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“I can’t believe you fell for that,” Agnes scolds. “That’s hardly the kind of gumption we want in a new coven member.”
I blink. “So youarewitches?”
“Of course we’re witches.” Agnes waves her hand. “You couldn’t be a woman in our day and not know a little magic. Otherwise life was thoroughly boring. Now, stand up and hand over those cupcakes. If we’re going to teach a complete magical neophyte like you, we need fortification.”
“So you’ll help me?”
“Of course we will!” Lottie claps her hands.
“For a price,” Agnes folds her arms.
“I brought you cupcakes!”
“That will do…for a start.”
I sigh.So close.“What do you want? Another feast? My parents are home, so it will be difficult to arrange, but I suppose we could have a picnic.”
“We want to be alive again,” Agnes says.
“Like Pax and Ambrose,” Lottie adds.
“I don’t want to just sniff food anymore,” Mary sighs, rubbing her belly. “I want totasteit.”
“I want to find out if men have improved their lovemaking since I was a Living lass.” Lottie’s eyelashes flutter. “Although judging by that guy at the picnic back there, I’m not missing much…”
“Okay, yes, fine. I’ll do what I can. You have to understand that to bring you back, I need to know your unfinished business. And right now, helping Edward and protecting this town from Jack the Ripper are my priorities. But if I can resurrect Edward, then I promise that I will attempt to help you discover your unfinished business and become Living again.”
The three witches look at each other. Mary squeals with delight. Lottie leans forward and hugs me, which sends a warm tingle through my body.
“We have an accord.” Agnes cracks her knuckles. “Now, let’s make you a magic user worthy of burning at the stake.”
15
Bree
“The first thing you need to know about magic is that it’s in everything and everyone,” says Lottie.
“Kind of how Lottie was when she was Living—OW, don’t pinch my arm.” Agnes glares at Lottie.
“Then don’t derail our lesson. Now, as I was saying, magic is in everything—”
“—all witches do is slosh the magic around.” Mary sweeps her arms through the air. “Like stirring the marshmallows into a hot chocolate…gosh, I can’t wait until we’re Living again and I can try a real hot chocolate…”
My very first magic lesson is off to a roaring start.
We’re standing near the ancient altar where I found Pax’s body. The archaeologists have finished with the site and replaced the dirt, but the grass hasn’t grown back yet, so there’s a bare patch that I try not to stare at while the witches bicker.
I lean back against the crumbling altar stones as the witches raise their arms and start walking in a circle around me, inspecting me as they waggle their fingers, kick out their legs, and chant strange words.
“I can see her aura,” Lottie intones in a deep voice. “She’s absolutely bursting with a kind of magic I’ve never seen.”
“Surely you noticed this before?” I can’t help but mutter. “Since you’re all such magical geniuses.”
“You disguised it well behind your generally gloomy disposition,” Agnes growls. “Now, will you be quiet and let us concentrate?”
I sat back as they continued their reels, circling and chanting and humming and jerking their bodies spasmodically. I expected to see something odd, like silver light rising from them or wood sprites appearing to weave daisy crowns into their hair. I check over my body for any strange sensations, but all I feel is mildly foolish.
The witches dance faster and faster until they all fall over in the dirt.
