Page 24

PIPER

I t’s nearly the witching hour. Which means that it’s almost three in the morning. It’s known to be the time of day when magic is most powerful, but did we really have to have the first challenge at such a miserable time. I can’t imagine anyone is happy to be here.

We’re deep in the Grimwoods in our coven’s ceremonial space.

Lanterns have been set up around the edge of a circle of trees, chasing away the darkness.

There’s a large altar that used to be split in two that serves as the centerpiece of the space.

The Tenebris and Lumen covens split the altar when they originally separated over four hundred years ago.

When we became one coven again, a few months back, the altar was made whole once more.

Lucida is standing behind it now, her hands on the polished stone as she watches coven members file into the clearing.

The coven isn't required to attend the trials, but there are enough interested witches that have sacrificed their warm beds to stand in a field.

I’m watching as well, waiting for my uncle to appear.

Lucida said the spell has bound us to these trials.

Regardless of the fact that Tucker and Francesca are on house arrest, they have to appear.

I still question how the hell the magic picked them.

Sure, they have power and ties to the founding families, but do they really have the kind of qualities Lucida put forth in the spell?

If so, does that mean I’m like them? Ambrose too.

It’s a chilling thought.

There’s frost on the ground and it’s cold enough in the dark of the night that my breath puffs out in front of me. I tug my zipper all the way up. I huddle my chin down in the fabric, but it doesn’t keep the wind from assaulting my cheeks.

Lucida holds her hands up to quiet the crowd. She’s wearing cargo pants, fluffy socks that peek out of the top of her boots, and a woolen poncho that she probably knitted herself.

“Thank you for all joining us tonight. This is an incredibly important step to healing our community. The council is a critical part of this coven. I may be the leader, but the council’s role is to guide and advise me on key decisions. They also ensure our safety here in Mystic Hollows.

“These trials have been crafted to help identify those individuals who are not only powerful enough, but have the best intentions for our coven.”

Josephine and I look at each other. I don’t know which one of us is more skeptical. Her mother is an awful person. Just as bad as my uncle. And yet somehow the magic selected both of them to be participants in this business.

“If our potential council members could please step forward toward the altar.” Ambrose, Odie, Roman and I head toward Lucida.

Other individuals are moving through the crowd, including Anastasia Lexington, the accountant Andrew Bartleman, Hannah King, Roy Turner, Danielle Dyer, and Ambrose’s mother, Bianca.

I don’t know where they appeared from, but Francesca and Tucker are already waiting near the altar by the time we make our way through the crowd.

I keep my eyes on Lucida and do my best to ignore my uncle. My skin crawls when I feel him watching me.

“Today’s challenge is one of intuition. Each participant will be hunting a special object in the woods. Using your magical intuition and your connection to the Grimwoods, your challenge is to find this object and bring it back to me.

“This is a good test of your magical abilities because those with low-level power will not feel the enchanted object.” Lucida looks down the line at each of us one by one.

“You will have an hour to retrieve the object. Be warned, there are not enough objects for everyone.” She pauses, scanning each of our faces one by one.

“Your time starts now.” Lucida claps her hands together and there’s a boom, almost as if the air pressure has changed.

“That’s it. That’s all the information you’re going to give us,” Tucker snarls. I don’t wait to hear Lucida’s response. I look at Ambrose and we both take off toward the woods, the flashlights on our phones lighting up the way.

We run out of the clearing and into the surrounding forest. It’s early spring, but it’s still too cold for much to have started growing yet. Everything is dead brush and brittle sticks. During the day, the landscape is a dirty gray, at night everything looks black.

Ambrose and I stop once we’re out of sight of the clearing. Roman and Odie are close on our heels.

“Anyone have a plan?” Roman asks.

For a second, I wonder why I’m doing this.

All my life I’ve been the quiet, overlooked girl.

The one who’s been told to shut up and sit down.

It’s been driven into me again and again that my voice isn’t worth being heard.

No one wants to know my opinion. People would prefer that I didn’t exist at all.

I glance over at Ambrose, his warm gaze on my face.

I know we don’t have a real marriage, and he’s just being kind by helping me out.

But sometimes when he looks at me, I think that he truly values my thoughts and opinions. That I have worth, just for being me.

Tucker is somewhere out in the woods, probably ready to bulldoze half of us to get to one of these magic objects. I know he believes I’m not worthy of sitting on the council, that I should go back to hiding away. He definitely believes I should be at his beck and call.

A burn of determination straightens my spine. It’s not that I’m doing this to spite Tucker, but because I’m ready to prove to myself that I’m worthy. That all his hurtful words over the years spoke way more about him than they ever said about me.

“I’m guessing the objects are spread throughout the woods. We should probably split up and search different areas to try to find them.” I squint through the darkness, waiting for something to jump out at me.

Ambrose opens his mouth, and I feel the argument on the tip of his tongue. That we should stick together. That I need someone to protect me.

Something changes in his face and there’s a twinkle in his eye as he smiles at me.

“I think you’re right. Everyone has their cell phones, right?

” We’re all holding our phones, using the flashlights to see in the dark.

Ambrose huffs. “Never mind. If you get in trouble, drop a point on the map and we will get back to you. We will find you.” He looks at me as he says the last bit.

“You’re the most likely to fall into a ravine and sprain your ankle,” Odie signs, holding her phone under her chin.

Ambrose shrugs. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to need rescuing. Just that I wanted you to make sure you had your phones on in case I need someone to come and save me.”

“Let’s get this done,” Roman says with a nod, and then takes off toward the north. Odie signs good luck and disappears to the west.

Ambrose steps closer, hooking his pinky with mine. “Be careful, okay? I doubt I’ll be very far, but…” He looks around the woods. He’s as wary of Tucker being in the Grimwoods as I am. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will. You call me if you need me too.”

Ambrose grins and leans down. For a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. But his head tilts to the left and he brushes his lips across my cheek. I know his kiss isn’t cursed like that, but I swear I still feel a zip of magic where his mouth meets my skin.

Ambrose takes a few steps backward, his eyes staying on me until he finally turns and sprints off toward the south.

“I guess that leaves east for me,” I mutter under my breath as I start walking.

The chatter of the crowd in the ceremonial clearing almost immediately fades away.

The hoot of an owl and dead leaves rustling in the breeze become my soundtrack, along with the crunch of my boots on the frosty ground.

A gust of wind has me flipping up my hood, but I immediately throw it off.

I don’t want my hearing muffled in any way.

I spin in a slow circle, my flashlight highlighting swaying branches and throwing shadows that look like sinister beings.

How am I supposed to find one of these objects?

My magic specialty has to do with potions.

I’m great at researching and coming up with mixtures and creating poultices for things, but I can’t just dig my fingers into the Earth and have it tell me where one of these objects is.

I walk a few more feet before I realize it’s pointless to keep wandering around without a plan.

Closing my eyes, I inhale, getting hits of the soft scent of damp earth in the beginning stages of spring.

Rain is coming, but not till later. I search deep into my center and feel for my magic.

It burns like a bright golden ball in my chest, humming and waiting for me to call on it.

I just don’t know how to use it in this situation.

I don’t have a magical sixth sense where I can sniff out curses like Fitz seems to be able to do.

So how am I supposed to complete this challenge?

Strands of my hair blow across my face, and I tuck them behind my ear.

In front of me is a tree with green moss growing up one side.

There are several leaves hanging on the branches that never fell during the fall.

They’ll be pushed out by new growth in a few weeks.

Already buds have appeared on the branches.

An idea starts to take shape.

Squatting down, I grab a handful of dirt. I pull at some of the moss on the tree and stand to grab one of the leaves dangling over my head. Crunching up the leaf, I let it fall onto the dirt and moss and mix the three elements in the palm of my hand.