The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 126
“I can’t help feeling bad. What if it really would have been better if I’d never shown up?”
He spun me around and stared into my eyes. “You’re too kind for your own good. I for one wouldn’t turn back time to change a thing—except to have you arrive sooner. My doldrum life was turned upside down in the best way possible. It wouldn’t surprise me if my back sprouted wings and I flew through the air, held up only by the love I feel for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Love?”
He cupped my face in his hands. “Yes, love. Unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’d do anything for you. Go anywhere. Fight anyone. It doesn’t matter, just as long as I’m with you.”
“I-I… You… I mean—”
Killian pressed his finger against my mouth. “You don’t have to say anything. I know I come off strong. Overwhelming, even. But I can’t keep these feelings to myself. I need you to know.”
“I don’t want to be apart from you, either. It seems crazy. We’ve only known each other for a few months.”
He brushed lips across mine. “Like I said before, the best time of my life.”
26
“Are we almost there?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. The woods were getting to all of us, and I felt like smacking someone, despite my knowledge that they were all there for me. They’d left their coven and their leader—moreover, Johan’s wife and the others’ mother. Killian had left his entire family.
“It isn’t much farther,” Johan said.
“Too bad Nils isn’t here,” Keran said. “I’d gladly get into a fight with him.”
“Don’t let the forest get to you,” Roska said. “Remember, Mother set the curse to keep us in as much as to keep others away.”
“And look how well that worked out for her,” Frida said.
“It must be weakening,” Eldon said. “Look at how many have made it through in the last year or so.”
“Would you all stop talking?” Keran exclaimed. “My head is going to explode. I’m doing everything I can to keep from lashing out at you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Roska snapped.
“Keran has the right idea,” Johan said. “Short of an emergency, we should all stay quiet. I’d hate to see the forest win.”
“Or Selena-Marie,” I muttered.
Killian pulled me closer. He was the only one keeping a reign on his mouth.
Light poked through some trees. A twinge of excitement ran through me. We were getting closer to freedom—from the irritation, at least. There was still so much ahead. I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts. Until we left the woods, the last thing I wanted to think about was Claudia or anyone in that coven.
Anger burned at me with just the passing thought. I leaned my head against Killian. He was the only thing keeping me sane as we made our way through the trees.
I directed my frustration at Selena-Marie. She was the reason we were forced to leave the coven and walk through the woods—that she’d cursed. Actually, fighting her and Claudia sounded like a good idea. Putting them both in their place was becoming an increasingly more appealing idea.
“Are you okay?” Killian whispered.
“Never better.” And it was the truth. If I could overcome Claudia, perhaps I stood a chance with that stuck-up little witch.
The light through the trees grew brighter, and the trees themselves grew more sparse.
“We’re close,” Johan said.
“Tell me this irritation will go away,” Keran said.
“It’ll melt away as soon as we step out of the forest,” Johan assured him.
Finally, the edge of the woods came into sight. We were there—almost. All we needed was to step out into the fresh, open air.
Killian held me closer. “Just about there.”
“Freedom.” Roska picked up her speed.
We all followed suit, breaking into a run. Once out of the forest, everything felt better—the air, my skin, my mood. The looks of relief on everyone’s faces told me they all felt the same exhilaration I did.
Killian turned to me, picked me up, and spun me around.
I squealed and he put me back down.
“It feels so good to be out of there.” He brushed his lips across mine and held me close.
“Next time, I’m traveling out by runes.” Frida shuddered. “I can’t believe Mother did that to the woods. Did it take the whole coven to create it?”
“Just about.” Johan nodded. “It was under her leadership. No one witch could manage that on his or her own.”
Roska leaned against a tree. “That I believe. Well, now what?”
“Now I help you,” came a familiar feminine voice from behind me.
I whipped around. “Mother!”
Her eyes lit up. “At last, we meet again.”
She came over to me and I threw myself into her embrace. My mother held me tightly as I clung to her.
“Where have you been?” I exclaimed. “You came back from the dead months ago.”
“I wanted to find you first, but I needed to prepare for the battle against our coven. Claudia isn’t going to give up until we’re out of her way.”
I stepped back. “We? I thought it was just me.”
“They’ve never liked me anymore than you, dear. Both of us are stronger than anyone in Claudia’s line ever will be.”
Tears filled my eyes as I recalled my last moments with my mother.
“What?” Her eyes filled with compassion.
“I’m sorry I got you killed.”
“Killed? What do you mean?”
“When I went back in time. The magistrate, he saw me leave through the portal. I—”
“Oh, Gessilyn. Is that what you think?”
“You were burned at the stake because of me.” Tears fell to my face.
She shook her head. “No, honey. I wasn’t killed that day.”
“What?”
“While you were heading into the mirror, I ran. I made it back home. We cloaked our village for a time. They couldn’t find us and gave up looking eventually.”
I gasped for air. “So I’m not responsible?”
“Not unless your name is Claudia.”
“Come again?” I asked.
“She turned me in.”
Fury worse than anything I felt in the forest tore through me. That witch was going down.
Keran stepped forward. “I hate to break this up, but do you have someplace we can go? I can’t help but feel like we’re allowing ourselves to be spied upon by standing out in the open like this.”
“He’s right,” Eldon agreed. “Mother could easily be watching us through the forest.”
My mother nodded and turned to Johan. His face softened as their gazes met. I hadn’t seen him give that expression to Selena-Marie even once. Could my mother be his one true love after all these years?
My siblings exchanged expressions that told me they had the same thoughts.
“Come,” my mother said. “I’ve been staying with some friends, and there’s plenty of room.” She turned to me. “Have you been training?”
I nodded. “They’ve been teaching the ways of their coven.”
“Good. And you’ve read the books I left for you?”
“Yes.”
“Now it’s time to teach you what’s in between the lines.”
My brain felt like it was going to explode.
She squeezed my arm. “Don’t worry. It’s all within you, it’s only a matter of unlocking it.”
Johan turned to me. “Just like what we’ve been teaching you. Look at how easily it has come for you.”
A little too easily. “It’s still a lot—things I should have learned over the course of years.”
“And if anyone can do it, it’s you.” Killian winked.
I would believe almost anything he said. No one had ever had that much influence over me, and that also came so naturally. It should have scared me, but it didn’t.
He put his arm around me. “We should get going.”
Mother met my gaze and smiled. “I knew you’d find him, and that they would teach you what I couldn’t.”
“Wait. Were you behind the vision I saw with you and Johan?”
Her smiled turned mysterious and then she spun around. “Let me introduce you to my friends.”
Killian stayed close as we made our way from the woods. I would be happy never to go through them again—unless of course the confusion curse was lifted.
We passed more woods. Iceland had once been mostly barren of its lush forests of old, but the same magic that brought my mother back from the grave returned so many trees. I could feel the power inside me react as we neared the enchanted woods. It tingled as if preparing itself to wake.
My pulse raced. I was both anxious and excited to begin. What if my mother’s side was the key to reining in my control over the runes?
Killian pulled me closer as we walked and kissed my cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Just a little nervous. I love how in tune to me you are.”
“Me, too.”
We entered the magical forest and my insides really came alive. They tingled and danced as the magic awaited its true awakening. Only part had come alive with the teaching from Johan’s family—my family.
“I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet,” Killian whispered in my ear.
Shivers ran down my spine. “What do you mean?” Even though I was sure I knew what he meant, I wanted to hear him say it. To know that I wasn’t alone in my suspicions.
“You’ve been limited up until this point. Now that you have both your parents to teach you the ways of your magic, we get to see what you’re really capable of, and I have a feeling that’s going to be a lot more than what’s shown itself so far.”
I flashed back to the rune traveling. “What could be worse than having no control over my capabilities?”
“But now you have the full package,” he said. “Everything you need from both sides. It’s going to come together.”
My breath caught. Between my blind power and Mother teaching me what lay between the lines of the book, there was much potential for things to go wrong, but hopefully Killian was right. The full picture would answer the unknown.
We all continued a little farther into the woods until we reached a small village. It was nowhere near the size of the one Selena-Marie had built, but I found that comforting.
Mother led us to a small building, about half the size of Killian’s little home. She opened the door and gestured for us all to come in. We crowded into the small living room.
“It’s going to be a tight fit,” she said, “but I have feeling Gessilyn will be a fast learner, and you all can return home soon enough.”
“Or find our new ones,” Keran muttered.
My mother gave him a funny look. “What do you mean?”
“We all walked away from our coven and our family.”
Mother’s mouth dropped. She turned to Johan. “Is this true?”
He nodded. They held each other’s gaze for a moment. “I’m sure we’ll be allowed back once this is all said and done.”
Keran snorted. “Right.”
My mother cleared her throat. She and Johan still held each other’s gazes. “Well, if not, I can help you come up with something. You may have a coven to lead, right, Gess?” She turned to me.
“I-I don’t know. I hadn’t really considered it. My only aim was to get Claudia to leave me alone.”
She stared into my eyes. “You’re aware of what that means, aren’t you?”
I glanced down and played with a thread on my shirt. “Killing her,” I muttered.
My mother put a hand on my arm. “I’m happy to see you still hate the idea of killing anyone, even someone who wants you dead. Unfortunately, it’s necessary at times like this—kill or be killed.”
Killian tightened his grip around me. “I’ll do it. I have no problem taking out that witch after everything she’s done to you.”
I turned and stared into his eyes. “I don’t want you to—”
“It’s too late. I’m in too deep.” He ran his palm down the length of my face.
“Aw,” Roska gushed.
My face flushed with heat, but a smile spread across my face.
“Let’s get started,” said my mother. “It’s only a matter of time before Claudia locates you, Gess.”
I pulled away from Killian’s hold. “You’re right. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”
“Are we studying with you?” Killian asked.
Mother arched a brow and smiled. “Are you all joining our coven?”
27
Mother and I came to a stream. She stopped, closed her eyes, and knelt down in front of it. It lapped in front of her feet. She put her palms out over it and held them for a minute. Then she rose and turned to me. “This is a good place to pause. The magic is strong here.”
I knelt down beside her. Warm strength radiated from the cold water.
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a rolled blanket. With one quick motion, she unrolled it and then sat. “Make yourself comfortable.”
I sat across from her and pushed some rocks out from underneath me. “What do you mean by reading between the lines of your books?”
“You brought them?” She nodded toward my bag.
“Of course.” I pulled them out and set the books between us.
She picked one up and spoke softly so that I couldn’t understand what she said. The lock sprang open. She flipped to the first page. “Pay close attention.”
I sat up straight, eager to see her secret.
Mother pressed her finger on the page and whispered. She ran her fingertips across the paper as she spoke. Then she pulled out a pin and pricked her first finger. A small drop of blood ran down to her palm.
“Blood magic?” I gasped.
She focused on the pages and then ran her blood along the edges. Before my eyes, words appeared in black ink between the ones that had been there all along.
“Have you switched to dark magic, Mother?”
“No.” She continued running her finger along the page until her blood dried up. Then she flipped through the pages, and with each new page, more wording appeared, as though being written right there.
“What’s going on? How could you not have moved to black magic? You’re using blood.”
She glanced up at me. “Blood is life, dear child. Life is light, and good. Black magic involves death, and when they use blood, it involves sacrifice.”
My mouth dropped open. “That goes against everything you’ve ever taught me.”
Her mouth curved down. “I simply never taught you this part of our magic. Life blood can be most powerful, but there’s a fine line between light and dark magic once blood comes into play. That’s why I let you believe blood was only used by bad witches. It was a conclusion you came up with on your own. I planned on telling you the truth when you came of age, but clearly I was gone by then.”
I frowned.
“Don’t be sad, sweet Gess. It all worked out as it should have, and now we have a second chance.”
“Everything worked out?” I exclaimed with more anger than I intended. Perhaps some of the other woods effects still lingered. “A young girl growing up without her mother is how it was supposed to go? Being raised by leaders who were jealous of her? You don’t know what I went through. There’s no way it was meant to be.”
“Hush now, child,” she soothed. “Life isn’t meant to be easy. It’s the difficulties that make us stronger. They bring out in us what we need, but wouldn’t otherwise arise.”
I scooted back. “How can you say that? You don’t know what it was like. I barely escaped with my life.”
“And now you have a second chance. This time you have your whole family at your side. Both parents and even some siblings. How much more could you ask for? And that’s not even counting the handsome Killian who would give his life for you.”
“I won’t let him.”
“You can’t stop a man in love from protecting the one he adores.”
“Oh? What about Johan?”
“Why don’t you call him Father?” she asked.
“I’m aware of genetics, but he wasn’t there when I was growing up. So Johan, he is. Why didn’t he stick around for you?”
“That was complicated.”
“Yeah, I’ve met Selena-Marie.”
“We really need to get started.” She scooted closer so I could see the pages.
“Why the hidden text?” I asked. “The books themselves were hard enough to get into.”
“Double insurance that the information didn’t find its way into the wrong hands. We aren’t part of the coven by birth. Phoebe took me in because I was alone and the coven was weak. She sensed my strength and wanted to cash in on it. I needed the protection of a coven.”
“Sounds like her,” I muttered.
“The important thing is you got away when you did. They haven’t been able to misuse you all these years.”
“That’s one way to look at it. Let’s get started, shall we?”
She nodded. “If you ever need to read between the lines, your blood will work since you’re my child. The same goes for any children you have.”
“Okay, but what about the runes?”
“What, specifically?”
“I need to know everything you do, and the difference between the ones I only need to imagine to make work.”
She flinched. “Only need to imagine?”
“I traveled from Iceland to western United States that way. It was rather alarming—at least until a rune I drew with soap send me back to Colonial times.”
“You… you used soap? And your imagination?”
“Yes.”
“Let me make sure I fully understand. When you say imagination, you mean you just pictured it in your mind, and then it worked?”
“Right. That’s how I ended up near Forks.”
My mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “This is bigger than I thought.”
“What?” I exclaimed. It was really getting old that everyone knew so much more than I did. Maybe what I needed to do was travel back in time and kick some sense into my old self. Tell her to learn everything she could while living in hiding.
