Page 33 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

“Mom,” I cried, wrapping my arms around her and holding on tight.

There had been no drama in Weatherstone since the night of my attack, so the blanket was holding. And while the students complained

ad nauseum about the limitation on their powers, everyone breathed a little easier at the safety that came with it. Parents’

weekend didn’t lift the blanket, but the barrier around the school was tweaked for the duration of the event.

Mom hugged me hard, only letting go so she could hug my siblings too. We were near the front gates, along with dozens of other

students—Sara was off to the side chatting rapidly in Romanian with her tiny mother, who looked a lot like her.

Belle had walked out with us, but I couldn’t see her or her father in the crowd. My curiosity was about more than just seeing

the elder—I needed to know if he’d discovered any information that might help with our investigations into the monsters. The

blanket couldn’t stay on the school forever, and the college didn’t appear to be any closer to figuring out who was behind

it—according to Dad anyway.

“It always feels weird to be back here for these parent weekends,” Mom said, looking around, taking in the bright green lawns and oak trees in full brilliant foliage.

The late summer weather was perfect, the heat easing as we were gifted perfect blue skies for days, with the lightest breezes ruffling our hair.

We were all in uniform; you couldn’t show off a school with us dressed as peasants, but I’d ditched the tights.

“Come on, Mom,” Trevor said, linking his arm through hers. “Dad said he’d meet us at the banquet later, so we should explore.”

Mom set off chattering about her time here, and how it felt like yesterday and a million years ago at the same time. The next

few hours were spent wandering the grounds. We stopped to check in on Simon and Morris. I’d been upgraded to bear hug status

with the former, which I was almost used to. Nothing quite like feeling the strength of a bear wrap its arms around you, even if he was infinitely gentle.

Dad joined us when we settled on a grassy area near the east of the lake to watch dozens of water elementals entertain us

with their magical skills.

“Look at J,” Mom cried, clapping her hands as Jensen flipped what felt like a hundred feet in the air. On days like this,

surrounded by love and sunshine, the tingles of warning down my spine felt like a bad dream. Not that I’d experienced a single

one since the blanket.

“Go, J!” I shouted, when he flipped again, a crest of water beneath him, safely guiding him around the lake.

When their impressive display of magic was finished, it was time for the welcome feast in the assembly hall. Jensen, dry and

dressed in his uniform once more, joined us as we entered the fray of students also heading for food. It took a lot longer

than usual, with parents buffing up the numbers for dinner, but no one minded. This was family time, and we got to chat and

catch up as we walked.

“I got a dozen new potted herb plants,” Mom said as we crossed into Writworth. “I’m in touch with a witch from Sweden who claims to have cultivated some ancient varieties that you can’t get anywhere else. If I can source seeds from her, I’m going to be able to expand our inventory.”

I could totally relate to the joy and excitement on her face. I loved my stupid herbs like they were my babies, petting and

talking to them daily. I was lucky I didn’t have a roommate; with my weird quirks I’d have a lot of explaining to do.

“I hope you can get some, Mom,” Jenna said, eyes lighting up. “Imagine the spells that have been lost to us because we no

longer have the materials to craft them. Could open up an entire new magic.”

Our ancient spells had been adapted to suit modern materials, but that didn’t always mean it was an improvement. Generally,

we ended up with a weaker, less potent variety of the original.

When we started up the stairs, I asked Mom if she’d read the letters from Gran. They’d been on my mind ever since I’d found

them. She furrowed her brows, appearing confused. The letters clearly hadn’t crossed her mind once since I’d mentioned them

in the kitchen. “No, honey. I honestly forgot they were even there. Why’s that?”

I shrugged with an easy smile. “No real reason. I’m curious about Gran, really. I know she loved crystals, so I wanted to

learn as much as I could.” Like if I could use them to help release my magic. It hadn’t escaped my notice that I’d used more

of my magic during the times I wore my crystal necklaces.

“Are you talking about Mom’s mom?” Jenna asked.

Mom nodded. “Yeah, Paisley found some old letters that Mom wrote to me. I really should give them a read. It’s just hard not

knowing what they contain, and whether it’s going to break my heart. The heart is a fragile organ, you know.”

Dad pushed between us, and wrapped his arms around his wife, reacting to the catch in her voice. “You don’t need to read them,” I heard him murmur. “Nothing she says there could change anything now. She’s been gone for more than forty years.”

I decided then that I wouldn’t bring it up to Mom again. She didn’t need the extra emotional stress in her life, not when

I could take a tiny peek at one myself and see if it was worth opening them all. As shit as it made me feel to pry into Mom’s

personal life, if she had no real interest in her mother’s words, then what did it hurt for me to open one...

When we finally reached the assembly hall, Headmaster Gregor was at the door greeting everyone personally. I hadn’t had a

chance to talk with him since my graveyard attack, but so far he lived up to my dad’s description of him as professional,

affable, and pretty lenient with his students. While somehow keeping the college from falling into chaos.

There was a reason Weatherstone was the most prestigious college in America, and I couldn’t see Gregor letting that reputation

tarnish anytime soon. Even a murder hadn’t dulled the school’s shine.

“Welcome, Hallistar family,” he said, smiling broadly as he shook Dad’s hand and then Mom’s. “It’s nice to see you again,

Beth. We need to catch up soon.”

Mom’s smile was genuine, and I wondered if they’d all known each other before Dad became a professor here. “I’d love that,

Victor. It’s been too long.”

The line spanned out behind us, so we moved on quickly, finding a table inside with enough seats for us to sit together. I

ended up between Jensen and Alice, and as I settled in and looked around, I noticed Belle a few tables over. This was the

first time I’d seen her since this morning.

Curious about her dad, I tried to view more of him, but his back was to us. He looked tall and thin with short, gray hair, artfully parted on the side, and slicked down. Belle noticed me and waved with a broad smile, which had her father turning in my direction.

My smile slipped from my face the moment his cold, dark eyes met mine, and as my hand dropped I tried to shake off the dark

vibes he exuded. He stared in a way that was both assessing and absolutely judgmental. With pale skin and sharp features,

he didn’t look like his daughter, but I could see they shared a similar nose and lip shape.

“You okay, Little Gem?” Dad asked, noticing my stare-off with my bestie’s father. “Do you have an issue with that elder?”

Belle’s dad dismissed us, releasing me from his glare and turning to face forward. “That’s Belle’s father. I’m not sure of

his name.”

“Elder Monroe,” Mom added, narrowing her eyes on his back. “I’ve never been a fan of that man. He’s cold and calculating,

and some of the rulings under his watch are downright cruel.”

All the hopes I’d had to chat with him about our issue at the school were gone now. In fact, I kind of wished Belle had never

talked to him about it, because he was clearly making judgments. My fingers itched to steal my friend away, but at least she

seemed content, smiling happily into his face as he gave her attention. For once.

It wasn’t hard to understand why she preferred her mom’s company, though, to be fair, as I watched him lean forward and grab

her hand, he wasn’t as bitingly cold to his daughter as he’d been to me. I wondered if his coldness toward me was because

he thought I’d put Belle at risk by not speaking up sooner about the monsters.

I was distracted when dinner arrived, served family style on huge wooden trays. “I love family weekend,” Trevor said, adding

a second serving of everything to his plate. “They always bring out the best foods to impress the parents.”

“We need to do this at least once a month when we graduate,” Jenna said, reaching for roast chicken. “No matter where we all are in the world, we need to make the effort to be together.”

As long as we had access to the witch portals, we could cross vast distances easily. Even if Dad had to organize and pick

up those of us who hadn’t graduated and therefore weren’t tapped into the network.

“I hope we do this until we’re old and gray,” Alice said with a sniffle. “I don’t want to lose this feeling.”

Mom lifted her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “Dad and I lucked out with you five. And I can’t wait to add more little witches

and warlocks to the dinner table. This is just the beginning of your journeys, kiddos. There are so many wonderful new memories

to make.”

We were an emotional bunch, caught up in the melancholy of these milestones and final experiences. The days that felt like

the good old days but were stepping stones to the future—an unknown and possibly terrifying future.

After dinner, we walked with Mom and Dad to the gates. “I’ll be back in the morning,” she said as she hugged each of us. “I

hear tomorrow we get a display from the fire elementals, and I can’t miss Trevor and the rest of your dad’s students.” His

advanced students were supposed to be impressive, what with all the magma juggling and creating infernos within the palms

of their hands.