Page 36

NADINE

I staggered back into the wall of the cave as the vision ended. I’d come in here with no magic or defenses, because I thought I could talk Verla down. I’d told the others to stay outside because I figured she would listen to me. If I couldn’t fight with magic, I had to turn to the power of my words. The headmistress I knew would never use dark magic, but I realized now that she wasn’t the headmistress I knew. She never had been, because that woman didn’t exist. It’d all been a lie .

Horror shuddered through my whole body, and I had to press my palms against the rock to keep from falling over. I stared incredulously at Verla, and that darkness she’d succumbed to became apparent. I didn’t recognize her anymore. She’d masked it so well, but now that the mask had come off, I could never look at her the same.

Grammy had told me a light had left Verla’s eyes. I thought it’d been a shadow of grief. I never imagined it to be the complete and all-consuming darkness of wickedness.

“You… killed my parents?” I stammered breathlessly. I didn’t want to believe it. Their death had been an accident. My mother’s best friend would never…

But she had. All this time, my parents had been murdered. Of all the evidence that pointed to her as the culprit of these deplorable acts, that was one I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.

“I had hoped you’d never learn the truth,” Verla said softly, as if I might still forgive her.

She took a step forward, but I backed further away. My feet knocked over crystals, which clinked together and scattered across the ground.

“Stay the fuck away from me!” I cried. I’d never been more repulsed by anything in my life, and I’d seen torture in hell. “I should’ve figured it out. You weren’t at my mom’s funeral. The first time I met you was the day I moved into the dorms. If you and my mom were such close friends, why weren’t you there? I always figured you were so busy being headmistress that you couldn’t make it, but you didn’t come because you couldn’t handle the guilt!”

“You of all people should understand,” Verla said. “We’re not so different. We’ve both lost so much.”

“We are nothing alike,” I sneered. This woman I once so highly revered morphed into the most horrifying of monsters in an instant. I couldn’t relate to her at all, and I despised every second I’d ever spent in her presence.

I shot a wary gaze across the cave toward my husband. He was crouched down with the Oaken Wands in hand, slowly inching his way toward our son. Lucas gave me a subtle nod, and I read the message in his eyes. Keep Verla talking.

Not hard to do, considering all the horrific things I wanted to say to her.

I eyed Verla up and down in disgust. “Do you know what my mom’s last thought was? The coven’s in danger. Stay safe, Nadine. I love you . She knew you were going to destroy it, and she tried to warn me. The danger she spoke of was you this whole time. Isa should’ve warned me, and you know what? I think she tried. She never liked being around you.”

“Even if she disliked me, she wouldn’t remember what I told her,” Verla said. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same. You’ve killed people, too.”

“To save innocent lives!” I countered.

“My sister was innocent, and the priestesses slaughtered her!” Verla shouted.

“So take this up with them ,” I snarled. “You didn’t have to involve innocent people.”

“There are no innocent people! Not in this!” Verla screamed. “I was relying on my community to stand up for Nicole, and to save her, and you know what they did? They all stayed silent. They allowed the priestesses to do as they wished, as they’ve always done! You’ve seen them do it, Nadine, time and again, and by hell you keep holding on to this childish fantasy that people can do good and be better. Grow up and realize the reality of who you’re surrounded by. The coven will keep allowing people in power to do whatever they wish, and no one has the stomach to try and reverse it. No one except me.”

“We can still fix this. There can be another way!” I demanded.

“Why should I care what happens to this goddess-forsaken coven? It never cared what happened to me!” Verla hissed. “This town is full of selfish people who only care about themselves, so why can’t I do the same?”

“You’re right. The coven should’ve spoken up on Nicole’s behalf,” I spat back. “That doesn’t mean you have any excuse to kill whoever you wish on this sick crusade to bring your sister back!”

I stole another glance at Lucas. He’d picked Marcus up and cradled him to his chest. Our son hadn’t made a sound. Lucas reached for a pile of crystals that were still intact. If he got his hands on them while I had Verla distracted, he might be able to use the power within them to cast a spell.

He glanced quickly toward the cave entrance, and I knew he wanted me to distract her long enough to get Marcus out of here. We’d called Professor Wykoff, along with Professor Warren and Miles, after I astral traveled to Lucas and found out where Verla had taken him. They should all be on their way. Then Professor Wykoff could take Marcus far away from here while we dealt with Verla. I’d never let her lay a hand on him.

“The priestesses wanted people to listen, but they wouldn’t listen to Nicole,” Verla sneered. “You think they would listen to me ?”

My breath shuddered as I took another step away from her. “I thought the priestesses were bad, but you’re so much worse. You got Grammy killed!”

“I wasn’t the one who killed her,” Verla defended. “I merely convinced her to walk into danger, but it was the Executors who took her life.”

“You’re deplorable!” I spat. “You didn’t kill Grammy by your own hand, but you intended for her to die, and you killed so many other innocent people. How could you give up your own child?”

Professor Daniels told us in Demonology that it was possible to make a demon deal to acquire more magic, but that it would require the exchange of a soul. I never imagined anyone would actually do it.

“Like your parents, sacrifices had to be made.” Verla stated it so coolly that it chilled me to the bone. She’d become so detached that she honestly believed she was justified in what she’d done. I understood the detachment grief could cause, and I’d learned that morality wasn’t clear-cut, but Verla had taken it so far that I could no longer comprehend her decisions.

I stepped to the side again, luring Verla’s attention away from the cave entrance. “It all makes sense now. The Protection Tree was suffering, but it didn’t start this. You did. We should’ve known. The coven divided before, and the Waning never happened during any other divide in history, so it couldn’t have been the tree’s fault. The tree was dying because it needs magic to live, and the Waning is what killed it, not the other way around.”

“Of course it was,” Verla replied. “You had so much faith in me that you were willing to accept only the answers you wanted to hear.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I should’ve connected the dots sooner, and that was a great mistake. The priestesses and I performed a spell to identify the type of magic causing the Waning, and we determined it was demonic. I’d written it off as witch magic, because demon blood runs through our veins. But all this time, that spell was pointing us to the demon deal you made.”

“You only see the best in people, Nadine,” Verla accused. “That’s one of your greatest strengths, but it is also your greatest downfall.”

I chose to ignore that, because she was clearly trying to manipulate me. “Professor Warren said the explosion at the school the night of the Golem War was more than the potions had in them. It was you who created that explosion against the golems, not the potion stores.”

“Yes, I still wanted to protect you, as I always have,” Verla promised. “I really was on your side this whole time, and I was honest about my role in The Coven’s Shield. I didn’t want the priestesses to find the Oaken Wands, because they could use them against me and stop what I’m doing here. But you won’t stop me, will you, Nadine? You’ll help me.”

I was appalled by the suggestion. “Why on earth would you ever think I’d help you?”

“Because I can’t do this on my own,” Verla said desperately.

Lucas ducked out of the cave entrance with Marcus in his arms. It didn’t make me any less scared of Headmistress Verla, but it gave me relief knowing my son wasn’t near her anymore.

“I’ve tried everything, and each of my spells failed,” she continued. “If you and your friends help me raise my sister, this can all be over. You can have your magic back, and the Waning will end. Nicole and I will leave town, and you will never hear from us again. Isn’t that what you want… to have your powers back, so you can save everyone?”

If only I’d been able to save everyone. Then people like Dean, Grammy, and my parents would still be with us.

Something hit me then, something so appalling I thought it might break me. My voice shook. “The Waning took so many lives. The night of my baby shower when Magnus poisoned me, I tried to use my powers to stop it, but I couldn’t, because I was powerless to the Waning. My baby boy was poisoned, and I could’ve reversed that with my powers, but I couldn’t because of you . It’s your fault Dean is dead!”

“It was all for the greater good,” Verla replied—like I should understand it. “I had to kill my baby, and yours had to be sacrificed. These children never had a chance to live anyway, so they don’t know what they’re missing. Dean had to die so Marcus could live, so if you think about it, I actually saved Marcus.”

“Don’t you dare make assumptions like that!” I yelled. “You could’ve helped undo the poison, and you chose not to. Both of my children could’ve lived!”

Verla frowned. “It appears I’m not the only one making assumptions.”

I recalled something else then, which only made the fury raging within me burn hotter. “The night I gave birth, you told me that some of us have to die so others get to live. You were trying to comfort me, but in reality you were comparing my baby’s death to killing your own child. You’re disgusting! Losing Dean wasn’t a choice I made, but you chose to give up Allyn.”

“To save my sister!” Verla screamed.

“From what?” I demanded. “For all you know, you’re trying to uproot Nicole from a beautiful life in Alora. You aren’t trying to save Nicole from anything. You’re trying to save yourself , and I’m sorry to say it, Verla, but you’re too far gone.”

“The coven executed her!” she roared. “They rejected her! You think they’d accept her in Alora?”

“Witches aren’t made to bring spirits back from the dead, because to do so would defy the very nature of death,” I insisted. “We had to learn that when we gave up our son. Death is a part of the journey. Bringing your sister back is only bringing back the past, and you need to let her move on, just as you need to continue without her.”

“That’s bullshit, Nadine, and you know it,” Verla snapped. “Lucas brought you back from death. You two think you’re so special that you’re the exception. If he can still have you, then I can still have her.”

“That was under extraordinary circumstances that didn’t threaten innocent lives or all of witch magic. I hadn’t crossed over yet, but your sister has been gone for years.”

Verla pursed her lips, like she was frustrated I didn’t get it. “It doesn’t matter the time that has passed. The rift in our soul is as fresh as it ever was. I was going to raise my sister, then you were supposed to come in and undo the damage with the Oaken Wands. The Waning was never meant to be permanent!”

I was repulsed. “You thought I’d just come in and clean up your mess so you didn’t have to take responsibility?”

“I knew you were destined to change things—it’s as your prophecy said. I’m not the one who hung all those people! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“You caused the Waning, which was the catalyst for the divide,” I accused. “You could’ve ended the witch hunts at any time. You’ve had magic all along, and my grandfather’s journal that could’ve led us to the Oaken Wands sooner. You could’ve helped us!”

“And given myself away?” Verla demanded. “Nicholas’s entries were nonsensical and of no use to you. If you’d have seen the journal, you’d know what I was up to. I couldn’t let you end this before I finished what I started.”

“You don’t have to finish this just because you started it. It’s okay to change your mind when you learn the thing you committed to his harming you.”

“The only thing that’s harming me is being apart from her this long,” Verla seethed. “You want to save everyone, Nadine? Save me. Help me bring her back!”

I shook my head. “The blessing you gave on my wedding day was one of courage. I am courageous, and that means standing up for what’s right. If we do this, there’s no telling what the consequences might be. So no, I’m not going to help you. You can’t steal our powers forever. One day, you will die, and your spells will be gone with you. If you have to kill me now so that future generations of witches can live on, then I guess you’re going to have to kill me.”

I trembled from head to toe, terrified she’d actually do it. She had the power to end me in a second, and I’d just given up the only thing still keeping me alive—keeping us all alive. But as much as death scared me, I knew there was peace in it, too. If this was where our journey on Earth ended, then it was also where our adventure in the afterlife began. And perhaps it was a beautiful thing to do it together.

“You don’t really want that, Nadine,” Verla accused.

Tears beaded in my eyes. “No, I don’t. I’d like to stay to watch my son grow up. All the time I expected to have with him, to be his mother, would be lost. Everything Lucas and I dreamed of… gone. But we were never promised any of it in the first place, so maybe in the afterlife we can build something new.”

Verla shook her head, looking terrified at the thought of me so easily accepting my own death. As worry fell over her features, I caught sight of the woman I once loved so dearly. Though the mask had come off, there were still parts of her I recognized buried deep beneath the shadows. Verla had chosen some dark, wicked paths I would never go down, but there was still a glimmer of affection in her eyes. She was afraid for me, and I believed her when she said she didn’t want to hurt me.

“You don’t know where you’ll end up,” Verla said wistfully. “Alora isn’t promised. You could end up in the Abyss, or another realm entirely.”

A tear streaked my cheek, and my voice broke. “Are you sure you want to be the one to send me there? You haven’t killed me yet, so there must be a reason you’re hesitating. In your vision, I saw that you warded this tomb to keep out people you didn’t want here, but I got through. You wanted me to come here. You wanted me to stop you. So Verla… please stop.”

“I can’t.” Her bottom lip trembled, and I despised admitting that I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She didn’t appear as an evil villain who’d descended into madness. She seemed more like someone whose grief had consumed her to the point where she was desperately trying to claw her way back to herself. I didn’t agree with the means she’d done it, and I’d never forgive her for killing my parents and selling her son to a demon…

But I could see her for what she was, which was a scared, grieving woman who’d given up hope long ago.

“You can stop,” I pressed. “Doing so is a choice, and I know there must be a part of you that doesn’t want to do this anymore, or you would’ve killed me by now.”

Verla hesitated. Then her gaze traveled over to her sister on the cot, and a dark shadow fell over her features. “I have no choice but to finish this, and if you’re going to continue to stand in my way, then you can have the death you so desire.”

She lifted her hand, and I closed my eyes and lifted my chin as I accepted my end.

“If you won’t listen to her, then perhaps you’ll listen to me,” a deep voice said.

The blow I expected never came. I opened my eyes to find Professor Warren had squeezed through the cave opening and planted himself between Verla and me. If he was able to get through her wards, that meant she wanted him here, too.

A glowing death spell died on Verla’s fingers. She had completely frozen, and I witnessed a spark of adoration in her eyes when her gaze landed on Professor Warren. She loved me as a child, but she cherished Professor Jonathan Warren as a beloved partner. I recalled what she’d revealed to us in her vision.

I was in love with Jonathan Warren. That was more terrifying than any dark road I could go down, because I knew if I let myself love him hard enough, he just might fix me.

She wanted me here, but I wasn’t the one who could stop her. Only the man she loved could do that.

“Clarice,” Professor Warren said softly.

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. It was obvious in the way he said her name that was completely infatuated with her. The way she returned his gaze with regret in her eyes told me she loved him dearly.

“What are you doing here, Jonathan?” Verla demanded in a shaky tone.

“I know about Allyn,” he said sadly.

Slowly, Verla turned her gaze to her raised hand. She seemed to realize for the first time what she was about to do. Her fingers trembled as she dropped her hand to her side. A sob broke from her chest, and that cold, harsh woman who’d done all those terrible things crumbled before my eyes. “I—I couldn’t tell you.”

Professor Warren remained surprisingly calm. “I know you couldn’t. You tried so hard to bring your sister back, but that’s never what you really wanted in the first place, was it? You just wanted to feel whole again.”

“She deserved a better life, Jonathan,” Verla whispered sadly.

“Of course she did.” Professor Warren reached out and took Verla’s hands in his. “But you deserve better, too. I know what it’s like to self-sabotage, to hurt yourself over and over again, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You have a chance now to make a different choice, and I know that if you’re strong enough to do all this , then you’re strong enough to reverse it. I can’t stand to watch you get hurt, Clarice.”

Verla sagged into his arms. “You’re right, Jonathan. I said I’d do anything to bring her back, but I’ve tried everything . It’s tearing me apart, and I no longer recognize who I’ve become. I don’t know anymore if I can do it… and even if I can, I don’t know if I want to keep trying.”

“You don’t have to,” Professor Warren promised. “You’ve said no to things you deeply love before. You can say no again.”

“I did love you,” Verla sobbed. “I never should’ve let you go.”

Professor Warren stroked her hair. “I’m here now.”

“I hate what I’ve become,” she admitted. Verla stumbled back, curling her lips back in disgust as she stared down at herself. “I don’t want this power. Take it, before I destroy everything! Take it from me, please, because I can’t stop myself!”

“Lucas, now!” I shouted through the cave opening. He had the Oaken Wands, along with crystals to spark his power. Verla was at her most vulnerable, and if there ever was a time we could overpower her, it was this moment.

All around us, crystals glowed a brilliant array of rainbow colors as the power within them ignited. The colors shimmered and danced off the stone ceiling. It was immensely beautiful and profound. Verla’s knees buckled, and she sank to the ground weakly. Her features paled as her power drained out of her.

My friends had done it—they’d overpowered Verla with the Wands.

Outside the cave, something shattered like glass. It had to be Verla’s ward.

“Go!” Lucas shouted. “Take Marcus far away from here.”

“I will,” I heard Professor Wykoff reply.

My friends came rushing into the cave one by one, their Wands raised and pointed at Verla. Miles aimed his pistol at her. Our cats scurried in and hissed at her.

Lucas shoved the Curse Breaker Wand into my hand. “Together!” he shouted.

I didn’t understand what he meant. They’d already drained her power—I could see that clear as day. Verla tried to push herself upright, but her arms shook so feebly that she couldn’t quite sit up.

Grant and Talia shared a worried look.

“It’s not working!” Chloe shouted.

The smell of chamomile and peppermint filled the air. I didn’t know where it’d come from, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up.

A low, wicked laugh came from behind us, sending my heart plummeting to my toes. Slowly, we turned in unison to see the pale, eerie corpse of Nicole Verla rising from her cot. Her old, tattered nightgown hung from her creepy form.

“Nicole,” Verla breathed in disbelief. “The spell worked.”

I couldn't believe my eyes. I’d entered the crystal cave while Verla was forcing Lucas to perform her spell with her. I thought I’d distracted her and stopped it, but it was clear now that the spell had finished when I arrived. It’d taken time for Nicole’s body to wake, but Verla’s final attempt at a revival spell had been successful.

Nicole tilted her head as a sinister smirk crossed her face. “Finally. I was starting to doubt you’d actually pull it off, Clarice.”

“I said I’d do whatever it takes,” Verla told her desperately. “The Oaken Wands have taken my power, but now that you’re back, we can leave the coven together!”

“Oh, honey,” Nicole taunted with an evil laugh. “The thing about twin flames is that we share a soul connection… and that connection is incredibly powerful. While you were plotting to bring me back all these years, I was planning my own revenge. They didn’t steal your magic— I did. The demon deal you made and the power you amassed flows through our soul, which means now that I’m back, this magic is mine as much as yours. I’m going to use the power of the coven to make them pay for what they did to me. And I’m going to force you all to watch as I finally bring the Miriamic Coven to its miserable end.”