Page 18 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

R apid stomping on the apartment stairs was the only warning I had before Sarah burst through the door. Slower, tired footfalls followed, and Bridget walked in shaking her head with an exasperated sigh. The moment she saw the Book of Shadows, Bridget bit back a smile and playfully nodded.

“Alright, alright,” she said approvingly. Sarah only squealed as she plopped on the floor beside where the book and I sat.

The three of us sat in silence, studying the grimoire situated between us. Candlelight flickered, casting shadows that bounced off its cover.

“Well, this is utterly dramatic,” Bridget dryly said, resting her elbows on her knees. It was hard to tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

“I think it’s thrilling, no?” Sarah whipped her head between the two of us, curls bouncing in every direction.

“It’s thrilling in the way a rollercoaster getting derailed is thrilling.” I raised my eyebrows, my hands shaking as I opened the book’s cover.

“Oh, my goodness,” Sarah breathed. “This is like old, old.” She reached to touch it but pulled her hand back at the last second, Sarah glanced up at me and then to Bridget. “This also has to be your family’s, right?” she asked, meeting Bridget’s green eyes. Bridget inhaled a wavering breath.

“Maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to find my family’s book. It was at you mom’s house the whole time.” Bridget’s voice almost sounded hopeful.

“No,” I uttered slowly. “It’s not my mom’s.” Their heads tilted in unison. I flipped through the college-ruled pages where each entry was signed:

“It’s the Archers’. The book’s my dad’s.” Their eyes widened.

“Wait, what?” Bridget asked with a nervous giggle. “Not Burrows?” I shook my head and pulled up the photo from the collage.

“That arrow is my dad’s symbol,” I said, pointing to the carving in the rock. “I had forgotten all about it until I saw it in the book.”

“That is…unexpected,” Sarah said. Her voice was a whisper as she studied the photo in awe. “Why was it kept at your mom’s house?”

“I–I don’t know,” I said slowly, putting my phone away. I hadn’t stopped pondering that exact question since I discovered the Book of Shadows. “That’s a good question.”

“Damn,” Bridget said, her expression fell. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally cool that the book belongs to your dad, but honestly, I was so excited about finding my family’s… our family’s book,” she quickly corrected herself. “Just sort of disappointing.”

“I can understand that. Maybe this will help.” I turned back toward the beginning of the book, where the Binding Ritual was transcribed. “First, I want to tell you both that I trust you. As skeptical as I want to be, there’s no denying that something far greater is going on here, and that we are undoubtedly involved.” I reached my hands out to either side, and they both pressed their palms against mine. “Thank you,” I squeezed. “This is overwhelming but would have been so much worse without you both. I needed to meet the two of you more than I knew.” My eyes burned with the sudden threat of tears. “Whatever is about to happen, I know we’re supposed to face it together.”

Sarah’s face screwed up, suppressing the urge to cry. “Stop it! We’re so lucky you moved here.” She laced her fingers through mine.

“For real, it was getting boring being just the two of us,” Bridget smirked at Sarah. “Plus, we always had an inkling this was coming, whether or not we wanted to believe it.” Sarah wore a subtle smile, but her eyes radiated renewed hope.

“You knew the three-hundred-year-old curse was going to be set into motion?” I raised a brow.

“There were signs.” Bridget nodded toward the balcony door where the three creatures were visible. “We’re the first ones to have familiars.”

“That’s what they are?” It suddenly dawned on me as she said the word. Martin, Pilot, and Ferran were unlike any other pets I’d known. They were wild, feral, but so trusting and protective of the three of us. Sarah and Bridget nodded. “Wow,” I said as I looked over to the motley crew.

“B almost let the truth slip out when she met you, but we weren’t sure how receptive you’d be to all this. It’s a part of the world that not many people know about or become introduced to.” Sarah let go of my hand and tucked her legs under herself.

“Well, I wanted to show you this.” I pointed to the open page. “I feel like it’s something we need to do. It’s a Binding Ritual, forming the circle of a Coven.” They both leaned in closer. “The timing is ideal, because it can only be done when the sky is alight with flame .” I underlined the words with my index finger.

“The meteor shower.” Bridget made the connection right away.

“Your birthday!” Sarah’s head snapped up. “The meteor shower will be most visible just after midnight.” I hadn’t even thought of the coincidence in the timing.

“You’re right, Raina. We need to do this. Everything is aligning, perfectly. You were meant to find this book.” Bridget hummed with elation and rubbed her hands on her thighs. “And now we know how we’re going to celebrate your birthday.” She laughed a low, humorous laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said as she looked between the two of us. “I get a little weird when I’m overwhelmed. I have been hoping my entire life that we have magic, would one day form a coven, and that all of this wasn’t just a story. And now it’s all happening. I–I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Sarah, on the other hand, was vibrating with excitement. “I honestly don’t know how I’m going to make it till then. What do we need for it?” She leaned into the book to get a peek at the list of requirements.

We spent the rest of the afternoon repeatedly going over the ritual, as well as the many pages of the Book of Shadows. As things calmed down, I finally got the nerve to bring up what happened to me this morning.

“I didn’t want to take away from this moment, but you two need to be aware of something.” Both women visible from where I sat in the middle of the apartment, I almost laughed at their simultaneous reactions. Bridget froze at the kitchen counter, holding the chip she was about to eat in midair, and Sarah looked at me with doe-eyes through her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was testing out a glamor spell without success. “The ritual will increase our natural Aecor.” I cleared my throat. “If we weren’t already being targeted, there is a good chance the ritual will make us stand out even more.”

Bridget slowly ate the chip.

“What happened, Raina?” Bridget asked, noting the undertone in my voice.

“Something happened to me this morning,” and I explained the attack I experienced in the shower. “I swear it felt like someone was in the bathroom with me, but nobody was there. I was completely alone.” Sarah cautiously slid out from the bathroom, suspiciously eyeing every individual tile while doing so.

Bridget walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She stared off to somewhere far away, while Sarah continued to glare at the bathroom from the farthest point in the living room.

“Are you sure it was an attack?” Sarah asked. Bridget adjusted how she was sitting to give Sarah her full attention. “Cause that sounds like Goody’s curse toward Black Sam, right?” She tilted her head with a curious shrug, offering an explanation for the situation.

Bridget nodded in agreement. “Sounds similar. I never read about the specifics of how he supposedly drowns, but that’s how I would imagine it felt.”

“Nothing I did stopped it from happening,” I choked, my chest tight from unexpected emotions. “I felt so helpless…” I chewed my bottom lip, thinking about what they'd said. Noticing the distant look on my face, Sarah took a step towards me as my mind raced at incredible speeds. “I really think casting our circle will help protect us. We can be more proactive if it works like the Book of Shadows describes.”

“I agree.” Bridget’s mouth was a hard line. “If everything we have been told is true, the curse will happen whether we believe in it or not, and we need to be a strong and united front. We will be targeted no matter what—I mean, we were chased. Might as well be as prepared as possible.”

“Damn, I hope we’re overreacting, so then we can just play with fun little spells, and incantations, and have our little witchy store, and be mysteriously sexy, and…” Sarah got lost in her own optimism, rambling on.

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s that simple, Sarah.” Bridget dampened her enthusiasm.

“Fine,” Sarah pouted, her voice heavy with despair.

“All I know is that I really don’t want to experience what happened in the shower ever again.” My lungs burned just remembering the assault.

“Then we will make sure it doesn’t happen again. We’ll do the binding ritual. We will help protect you.” Bridget grasped me gently by the shoulders and leveled with me. “We were chosen for a reason.” As if on cue, Ferran scratched at the glass of the sliding balcony door. Sarah walked over and let the cat in.

“Martin and Pilot can come in, too,” I offered.

“Nah,” Bridget scrunched up her nose. “Pilot stinks, and Martin is a psycho.” The bird squawked in response. “You know you are,” she shouted back at the crow.

Time dragged on, as if filtered through molasses, leading up to the ritual. Each morning, I threw myself into work with emails and shipments, as my mind was entirely restless.

“Can I borrow your truck?” I asked Jeff. I was sitting on one of the docks that was not used for shipments. It was close enough to the restaurant so I could hop onto their Wi-Fi. Water lapped against the boards. The sound was soothing and a big draw as to why I came here to get some work done. Jeff sat on the wood pillar next to me for a short break after a morning of unloading last night’s catch. “I need to get the wardrobe shipped out by next week. I want to take it to the mainland so I don’t have to deal with—” I jutted my chin over my shoulder toward the dingy fishing boat tied to the pier, “Cole.” I said his name quietly even though the man wasn’t in sight.

“Sure,” Jeff huffed with boredom. “Let me know when, and I’ll help load it up.”

“Thank you,” I chirped, almost laughing at my brother. Jeff may have thought he mastered the art of nonchalance, but I could always tell he was exponentially chalant under the surface. A couple seagulls squawked as they fought over discarded French fries, pulling my attention toward their squabble. “What’s that place called anyway?” I asked, nodding past the battling birds towards the harbor’s restaurant.

“Boathouse Cafe,” he grunted. “Smells like a fish market in there. But the food is solid.” He stood up and clapped me on the back. “Well, break’s over. See ya,” he said dully as he turned to walk away.

“There’s a meteor shower tonight,” I called after him. “Make sure RJ sees it.” Jeff turned and continued to walk backward.

“Why can’t you?” he coaxed with a smirk.

“I have plans,” I purposely kept it short.

“With who?” Jeff stopped walking and the humor on his face disappeared. His cheeks began to flush, and I knew exactly why.

“Bridget and Sarah. Why?” A smile spread widely on my face. Jeff waved me off with a grunt and went on his way.

Refocusing on how I should word a reply to a customer’s email, I eyed the lazy waves dancing against the stilts of the wooden dock. The last surge of summer laced the edges of the breeze, warmer than in previous days. Then, the air around me shifted; it felt charged with static. Craning my neck to look past the edge of the wooden planks, I watched as the tiny peaks of seawater slowed and became still. Calls from the seagulls above were muffled, and the sound of workers loading and unloading crates was dampened.

Tiny pricks and tingles slowly crawled up my spine, and my heart began to race. I frantically scanned the shoreline, searching for them— whoever’s presence I felt during the bathroom assault. The energy surrounding me felt just like the attack in the shower: the subtle build-up, the lurking feeling of someone’s presence…

Chest heaving with panic as I braced myself against the familiar force, I watched streams of water seep up through the cracks beneath my feet. Coldness climbed past my ankles as if I was being slowly lowered into the sea. My bones felt frozen and threatened to shatter like ice.

My eyes frantically darted in every direction, trying to find anyone near, but the shipyard was suddenly empty. Every muscle locked as if I was cemented to the splintered wood of the dock. “Jeff,” I tried to shout, but I couldn’t move the muscles in my throat to scream loud enough. Frigid water soaked my leggings as it ascended above my knees. I could only watch in horror as the fabric darkened with the wetness of it. My eyes burned, and I braced myself for the raw flames that would be licking at my throat in just a few seconds. My heartbeat became so erratic I was afraid it would beat out of my chest.

Inside my core, I felt a sudden heat blossoming, like the sun rising on the cold horizon. Warmth spread, and I could take deep breaths once more. The iciness of the water was ebbing away, and I was able to stand. Fear continued to hold me in place, and I urged myself to move. Laptop and backpack in hand, I stumbled back up the small pier and into the gravel lot. As the warmth extended to my extremities, I felt my leggings drying while I fought to control my breathing.

Without warning, the sounds of the water lapping against the docks and boats rushed back into my ears at a deafening level. A small whimper escaped my lips, and I swallowed a sob that grew from the pain of the volume and from the residual terror I felt. I searched for the source of the attack. Tears that were welling in my eyes spilled over. They stopped immediately as I gasped at the sound of footsteps against the gravel. Turning slowly, fearful of what or who I would be there, I looked over my shoulder to see Cole, who was much closer than I expected. He stood a few yards from me with the most inquisitive expression. Steadying my gaze on him, I watched as he furrowed his brow and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. His features softened, but before the inclination of tenderness even registered, the lines in his face hardened.

In a portrait of perfect dignity, I swiped at my running nose with the sleeve of my sweater. I never took my eyes off him, and he held my stare. My heart held no fear. It was as if only the two of us existed at that moment. Something that I couldn’t quite identify exchanged between the two of us. Respect? Acknowledgment? Had he seen what happened to me? However, I was sure no one was around while I was in mid-panic, and I had no idea how he appeared so suddenly.

Dust billowed as a converted van drove through the parking lot between Cole and me. When everything settled, he had gone off, and I was left standing alone, weighted with hollow saudade.