Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) (7 page)

That piqued my interest. "And?"

"We'll focus on the defensive arts first, to ensure you can protect yourself. Then we'll combine those with offensive skills."

"Like cursing?" I asked, pinching my cheeks to hold back a laugh. When did I last laugh so spontaneously?

"Not that kind of cursing, but I'm sure you could find a few good curses to cast on your opponents. I wouldn't know anything about that skill. We start tomorrow."

"Where?"

"I've booked a vacant room on the top floor. It has enough space to recreate different scenarios for you to practise. You'll need this pass," he added, reaching into his pocket for a slim, hotel key-card, similar to the one that opened my bedroom. "Don't lose it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. I'm surprised all the witches aren't in training now, but I expect that will be the case very soon. No one goes into war unprepared. Maybe Étoile hasn't received the right incentive to order it yet."

"Having the High Council on her side isn't incentive enough?"

"Just expect to hear something very soon. This war must be taken seriously." We paused, silence filling the room as I waited for the enormity of the situation to hit. Much as I tried, I couldn't fathom being involved in a war, or even fighting. It was so far out of the realm of my comprehension that even with the emerging reality of it, I couldn't imagine it actually happening. I wondered if Étoile could.

"Sorry, what?" I said, realising Evan asked me a question.

"Do you want to go to lunch?" he asked. My stomach answered before I could, and I cringed at the low rumble. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, laughing. "Let's go eat and bolster our strength for training."

~

"You asked for me?" I stuck my head around the door to Étoile's office, taking in Seren, Astra, and Clare. Each wore a serious expression. "What's going on?" I asked, wondering if something happened during my absence. Having only been at lunch for an hour, I spent the whole time talking about nothing to do with the imminent war at all. Instead, Evan told me about the changes he was making to his business and mentioned Micah came up with some ideas worth considering. It was so normal. Or it would have been if I hadn't noted the number of people watching us as we ate.

"Shut the door," said Étoile, beckoning me inside with a wave of her hand as she bent over the paperwork in front of her. She added one last signature with a flourish and handed the stack of paperwork to Clare. "We need to train," she said, "and that starts now."

"For the war," I finished. Given Evan's prediction, I wasn't surprised at her decision.

"Yes. I understand you have arranged for a tutorial already?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but to my surprise, nothing came out. How did Étoile know something that was arranged only hours before? Or did Evan tell her? "Yes," I said, keeping it simple.

"Good. Seren, you will administrate the witches currently staying with us and arrange for their training also. Astra?"

"Yes?" Astra stood a little straighter, her eyes filling with hope.

"Could you help Seren by advising her of some of the tricks that a devious witch might use? You have the most experience of any of us in that respect, and your knowledge will prove invaluable." Étoile didn't need to expand on the traumas Astra experienced at the hands of a cruel witch. I had to admire how she didn't crumble under the request. Plus, Étoile was correct; Astra had a wealth of unhappy experiences. Mounting an offensive against Georgia Thomas was one thing, but a good defence would be critical to our survival. Knowing the tricks in advance would help us evade them.

"Yes, sure, but what about...?" Astra glanced at me.

"You'll have time to complete the task I gave you, but this must take precedence. The research could take days, weeks, maybe longer, and the threat is imminent. We must not be caught unawares of an attack at any time. I can't express this enough. Intel informs me it could happen any moment."

"What's happened?" I asked, noting the nods from Étoile's sisters. Clearly, they already knew something I didn't. While I was at lunch, laughing with Evan, they discovered something that I was not yet privy to.

"We've had a sighting of two Brotherhood members in the city, just a few blocks from here."

I shivered at the thought of so much evil being so close to us. Was it the knowledge of it that worried me, or because I thought we were safe here? Nothing could touch me here, but evil always lurked somewhere out there, whether I admitted it or not. Now, I definitely knew that. "What were they doing?" I asked, ignoring my rising panic.

"We don't know. Intel lost them."

"Georgia must have told them about The Amethyst," concluded Seren. "They know where we are."

"We are well protected here. They can't get in."

"They nearly bombed us once already," I reminded them. "They got in once."

"It will never happen again. Security has been increased and everyone is on high alert. Georgia and Auberon's faces have been plastered across our networks. We are safe here, and I doubt if any battle will land on our doorstep."

"Then what are they doing here?" I asked.

"Working out ways they might try to lure us from our safe haven," replied Étoile, her calm delivery at odds with the chill of her words.

Chapter Eight

"Do you think this will work?" Astra whispered. We were leaning against the wall, quietly observing Étoile and Seren as they huddled together on the opposite side of the office, their conversation low and serious, judging by their faces.

"It seems logical. How else can we find out if one of us could be the star sister?"

"I guess. It's the quickest way to find out if this prophecy means us. I just..."

"I know." Astra didn't need to finish her sentence. I knew exactly what she was going to say:
I just can't quite believe it.
I thought the same thing after Étoile announced her idea. That was after we were all silenced by the news of The Brotherhood sighting. It made sense to eliminate all of us as potentially being the bearer of the magic, but I wasn't sure Étoile's suggestion of performing a spell would cut it. Privately, I suspected she believed the spell would indicate one of us was the superwitch, planting hope in her mind of ending the war before it even began. If anyone else thought the same, no one said anything. I could have mentioned our search for the talismans was bearing fruit, but I knew Étoile wanted a quicker solution. At least, Astra's research wasn't for nothing, and I wasn't chasing a fool's errand.

Étoile and Seren broke apart, their faces deadly serious. "Here's the plan," began Seren. "Étoile, Astra and I will start the spell with a circle of three since we're blood relatives. If it's one of the three of us, that should become apparent very quickly. However, it might not. Stella can step in next and join the circle, adding her power to the group, since we know our mothers performed a star sister spell with us in mind. Next, Clare will join us as the final star sister. But it might not work until all five of us are together in the circle."

"Then how will we know who it is?" asked Clare, looking puzzled and more than a little sceptical.

"Seren added a page of Athene's writing to the spell ingredients, since it's the only thing we have of hers. However, she altered it slightly so that the page itself will be attracted to the superwitch."

"Smart," said Astra, nodding approvingly.

"There's something else," said Étoile. "We want the spell to enhance our bond. My sisters and I all feel more powerful together than when we're apart. We've noticed an increase with Stella’s presence too."

"But not with me?" asked Clare.

Étoile shook her head. "No, not with you."

Clare shrugged. "I expected as much. I don't feel any power changes, or surge in my magic when I'm with any of you either. Not even now, with us all together."

"What does your magic do anyway?" asked Astra. "I've never been able to ascertain it."

"A little bit of everything. I guess you could call me your common garden witch," Clare replied without any hint of being disappointed at her limited abilities.

"It could be because your mother didn't fulfill the obligations of the spell – by giving you a star name – that left you unconnected to us, and not as our mothers intended us to be. It's not your fault," added Seren. "However, this spell could change that. It might ultimately connect us all."

"Will we be bound together?" I asked. I'd read about such things during my job to digitally archive old Council files but hadn't paid it much notice.

"No, we'll always be ourselves, if that’s what you mean, and in control of our own magic; but we could all experience a power boost when operating together. It will always be a matter of choice," Étoile added.

"I'm happy with that. It sounds advantageous," said Astra.

"Any advantage could help us win this war," agreed Seren.

"Are we all agreed then?" asked Étoile, looking around and taking in our expectant faces. One-by-one, we nodded. "Go ahead," she instructed Seren.

"I'll need a few minutes to prepare." Seren turned to rummage in her bag. Moments later, she extracted a large, pink candle swirled with white wax and tipped with a thick wick. She directed us to clear the area in the middle of Étoile's sofa and chairs, and we began pulling them backwards and pushing the coffee table to one side to leave a space for all of us to stand. Snapping open a bag of herbs, she held it low to the ground, shaking it as she walked backwards, gradually forming a closed circle. She placed the candle in the middle, and lit it with a small plastic lighter she pulled from her pocket. Taking five smaller candles from her bag, she handed one to Clare and one to me. The remaining three were lit from the central candle, then handed to Étoile and Seren. I couldn't help taking a sniff of the scent; it smelled of honey and roses. "Sweet for friendship and family love," Seren explained as the three sisters stepped into the gently fragranced circle.

With a throw of her fingers, Étoile cast the spell from Seren's notes into the air, leaving the words suspended in front of us. Reciting the words, they chanted in unison as the first sliver of wax began to melt down the sides of the candle. Tipping the candles in their hands forward, the wicks met briefly as one large flame.

Without realising it, Clare and I shuffled closer together, watching and waiting. I wasn't sure what would happen if the spell revealed the superwitch now. My heart rate increased with a steady thump, and my breath caught in my throat as we waited. I wanted it to be one of them, I realised. I wanted to know that all my sourcing of the artifacts was worth it, and I would have someone to hand them to who would know how to use them. Not only that, but every single thing we were doing could be useful with the fabled superwitch on our side. My biggest fear was that we were chasing the wrong leads. If we were, and nothing happened, we wouldn't have that crucial advantage over The Brotherhood. Whatever they did to me, they would be free to do to countless others.

The chant began a second refrain, the spell framed by the silence of the room. Pausing briefly, the sisters waited, but nothing happened. With a nod from Seren, they launched into their third refrain before waiting silently once more and breaking apart.

"It's not one of us," said Astra.

"Agreed," said Étoile as Seren nodded. "Stella, step into the circle and light your candle from the one on the floor."

With a cautious glance at Clare, returned by an encouraging smile from her, I stepped inside, feeling the air change the moment both feet entered the circle. It felt warmer, and the air became visible like heat rising from tarmac on a hot day. I hadn't noticed that when I was outside. Kneeling, I leaned my candle into the bigger one, waiting as the flame caught, before rising again.

"What now?" I asked.

"Join hands with us," instructed Seren. Looking down at my candle, I wondered how I could hold it and join hands. "Like this," smiled Seren, fixing her hands around the candle and sticking out her pinky fingers. I followed her cue, linking my pinky with hers on the right, and Étoile's on the left.

We chanted the spell again and I felt a small ripple of power flowing through me. It came from the Winterstorm sisters, and seemed as familiar as my own magic. I allowed it to pass through me like electricity, letting the current stream into the next person. The power increased on the second pass of the spell. By the third time, I didn't need to focus on the suspended words, I knew them well enough to repeat verbatim.

As we reached the end of the spell, magic began to rush through us and then around us, its power growing until it was almost oppressive as our candle flames touched briefly. I concentrated on anchoring my feet to the floor as the whirlwind of magic rose around us. A great shudder shook the floor and I turned my wide, afraid eyes on the sisters.

Seren shouted something, but all I could do was give her a confused shrug. She leaned in, yelling, "You're pulling on earth energy."

"I'm trying not to fall over," I yelled back as the magic whipped around us, lifting my hair and tickling the back of my neck. Below us, the ground shook.

"You're pulling earth energy through the whole building. It shouldn't..." Seren broke off, coughing.

Instead of straining to hear her, I drew within myself, seeking the earth energy. I found the strain that I somehow sucked up and gave it a gentle nudge, pushing it from my body and allowing it to shrink back into the earth from where I drew it. As it gradually receded, the floor stopped shaking.

"Is that it? Is it Stella?" asked Astra, staring at me.

"No, that was a huge surge of earth energy, but it was weird," replied Seren.

"I was trying not to fall over in that whirlwind, and had to concentrate on my feet just to stay still, and it suddenly appeared there," I protested. "Where did that whirlwind come from?"

"It's the magic. It wasn't as strong with just the three of us, and it's coming back," said Étoile. "The earthquake will take some explaining, but at least, now we can rule you out as the superwitch."

"One hundred percent," I agreed. "I don't feel any different."

"I didn't feel any change in the magic," said Seren as her hair whipped around her face, the wind rising again. "I agree. It's not Stella either. Clare, you need to step in so we can restart the spell before we lose our momentum. Let's break apart so Clare can light her candle."

Clare stepped over the herb circle, shivering as a blast of wind accosted her, and stopped between Seren and me. We watched her repeat my movements. First, kneeling to light her candle, and then rising as we shuffled around her, linking our fingers around the candles.

"Last time," said Étoile, her words remarkably brief, given the situation. We had one last chance to discover if the superwitch were one of us, the most likely candidates. In a few minutes, it could all be over, and then where would we be?

In unison, we started again, working our way through the spell. Just as before, the magic began to rise, pulling its way around us and sliding through our veins, prickling our skin. It took a momentous, collective effort to concentrate on the spell. As we touched our flames together, uttering the last words on our tongues, I knew we were defeated.

There was no sudden rise in power, no superwitch bursting from our circle to save us all. Yes, we had a connection to each other, but despite its beauty as a spell, it wasn't enough. And certainly not what Étoile hoped for.

"I don't feel any different," said Clare, breaking the silence. "I mean, I feel nice, actually, I feel really good, and more in tune with you all, but I don't feel special. It's not me."

"It's not any of us," said Astra, voicing all of our thoughts. "So who the hell is it? Was there another prophecy?"

"I feel good too. I can't explain it, but I sense our connection even though we're not linked anymore." I held up my hand, and little sparks flew from my fingers only to disappear in the air. Despite having a connection with the sisters before, it never felt like this. I’d grown stronger, more confident, and more able.

"Étoile, maybe this superwitch doesn't exist," said Seren, her voice soft with disappointment.

Étoile pursed her lips, but I couldn't decide if she were angry, disappointed, or both. "Maybe; but we need to keep looking until we exhaust all avenues. We need those talismans. Stella?"

"I have one. That is, I know where it is and I'll have it very soon."

"And the others?"

I swallowed, facing the task I'd been avoiding. I had to find Gage and convince him to turn over the talisman. "I might have one more very soon."

"Astra?"

"I don't have any leads on the others, except one is a pendant," she said, glancing at me for confirmation that it was the right answer.

"Then get back to work! I need to figure out a way to ensure the humans will consider Stella's power surge as nothing more than an earthquake." Étoile turned away from the debris caused by Seren's spell, but not fast enough. I saw the strain and disappointment on her face. I knew then that Étoile was hiding something from us, something that made finding the superwitch more imperative than a simple hope.

~

Gage didn't answer his phone, or the line in his room. I didn't know where to find him despite searching in all the likely public places: the break-rooms, the hall, the restaurant, but he was nowhere to be found. After an hour of looking on all the Council's floors in The Amethyst, I had to admit defeat. Gage wasn't in the building and there was nothing I could do, but wait and hope he wasn't avoiding me deliberately.

Making my way to the library, I wished he went out with a search party, and was finally making a breakthrough in locating the people I left, no,
I was forced to leave behind
, I reminded myself. Despite my goal of not indulging in anymore guilt-ridden self-blame, I couldn't help it. The guilt, shame and helplessness soon became overwhelming.

Waiting in the library was the next best thing, I decided as I pushed my way through the large doors. Astra mentioned some books on talismans here, and I planned to use my waiting time constructively by researching what the other objects might be. Knowing where to find the horologican and werewolf totem wasn't enough. I needed every piece of the puzzle, and Étoile was relying on me to obtain them. I might be useless to the search party, but at least, I could help here.

The library was quiet, and the musty air was infused with the scent of old leather and parchment. I slung my cardigan around the back of a heavy, wooden chair, subtly reserving that space while I perused the stacks of old books. Some of them vibrated as I passed by, almost eagerly begging me to pick them up and browse, but most of them remained still, reserving their magic in their words rather than emanating from the pages.