The Aether Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 6) Read online

  She flipped the pages all the way to the front to where there was a note written by Elizabeth Bishop. Beside her signature was the same exact symbol. Wait, no it’s not. I squinted and looked again. The one on this page was the one I always saw. Cassandra used to draw it in her diary— Well, not her diary, apparently. But it wasn’t the exact same as the first symbol.

  “Ah-ha!” Tegan cheered and bounced in her seat. “So I’m not going crazy! You see the difference, too, right? Right? Right, Tenn?”

  I blinked and cupped her face with one hand. “Whoa, there. Easy, tiger. Deep breath. How much caffeine did you say you had?”

  She sighed and leaned into my hand. She looked more like a sad puppy being scolded. “Way too much probably. But listen, look, the two symbols are similar but not the same. And—get this—this other symbol, which is definitely not the Hierophant’s symbol, has been drawn only once in both the New Book and the Book of Shadows. Whereas the Hierophant’s symbol has been drawn like a bazillion times in each.”

  Interesting. She was definitely a bit high on caffeine, but she sounded onto something. “Show me?”

  She picked up the Book of Shadows and set it on her lap, open to the page with the strange symbol. “See, it’s drawn here. And here’s the crazy part—God, I feel like a conspiracy theorist right now—anyway…so the page it’s drawn in here is about three quarters of the way through.”

  I held my finger on the page in the New Book, then shut it. “It’s about three quarters of the way through here, too. And both are drawn right in the middle of the page. So it’s a clue.”

  She gasped, dropped the Book of Shadows, then cupped my face and kissed me. When she pulled back, I was deeply concerned for her sanity. “You see it, too! So I’m not crazy!”

  “You’re not crazy. Also, I know I’ve seen this new symbol drawn on a building somewhere here in Salem.” I held my finger to her lips as she opened them to say way too many words, too fast. “Yes, I think we should go check it out. But I don’t want to wake everyone up. That fight last night was too long, and we need them rested.”

  Tegan nodded and jumped up. She reached down and yanked me to my feet. “Okay. I’ll put my shoes on, then we can go. Also, I need to use the restroom. Should we take maybe someone else? Oh, and do you have any idea how to get rid of this?” She gestured to her own body that was twitching and bouncing.

  I put my hands on her shoulders and held her in place as she squirmed. “Put your shoes on, then use the restroom. Then go up and wake Katherine. She’ll take one look at you and know you need help.”

  She nodded so fast I wasn’t sure how she wasn’t getting whiplash. “Okay. Shoes. Bathroom. Katherine. What about you?”

  “I’m going to wake up Emersyn and Deacon—”

  “Oh, I like that idea! Why?”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Seriously, what are you on right now?”

  She groaned and wringed her fingers together while bouncing from foot to foot. “I don’t know. That healer girl that came to help Katherine gave me some potions, and I don’t feel good. Wait, why Em and D? They don’t know Salem. Maybe we should take Evaline?”

  “Evaline is a good idea, actually. I’ll get her, too. But—” I held my hands up to stop her from talking. “Emersyn and Deacon saw the most of Salem in 1692. We need them. Now go. Get Katherine. Meet me in the kitchen in five minutes.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  TEGAN

  Note to self: Not all healers are created equal.

  Some might accidentally kill you.

  I took another sip of the concoction in my cup that Katherine had given me before we snuck out of the house. Tennessee had been right—she took one good look at me and knew something was wrong. Turned out it wasn’t too much caffeine. I was too hyped up and off the rails to really hear the words she said, but the part I remembered was Katherine saying the Aether Witch cannot have spells like that.

  Apparently because I had an incomparable amount of more magic than any other witch, certain spells and potions could hurt me. Like, for example, a potion I requested from the young healer to give me some energy and concentration. In a normal witch, that was the equivalent of an energy drink, but with magic. For me, I was swiftly headed to the looney bin. Fortunately, Katherine was crazy gifted at her job and whipped me up a potion to reverse the effects. She’d actually had Larissa approve of the potion first. Then Larissa tweaked it so I wouldn’t crash after.

  I was supposed to drink three of these drinks. They hadn’t let me out of the house before I drank one, then sent me off with another. The good news was it tasted like hot chocolate, so it wasn’t a punishment.

  The front door of the Witch House Museum swung open, and Tennessee stormed out. His eyes found mine immediately. He scanned me up and down then sighed. Behind him, Deacon, Emersyn, and Evaline wore heavy faces. Their auras reeked of disappointment.

  Well. Strike one.

  Tennessee walked up to me, took the cup out of my hand, swirled it around, then handed it back. “Drink. More.”

  “I am.” I rolled my eyes at my overprotective boyfriend. “What did you find inside? See the symbol?”

  I’d gone in, but then quickly bailed. There was just too much going on inside for me just yet. My senses had been overwhelmed to the point where I wanted to crawl into a ball. Tennessee had carried me back outside and told me not to move. I’d listened. Mostly.

  Tennessee shook his head. “Not here. I know I saw that somewhere.”

  “You and me both.” Emersyn groaned and zipped up her jacket. She grabbed my cup and looked inside then handed it back. “Finish that. Anyway, Deacon and I know we saw that symbol on a house that day we went for our walk. I know I saw it before the hangings, because I was rather inconsolable after, and we’d raced back. This is the only structure still standing from 1692, aside from Leyka’s which the humans don’t know about, so I assumed it was here. It wasn’t.”

  Evaline nodded. Her hunter-green eyes really popped next to her maroon coat. “And they had old pictures and drawings. So unless it was hidden by magic, then it wasn’t this house.”

  “I want to try the Joshua Ward House,” Emersyn said. Deacon tried to say something, but she waved him off. “I know it was built a while after the witch trials, but I saw a picture of it and it looks like the building I saw it on.”

  Tennessee shrugged. “The humans don’t know Leyka’s house is still here and untouched, aside from our visit the other day, so it’s not crazy to think they only believe the Ward house came later. I say let’s give it a try.”

  “Desperate times, desperate measures?” Deacon laughed and shook his head. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his double-breasted pea coat. “Lead the way, boss.”

  “Drink.” Tennessee pointed to my cup then turned and led the way down the sidewalk with Emersyn and Evaline hot on his heels.

  “He’s never going to let me take potions unsupervised now,” I mumbled and followed after them.

  Deacon laughed beside me as we walked. “I’m not sure Emersyn will let me fight a single demon from now on, sooo…we’re even?”

  I smiled up at him then took another sip. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Better than you, I’d wager.” He winked. “Nah, I feel perfectly fine. Well, I feel like I have a bad feeling about this Ward house…but physically, I feel fine.”

  “I have a bad feeling about everything right about now.”

  “So, don’t hate me, but I’ve had the sense since I woke up that you’ve wanted to ask me something…” Deacon turned to give me a pointed look. “I’m feeling impatient. And curious. Call it a Devil side effect.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Nice. Um…well…yeah. I just was waiting for a moment alone.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “This may sound insane, but I need you to use your gift on my sister—”

  “Oh boy…”

  “—to bring out some of her dark side. To make her embrace it a b
it.”

  “Whomp, there it is.” Deacon sighed and shook his head. “I was afraid you’d say that. Explain to me why we’d want that? Wasn’t your whole spy-game to avoid that?”

  “Yes…and no.” I took a huge sip of my drink while I chose the right words. “I fear that if she doesn’t embrace this darkness, or at least stop pretending like it’s not there, that one day she’ll snap and lose herself. Everyone thinks Althea was the dark twin, the one who went nuts and lured her sister to darkness…but man, D, I’ve read her notes in the Book of Shadows and I call bullshit.”

  Deacon frowned. “You think it was Aurelia Putnam who was the evil twin? I don’t know… Althea obviously had darkness inside her.”

  “Yes. And so do I. Althea’s notes in the Book all had purpose. She was making plans.” I looked up at my sister and her mane of blonde hair swinging by her hips. “You weren’t here when the Henley-demon got to Em. You didn’t see how easy she gave in when she was worried about someone she loves. You didn’t see her that night when we traveled back through time and you died. I know I have darkness inside me, but I know what to do with it.”

  “And she doesn’t.” He sighed and hung his head. “I know. I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while. I just wanted to hear you say it. I’ll do what I can, I promise you that.”

  “Thanks, Deacon.”

  “Guys, come on,” Emersyn yelled back to us and waved her hands. “We’re here.”

  I frowned and looked up at the property. The building was a three-story house made of red brick in the shape of a perfect rectangle. Out front was a fancy sign reading The Joshua Ward House Est 1784. It was a pretty building, except I knew immediately this house wasn’t around in 1692. It didn’t look anything like the houses we’d seen. But she wanted to look here, and I wanted to trust other people’s instincts. I stepped onto the front lawn and froze.

  A wall of ice-cold energy slammed into me. It pushed into me so hard I actually took a few steps back. Deacon turned and said something to me, but that energy pulsed in a low hum around me, blocking out every other sound. Deacon frowned and yelled something over his shoulder. I tried to push forward, but something was holding me back. Sharp pain laced through my shoulders. I cringed and tried to shake it off, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Witch!” someone whispered in my ear.

  I looked around, but there was no one. Only Deacon, and he was a few feet away. Pressure so thick and strong wrapped around my neck. I stumbled back, but it moved with me. Then I felt it—an aura so dark and cruel I expected to see red demon eyes glowing down at me. The pressure on my neck tightened. It turned ice-cold and squeezed harder. I tried to roll my neck, but I couldn’t move.

  “WITCH!” the voice hissed in my other ear.

  A cold breeze tickled the back of my neck, and then I felt ten fingers digging into my throat. Air cut off. I gasped but no oxygen came in. I dropped my cup and swatted at my throat. My lungs burned and heaved, but no relief came. My vision turned dark in the corners and crept in toward the center. Deacon’s panicked face hovered right in front of me, but it was starting to get fuzzy.

  “You did this!”

  My knees slammed into the cold, hard ground, but I felt no pain. I tried to think. I tried to use my tricks, but my body was locking down. My hands twitched and flopped around. Can’t. Breathe. Can’t. Breathe. Suddenly Deacon’s face was gone, and I stared up at a blue sky. Birds flew over my head as I writhed on the lawn. I screamed with my mind, hoping someone, anyone would hear me. Can’t. Breat-

  And then Tennessee’s face came into view. Heat coiled around my body and burned into my chest.

  This is it. This is how it ends.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  TENNESSEE

  Not…alone…

  “What the hell happened?” I screamed at no one in particular.

  Not…

  It made no sense. She was choking on nothing. There was nothing wrapped around her throat, despite Deacon’s claim she was swatting at something. I tried CPR, but it wasn’t working. Oxygen wasn’t getting in. Her skin was turning gray. Her lips were blue. Her throat was ice-cold and red. I glared at the drink she’d dropped and wondered if someone had somehow poisoned her.

  Alone…

  I froze and stared down into Tegan’s eyes. My heart pounded. The pressure in my chest felt like a house was sitting on top of me. “Not alone…”

  “What does that mean?’ Deacon whispered.

  It meant we weren’t alone here. Realization slammed into me like a Mack truck. I scooped Tegan up in my arms and sprinted off the property. Without any Sapiens left in town I had nothing to stop me, so I ran in a blind, panicked dash in no general direction until Tegan gasped.

  I stopped and lowered her to the ground, but kept her in my arms. She coughed several times then gasped again. She gripped my shirt and fisted the material in her fingers as she struggled to finally get air. I pressed my hand to her chest and pushed with my magic. I had no idea why, but it was an instinct I was following.

  “Is she breathing?” Emersyn screamed as she dropped to her knees beside me. Her eyes widened. “Tegan? Can you hear me?”

  Tegan nodded then broke into a coughing fit again.

  Deacon cursed. He held Tegan’s cup out like it was toxic. “Did someone poison her? What the hell was that?”

  “No,” Evaline said between gasps. She pushed her hair out of her face. “She said not alone. The Joshua Ward House is infamous for being one of the most haunted places in Salem.”

  Deacon whistled. “That was some dark kind of haunted.”

  I cursed. Of course. I’d known the stories. Hell, I’d been to that house before as a child with Cooper when we wanted to see ghosts. I’d known there was a presence on that property, but that was common in Salem. I hadn’t thought anything of it. Especially not out on the front lawn.

  Tegan mumbled something then coughed again.

  “What’s that?” I pushed her hair back off her face. “What did you say?”

  She coughed then inhaled. “Bad day…”

  Emersyn threw her hand over her mouth and laughed.

  I shook my head. “Really? That’s your first response?”

  Tegan’s lips curved up at the ends. “Really bad freaking day.”

  All of the fear that’d been crippling me vanished. I chuckled and squeezed her to my chest then pressed my forehead to hers. “Dammit, Kitten. Don’t scare me like that.”

  “Check out Salem’s famous haunted book store!”

  I jerked my head up. Haunted book store… Why does that sound familiar?

  Wait…who said that? We’d chased all the humans out of town already.

  “The only haunted book store in Salem, everybody!” a young guy yelled as he strolled toward us. He held a stack of flyers as he walked. He looked our age. He even had on a Star Wars shirt…but he was definitely not alive. He shimmered in the sunlight, making the blue-ish tint look almost turquoise. There was no mistaking the translucent figure as living. “Stop by, check out a spook!”

  “Does he not see the irony there?” Deacon grumbled. “I think we’ve had enough of the deceased for today.”

  Emersyn sighed sadly. “So young. I wonder how he died.”

  “All Hallows’ Eve,” Evaline whispered. “The veil is thin, the spirits have come. We should expect more.”

  I opened my mouth to say she was right but froze when Tegan held her hand out toward the spirit. “Tegan, seriously?”

  “All right, here ya’ go, sweetheart.” The young spirit winked down at Tegan. He handed her a flyer, or at least he thought he did. Really the translucent flyer shimmered over her hand. “Chilling Good Books, Salem’s only haunted book store just a few blocks up. Check it out.”

  As the guy resumed his hike down the empty street of Salem, the rest of us turned wide eyes to our High Priestess. She stared at the spirit’s back for a moment then looked up to us and shrugged.

  “You do realize a ghost just almost k
illed you, right? Stop engaging them.” Deacon bent down and held his hands to his throat. “Or did you lose too much oxygen?”

  “The book store…” Evaline pursed her lips and glanced down the street. “Might not be a bad idea. I think I’ve seen something there…”

  “What?” Emersyn groaned. “Guys, please, let’s not go.”

  Tegan coughed and sat up on her own. She rolled her neck. “Third time’s a charm, right?”

  “No, it’s three strikes, you’re out.” Deacon straightened and scrubbed his face with his hands.

  “Tegan, I—” I stopped as my mind flashed the image of the storefront. My heart sank. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s it, where I saw the symbol.”

  “Ah, shit,” Deacon grumbled. “All right, let’s get this over with.”

  Tegan wrapped her arm around my neck and let me pull her up to her feet. “Lead the way, babe.”

  I shook my head and half carried her down the street. It should’ve taken us longer than ideal to walk up red-bricked Essex Street. Halloween season in Salem was a major tourist trap. Between the hordes of people, pop-up tents for souvenirs and food, and bogus witches selling their lies, we should’ve had quite the adventure just getting a few blocks down. But there was none of that. We’d secured the town by emptying it. The only people in town were the ones we called to be there.

  If I hadn’t known where we were going, I might’ve missed it. The red brick walls perfectly matched the bricks of the pedestrian path. The stone framing around the doors and windows looked the same as most of the other stores on the street.

  “Tennessee, look!” Evaline shouted, and sprinted up to the window and pointed inside. “You were right. I knew I’d seen something here.”

  Tegan slipped out of my grip and jogged over to her. She gasped and glanced over her shoulder at me. “Nice eye, babe.”

  I walked up, and sure enough, there it was. Just like I remembered it. Propped up just inside the window facing out was a small hardcover book with the title Lost Secrets of Salem. Below it, the symbol from our books was etched into the black cover. Tegan spun around and raced inside. I chased after her, not wanting her out of my sight and reach for even a second. By the time I got inside, I spotted her up at the front talking to a little old lady spirit wearing a name badge and a shirt with the store logo. The lady pointed to the back of the store. Tegan smiled and ran over to me.