Page 39 of The Witch’s Spell (Season of the Witch #4)
Thorne
AURORA IS QUIET ON THE walk back to the cottage. The snow is falling harder now, and her nose is pink in the cold. When I try to start conversation, she attempts to carry it on, but it inevitably drifts into silence.
I keep thinking about the tear on her cheek, the sudden quiet in the warm back room of the apothecary after we made love.
But what I don’t understand is why . Does she regret it?
Part of me thinks so. But, then, why pull me in, why kiss me like that and whisper my name like it was one of her magic spells?
The cold is making my knee and hip ache more than usual, and my pace is slow.
But Aurora doesn’t rush me, even as snowflakes cover her hair and cause her to tug up her hood against the falling sheets of white.
Together, we walk quietly through the snowflakes, and I just wish I knew what’s on her mind.
But that’s one power I don’t possess.
THAT NIGHT, OVER STEAMING CUPS of tea and a plate full of sugar cookies, Aurora tells the others of our plan.
We’re all seated in the parlor, a fire crackling in the hearth.
When we got back to the cottage earlier in the day, Aurora set right to work on brewing a new pain potion for me.
It’s not as potent as the one the apothecaries back home make, but it still works wonders on my aching joints—and the warm fire sure doesn’t hurt either.
I’m seated on the floor, Harrison in my lap. His eyes are closed, and he rumbles with a purr as I stroke a hand down his back. In my other I hold a cup of tea, and I sip from it slowly as Aurora explains.
“I don’t know,” Faolan says. He’s seated on the floor in front of the couch, leaning back against it with his broad arms crossed. His long straight hair falls over his shoulders, shining in the firelight. “Sounds—”
“It sounds ,” Rowan cuts in, “like something we can’t understand. But Thorne and Aurora have magic. If they think this’ll work, I trust them.”
“Me too,” Alden says. He’s rocking in the rocking chair, dark eyes looking sleepy as he stares into the flames. “Besides, it couldn’t hurt, so why not?”
Faolan huffs out an irritated breath. “Fine. But I don’t want you getting your hopes up.” His eyes find Aurora when he says this, but for some reason, her gaze flicks to me.
“I won’t . . .” she whispers.
I’m not convinced.
All day, she’s acted distant. It’s driving me mad. Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do? I’ve never made a woman cry after sex, so I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around what could have Aurora so upset.
If all the others weren’t here, I’d ask her. But no luck with that. The snow is coming down even harder now. No one’s going anywhere. So I’ll have to wait and wonder and try not to go crazy in the meantime.
“When are we doing this, then?” Rowan leans back into the couch cushions, hands interlaced behind his head.
“Tomorrow.” Aurora’s tone is resolute, but her eyes look unsure. “That is, if Thorne is okay with it.”
Everyone looks at me right as I sink my teeth into one of the warm sugar cookies Aurora baked. Faolan smirks. I ignore him. I’m getting better at it already.
“Of course,” I say, then wipe my lips with my thumb. “Whenever you want. It’s up to you.”
“Then tomorrow. The sooner the better. I’m sure everyone wants to get back to their lives. Right?” She tips her head, regarding me with a look I can’t even begin to understand.
Cautiously, I say, “Right.”
She gives me a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
THE NEXT DAY, ALL FIVE of us bundle up and trudge out to the fairy meadow, Harrison riding along on Alden’s shoulders.
Nervousness coils in my stomach as my boots crunch through the frozen snow.
I might be wrong about all of this. Yesterday at the apothecary shop, I felt so sure , sure enough that I had no hesitation in sharing my ideas with Aurora.
But today, under a blanket of gray clouds, with the air biting my skin and the wind whispering through the bare aspens, I’m not so sure.
Thankfully, Aurora’s pain remedy kept me comfortable through the night and into the morning, and I’ve not yet needed to take another, despite all the walking I’ve done these past few days.
I’m slower than the others, walking at the back of the group, but Alden adjusts his pace so he can fall in alongside me.
“Is everything all right between you and Aurora?” he asks quietly, keeping his voice low. Faolan is up at the front of the line with Aurora, one arm over her shoulders, and he’s the only one who might be able to hear from this distance. But I’m grateful nonetheless.
“I...” I think about lying, keeping everything to myself.
But Alden already saw me kissing Aurora in the library—or I think he did, at least. I turned away so quickly in an effort to cast my glamour over myself that I’m not sure how much he even saw.
But he knows—that much is clear. “I don’t know. Yesterday, at the apothecary, we...”
Alden looks down at me, brows rising. A smile tries to pull at his lips, but he holds it back. “Yeah. And?”
“And she’s barely spoken to me since.” I let out a sigh and cast my gaze upward, to the thick branches and boughs stretching over our heads. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“Hmm.” Alden scratches his beard, then lets out a sigh, his breath steaming around his lips.
“Don’t think I can be of much help, except to say that Aurora is sensitive.
She’s soft. Gentle. If she’s acting different, she’s probably worried about something.
But it’s not my place to say.” His dark eyes widen as if he just realized something.
He shifts his gaze to Harrison, who’s still riding along on his shoulders.
“And it’s not yours either, Harrison. Let them work it out on their own. ”
My gaze flicks to the cat. He’s staring at me intensely, green eyes vibrant even in the gray light. After a moment, he sighs and looks away, readjusting on Alden’s shoulders. Hopefully that means he’ll keep this conversation to himself.
A short time later, we push through the snow and close-knit oak trees and emerge in the fairy meadow.
Alden and Faolan look around with wide eyes, as if this is their first time seeing it.
But Rowan doesn’t look surprised. He just removes the pack from his back, into which Aurora loaded even more crystals before we left, and then puts his hands on his hips.
His red hair is the most vibrant thing out here.
Along the trees, fairy creatures emerge. But the others don’t react to their presence. Harrison is the only other one who seems able to see them. He pads around on Alden’s broad shoulders and flicks his fluffy white ears forward curiously.
I hope we can send them all home today. They must be missing their families.
Faolan removes his wide arm from Aurora’s shoulders. “So, this is the place?”
Aurora gives him a small nod. Her gaze flicks to me before flitting quickly away. “This is the place. Rowan?”
Rowan is walking around the meadow, his boots leaving deep imprints in the fresh snow. But at the sound of his name, he pauses and turns to face her. “Hmm? ”
“Could you help me set out the crystals? One in each direction.” She points—north, south, east, and west—and Rowan abides immediately, fetching the bag he dropped and fishing big hunks of crystal quartz out of its depths.
I stare at Aurora. I wish I understood what’s going through her head right now. She won’t even hold my gaze for longer than a second or two.
A heavy hand falls on my shoulder, and I look up to find Alden smiling at me. He squeezes. “Talk to her,” he says quietly, low enough the others don’t hear as they move through the meadow, talking amongst themselves. “It’ll work itself out.”
I give him a subtle nod. “Thank you.”
With a humph, he moves away from me, off to trail after Rowan as he finds good places to set up the crystals.
After taking a steadying breath, I move to the center of the clearing, aware of the many pairs of fairy eyes watching me from the trees.
My heart is beating rapidly beneath my thick tunic.
I don’t want to fail them. They’re all depending on me—on me and Aurora.
And I know how badly she wants this to work.
Last time we were here, when our plan failed, she looked devastated. And I realized then that I never wanted to see such a pained look on her face again. Whatever I can do to prevent that, I’ll do it.
I wish Faelynn were here. As my eldest sibling, she’s always looked after me, and her magic is much stronger than mine. Truly, all my siblings and family members are more powerful than I am. They probably would’ve had no problem fixing the portal .
I sigh. Being the youngest comes with its perks, but it comes with its disadvantages as well.
“Are you ready?” Aurora asks.
I jerk my head up and meet her eyes. She’s smiling lightly, but again, it doesn’t quite meet her eyes.
“Yes,” I say. “Whenever you are.”
She takes a breath and lets it out slowly. “Well, I guess it’s now or never. Let’s see if this works.”