AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I placed my hand over my stomach. Waves of nausea crept over me. “I might go lie down.”
“Do you want me to come with?”
“No, it’s okay. Go. I know you need to study.”
“I’m here for you. I can stay.”
I really did want to be alone. I just didn’t want to be rude. My brain needed nothingness for a few hours. “Please. I’ll magic quill you later.”
After a few seconds, she let out a breathy exhale. “Fine. You let me know if you need anything.” She spread out the last word, then squeezed my shoulder. “Anything.”
I nodded. “Mm-hmm, I will. Promise.”
After I woke from my nap and wolfed down a slice of toast with jam, I got a magic quill from Maddox. Ink formed words on the back of my hand, like a tattoo. With it came the tingling, like a notification. The paper sizzled into nothing after a minute.
Big meeting in study. Miss at your own detriment. Maddox.
I rolled my eyes. Everything was so dramatic when it came to him. I hurried to the study, brushing breadcrumbs from my shirt. Some made their way down my cleavage. I gave up on them as lost forever.
Edmund stood in front of the dwindling fire in the study, his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze was lost to a smoke screen of amber and yellow. Maddox sat on the ledge by the window overlooking the garden, and Dora sat, legs-crossed, on a stool next to Maddox. Benji, our sleek black cat with olive-green eyes, napped on a chair in the corner of the room, against an orange pillow.
“What’s happening?”
“Good, you’re here,” Edmund said, turning.
Viktor walked in behind me. He must’ve just gotten out of the shower because his hair was still wet, curled against the side of his forehead as it dried. I took a seat on the four-legged standing sofa next to a desk, which was stacked high with papers surrounded by various stationary. Viktor dropped down next to me, draping his arm over the arm of the sofa. I breathed in his scent, cedarwood with an earthy undertone, as if he’d emerged from a rainforest.
Edmund looked at each of us in turn. He looked more stoic today than normal, if it were at all possible. His blue eyes mirrored the navy-blue of his sweatshirt. He ran his fingers along his light, groomed beard which he’d cut since last night.
“I will cut to the chase. A barrier has been placed around Fairwik and all the towns inside. The elders acted fast, but there was still a chance the perpetrator may have made their way out of Deadwood and into the forests or another town. It made more sense to cut the entire province off.”
Maddox stood from the ledge, hands in his pockets. “How will goods come in and out?”
“It’s only temporary,” Edmund replied. “As soon as the person or persons responsible are caught, the barrier will be lifted.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Dora said. “We need to catch them, and now they can’t escape. Like a rat, now they have their cage.”
Viktor’s low voice startled me as he cleared his throat. “Caged rats bite the hardest.”
“Then we shall bite first.” Dora said, balling her fists.
I straightened myself, then cleared my throat. “What can we do to help?”
“We can reinforce the barrier. No one can take the Serpent’s Ring from its safety box. It’s the only way out, the same as the barrier at the mountains. We must be on high guard. If whoever is murdering people knows the covens well, then they’ll know we hold the key to being released, not to mention the dark objects we keep safe that could be used to fight back and harm. We also have spell books with ancient spells that can help trace, as you well know.”
“We can strengthen our spells at the gates,” I said. “I can call in Nai and the rest of her coven to create an illusion to anyone trying to come in. They won’t even see our mansion is here.”
A smile broke through Edmund’s expressionless face. “A great idea, Elle.”
“I’ll send her a magic quill.”
Edmund nodded. “Viktor, you’ve been doing well these past few days, better than anyone we’ve had before.”
I inhaled sharply, crossing my arms over my chest. Dora shot me an empathetic frown.
Edmund continued, unaware of my discomfort. “We need everyone together as a team more than ever. We have much to guard, so I asked Alma for her permission, and we’re promoting you to apprentice. You’ll be able to practice more spells and will have access to more dark objects. Elle will take over with training you.”
My stomach flipped. An apprentice? That meant he could put his name in at the call. He was at my level. This was unheard of. Edmund was giving him the opportunity he needed to surpass me, to take my job as keeper. Tears forced through the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. If they found out I couldn’t perform the advanced spells, then they’d want Viktor to try. As much as they were my family, they needed a keeper. They were short-staffed. It was all they talked about.
