Hunter pressed his lips together. No, he replied. But I havent given up. Ive thought about the clues Ive hada walled city, the fact that I spoke in French. There are a number of walled medieval cities in France. Ive asked the council whether I can have leave to go look for my father and mother
My heart literallyliterallystopped beating for a moment.
but theyve refused. They think my evidence isnt strong enough. They wont tell me what research theyve done so far, and they wont send someone to France now. But it looks like there might be someone who is willing to search for me. Someone who isnt in the council and isnt bound by their rules.
I was so relieved that Hunter wasnt leaving that the ominous note in his voice barely registered in my mind. Who? I asked.
Sky.
What? I asked. Sky was going to France? What about Kithic? How long will she be gone?
Hunter looked sad. Its unclear. Shes quit her job already. After shes finished in France, she may go back to England, he explained.
Butbut I sputtered. Sky and I had never been terribly close. Still, I didnt want her to leave. Hunter reached out and touched the tips of my long hair.
Well all miss her, he said. But she doesnt want to stay here, Morgan. Things have been hard for her. Hunter looked at me, and I knew that he was talking about Skys breakup with Raven. I knew she had to be excited at the thought of going home to her friends. Besides, Hunter added, I need her help.
I nodded. Hunter was rightthis was important. I knew that even though he wasnt saying it, Hunter didnt want to send her. He wanted to go himself.
By the time I stepped into the school building, the bell ending first period had already rung. This was actually a good thing. If I had walked inside in the middle of first period, I would have almost certainly been stopped by Assistant Principal Collello, who seemed to think that it was his personal duty to hand out detentions to as many students as possible. But by coming in during the minutes between first and second period, I could just blend in with all the other students and make my way to class.
I pulled off my cap and felt static running through my hair. It was probably standing on end. I decided Id better make a quick stop at the girls room to check if I was presentable before wandering into class. I didnt want to look like I was just coming in from outside, after all.
A quick glance in the mirror showed me that the problem was more serious than Id thought. My hair looked like a fright wig. I raked my fingers through it. It didnt help. I was just concluding that the situation was hopeless when the door swung open and Bree walked in.
Morgan, she said quickly. Im glad youre here. Ive been looking everywhere. She leaned gracefully against the sink and swung her backpack from her shoulder, balancing it on the shelf in front of us.
I was way late. I wet my fingers under the faucet and attempted to comb my hair with them again.
Do you want a brush? Bree asked, rummaging around in her leather backpack. She finally pulled out a wide-toothed comb.
Fantastic, I said, taking it from her. I pulled it through my hair, which began to settle down. Thank goodness.
Listen, Morgan, I need to talk to you.
Our eyes met in the mirror. Whats going on? I asked.
Well, Robbie and I finally talked. He told me that hed spoken to you and that he thought there had been a big misunderstanding.
Thats great! I said. So are you guys back together?
Well, yes, Bree admitted. She twirled the ends of her hair. The worried gesture.
I frowned. So whats wrong? I asked.
Bree looked at herself in the mirror, then looked back at me. Its just thatwhen I thought that Robbie and I were breaking up, I sort of. .
My stomach dropped. What? I demanded. What did you do?
I sort of. . fooled around with Matt.
Oh my God. I wheeled to face her. Did you
No. Bree folded her arms across her chest. Absolutely not. Just, you know, kissing.
I couldnt believe this. Matt Adler! My mind flashed back to the day I saw him cheating on Jenna with Raven. I felt ill. And you didnt tell Robbie?
I didnt know how to. Brees voice was pleading. I mean, it isnt exactly cheating because I thought we were broken up. It was really just a mistake. One that will not happen again. But I got scared that Robbie might not take it that way. So I kept my mouth shut.
I looked at her closely, trying to remain calm. I knew from personal experience with Mary K. that keeping the truth quiet was usually a mistake. Keeping your mouth shut about this is like lying, Bree, I told her. Its the same thing.
Bree bit her lip. I knew that wasnt what shed wanted to hear.
So youre going to talk to him? I prompted.
Bree hesitated. I guess so.
I folded my arms across my chest. You might want to do it soonlike before Matt tells anyone that he made out with you.
Brees face went white. He wouldnt.
I shrugged. He didnt think you were cheating, either, right? So he has no reason to keep quiet about it. And Im guessing hell boast.
That seemed to do it. Bree thought for a moment, then nodded. Okay, she said finally. Okay. I handed her the brush, and she stuck it in her bag. Did you hear about Sky? she asked.
Just now.
I cant believe it, Bree said. Whats Kithic going to be like? I just cant imagine circles without her. She shook her head and sighed.
Me either.
I dont know, Morgan, Bree murmured. Sometimes I feel like everythings falling apart.
I thought of Hunter, my father, my reined power, my family. . I considered telling Bree about my parents wanting to send me to Saint Annes but decided that could wait. She had enough to worry about. Yeah, I answered instead. I know what you mean.
12Restoration
October 14, 1971
I can feel the darkness closing in.
Today, the day after my argument with Mother, I went back to the library and pulled out the Book. I dont know what made me do itI suppose I thought that it might have some advice on how to stop the same dark magick it unleashed. Which it did. Page after page on binding witches, both in secret and in the open. It even had a section on how to bind ones own magick. But I wasnt sureI mean, I didnt know for sure that Sam was behind the latest piece of dark magick.
I decided to look for another option.
I flipped through the book, skimming it, and finally came across a chapter called On the Movements of Objects through the Aire. Just like the plates and the drawer in the kitchen, I thought, and the lamp in the corner. So I read it. And guess what it said? It said that some witches, when theyre in an agitated state of mind, can mentally move onjects without realizing it.
So Sam could be behind these events, I realized. He wouldnt have to be into dark magick to be behind them. As long as he is nearby and is familiar with the objects in question, he could move them with his mind. Obviously hes eaten off the plates in the kitchen often enough to be able to picture them. And he was in the house both times.
I went to leave the library. But as I stood there redrawing the sigils of protection and obscurity around the door, I suddenly realized something.
Sam doesnt know about the library.
He wont be shown the library until his initiation. He doesnt even know it exists. So how could he have made the lamp fall over inside it?
In fact, theres only one witch in the house who knows about the library and is in an agitated state of mind. The same person who was present at both events. The one person I would never suspect.
Me.
Sarah Curtis
With this salt, I purify my circle. I couldnt wait to be unbound. I sprinkled salt around the large circle I had drawn lightly on the floor of my room. It was midnight, and my family was asleep. Still, I had shoved a chair up against the door leading from my room into the bathroom and a few books up against the main door to my room. I didnt want any more people accidentally barging into my room while I was in the middle of making magick.
I picked up the lapis lazuli from where I had placed it at the center of the circle. The stone felt cool in my hand. The gentle silk of my birth mothers green robe felt smooth against my skin, and even though my power was still reined, these two things made me feel like I was surrounded by good magick.
Lying down in the center of the circle, I placed the smooth stone on my forehead. I wasnt exactly sure what to do, so I decided to try casting out my senses.
I could feel Hunters presence almost like he was in the room with me. My eyes were filled with fog that slowly began to lift slightly. As I looked around me, I saw that I was no longer in my room. I was in Hunters living room. Sitting across from me was Alyce. To her right was Sky; to her left was Erin. Skys lips were moving, but I couldnt hear what she was saying. Soon the others closed their eyes, and I saw their lips moving as well. They were chanting, I guessed. I watched all of this through a thin film of haze, like static from a channel that wasnt coming in clearly. What was this spell they were casting? It looked totally unfamiliar to me.
After a few moments Erin lit a black pillar candle. Then Alyce drew out a long string of thread and burned it over the candle so that it was broken in two. Silver flame licked up the thread, which dissolved into a fine, shimmery powder. Alyce blew on the powder so that it floated through the room, growing into a large cloud of sparkling dust. Soon everyone was covered in it. The powder gave everything it landed on a magickal glow, as if the room were bathed in the rosy light of a sunrise. All the while their lips were moving in the chant. It was eerie, like watching a suspense movie with the sound turned off, but somehow beautiful.
Erin placed her fingers in a bowl of water, then passed her hand over it three times. Quite suddenly the haze began to lift, and I could see everyone clearly. At the same time I realized that for the first time in days, I didnt have a headache. In fact, I felt wonderful, as if Id just taken a long nap and a hot shower. I noticed that I was very, very hungry. That was when I knew that the ceremony I had just witnessed had restored my magick.
Hunter, Sky said to me. Her voice was far away, like a voice in a dream. Hunter, is she with us?
Yes, I said to Sky. I had spoken with Hunters voice, almost as if we were one person, one will. It was then that I fully understood that I was seeing through his eyesthat I was actually within Hunter. I wasnt even certain whether the intention to speak had been my own or his. In the next moment I felt a rush of excitement. It was a visceral feeling, almost like lust, and once again I wasnt sure whether the feelings were Hunters or my own. Suddenly I felt very self-conscious.
Welcome to the circle, Morgan, Erin said.
There was so much I wanted to sayI wanted everyone to know how grateful I was to have my magick back; I wanted Sky to know that I was sorry she was leaving. But the power of the moment was intense, and it seemed inappropriate to address anything but the grim task at hand. I focused my energy on Hunters presence. I felt a warm rush of strength and love and somehow knew that Hunter was sending me his emotions. I pulled those feelings around me like a blanket.
Erin pulled the book, still wrapped in its dark shroud, from its place beside her and placed it in her lap. After untying the silk cover, she turned to a page she had marked with a red bookmark. Erin closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to take a deep breath to steady herself. Then she opened her eyes and began to read the spell aloud.
The words were harsh and ugly, half of them written in an ancient language that I didnt understandone that seemed older than any language Id heard before. They seemed to force their way out of Erins throat, as if she could hardly bear to utter them. Alyces eyes were closed, and she was grimacing as if in pain with every word Erin spoke. Sweat broke out on Skys forehead, and a bead trickled down the side of her face. Even I felt dizzy and tired, although I couldnt tell whether it was the effect of the spell or the strain of experiencing the circle through Hunter. I felt a current run through me like a bolt of electricity, and I knew it was the power of the circle growing and combining, running through all of us.
I felt a wave of exhaustionHunters, I was almost certain. Alyces face was flushing pink, then darker red. Her grimace grew wider, and it seemed like she could hardly bear what was happening. Tendrils of her gray hair worked their way loose from her long braid. I noticed this in a moment, a period of time shorter than a heartbeat, then slowly, slowly, the haze began to return. The scene was filling with fog that grew thicker with each passing moment. Whats happening? I thought frantically, but not fast enough. The words beat back against me as if I was shouting into the wind. I felt certain that they had reached no onenot even Hunter.
I became aware of a sound, a sound very much like the roaring ocean beating against the rocks, then drawing back, then beating once again against the rocks. It was a sound I knew, though it took me a moment to place it.
It was the sound of my breathing.
I opened my eyes and found myself in my own room. I tried to cast out my senses again for Hunter but found that I couldnt. Hunter, Sky, Alyce, and Erinhad their magick been sapped, too? Did that mean the spell had been successful? I had no ideaI hoped so.
I couldnt believe that everything had happened so quickly. I struggled to sit up, and the lapis lazuli fell from my forehead with a thunk against the floor. I picked it up and held it against my lips for a moment.
I felt like hell.
Standing up, I pulled off Maeves robe and folded it carefully. Then I yanked on a flannel nightgown and crept to the hiding place where I kept all of my mothers tools, behind the HVAC vent, and carefully put the robe back in its place. I set the lapis lazuli on my nightstand. Crawling into bed, I gently lifted Dagdas soft form and placed him at the end of the bed. I stroked his fur, then pulled the covers over me.
Staring into the darkness, I wished I could call Hunter. . just to hear his voice and to know whether the spell had worked. It seemed cruel to have my magick backto feel it flowing through me so fiercely for a few momentsand then to have it ripped away again. Still, I knew the magick would return. And I knew that Hunter would, too.
And if there was one thing I had learned how to do lately, it was wait.
I expected to feel better when I woke up the next morning, which is why it was such a rude shock when I still felt horrible. Every muscle ached, and when I tried to sit up, my body actually shook with the effort. Still, I forced myself over to my dresser and pulled on some fresh clothes. I had to go to school todaymy history paper was due. Id spent practically every spare moment, every lunch period and study hall, working on it. Even if it wouldnt help my quest to stay out of Catholic school, I wasnt about to let those precious twenty points of extra credit go without a fight.
I thought Id never make it to fifth period. But when I walked into history class and placed my paper on Mr. Powells desk, I felt proud of myself and happy. Even though my parents had never approved of my topic, the paper was good, and I knew it.
After school I came home and fell straight into bed. I didnt wake up until eight oclock, when my mom appeared in my bedroom with a tray, looking worried. Are you all right, Morgan? she asked.
Fine, I said, my voice thick from sleep. I just stayed up late last night. I had to hand in my history paper today. Both of these things were true, although unrelated.
My mom nodded. I made you some soup. She placed the tray on the floor by my bed. Lean forward.
I obeyed, and she plumped up the pillows behind me. Then she placed the tray on my lap. The soup was minestroneone of my favorites. Delicious, I said when Id had a spoonful.
I didnt wake you because I figured you needed your rest, my mom said. Besides, Dad and I like to have a romantic dinner alone sometimes.
Wheres Mary K.? I asked.
Shes over at Alisas house. Mom traced a finger over the edge of my afghan. Apparently Alisa was out sick today. Mary K. went over to give her the Spanish assignment. My mother studied the pattern in the blanket carefully. I knew she was holding something back. Almost as if she felt me looking at her, my mom leaned over and brushed my hair away from my face.
I really dont feel sick, I assured her. I was just tired. I feel better already.
I think my mom could tell I was lying, but she didnt press me. Instead, she just stood up. Leave the tray by your bed when youre finished, she instructed. Ill come back and get it later.
Thanks, Mom, I said.
She nodded and closed the door behind her as she left. I had another spoonful of soup and realized that I really did feel bettera little better, anyway. For once my mom and I hadnt argued about grades, or beliefs, or Catholic school. It had seemed, for a moment, almost like we were back to normal.
Almost.
13. Flame
I cant write muchthe pen feels like lead in my hand.
This morning I woke up feeling so sick that my sheets were actually hurting me. When Dad took my temperature, he flipped outit was 103 degrees. He gave me some Tylenol and me drink some juice, then he took me to Dr. Hawthornes office. He took my blood and a strep cutture. But he didnt really have any idea what was making me so sick. He seemed worried that my temperature had spiked so quickly but couldnt explain it. He says its the flu. Doctors always say its the flu.
Mary K. came over for a while, which made me feel a bit better, but now Im feeling worse againfeverish and nauseated. Nothing seems to help.
Im scared. I wish I could call someone in Kithic. I miss it so much that Im starting to think I made a mistake by leaving the coven. But I guess its too late to go back now.
Alisa
By the time I stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen on Saturday morning, Mary K. was already dressed and stacking the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.
Is Alisa there? Mary K. asked, and I realized she was talking into the cordless as she straightened up and closed the dishwasher. She is? There was a long pause. Whats wrong? An even longer pause. Oh. Okay. Mary K. reached out and gripped the countertop. Can she have visitors?she asked. Well, thanks, Mr. Soto, she said finally. Tell her. . tell her I hope she gets better soon. Mary K.s eyebrows drew together in a worried frown as she clicked off the phone and placed it on the counter.
I was tempted to sneak awaythis was none of my businessbut Mary K.s expression disturbed me. I cleared my throat to let her know I was there, and asked, Everything okay?
Mary K. turned to face me. Her eyebrows lifted, and for a moment I thought she was going to yell at me for eavesdropping, but she seemed to change her mind. Alisas really sick, she said finally. Shes in the hospital.
Oh, I said. A feeling of dread squeezed my lungs. Whats wrong?
Mary K.s voice shook a little. Nobody knows. All they know is that its serious. Shes. . shes not even conscious. Her dad is really freaked out.
Oh my God, Mary K. I went over to her and hugged her. Thats horrible.
Mary K. started to cry. I didnt say anything. . I just rubbed her back the way I used to do when we were children. After a few moments she took a couple of shaky breaths. Its just scary, she whispered into my shoulder.
I know, I replied. But shes in the hospital now. The doctors are theretheyll figure out whats wrong with her. I rubbed her back again. Its going to be okay. I hoped it was true.
Mary K. pulled away from me. Morgan, she said, and stopped.
What? I asked.
Morgan, Im sorry I told Mom and Dad about your friend.
It took a minute for me to figure out who she was talking about. You mean Erin? I asked.
I was just so s-s-scared. Another tear squeezed out of the corner of Mary K.s eye and trickled down the side of her cheek. I brushed it away.
I know, I said. Its okay.
We looked at each other a moment. I dont want anything to happen, Mary K. said.
It wont, I assured her.
How do you know? she demanded. I meanwhy are you risking it?
I sighed. Mary K., magick isnt just horrible, dangerous, dark things. It can also be beautiful and wonderful. Its part of who I am. And ImHow could I put it? Im strong. You dont have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. The words were more forceful than I really believed, but saying them actually made me feel better.
They seemed to have the same effect on Mary K. She straightened up and passed her hands over her face, then she tucked her hair behind her ears. Morganwould you take me to see Alisa?
Of course, I said quickly. I was about to ask whether she wanted to go right now, but then I remembered. Oh, crap, Im grounded. Well have to ask Mom and Dad if its okay.
Theyre out running errands, Mary K. said, and visiting hours are only until three.
Can we go tomorrow?
Mary K. nodded. Sure. That would be great. She started to head out of the room, then turned back. Thanks, Morgan, she said.
I nodded. No problem.
Mary K. smiled at me, and for a moment she looked just like the sister I knewthe one who loved me, no matter what.
That night I moped around the house for a couple of hours. The house was desertedMom and Dad were over at the Berkows for dinner, and Mary K. had gone over to her friend Susans house. My parents had given me permission to watch television, but there was nothing decent on any of the channels. My chest ached. I still felt awful from the previous nights spell, but more than that, I was sad about tonights circle. It would be the last one with Sky, and I was missing it.
What I needed was magick, and if I couldnt go to Sharons house along with the rest of Kithic, I could at least try to scry by myself. Maybe some of my power had returned.
Up in my room, the match hissed and flared as I lit my pillar candle. I breathed deeply and stared into the flame. I could feel the rays of warmth radiating off the candle. The heat sank into me, driving away the cold draft in my room. As my breathing grew more regular, I felt calm. . and after a while, happy. I looked into the depths of the small blaze. The graduated colors, the blue, orange, and yellow, of the fire seemed to swirl together and grow. They flared and changed color, first to red, then purple, then violet, then green. The green fire twirled slowly, like an eddy in the ocean, and I realized that the fire was showing me something and bent closer.
In the depths of the green flame I saw a figureHunter. He was waving at me, but it wasnt a wave that beckoned me closer. It was more like a farewell. My heart quickened, but the image faded. I was left only with the swirling green flame, the color of Hunters eyes. Slowly it faded to violet, then purple, then red. . and in a moment it was an ordinary candle flame again.
What did it mean? Was it a portentan image of the future? Or was it a picture of something that might come to pass but might not? I didnt know. I was afraid to know.
Although I tried to comfort myself with the certain knowledge that my power was back, I couldnt stop the feeling of dread that squeezed my lungs in its grip, making it difficult to breathe. Hunter and I had been through so much together, and Id been so happy that he was near me, safe.
I had a horrible feeling that everything was about to change.
I took a long hot shower and put on a clean nightgown. Dagda hobbled into my room and sniffed at a pile of books in the corner. I patted my bed, and he leaped up onto it, purring as I stroked him. It was latealmost midnightand I was about to click off the lamp by the side of my bed when my eye fell on a flash of midnight blue on my nightstand. It was the piece of lapis lazuli. I picked it up and rubbed it.
I could call Hunter, I realized. If my magick was back, then his must be, too.
I lay back on my bed and placed the lapis on my forehead, closing my eyes and forming a mental image of Hunter. I am here, I thought. Hunter, I am here.
Morgan.
It was both a voice and not a voicealmost like my own thought, yet somehow separateand I knew that it was Hunter.
I miss you, I thought.
Yes, he replied. I feel the same.
I couldnt exactly see anythingjust the same sort of grainy darkness that I always saw when I closed my eyes. But after a few moments the darkness seemed to grow lighter. It continued to pale until it was almost the same purple-gray as twilightor as the sky before the sun rises.
Kithic? I thought. How was the circle?
Melancholy. Hunters word reverberated through my mind. Sky is sad to be leaving tomorrow, although she doesnt say so. And of course, Alisa has left us. Everyone was gloomy. You should be glad that you werent there.
I wish I had been there. As it is, I wont get to say good-bye.
Hunters thoughts were gentle. Sky understands.
The darkness before my eyes grew even lighterpinkish, like the inside of a conch shell. With the next breath I took, I had the sense that Hunter was in my room. His distinct odor of soap and clean laundry filled my nostrils. Still, I knew that he was in another house, halfway across town.
I feel like youre here with me. The words were Hunters. I wondered if he was experiencing the same thing I was.
The spell, I asked, did it work?
According to the council, Ciaran hasnt moved for twenty-four hours, Hunter replied. A Seeker will move in on him tomorrow. And then theres the matter of our magick. Mine completely disappeared Thursday night.This is the first glimmer Ive of it all day.
It feels wonderful. The words drifted through my mind, sending chills through my body. I wasnt sure whether they were mine or Hunters. But it didnt matter.
At the center of the pinkish void, a small ball of silvery flame flared and began to pulse. It flared brilliantly until the entire space was lit with dazzling whiteness. It warmed me, as if I were standing with my face to the sun.
You are so brave. The words, the words, mine or his? I love you.
I didnt send any more thoughts. It seemed unnecessary. Hunters presence was all I had wanted. . and now I felt like I was surrounded by it, almost engulfed by it.
I knew what this light was. It wasnt Hunters energy or mine. It was something beyond the two of ussomething greater than the sum of two halves. This light was the energy between us, the power of mùirn beatha dàns, soul mates.
14. Heal
October 5, 1971
I tried to talk to Sam about whats been happening, but I never got the chance. The minute I mentioned the Harris Stonghtons book, ha became furious. He demanded to know whether I had destroyed it, and when I said I hadnt, he started shouting.
I was already on the edge, and having him yell at me set me off. I told him that he should have burned the book himself. He was the one who stole it, he was the one who brought it home, he was the one who tried one of the spells even after I told him the book was evil. I was sick of trying to help him! As we stood there screaming at each other, I was suddenly struck with a splitting headache, a piercing, stabbing pain.
Sam threw up his hands and stormed out of my room. I followed him, still yellingand so I saw what happened. As he reached the top of the stairs, the mahogany table in the hall gave a violent lurch. It slid as if the entire hose has tipped on its foundation and slammed into him.
Sam! I screamed.
Sam clawed at the banister, but he couldnt stop himself from falling. He tumbled down the entire stair, head over heels. When he reached the bottom, he lay perfectly still for a moment, his leg twisted behind him. He looked up at me for a moment, then turned his head to the side and vomited.
Sam! I screamed again, then ran to call an ambulance. I knelt beside him while we waited for it to arrive, but he didnt open his eyes again. I felt numb as I rode in back with him to the local hospital. Luckily the doctors say that hes only got a broken leg and a mild concussion. Hell be all right. With a fall like this, they said, things could have been much worse.