Page 4 of Reluctant Witch (A Course in Magic #2)

4

Ellie

That evening, Ellie found herself walking toward the Congress of Magic. It was, in part, a way to escape the castle. Classes that day had been fine, but Ellie was not sure why she had to take them. She was obviously staying in Crenshaw and knew what her magical strength was. Why did she still need to attend remedial magic school? And why did she have to stay in the castle?

Ellie walked toward the town center, knowing that either hobs, students, or witches watched her every move. The forest that reached out toward her like sentient branches made something uneasy crawl up her spine. That discomfort blossomed when an older witch stepped out of the shadows. The witch had once-red hair that had developed white streaks, and her gaze had the sort of glint that made Ellie scan her surroundings.

“Looking for your friends?” Agnes, Lady of the House of Grendel, thunked the end of her staff onto the ground with what seemed excessive force as she stared at Ellie. Two witches waited a few yards back, like guards. The first was a witch with a long, thin braid. He smelled of skunk and sweat, even from here.

The second was a witch she’d met previously. Jenn. She’d seemed recently arrived, maybe a few decades at most, and she had that pinched face of someone who was perpetually sending her food back or asking for a manager.

Ellie watched a third witch sidle up to a tree, still within the shadows. All she could tell was that he had a more masculine form. As Ellie watched, she saw at least a dozen more people moving in and among the shadows.

Glancing back at Agnes, she asked, “Meeting of the New Economists?”

Agnes narrowed her gaze. “You’re quite an unusual witch. Braver than you ought to be, all things considered.”

“Well, that feels like a threat.” Ellie saw a hob pop into existence and vanish just as quickly. She didn’t recognize the hob from here, but someone’s spy had gone to report. “Are you threatening me, Lady Grendel?”

“Not as daft as you look.” Agnes scanned the area. “All alone then?”

Ellie shrugged. She stared into the shadows. Easily twenty witches lurked there. Even with her increasing control of her magic, Ellie was incredibly outnumbered. Within the dark of the wood, shapes shifted as if there were more people than she wanted to face even with help. All told there were less than a hundred New Economists, and like any group, there were probably true believers and hangers-on who were there for other reasons. Those details had been glossed over in one of her classes, in a lecture on the history of Crenshaw. Even Prospero wasn’t very forthcoming. She mentioned a few names in a “stay clear of these witches” way.

The male witch Ellie had initially noticed ducked behind a tree, hiding his face. Ellie tried to see him. Anyone who wanted to hide their affiliation with the radical group was someone she ought to identify for Prospero. It wasn’t as if Prospero was going to attack them. For all her talk of being dangerous, she was a woman with an ethical code. Unprovoked violence was the stuff of villains, true monsters, the sort of person who once made Prospero bleed and nearly die. She was not randomly violent.

Although she would be livid that I was here in danger.…

“As much as I’d love to stay for your little bonfire party, I have places to be.” Ellie tried to step around Agnes, but the elder witch swung her staff out like a barrier. The end of it tapped against Ellie’s stomach just hard enough to be uncomfortable but not with the force of a strike.

“You are too bold for your own good.”

Ellie smiled. “I can reshape the world at my will. It makes a girl feel all confident.”

“Imagine what you could do over in the real world.” Agnes adopted a cajoling tone. “How powerful you’d be…”

“I don’t crave power, ” Ellie said lightly. “Everything I could want is right here. Love, happiness, a place I belong.”

Laughter rang out from the trees, and Ellie flinched internally. She was well aware that her own desires were simple to some people. She wanted a grand romance, happiness, peace, and knowledge. Crenshaw offered everything she could want.

Like a fairy tale! Well, it will be once I fix whatever is bothering Prospero, get Hestia home, and patch the rift. Ellie smiled at the absurdity of her thoughts. The thing was that it all felt possible.

Because I am a witch. Isn’t that power enough?

She looked up and Agnes caught her gaze, and for a moment, Ellie couldn’t look away. Something was wrong. Fear started to bubble inside Ellie, rising up in her throat as if choking her.

“Little lost lamb,” Agnes murmured. “Ready to be turned on the spit, are you?”

“What is going on here?” Prospero’s voice came from behind Ellie.

Ellie stumbled as Agnes pulled her gaze away, freeing Ellie from her hold. Any trickle of fear Ellie had been considering vanished. She glanced back over her shoulder to where Prospero had just popped into sight.

“I was out for a walk,” Ellie said in a wavering voice. “I hoped you were free, but I ran into—”

“Grendel.” Prospero stared into the woods as if taking names and faces into memory. “Rather suspect to be clustered in the forest, wouldn’t you say?”

“Picnics are quite popular,” Agnes said dryly.

“If you have to hide what you’re doing, isn’t that indicative of it being unwise?” Prospero asked, stepping slightly in front of Ellie as she spoke.

“Hey!” Ellie whispered loudly.

Prospero’s left hand reached back as if to grab hers, so Ellie twined their fingers together.

“Blocking her from my view? Where’s the trust?” Agnes taunted.

“Do not mistake my patience for kindness, Grendel.” Prospero sounded like every dark threat given form. “Stay away from my wife.”

“Your wife ?” Agnes laughed, but she kept her eyes cast low. Both women were apparently able to use their magic if eye contact was present.

Ellie thought about that moment of terror. What magic is hers? What would’ve happened if Prospero hadn’t arrived?

“She is mine to protect.” Prospero didn’t look away from Agnes, as if she felt no fear or threat. They were outnumbered, but even now, she didn’t back down. It did interesting things to Ellie’s libido.

Agnes shook her head and turned away, disappearing into the group in the woods where shadowed bodies all vanished deeper into the darkness.

“The rift is that way,” Ellie said quietly.

“They know.” Prospero sounded thoroughly exhausted. “They know exactly where it is. I’m not sure how they did it but…”

Of course it is their doing.

It occurred to Ellie then that the conflict between the two factions was one that was unreconcilable. The New Economists sought power for themselves. The Traditionalists sought peace and equality for every witch. There was no possible compromise between those two positions.

When one group wants the other’s oppression, both sides are not equal at all. How can you compromise when the opposition wants to take away your life, safety, or health?

For a moment, she stood, hand in Prospero’s, and thought about the impossible situation that faced Crenshaw. Ellie was not yet required to sit on the Congress of Magic, and for a tremulous moment, she was incredible grateful for that. How was she to speak to witches like Agnes who were blinded by greed?

Then Prospero pivoted and said, “What in the name of all that’s holy were you thinking ?”