Page 49 of Her Dreadful Will
Luci’s message appeared. “YOU MET A WITCH IN YOUR TOWN?? TELL US EVERYTHING.”
Sighing, Soleil pinched the bridge of her nose. How much could she tell without betraying Achan’s illegal coven? She hadn’t even told them about the brown-haired witch at the market. The events of that day still festered unresolved in her heart, too sore to speak of even to Luci and Uzigoth.
Anything she told them of Achan needed to be simple and not too suspicious. The last thing she wanted was to set off a chain of events that would end with him pleading for his life behind a warehouse.
Panic spiraled inside her. Desperate to quell it, she shut away the memory, centering herself with the smooth weight of the phone in her hands, and the glow of the tiny digital keyboard awaiting her input.
“The guy is a nature witch, I think,” she typed. “He uses his magic to call bugs. Kinda gives me the creeps.” She hesitated, then added, “He is hot though. Abs, and cool tats, and really nice hands...”
“You’re so hetero,” replied Uzigoth. “It’s cute. And annoying.”
“Shut up.” Soleil added a smiley face. “I’m not going to see him again anyway. Luci, what’s the witch in your town like?”
“Haven’t seen her much. Seems private. Not very friendly.” A sad-faced emoji punctuated the message.
Soleil couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to be friends with sweet, effervescent Luci. “Isn’t it weird that the Convocation is pairing us up with other witches? What do you think that means?”
“Maybe they don’t trust us since we just graduated,” Luci answered. “Maybe the other witches are making sure we don’t use our powers in unauthorized ways?”
Uzigoth interjected. “Or maybe it’s because you’re both trying for Highwitch. Maybe your progress is being monitored by the Convocation.”
Wait, what?A sudden suspicion gripped Soleil. “You think these other witches could be Highwitches?”
“It’s possible,” Uzigoth replied. “Maybe even Witchlords. I’ve heard they check in on novitiates sometimes.”
“You’ve HEARD this??” Luci’s message popped up, accompanied by countless astonished emojis. “And you didn’t tell us about it BEFORE NOW?? Uzi!!!!”
Soleil couldn’t breathe.
It all made sense. The mystery, the secrecy. Achan’s strange power, his advanced knowledge of magic. The presence of a coven, and their deep devotion to him. Not an illegal coven, then, but a sanctioned one—the coven of a Highwitch, maybe even a Witchlord. He was probably a Witchlord, judging by the presence of the intricate mandala, the odd mix of tattoos, and the swell of hidden power inside him. And she had believed his ridiculous story about bribing high-level witches for the mandala and for information about her powers. She had—
She pressed a hand over her mouth, horrified.
She’d talked back to a Witchlord. Accused him of things—resisted his attempts to instruct her. He had even tested her loyalty to the Institute, pretending to denounce them just to see what she would say. At least she hadn’t screwed up that part of the test. She had shown herself to be a loyal graduate.
“Starburst?” Uzigoth typed. “You okay?”
“OF COURSE SHE IS NOT OK,” replied Luci. “I AM NOT OK. If you knew about high-level witches checking in on novitiates, you should have warned us. OMG. I have to go rethink every conversation I’ve had with the witch in my town and figure out how I might have screwed things up. Thank you and goodnight!”
Her tiny profile image turned gray, a sign that she’d logged out.
“Damn. I pissed her off,” said Uzigoth. “But you two should have known they’d check in on you.”
“But I took a magical vow,” Soleil typed back. “To be honorable while proving my thesis.”
“I dunno. I guess they don’t want to trust everything to that. Maybe it’s not as effective as they say, especially considering the watered-down magic they teach these days.”
“So you think a Highwitch or a Witchlord would actually move to town to watch me?” Soleil typed back. “Do you think some Highwitches and Witchlords could be—young? Like mid-twenties young?”
“Maybe. I dunno. Look, I’m tired, kiddo. Love you and all but I gotta bounce. Got a photo sesh early tomorrow. Some stupid baby thing.”
“Baby thing?”
“You know—I put the naked baby in a basket with some fluffy blankets, take photos, and coo over the wrinkly spawn like I actually care. Then I get paid. The usual.”
Despite the panicked storm in her mind, Soleil had to smile. Uzigoth made no secret of her dislike for babies. “Sorry you have to endure that pain.”
“Hey, it pays the bills until I finally get to make movies. Later, Starburst.”
