“I…don’t really know what I did.”
“It don’t matter. You still did it.”
In the corridor, Gabriella threw her arms around me and planted dozens of kisses all over my face. Each one zinged my skin as if her lips were electric. I laughed and pretended to push her off me, even though I could have happily let her keep going all day. “So I redeemed myself for the other night then?” Gabriella held out her index finger and thumb in a C shape. “Maybe a little bit.” We reached the elevator and pressed the button. “Did you feel that in there?” I asked.
“How could I not? It was like you hit me with a Taser!” Reading the confused expression on my face she added, “wait until we speak to Faru. I’m sure he’ll have some answers. He always does.”
As we sped along the Nexus, I leaned against the side of the cab, and swung my schoolbag from side to side.
“So why does Selene want to meet me?”
“It’s standard for all new Guardians to meet their local Coven — especially Chosen. Witches get precognitive energy from us. The more of a team they meet, the stronger their premonitions will be.
“You’ve lost me.”
“An attack premonition is like a jigsaw puzzle. When a Witch meets a new Guardian, that person — or piece — becomes available to them. The more pieces they have, the stronger their premonitions are and the clearer the overall pictures become. But if a Guardian that they hadn’t met went on that mission, they’d appear as a sort of black spot in their mind that could cause them to miss things.”
“Do you mean that if I’d met the Coven earlier then they may have foreseen the ambush?”
“Maybe. Normally their visions involve what happens if we don’t intervene. But they may have sensed that there were more than just Blooding’s in the area.”
“Unless like you say there’s a Rogue working in the base who knew I hadn’t met the Coven yet, so planned an ambush knowing that the Witches would see me as a black spot-“
“-and be blinded towards a separate attack directed at you. Yes, I hadn’t thought of that! We have to let Faru know that too.” She shot me a sarcastic look. “When you decide to grow a pair and speak to him that is.”
The elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors rolled open. We stepped out into a rocky tunnel similar to the pathway to the Temple. A pair of flaming torches hung either side on the rough walls. The light stretched our shadows into unnatural shapes that loomed over us. Gabriella lifted a torch from its holder and guided us forward. The narrow passage twisted around itself a few times. Our footsteps echoed around us. A musty scent like forgotten clothes drifted towards us from ahead.
Sophia wasn’t lying about the odd smell. In the darkness, something bumped against my leg. I let out a yell and shrank backwards against the wall. “What’s wrong?” “There’s something here!” Gabriella aimed the torch behind me. Green eyes appeared in the light. A bundle of black fur hissed and sprinted away. “Cat,” I sighed, allowing my heart to recover. “Familiar.” Gabriella corrected.
“Ah.” I thought for a second. “Hold on I got this one. They used to be cats, but now they belong to a Witch they can shift into loads of different animals right?” “That’s it.” “They act as a Witches eyes and ears. So the Coven know we’re coming now.” Gabriella made an impressed face. “You’re getting good at this.”
Eventually the tunnel came to an end. Gabriella placed the torch in another holder and we passed under a hulking archway. The room beyond looked surprisingly cosy. The rocky walls had been smoothed into a tear shape, joining together at the top. A metal pentagram hung from the apex. The moon shone through a circular hole near the top — impossible considering we were underground and it was still daytime. Crooked shelves covered with dusty books and ornaments lined every wall. The light came from hundreds of flickering candles. Some sat on dedicated shelves, their wax creeping over the edges like fingers. Others were skewered on wall mounted and free standing candelabras. Worn chairs huddled in small groups and wonky wooden tables adorned with Crystal balls and Tarot cards, lay randomly around the room. Benches had been placed on either side of them. Lush curtains covered purpose made holes that looked like they led to different areas. One far corner appeared to be dedicated to modern technology. A small television sat on a corner table. Next to it a telephone lay nestled in its cradle. The wires disappeared through a tiny hole bored into the rock.
Dozens of familiars filled the room. They curled on chairs and rugs, washing themselves or napping, paws twitching in their dreams. One sat on the central table, facing us. It made a low moaning sound and shuddered. Its body shrank and its back sprouted feathers. It became a large raven, which in a flurry of wings, flew up to a shelf high above us. I waited for my brain to react in some way to what I had just witnessed — a burst of adrenaline, a moment of shock — but it didn’t. It dawned on me that I’d finally accepted that these things could happen. That this world existed.
I’m used to it.
Suddenly a curtain was thrown back and half a dozen small children came sprinting through. “Ella!” they squealed as they fought to wrap their arms around her waist. She laughed and hugged them back. I noticed a small boy hanging in the background. He clung to a one eared toy rabbit. It’s not-so-white paws draped on the floor. “Thomas, do you want to say hello?” said Gabriella. The boy nodded. The others parted so that he could hug Gabriella. Afterwards he ran away, disappearing through the curtain. I watched him go. “A male Witch?” I asked. “Male Witches are Shaman. The Coven welcomes them, but they tend to prefer solitude. Thomas is a rare exception.” She turned to the group of girls, who were clutching onto her sleeves and wrapped around her legs. “Everyone, this is my good friend Alex. Do you want to say hello?”
Instantly I was bombarded with hands, which tugged at my clothes and prodded my knees and legs. I raised my eyebrows at Gabriella, who laughed.
“Go back to your rooms children,” said a stern voice.
I looked up to see Sylvia standing in the centre of the room. She wore an almost identical black dress to the one I’d seen her wearing the night of the feast. Her hair had been pulled into the same tight bun. I got the impression she wasn’t much of a trend setter.
The children giggled and ran out of the room.
“Please excuse them. They haven’t quite learned the correct manners yet.”
“It’s fine Sylvia. We don’t mind,” said Gabriella. “We have some great news about Sophia. She has…been healed. The spell won’t be necessary any longer.”
The Witch gave a stiff nod. I imagined her pecking at grain on the ground. “I shall inform Selene. The rest of the Coven will convene shortly. In the meantime, may I interest you in some whiteroot tea?” The question appeared to be aimed at me. “Oh, um no thank you, I think we’re fine,” I said. “Very well,” said Sylvia. With another curt nod, she slipped from the room. Gabriella leaned in close. “Sylvia’s the schoolmaster. She’s a bit uptight. The rest are lovely,” she whispered.
We waited in silence for a few minutes and then one by one, the Coven began to appear from behind various curtains. They came in all shapes and sizes. Several were tall and thin, others were round like comic strip cooks and just as smiley. Some had blonde hair, others black or ginger. Their ages ranged from teenagers to unidentifiably old. Apart from the fact that they were all pretty pale, they looked very normal. None even remotely resembled the hideous hags depicted in books and stories. Not a pointed hat in sight.
They arranged themselves into a semi-circle either side of the central curtain. There were twenty six in total. They bowed their heads in a uniformed greeting. A wrinkled hand extended from behind the cloth and slowly brushed it to one side.
A grey haired woman stepped through. She looked as old as time itself. Her shoulders hunched around her narrow neck. A large crooked nose dominated most of her road mapped face. She shuffled into the room, beady eyes watching each step, as gnarled fingers lifted the edges of her black dress.
“Alexander,” she began in a voice like scrunched paper, “I Selene and the rest of the Coven would like to welcome you to Moon’s Edge — our home.”
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to meet everyone.”
Selene’s face cracked into a warm smile. “Right now we’ve got all that informal rubbish out of the way, we can relax.” I raised my eyebrows at Gabriella who gave a little smile.
Selene gestured towards the centre table. “Please, sit, sit.” I headed over and sat down. Instead of joining me, Gabriella walked around the side and hugged the old Witch.
