Thea and Talia definitely are. They fought so well on the pier, but they are just kids, like me. We should be worrying about our college assignments, worrying about spots, worrying about anything other than rogue witches, vampires, shifters, fairies and demons!
No wonder they look stressed. I probably look worse than they do; at least some of this stuff is familiar to them; maybe not the fighting, or the danger, but that all these creatures exist at all still throws me.
And they are a thousand times better at magic than I will ever be.
Elodie and Ember both look stressed out. Their faces are white, tight, anxiety easily evident. I feel sorry for them and grateful for them too.
And Fletcher. I cannot see his handsome face, but I can feel his hand in mine, and feel his leg jigging up and down; he can’t keep still.
We are all feeling it. I feel like it’s closing in on me, the worry, stress, anxiety and panic.
Panic is the word. Making it hard for me to breathe, making my chest feel tight, and my stomach feel sick. I take a deep breath. And another.
Whatever happens at the portal, I don’t have to face it alone, and I’ll have the best witches by my side.
3
Once they have cleared away the remnants of their lunch, Elodie carries a thick, old book from the front room and places it on the table. There’s a plume of dust knocked into the air, which makes them all cough.
Ember smiles and sits at the table, running her fingers along the title of the book. “Elodie, it’s years since I saw this.”
“What is it?” Thea asks.
“It’s our family book of spells.” She opens the cover and turns over a few of the pages. “We wrote these spells – us, our family, our ancestors. Some of these spells are probably thousands of years old.”
Elodie nods. “Hundreds maybe.”
“They aren’t in chronological order, though, which is clever. They’re written according to subject so you can easily find what you need.”
“Are there any of your spells in there?”
“Only a few,” Ember says, squealing with excitement. “Oh, why was this tucked away? I love this book. Look, one of mammy’s spells.”
The two sisters look at their mother’s writing, fond expressions on their faces. Elodie tears up. “I think we live in a different time. We can Woogle most things, but we need the book for this.”
They are all silent. The unspoken spectre of the demons unsettling them all.
“Will there be anything about demons?”
“There will be. But...” Elodie hesitates, and Ember takes over, looking at each of them. Thea. Talia. Fletcher. Ellis.
“This book is sacred and special, and full of any spell our family might need, and any spell they might have used. But it’s also a... gateway-” She looks at Elodie. “Is that how you’d describe it?”
Elodie nods. “Maybe. It’s full of magic and power and history. A lot of what’s in here is probably in your head, Ellis. Though you might not know how to access it.”
Ellis tries not to look embarrassed and fails. Fletcher squeezes her arm but keeps his eyes on the book.
“A gateway. You mean we can access stuff that’s not in the book, through the book?”
Ember nods. “Most of our ancestors weren’t battling with demons, but we can access their total knowledge through these pages.”
“What if none of them had demon knowledge?” Talia asks, reaching out to touch the book, before pulling her hand back, reluctant to touch it.
“It’s unlikely. This goes so far back, before the portal was used to banish them. But it might not be pretty.”
“Should we all stay...?” Thea asks, her voice trembling.
“Yes,” Elodie says at the same time that Ember says, “No.”
They look at each other.
“I don’t want the girls to do this. It’s different for Fletcher – he’d be head witch if it wasn’t for Ellis. My girls, I just don’t want them... they could have died on the pier, they could have died when the demons came into the garden. They’re all I have left.” She shrugs.
“I won’t make them come. If they don’t want to, and you don’t want them to.”
They all look at the twins.
“I don’t want to,” Thea says.
“Nor me,” Talia says.
Ember pulls them both into her arms and kisses them. “Is that okay?”
Elodie nods. “We don’t need them to come. We have enough manpower for the portal...” she trails off, tears filling her eyes. “I just wish I had the same choice with Fletcher. And Ellis.”
They are all silent. The twins look relieved, while Fletcher and Ellis look more petrified than ever. If the twins won’t be part of this because it’s too dangerous, but they have no choice, how is that fair?
“Does Ellis-”
Fletcher doesn’t get to finish his question, his mum answers, her voice flat. “She’s head witch. She has to be a part of this.”
The room feels heavy, and even though Elodie has agreed that the twins don’t have to be a part of what’s coming, she looks angry.
The girls hug Fletcher, and Ellis, reluctantly, before kissing their mum and begging her to be safe. “They can go to Sally’s. The three of them can stay behind when we go to the portal.”
Decision made, the girls pack a bag of their things, and Ember takes them outside. She will fly them to Sally’s house and be back quickly.
“While she’s gone, I’ll get the front room ready. We need to find the right magic to help with the portal, and I have no idea how hard that’ll be. You two...” Elodie trails off. “Go to Ellis’s house. Invisible. Let her see them, but make sure they don’t see you.”
Fletcher nods, his expression solemn, and Ellis looks wildly from Elodie to Fletcher and back again. Elodie says nothing, just touches Fletcher’s arm before leaving them alone.
“Why do I need to see my family?”
Fletcher pulls her into a hug.
“I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
“None of us are
