Page 10 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
I clear my throat, and the four of us gaze at him again. “So much of him is a mystery. But I don’t get the vibe that he wants to hurt me, or us,” I explain.
“Hopefully we can rule out dark mage,” Anika says.
“It’s all been vibes so far?your vibes, Seb,” Lisbeth says. She continues to play with her hair and study the man. “I haven’t had a chance to check all my tomes.”
“There are other shifter mages?” I ask.
“Oh, yes,” Lisbeth answers, nodding. “But like us, they don’t exactly expose their powers. We don’t live in a world that takes kindly to any magic user, be they witch, wizard, or anything else. But history books tell of several families of shifter mages. Their power was…far greater than what we have ever wielded.”
“So then it’s agreed that Kai is a powerful shifter mage? Case closed?” Ashley asks in her tiny voice.
The door unlocks just as Lisbeth says, “The case is just getting opened.”
“I made it,” Taina says, walking in. She’s clad in her scrubs, and she plops her bag down on the nearby table. “You won’t believe the patients I had today. One kid—”
“Yes, yes, that’s nice,” Lisbeth says, waving her off. “Now we, as a coven, can introduce ourselves to our new friend.”
I gulp in nervousness. Once Lisbeth has her heart set on finding answers, she gets them. My only hope is that I protect Kai in this delicate state.
“I call this coven meeting into order!” Lisbeth sits across from Kai and me on the couch. Ashley, Anika, and Taina all havechairs, so we’re a little circle in the living room. “Boysen House coven, roll call.”
Everyone else except Kai groans. “Seriously?” I mutter.
“Yes.” Lisbeth sits straighter. “Lisbeth Boysen. Historical witch, and leader of the coven.” She turns to her left, and Ashley nods.
“Ashley Strulovich…um, protection witch.” She gives a little wave, and Kai nods.
“You know me. Seb Suarez, potions witch.” Kai and I exchange a smile, and the three inches between us on the couch feel like a hundred miles and too close, all at once.
“Taina Santana.” My best friend smiles and waves. “Divination witch.”
“Anika San Gupta.” She straightens her back, and I notice how her dark brown skin contrasts with her pink dress. “Green witch, for all your herbology needs.”
Kai nods, and there’s a moment of silence as everyone stares at him expectantly. “Oh, um…I am…Zhou Kai, but you can call me Zhou. Or Kai.”
Lisbeth looks around. “Well, welcome. I must say, this is the first time we’ve had a shifter in our midst.”
“And one that uses arcana,” Ashley adds. She brushes back her trim brown bangs. “Um, wild magic.”
“How long have you been studying magic?” Taina asks.
“I, too, am curious,” Anika says in her posh British accent. “I must know how you became a shifter.”
“I…don’t really know.” Kai radiates discomfort, and I once again feel the instinct to protect him.
“Now, Anika, all the ancient texts claim that shifters are familial traits,” Lisbeth says.
“Ah. Like my lovely frame.” Anika puts her hands on her waist and smiles, and we let out soft laughter.
“If you’re from Hong Kong, why do you have a British accent?” Taina asks. “Or did you travel around the world?”
“The British controlled Hong Kong for a very long time,” Ashley says.
“And we should cool the interrogation,” I say, putting a hand in front of Kai. I can tell his back is tensing up, testing the white fabric of my biggest shirt. “He just woke up.”
“You’re right. We should have refreshments!” Lisbeth declares. She turns to the others and adds, “Time to conjure a meal?” We all nod in interest. Lisbeth turns to Ashley and asks, “Could you…?”
“Right.” Ashley stands up and begins picking up random discs throughout the living room. She holds one up to reveal a rune carved into it. “These are my spell wards, magic dampeners. I put them up just in case the lion tried to shoot any arcana, or like, um…” She looks down in discomfort, then scurries away.
