Spellcaster, p.3
Spellcaster, page 3
I’d always envied my sisters’ affinity and their familiars, inbuilt friends and companions for life. Unfortunately, I’d never been able to draw a fly to me, let alone any creature with higher intelligence, so I lived vicariously through the twins.
As we continued, halls spanned in four directions, and despite the chilly day it was warm and homey inside. The stone and tapestry decor continued up here, and the building’s innate power traced tingles of energy across my skin.
“This hall is referred to as the Zoo,” Dad said, pointing out a tapestry of needlepoint zoo animals. “It leads through to the Ancot Residences. The quickest and most direct thoroughfare.”
We started along the Zoo and Dad fell silent. He held both of my bags, so I opened the welcome pack I still clutched in my hand. Inside was a much larger brochure than the one on my desk back home. On the front in gold lettering it said, Welcome to Weatherstone College.
The motto and short bios of the founders, Writworth and Ancot, were detailed on the inside pages, and I decided to read through all the information later. For now, I needed my dorm assignment. “I’m in Florence Wing,” I said, skimming the page. “Room 267.”
Dad let out a harried huff. “None of your siblings are in that hall, so be careful. All of the halls intersect with each other at some point. Including Nightrealm.”
According to the welcome pack, there were five halls in Ancot: Florence Wing, Spectral Wing, Aura Hall, Ember Hall, and Nightrealm Hall. Officially, your affinity didn’t dictate your dorms, but unofficially fire elementals, spellcasters, and necromancers more often than not ended up on Nightrealm and Spectral, nature sprites in Florence and Aura, the others in Ember.
Hence why my father was a touch panicked about my hall intersecting with Nightrealm, and our newest spellcaster. “We’ll secure my room,” I reminded him. “It’ll be fine.”
I really couldn’t imagine anyone holding on to a grudge for eighteen years. If they’d wanted to attack, it would have happened long ago, right?
Dad huffed but let it rest again, picking up the pace, and I knew he was keen to get back to Mom and tell her what we were dealing with. Realizing this might be my only chance to experience Weatherstone, I peered out of every window, examining the grounds. The college was huge, and if I wasn’t yanked out by my parents, I’d no doubt be using the included map more than once.
My future hung in the balance, and it was all thanks to Logan Kingston. I hadn’t even met the warlock yet, and already he was a pain in the ass.
That perfect, boyish face flashed across my mind once more, and I wondered what he looked like now. I only had fractured memories of a child, and if fate was kind, his golden skin, laughing green eyes, and contagious smile would have morphed into a dull blob. Maybe a beer gut. Crooked teeth and busted nose would be nice too.
The moon goddess would have my back on this, right? Of course she would.
Hopefully I’d be here long enough to find out.
Chapter 4
Florence Wing was beautiful and had its own theme, as did all the other halls. We stepped onto a thick red carpet with an interwoven filigree pattern; the walls were papered in a similar swirling design of faded reds and golds. Between each of the dorm rooms stood intricately carved cream-colored pillars, giving it a very French Provincial look.
“This is amazing,” I said as we strolled past doors. “I didn’t expect such opulence.”
Our house was simple and small, with a large yard that suited our need for nature. Mom hadn’t used magic since that day in the woods, which meant she’d had to leave her job with their coven: Blessed Souls of Spokane. She’d been an accountant for their various businesses, but once she halted her magic, she’d been unable to fulfil other tasks.
I’d never heard my parents discuss money, but I had the sense that when the twins graduated at the end of this year and headed into covens to earn their own money, there would be a huge relief on their finances. Weatherstone College had quite reasonable fees—all the magic colleges were heavily sponsored by the covens on the understanding that they were fostering the future of the magical world.
But it wasn’t free. Not even for a tenured professor, though he did get a faculty discount that helped.
“Your mother was on Florence Wing,” Dad said, his expression calmer now. “I used to sneak in here all the time, because in our day, only witches were allowed on Florence and Aura.”
As much as I didn’t want to think about my dad sneaking into my mom’s room, I was curious. “So, all floors are co-ed now? I know we don’t have roommates, but we do share bathrooms, right?”
“Yep, there’s two on each floor. One for witches and one for warlocks.”
I was well used to sharing a bathroom with four siblings, so this didn’t bother me hugely. It was college and we were all adults here, so there would—hopefully—be very little incidence of magical sabotage.
It was strictly forbidden to use your affinities against other students, but it was college and not everyone enjoyed following the rules. Hopefully most of us were beyond bullying and toxic behavior.
When we reached dorm room 267, Dad dropped my duffel bag and pointed out the shiny silver panel to the left of the frame. “As long as you’re the first to press your hand against the magic scanner, then this room will be yours.”
The door was white with ornate detailing and picture framing timberwork. The silver scanner looked out of place, but I appreciated the security nonetheless. Pressing my right hand against it, the icy metal bit into my palm, warming a few seconds later. Metal and earth elementals used the strongest materials from the land itself to create such technologies. This scanner showed no obvious signs of what it contained, but from my studies, I’d guess there was iron, rhodium, platinum, and gold—the best conductors of magic.
“Your energy has been accepted,” Dad said.
Jerking my head up, I removed my hand, flexing my fingers against the tingles still skittering across my palm. “It has? How do you know?”
Dad cracked a proper smile for the first time since Ms. White delivered her message. “Well, the door is open, Little Gem.”
Oh, right. That was a decent indication. Ready to see my home for the next ten months, I hurried inside to find a sparse, simple, but very comfortable room. The main furniture included a white timber twin bed, small dresser, and desk for studying. The carpet was as plush as the hallway, but a muted gray instead of red. Dad set my suitcase and duffel by the door and followed me over to the window.
“That’s the western gate,” he said, “beside the apothecary forest.”
“Where we’ll find spell material,” I confirmed, taking note of the landscape.
“Exactly,” he continued, “and over there is the Weatherstone graveyard where you’ll take a few of your necromancy classes.”
Most of the graveyard wasn’t visible, tucked in beside the western gate forest. Only the arched stone entrance could be seen, and as I observed it, a shiver traced down my spine. I had no necromancers in my family, and I’d never not feel uneasy around those who communicated with the dead.
Dad turned from the window and perched on the edge of the desk to watch me check out the rest of my room. With its white duvet and thick down pillows, the bed looked comfortable. There was the mild scent of lavender from its magical cleaning. The dresser was empty, ready for me to unpack my bags, but in the small wardrobe to the side, ten or so uniforms hung neatly.
“I hope I can stay,” I said to Dad, sinking against the bed. “I just feel there’s so much for me to learn here, and a lot of growth to be had as a witch.”
Goddess knew I needed it.
“My college years were some of the best of my life,” he admitted, with reluctance. “But there are dangers here now.” The lines carved around his eyes painted a picture of worry. “You’ve only just turned twenty-two. You could stay home for a few more years, give us more time.”
My heart hurt, but even as he implored me to take this offer, I couldn’t. “I love you, Dad, and I will miss you and Mom, but this is the right time for me to leave. Magic blooms when you’re ready to step forth, and I won’t ignore the call.”
We both knew it. Our schooling system was already set up differently to humans, in that we were home with our parents until the age of ten, when we started primary. This was to give us a chance to learn how to exist in a family unit first, which was akin to a coven. It was also designed so that we’d finish primary and secondary school near our twenty-second birthday.
No one really knew why our magic bloomed in that year, but it had been reasoned that children weren’t mentally prepared to handle magic, so to keep our species safe, the ancestors had spelled our kind. Or maybe it was the goddesses themselves.
It had been this way for as long as our records of history existed.
Dad’s worried expression did not ease. “It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him. Now that I was here, surrounded by the tingling energy of Weatherstone, I couldn’t be torn away from it. As an unexceptional witch, if I missed my chance at Weatherstone, I’d remain unexceptional forever.
“It suits you,” he admitted with reluctance. “I’ll go now and speak with your mother, before you settle in too deeply.”
“Give me a chance,” I all but whispered. “That’s all I ask.”
He nodded. “I love you, Little Gem. I’ll cast some protective energy around your room as I leave.”
“Love you, Dad.”
“I’ll see you soon,” he promised, before adding with a flash in his eyes, “and don’t wander around on your own.” He made a show of closing the door tightly.
“Give Mom all the facts,” I shouted through the closed door, but there was no reply from the other side, and I wondered if he’d even heard me.
Settling against the bed, I tried not to let stress get the better of me. There was nothing I could do to influence this decision yet, and even though I didn’t need their permission as an adult, I also couldn’t afford the tuition on my own.
I had to hope Mom would be on my side.
Exhausted but also strangely energized, I bounced to my feet and made my way to the simple white desk. There were two small drawers on either side, with sets of larger drawers underneath each, and a black leather chair. Taking a seat, I opened one drawer to find a collection of pens, while the other was empty. The larger drawers held notepads, textbooks, and a small apothecary kit.
I’d grown up seeing our battered kit in the kitchen, used almost daily between healing, cooking, and small spells. Ours was an all-purpose kit, coded white across the tag, but I knew Dad was desperate for one of the black combat kits.
This was the first time I had a kit of my own, and even as simple as it was, I felt more grown-up and ready for college just staring at it. Almost all witches and warlocks incorporated herbs into their daily lives, and smelling the chamomile tea and lavender ointment was enough to bring me back to my childhood home.
The school kit in its light brown leather satchel held mostly familiar herbs, but there were a few I hadn’t ever used before. I assumed they’d be for attack and defense spells. Dried rosemary and angelica were contained in small jars, along with half a dozen others tucked into pockets around the bag.
I hadn’t checked out my schedule yet, but considering the kit, there had to be at least one apothecary class. Placing the satchel on the table, I retrieved my welcome booklet, reading through more of the information I’d skimmed before.
First was the map, which I tore free along the perforated line. I spent a few seconds tracing the paths around the huge school, finding Ancot, and noticing that the five hallways of the dorms formed a pentacle shape. Dad had said they all intersected at points, and I noted that my dorm was close to both Nightrealm and Aura.
Setting the map aside, I was about to pull out my class schedule, when there was a knock on my door. The sound didn’t come physically though, but in the form of someone placing their hand on my entrance plate. I felt the corresponding intrusion in my energy.
Panic hit me first, before I shook it off. Only Dad knew my dorm room, and he must have returned to impart one last very important piece of advice. As I focused on the presence outside, I got wafts of family.
Not just family, but a familiar earthy energy.
It wasn’t Dad after all.
As I yanked the door open, Jenna was already in the room—Alice, Trevor, and Jensen right behind her.
“Little sis!” they shouted, and in that moment my worries and nerves vanished.
My family was here, and I knew they’d never leave me to deal with this alone.
That was not the Hallistar way.
Chapter 5
As the four of them crowded into the room, I expected the space to feel smaller, but it just felt cozy. They spread out and examined my room like they didn’t all have an identical one of their own.
“Pais!” Jenna crowed, my class schedule that I hadn’t had a chance to even look at yet in her hand. “You’ll be down in the forest for Animal Studies and Their Magical Properties next week. Still my favorite class and professor.”
Jenna was in her fourth year and all but specialized now. She didn’t have to take any classes not related to her affinity, and it was clear she missed many of her old professors.
Jensen peered over her shoulder. “Hel yeah, you’ve got Elemental Water 101 tomorrow. That’s my favorite class. It’s basically an hour to swim in the lake and bond with water.”
No surprise that was his favorite class. Meanwhile I had zero desire to get into a lake in January. Those with water affinity could heat the particles around them by vibrating the water, but I would freeze my tits off. Jensen must have noticed my concern, and as the sibling I was closest in age with who knew me almost as well as I knew myself, he reached out and patted my shoulder. “The professor will heat the water for you.” He looked at the schedule again. “You’ve got Professor Mordock—he’s awesome and taught me so much. You’re in great hands.”
Jenna nodded. “Very good hands. This is a great array of classes to help you figure out your affinity. Do you already feel more in touch with your energy here?”
“I actually do,” I said with a shrug. “But since there’s a chance I might not be able to stay, I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”
That got their attention. Trevor left the window, where he’d been checking out my view, Alice jumped up from my bed, where she’d been declaring mine was softer than hers, and the other two pushed in closer, my class schedule forgotten.
Trevor stood close to me, arms crossed over his broad chest. “What are you talking about, Paisley? Why the Hel would you have to leave?”
Since I’d already decided I might need their support if the decision didn’t go my way. “When Dad was getting my paperwork in the office he received a message from the headmaster about a new student . . .” I told them everything Dad had said to me, finishing up with the tragedy that tore apart families who had been friends for decades.
No one interrupted me, and it was clear by the furrowing of brows and confused expressions that none of them were particularly familiar with this part of our family history.
“So that’s why Mom never uses active magic,” Jenna said softly, her expression thoughtful. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I do kind of remember the Kingstons, but clearly Mom and Dad kept the part about the weird death and blood oath from us.”
“I don’t remember them at all,” Jensen declared, sounding pissed. “How old was I when this all went down?”
“Five or six,” Jenna said, eyes glazing as if she was doing the math. “Paisley was even younger.” She turned to me. “Do you remember them?”
I shook my head. “I honestly didn’t remember them at all until Dad started to explain the situation. Then I had this flash of a dark-haired, golden skinned boy standing over me in the park. It happened when he said the son’s name—Logan.” I shrugged. “I could be making it up though.”
Alice cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. “You’re not making it up. Logan looked exactly like that, and you two were inseparable. Even though he’s Trevor’s age, he just gravitated toward you and was überprotective.”
“Even against us, right?” Trevor said, brow furrowing. “Little shit was always sneaking Paisley away, and beating us up for teasing her.”
“Yep,” Jenna and Alice replied together.
I had no true recollection of Logan Kingston, but there was a twinge in my chest at the thought of his protectiveness. It didn’t correlate with Dad’s fears that he was going to attempt to murder me on the daily.
“What do you think Mom will say?” Trevor asked, looking between me and Jenna. “And do we think Paisley should leave Weatherstone for her safety?”
Jensen snorted. “No fucking way. She should be afforded the same education as the rest of us. Why would she even be in more danger than us? It’s not like the vendetta is just against her. It’s all of us Hallistars, and I for one am ready to beat the fuck out of this asshole if he steps near my sisters.”
Jensen was huge; both of my brothers were just like Dad. One dark-haired, the other light. There was no denying they could be intimidating in a physical fight.
Unfortunately for them, this wouldn’t be that.
“He’s a spellcaster,” I reminded them. “From a family of spellcasters. I think we should consider now that he might be the most powerful warlock in this school.” I included the teachers in that assessment.
Both of my brothers shrugged because they were also arrogant warlocks. “We’re powerful too,” Trevor drawled.
“Against all except a spellcaster,” I bit out. This idiot was going to get himself killed trying to play hero.
“This is all moot if Mom and Dad decide she shouldn’t stay,” Jenna muttered. “We need a plan. A way to convince them that between all of us, we can keep Paisley safe until she discovers her affinity and can manage her magic well enough to protect herself.”
