Page 18 of The Magic of Discovery
“Yesterday afternoon, we saw your Sloane.” My mouth opened, but her raised hand cut me off, their news apparently more important than my desire to tell them that he was notmyanything. “He was strolling down the sidewalk with Judy and Harry while they walked little Potato. The moment we laid eyes on him, the Sight slammed into each of us so hard it nearly took our breath away. I cannot recall another time that we had such a strong vision. It was as though the stars themselves had manifested, and their sweet yet cautioning voices spoke the words in our minds: a prophecy.”
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “First of all, I didn’t know that Potato was still able to walk.” He was Judy and Harry’s supersized pug who looked like a forty-pound tan watermelon. “Secondly, just to clarify, Sloane is not mine. Yes, he’s pretty, but he’s a dickhead.”
The two women just smiled and nodded at me despite my narrowed eyes.I don’t think Sloane will ever be anyone’s.
“Potato has started hanging out at the Cosmos gym. The poor pup is vying for the affections of a female pug who skateboards and does other athletic feats there. The CovenFit crew took him under their wing, and now he wears these adorable little tank tops that say ‘Cosmos CovenFit.’ The gym coaches have started calling him Baked Potato, something about reverse psychology and baked potatoes being the healthiest option where potatoes are in question. Honestly, child, do you live under a rock these days?”This fucking town is so weird sometimes...
Chuckling, I agreed that I must indeed be living under a rock, but in all honesty, my mind just wasn’t focused on anything other than my damn plants dying and the sexy mages who were probably upstairs right now, naked, working out, flexing...
The ceiling creaked overhead.See? Cam probably flexed his gigantic biceps, and the floor groaned in appreciation.
Needing to get all of us, myself definitely included, back on track, I decided to just ask and put them out of their misery.
“What did the stars show you?” I leaned in conspiratorially, a serious expression on my face. At least I hope it looked serious and not like I was regretting eating that pound of cheese last night.
Roberta turned her tapping hand over and slid it toward her friend as Matilda inhaled deeply and laid her palm on the waiting hand. The moment their hands clasped, the lights in my shop went out, and the candles I had strewn throughout the room ignited, flames shooting upward immediately. I shrieked and leaned back in my chair.
Looking at the women’s faces, I gasped. Four solid black eyes blankly stared at me, the hair on their heads slowly beginning to stand on end.Okay, this is scary as fuck.I wanted to call for Frank and Arlo, but before I could open my mouth to cry for help, both of their free hands shot forward across the table, grabbing mine.
A feeling that I can only describe as electric jolted my body and my head bent back involuntarily. The tingling of my scalp left no doubt that my hair was rising to the ceiling too.I bet my eyes are black.I sucked in a wild breath of air as I felt something sinking through my veins, crawling, seeking. If a shadow were a living thing, it was inside me right now. What it was looking for? I had no idea. The darkness started to settle into my bones, bringing with it a deep ache. The kind of ache that makes you question your existence and wonder what piece of yourself you’re missing.
I was frozen in place, forced to allow this magic to complete its mission, its invasion. A sigh from a high-pitched voice sounded, and my head snapped forward. I could see again, but everything was in shades of green and black.
“She is the oneeeee. King will be pleased,” something hissed, its creepy voice making me shudder. Unable to move or talk yet, I was forced to sit and listen, but I did scan the room with my eyes, unsuccessful in my attempt to find the source of the voice. The two women before me were just as still as they’d been before they snatched my hands.
Movement brought my attention to the doorway when an extremely tall shadow moved into the room, a slightly shorter figure following.What in the fuck? I didn’t sign up for ghost bullshit, if that’s what they were.
“Yes, so beautiful. Pure and selfless.” The figures were drifting toward me now, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I thought it might explode. Now that these beings were closer, I could see that they had a humanoid shape, and it appeared they were wearing robes of some kind, but the fine details were lost in the shadows that made up their ethereal forms. My eyes widened when I realized there were protrusions coming out of their heads, like... horns?
“The others are near. It won’t be much longer now. Come, let us go to King and tell him we have found her.”
No, I don’t want anyone knowing those things found me. What the fuck? Why are they even looking for me?
The room began to lighten with each step the creatures took toward the door, and once they stepped through, the candles extinguished and the lights came back. The room had returned to normal, and the witches across from me now had glazed over white eyes. Releasing my hands, they began to recite the prophecy, their voices distorted and scary as hell.
A witch, a mix of green and red,
Save a race before they’re dead.
Hurry, witch, find your five,
If there is hope to survive.
Change, rise, manifest,
A soul so pure soon possessed.
Before the year of two and eight
The chosen one must find her mates.
If she should fail to meet her task,
To another the role will pass.
Evil will consume her heart,
Her soul captured by the dark.
