Page 66 of Uncharmed

Chapter Thirty-One

A NEW HOME

A nnie pulled at the loose threads on the patchwork quilt, knotting them all into tiny plaits, and waited. Occasionally, her vision blurred behind a film of tears, but she refused to let them fall. It had been hours since they had returned to Arden Place, but she would not admit defeat.

The moment that Maeve had hit the ground, Hal had run to her and scooped the girl into his arms. He had carried her to Mage, held her limp body close against his chest as they sped back to the cottage in a blur on horseback.

‘This is my job,’ he said gruffly when others tried to help, remaining silent for some time afterwards.

Before they bolted, Annie had rushed to administer the hasty healing draught that she had shoved into her supplies before the fight, hoping that the basic brew would be enough to hold Maeve’s broken pieces together in the interim.

The coven swiftly banished each of the Heralds to Hecate House, to be held under lock and key until they were fully informed of the goings on that had remained a closely guarded secret for so long.

Annie’s brief, hole-filled explanation of the Sorciety’s magic stockpiling system had earned a combination of extreme concern and curious fascination from the Gowden sisters.

As the Sages in charge, they would prepare a case for trial and the entirety of the coven would decide together what the next moves might be.

Wherever it was they had been sent, Annie knew it was safe to assume that it would be somewhat less of a luxury stay than they were all used to.

Romily, Vivienne and Harmony would be thanking their lucky stars to have escaped when they did.

Briefly, Annie wondered what would become of them.

She realized she didn’t care enough to find out.

The coven accompanied them back to the cottage, so the tiny house was standing room only, bursting at its low rafters with wicchefolk tending to wounds and nursing bruises in a serious, sombre quiet.

By some miracle, everyone had escaped relatively unscathed in the grand scheme of the fight – apart from Maeve.

It seemed wholly unfair that she, the youngest and most deserving of the winning feeling, had been the one to step up and take the final blow, particularly when the coven had treated her with such a lack of true care.

Annie was seething, but her concern for Maeve was the only feeling that mattered in the moment.

Perhaps recognizing the girl’s sacrifice for themselves, all Selcouth members were refusing to leave until Hal and Annie were confident that they had returned Maeve to a stable condition.

Morena and Bronwyn soon took charge of the situation and sent those able out across the meadow to gather fresh ingredients for healing potions.

It was at least a comfort to know that the finest magical minds in the country were at work just past the porch and that several high-level brews were bubbling away on the stove, bringing a fragrance tinted with the scent of hazelnut chocolate.

Hal and Annie had not left Maeve’s bedside.

They were perched at the end of her bed, aching and filthy and exhausted, one on either side of the girl.

Despite his drained energy, Hal was restless, launching to his feet every few minutes to pace the room, to stroke Karma, who had nestled in on top of Maeve’s chest under the blankets, or to mutter quietly to the constant stream of animals who continued to visit at the window.

Many had shown concern for Maeve’s welfare and were bringing endless gifts of care.

After an in-depth conversation with a red squirrel who left a tiny pile of sunflower seeds for Maeve as a gesture of goodwill, Hal returned to Annie’s side and squeezed her shoulder gently.

‘I’ve wished to dabble with time magic before, but never quite been tempted enough to take the risk,’ she said quietly. ‘But right now, I would give anything to be able to turn it back and stop her from knitting that enchantment.’

‘Oh, and we both know the kid notoriously responds well to being told what to do,’ Hal said, stroking Annie’s hair. He squeezed again, the soft pad of his thumb against her neck, and placed a tender kiss on top of her head.

Annie bit firmly down on her lip. The overpowering guilt and shame had subsided to more of a general, aching numbness since the sight of Maeve out cold in her bed.

She could hardly bear it. Hal took a seat next to her on the edge of the mattress and rubbed her knee absent-mindedly.

The small, tender touches were the only thing that had stopped her from falling off the brink of madness with worry.

She could hear the murmurings of the packed cottage outside, occasional cries of rallying enthusiasm from Bronwyn’s endless positivity and the lower-pitched drawl of Morena’s cutting sarcasm.

Annie dropped her head with closed eyes and shook it in frustration; Hal’s thumb still stroked her cheek. ‘I was just trying to make everybody happy. I think I’ve broken my own heart in the process.’

Tears finally trailed her face and the few that weren’t caught by Hal landed onto the quilt.

‘Your heart works just fine. In fact, it’s a million times bigger than anyone else I’ve ever met.

You feel things so deeply and greatly and importantly,’ Hal told her quietly.

‘Annie, among many, many other things, that’s what’s perfect about you.

And the rest really doesn’t matter. Okay?

’ He gave her a gentle kiss. ‘The kid isn’t going anywhere. ’

‘I dunno, if my legs were working, I’d run out of here pretty quickly.

’ Their heads flew to the pillow, to where Maeve’s eyes fluttered open and then promptly squeezed shut again at the sight of their kiss.

‘I can’t believe I lay down my life to save you lot and my first waking breath is going to be to vomit because of you two. ’

Annie let out a noise somewhere between a startled gasp and a joyful shriek and threw her arms around the girl as she wriggled up against the pillows, forgetting that she was one great big battered and bruised injury. Hal tilted his head back in sheer relief and sprang to his feet, grinning.

‘How are you feeling?’ Annie asked keenly, holding the back of her hand against Maeve’s forehead, then shimmying up her blankets, then adjusting the pillows behind her, then handing her a glass of water before starting the cycle all over again.

‘Like I’ve been hit by a truck. Or a metric ton of starlight, I suppose.

’ A sprinkle of cuts and bruises had already bloomed like winter violets and she looked exhausted, but the glint in her dark eyes remained.

‘Did you see my spell?’ Maeve asked with a weak smile, squinting a little against the brightness of the first November day pouring through the curtains.

‘No, I missed it,’ Annie said with a disappointed frown. ‘Can you do it again?’

Maeve gawped.

‘Kidding,’ she smirked. ‘Of course I saw your spell. You were incredible, better than incredible.’

Maeve looked prouder than Annie could ever remember.

‘But that doesn’t mean that you’re not also in seven hundred different kinds of trouble. You have to stop keeping secrets from me,’ Annie went on. ‘Since when have you known how to do that? And how did you possibly know?’

Maeve, of course, just shrugged. ‘I read a lot. Don’t underestimate me.’

As if she could, as if she would ever dare to again. ‘Never.’

Hours later, after sipping on more varieties of Salutaris Medella healing potion than any one girl should have to stomach in a lifetime, Maeve was fortified enough to demand a trip out of bed.

Not only was she feeling a little stronger with such skilled potion brewing on hand from the makeshift infirmary, but she had also heard that there was a rapturous audience waiting just outside her room to pile endless praise on her and generally go on about how much of a wonder she was.

Annie had warned them to please stay quiet and to try not to overreact at the sight of the girl who had brought down starlight itself. Her warning was not noted.

Leaning on Annie’s arm, Maeve slowly hobbled out into the living room and was met by enthusiastic cheers and applause.

‘Hello, stray.’

With a billow of cloak, Morena stepped directly in front of Maeve just as she was attempting to take a grand bow, despite bruised limbs and sore muscles.

Annie had conjured hasty baked supplies to boost everyone’s waning energy and Morena was brandishing a cheese twist slightly like a magic wand, as though she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it.

‘Here,’ Morena said, handing Hal the twist and scattering a rainfall of flaky pastry crumbs across the floor in the process. ‘Dispose of this, Mr Bancroft. Miss Cadmus and I have much to discuss.’

‘Morena, can you give her a moment? She’s only just woken up,’ Annie said.

‘Can Annie come?’ Maeve asked, evidently unbothered by her injuries, but her grip tightened a little around Annie’s arm as she asked.

‘If she must.’ With a sharp, subtle nod of her head, Morena gestured for the witches to take the lead and (rather slowly) they shuffled and limped carefully towards the front door.

Before they’d quite reached it, they were intercepted once again, but Annie was delighted by the interruption this time.

It was Ruby, with an impressive black eye and her arm held tenderly in a sling.

‘You should see the other guy,’ she said with a grin through her split lip. ‘It was Vivienne’s father and I hear he’s now in a dungeon somewhere. Oh, I would pay big money to witness that.’

Annie pulled her carefully into a hug. ‘You joined the other side,’ she smiled.