Page 29 of Transfiguration
“Hey, kiddo. How was magic school?” Con asked, heading to the fridge and opening it to find it full of groceries: fruits, veggies, and a half dozen containers of stuff that looked ready to eat but likely better for a kid. Jamie and Kelly’s work? Or had Luca done that before he left?
“Good,” Link said. “I like magic school better than regular school. Wish I could go to magic school all the time.” Link was only recently back from a private witch training camp that Kelly and Jamie ran in a network across the country. The idea was to teach them control at a young age to keep the power from overwhelming them as they got older. And much like Rou’s kids, Link was powerful, water and earth in one tiny package. Often the secondary power would fade with one becoming more dominant over time, but Link grew in both.
“Things like math, science, and history are important too,” Kelly said. He turned off the oven and dug for plates, though he hadn’t been in the loft enough to know where they were.
“Top left, by the fridge,” Con said.
“Thanks,” Kelly said as he pulled down some plates. “Let’s get some food in you all, then we’ll do some shopping for supplies?” His gaze landed on Con, questioning.
“Whatever you think Bella might need. I’m new to this.”
“She has an appointment at one,” Kelly said, tapping his phone. “A medical exam, and a quick meeting with a therapist.”
“That was fast,” Con said.
“They are my people. Used to this sort of thing.” Kelly waved his hand, not worried. He was a master at pulling kids out of terrible situations.
“You okay with seeing a few doctors today, Bella?” Con asked.
“You’ll stay close?” she asked, eyeing the casserole. Link swiped a plate and dished himself a giant piece.
“Sure,” Con said. He didn’t really know what to do about doctors and kids. Would they ask him things he didn’t know how to answer? Would they ask her for details of her abuse? How would they deal with her transgender status? Was he supposed to be handling that? Fuck, it was too early for this.
“Did you ask Molly to visit me this morning?” He looked at her, trying to find a place for the spider to hide. She was wearing one of the new outfits he’d washed last night, which meant either Luca or Sam had finished them and gotten them to her. It was a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a big, smiling skeleton cat on it. The shirt had Day-of-the-Dead sort of vibes, goth but not black.
She looked at him, but she said nothing. Caution in front of Kelly?
“Did Sam tell you about the spider?” Con asked. Had Kelly ever encountered a kid with a familiar?
“He did.” Kelly said as he picked up a plate and scooped out a medium-sized piece before handing it to Bella. “It’s good, I promise. Tastes like pancakes.”
She took it from him, accepting a fork with it, and poked at it for a moment. Con grabbed a plate and a giant slice for himself. It was a pancake and sausage thing, real maple syrup drizzled over the top, with a nice layer of scrambled eggs at the bottom. It looked strange, like a mess of breakfasts, but it was one of Con’s favorites, and a regular in the Rou household. He cut off a big bite and stuffed it into his mouth, sighing at the delight of it. Who would have thought eggs would be good with syrup? But it worked.
She cut off a tiny piece and touched it to the tip of her tongue first, before carefully putting it in her mouth and slowly seeming to taste it. Another minute passed, and she cut a bigger slice, picking out a piece of the sausage to try, then finally shoving in big mouthfuls like Link was doing.
Kelly met Con’s gaze and nodded. He knew about the familiar.
“Something you’ve encountered before?” Con wondered without clarifying. Talking in front of kids was always a game of what not to say.
“Yes. Though not this young. It’s often a trauma response. Young witches panicking and calling for help. Sometimes, something answers.” He pointed to the table beside the door. A stack of books sat there. “And usually something more common with cats, dogs, a few rabbits.” He shrugged. “A bird once. I brought a few more books on it. More focused than Sam thought you guys got from Hart.” He looked at his watch. “Once you finish eating, we should get going. Sam said Bella will need more clothes, and maybe a phone?”
Con should have thought of that. He could turn the tracker on and it would give him a better sense of calm that he could find her. This whole add water, instant kid thing was really terrifying. “Do you have any easy wards you can use around the loft?” Con asked Kelly. Normally he didn’t worry about leaving Sam alone, sleeping, but if the Dominion was raging, and someone hunting for Bella, Sam could be a target.
“Seiran will be here soon to set some,” Kelly said. “He and Sam talked about it this morning before sunup. Can’t have more powerful protection than the Pillar of Earth.”
“Seiran?” Bella asked. “The one that crazy vampire says is his?”
Kelly blinked, and Con winced. Yeah, that was something Sam must not have shared.
“What crazy vampire?” Kelly wanted to know, his gaze turning stormy.
“Matthew,” Bella said, cutting the last piece of her breakfast into smaller pieces. “The vampire soul stuck in the urn.”
Kelly’s eyes widened and turned to Con. That Pierson had tried to take his best friend from him after shooting the man Kelly loved, had been something the water witch sometimes struggled with, even though it had been a long time ago, and he and Jamie hadn’t even been dating yet.
“What? I thought Hart had Page release them all?”
Con sighed and shook his head. He didn’t make that decision. Might not have, if given the choice, though he had to admit that the idea of ripping apart Matthew Pierson, the asshole who had shredded Sam’s life, appealed in ways that weren’t at all PG or kind. More like sandblasting him and watching the blood soak into the dirt than souls floating off into heaven. “We have to find his body first. They are worried about what it’s being used for.” Con tapped his plate with his fork. “I’m on retrieval duty. As soon as I get Bella settled.”