“Okay, so green witches are all about the plants, then?” Rosalie handed Cece a fresh cup of coffee before sitting down next to Hudson. He immediately put his hand on her thigh, rubbing in small circles as Rosalie smiled at him before turning back to Cece.
“Yes and no,” Cece said. “Green witches are more about nature in general, so plants, rocks, crystals, herbs, flowers, and even animals. We’re about harmony and healing, and using the natural world’s magical energies.”
“That’s so neat,” Rosalie said. “Being a green witch is way cooler than selling houses.”
Cece laughed. “Okay, but remember that my actual job is working retail in a greenhouse.”
“You’re still very cool,” Rosalie said.
“I think you’re cool, too,” Cece said.
“Even if I kill houseplants?” Rosalie stared at the African Violet plant sitting on a decorative tray in the middle of the table. It was surrounded by a few candles and a porcelain polar bear figurine. No flowers bloomed on the plant, and it had lost most of its leaves. The ones that remained were drooping with brown edges.
“I bought an African Violet because Bria told me they were impossible to kill, but here we are,” Rosalie said with a sad look at the plant.
Cece leaned forward and picked up the plant. She set the pot in front of her and held her hands out over the plant. She concentrated and murmured an incantation, smiling when that intoxicating pull of her magic pulsed in her veins, and green light glowed from her hands. The plant shivered delicately, and Rosalie gasped when fresh leaves grew from the stems and purple flowers bloomed.
Cece lowered her hands, the light fading from her fingers as Rosalie stared wide-eyed at the plant and then at Hudson. “Honey, are you seeing this?”
He nodded as Rosalie took the plant, examined it carefully, then set it back in the decorative tray. She stared at Cece. “Okay, it’s official. You are the coolest person I’ve ever met.”
Cece laughed. “It was a pretty simple grow spell, to be honest. If you really want to be impressed by a witch, you should meet my friend Elora. She’s a fire witch and crazy powerful.”
“Hudson has met her!” Rosalie stared at him. “Right, honey? That sterilization thing with the crazy deer shifter.”
“Yes,” Hudson said.
He was just as quiet, if not more so, than Briggs. She and Rosalie had done most of the talking the last two hours, but Cece had the feeling that both Briggs and Hudson preferred it that way.
Rosalie touched the plant’s leaves. “So, those words you said, that was, like, the spell?”
Cece nodded. “Yes, it’s an incantation.”
“You have to say an incantation to make a spell work?”
“That’s right. Almost every spell has an incantation. Even some potions need one.”
“You must do a lot of spell memorizing,” Rosalie said.
“Blood witches do. Most apprentice witches like me only memorize the incantations for spells they can do.”
“Most? But not you?” Rosalie asked.
Cece shrugged. “I have a good memory, so I use that to my advantage. I know lots of incantations for spells I could never perform because my magic isn’t strong enough.”
“Like what?” Rosalie asked curiously.
“Um… levitation spells, vanishing spells, binding spells. Spells to defend yourself against a magic attack.” Cece paused. “I even know some attack spells, but not ones with dark magic. I would never use dark magic for any reason.”
She glanced at Briggs, for some reason needing his reassurance that he believed her. As if he’d read her mind, he said, “I know you wouldn’t, little witch.”
“So, you just say the incantation for a spell and poof, your hands light up, and the magic happens,” Rosalie said.
“There’s a bit more to it, depending on the difficulty of the spell,” Cece said. “And witches all have a slightly different way of casting a spell.”
“What do you mean?” Rosalie rested her elbows on the table, a look of fascination on her face.
“Well, for example, Charissa, she owns a potion store here in the city, is a green witch like me, and she has a small crystal that she holds when casting a spell to help focus her magic. My friend Elora repeats the same phrase during a spell casting to focus her magic.”
