of relief.
“Did you feel anything similar to when you created the storm?” Kaleb asks with scholarly intrigue.
“Nope,” I answer with a shrug. “Mostly, I feel stupid.”
With understanding in his warm brown eyes, he hands his notebook to Donovan and walks over to me. Meeting my gaze, he places one hand on my shoulder and assures, “I promise you, this is real. You’re a witch. You can cast spells. We just have to figure out how. It’s lack of information that’s making this challenging, not lack of ability.”
I nod that I understand.
He gives my shoulder a departing squeeze, before heading back over and retrieving his notebook. “Okay, this next one is a chant. It only described it as control over water, which feels redundant, but I thought it might be something that’s combined with intent. So try to think of something you want the water to do when you say it.”
Trying to shake off how dumb I feel, I pull up the sleeves of my faded blue, V-neck shirt to my elbows and attempt to take all of this more seriously. Kaleb’s right. I know magic is real. I’m living proof of it.
“What should I try to make it do?” I ask, pulling out my hair tie so that I can redo my ponytail.
“Something simple but obvious,” Kaleb instructs, not really helping.
“Huge wave that soaks Nolan,” Felix suggests, mischief dancing in his hazel eyes.
Nolan gives him back a look, then gets up from the rock to stand behind me. With hands braced on my shoulders, he murmurs in my ear, “You wouldn’t do that to me, Callie love, would you? That water is freezing.”
My heart flutters and a tingling sensation dances down my spine with the feel of his warm breath against my ear and the spicy, cracked pepper smell of his cologne. I swallow heavily and pretend that my hormones haven’t suddenly gone into overdrive.
“Dude, don’t distract Callie,” Donovan warns, still looking over Kaleb’s shoulder at the notebook, and a blush burns its way across my cheeks. “You know, unless you want that surprise tornado.”
“I’m not distracting her,” Nolan argues, but there’s a hint of a smile in his voice. “Merely reminding her that I’m her friend, and soaking her good friend in ice cold water is not a friendly thing to do.”
“Uh huh,” Donovan mutters.
Deciding to own the situation, I tilt my head back against his chest so I can see his face. “You’re distracting me, and I make no guarantees about the splashing of ice cold water. Perhaps you might be safer behind Connor over there.”
The guys laugh while Connor issues me aYou better not splash meface. I grin innocently and shrug.
Nolan gives me a playful squint, pokes me in the side so that I squeak, then does as requested and stands next to Connor.
I shake my hands out like warming them up was the problem. “Okay, I’ll try to do the same thing and make a jet of water shoot straight up. What’s the chant?”
Kaleb reads from his notes, “Water and I are one indeed; the power increases as I need. Water flowing I ask of thee; lend your power to me.”
With hands held out in front of me, I picture the water shooting up like a geyser from the stream and repeat the chant.
Nothing happens.
