Tegan made a humming noise. “Lily?”
Lily raised her left hand up, and I saw her XIX Mark, the Sun Card. Bright yellow light shot out of her palm. A second later, the sun slid behind a huge cluster of clouds, and the clearing got a little less intensely bright. She smiled and flicked her long black hair over her shoulder. “We’ve really got to stop doing this in the middle of the day.”
Tegan chuckled. “Yes. Less blinding would be better. Royce?”
“Yes, lady boss.” Royce wiggled his fingers toward me and pursed his lips. “How about…”
Light flashed and then yellow roses filled the space around me. When I glanced up, Royce winked at me and gave me a thumbs-up. He noticed. Riah had handed me a yellow rose back in the house, and I had it woven into my hair right now. I liked that Royce paid attention to that.
Emersyn flicked her wrists and two balls of fire appeared in her palms. She flung her hands and shot her fire to the ground just outside the circle. Flames flickered all around us. She sighed. “That feels better.”
Tegan looked to her left. “Bettina? You’re up.”
Bettina gasped and her cheeks flushed. “Shit, right. My job now.”
She dropped to one knee and pressed her palm flat to the dirt. A cloud of pink mist billowed out from under her fingers and then bright white light flashed. Ice slithered out from her hand, covering every inch of the black lines of the pentagram.
Bentley shouted in the ancient language – no, wait. He was speaking the dialect of the originals, the first witches, the ones who’d been too powerful. Only the founding bloodlines still knew of this dialect, which was why I knew it. Or I used to. Back in 1692, my mother, Uncle Leyka, and I used to speak it to each other…but I had not heard it in over three centuries. I’d forgotten that I even ever knew it.
Just then Bentley’s shouting grew louder, and sharp pain shot down my spine. I gasped. My legs gave out from under me and my knees slammed into the ground. Gold glitter exploded like fireworks, spreading in a giant wave around me. Every single muscle in my body tightened. My pulse hammered in my veins.
The clouds above us roared. They flashed, then lightning sliced through the sky and slammed right into my wings. Electricity shot through my muscles. My lungs made an awful hissing sound. My bones rattled. My back arched until I was almost parallel to the ground. I was helpless to stop it.
Gold glitter exploded out of me, shooting straight out to the rest of The Coven. Fairyflies swarmed over my head. Bright pink and yellow flowers sprouted from the trees, poking out of the snow lining the branches. The tree trunks changed from a dull brown to rich, vibrant greens and browns. My red hair flew out in every direction.
Neon blue light flashed in my eyes, glowing like a full moon on a cloudless night. Cold hands wrapped around my ankles…and my knees…then my elbows. Fingers pressed into my skin. I tilted forward until I was back upright. My wings fluttered and flapped, lifting me off the ground. I looked down and gasped.
Spirits filled every space on the ground. There were hundreds of them lining the field from the edge of the house to the edge of the forest. I even saw translucent blue faces peeking around trees. None of The Coven members seemed to see them. They just stared up at me like this was no big deal — except for Tegan. Beneath her crystal crown her black and purple hair had turned snow white. She smiled and looked up at me and her eyes were now gold and white.
The spirits threw their hands up and my jaw dropped. On each of their arms was a faded gray Coven Mark. Past Cards, here for ME? My breath left me in a rush. They began to chant and my pulse fluttered. The spirits turned to my fellow Cards and lifted them up off their feet. Each of them were held up by the spirits of their own Cards. They all gasped and looked around in alarm.
Massive golden angel wings popped out of Tennessee’s back. His, Tegan’s, and Emersyn’s bodies all glowed like little supernovas. Flowery vines wrapped around Royce’s legs. Red smoke covered Deacon’s body. Moonlight shined down on Henley like a spotlight. Gold lines flashed from Bettina’s fingers and a pillar of ice emerged from under her feet. Blue flames and red roses covered Jackson’s feet. Braison melted into a dark shadow while bright sunlight beamed down on Lily. Easton cursed as silver body armor slid over his body. All around the circle, the Coven’s magic burst free.
Spirits with my own Mark grabbed my feet and pulled me back down to the ground. They all wore masks of concentration, their eyes sharp…like they were waiting for something to happen.
Brace yourself. It’s about to hurt, Tegan said into my mind.
I frowned—and then pain shot down my spine. I heard myself gasp. My vision trembled. Liquid heat rushed through my body like I’d swallowed fire. My body froze in place. Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, threatening to suck me in. The past-Deaths held me tight. I heard them whispering to me, telling me to hang on and that it wouldn’t last long.
There was a pop, and then it was gone. All of it.
My back slammed into the ground. I coughed and choked, then gasped for air. It took a few seconds to get oxygen in, and once I did I just lay there breathing. The ground rumbled beneath me and the air pulsed…then Tegan and Tennessee’s faces appeared above me, followed by Bentley, Cooper, and Emersyn.
Tegan chuckled. Her hair and eyes had turned back to normal. “These things are never boring, but that was sick.”
Tennessee shook his head. “Welcome to The Coven, Saraphina.”
“Officially.” Bentley gripped his locket and squeezed.
Cooper grinned and I saw constellations in his green eyes. He held his hand out and helped me to my feet. “How you feeling?”
I blinked and shook my head. I felt amazing. I felt lighter on my feet than I ever had before. The air around me was sharp and tingling with energy, without me even trying. Without looking, I felt each Card’s magic and where they stood. Off to my left, there was a pulsing warm sensation in a tight little ball.
You’re feeling the presence of other witches. That ball of energy is the school, Tegan whispered in my head.
Golden light washed over me, and my nerves calmed instantly.
Then Hunter was in front of me, that golden light shining from his hands. “Take a deep breath.”
“Bugger. She handled this much better than I bloody did,” Jackson grumbled.
“Well, she has been alive a lot longer than all of us.” Cooper winked at me.
Royce scoffed. “She’s half fae. She’s already got more magic than civilians.”
“And she’s a Proctor,” Bettina said with a proud grin. “We’ve got Uriel’s blood.”
“You’ve got to stop saying it like that, Hope. You make us sound like psychos.” Tennessee chuckled and shook his head at his sister. I loved that they called each other by their real names. It was adorable. “She’s also a lot tougher than all of us.”
The rest of them nodded and agreed.
“Still, bit of a power shock a little, right?” Deacon cocked his head to the side. “You’ve got to feel a little different.”
He was right. I did. I sensed all of my Coven-mates’ magic, except it went deeper than that. Now I could sense their souls. I felt everything around me. Every single living object had a…a source of life. A soul. I felt it in the trees, plants, grass, and animals fluttering about.