CHAPTER TEN

After the meeting, Fiona motioned for me to wait. I knew she wanted to formally introduce me and Blake and send us off on our way so he could teach me everything I needed to know about being a witch with a seat on the Magickal Council. It took the rest of the group a while to clear out of the chambers—aside from Oscar, who’d made a beeline for the door as soon as the meeting was over, clearly disgruntled about the way the meeting had gone.

Vivienne made her way over to me, leaning in for a hug. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just trying to learn everyone and everything. It’s a little ...”

“Overwhelming?” Vivienne laughed. “I’m sure. You have a lot of catching up to do. Don’t let that buffoon Oscar get to you. You’re a natural. I can see it in you. How can you not be, with the Ravenstars in your lineage? And the great Abigail Moonstone, while we’re being honest.”

Hearing my grandmother’s name made me sad. “I’m certainly not going to be able to fill my grandmother’s shoes any time soon,” I said.

“Honey,” Vivienne said. “She wouldn’t want you to fill her shoes. She’d want you to buy your own shoes.” Then with a wink and a tug on the chain holding her eyeglasses, she was gone.

I remembered as a kid watching The Wizard of Oz with my dad and grandma and how fascinated Dorothy had been with the way the magickal people appeared and disappeared. My, people come and go so quickly around here, she’d said. I kind of felt like Dorothy these days.

After Vivienne left I waited while Blake, Fiona, Ember, and Alan finished having a conversation, then Fiona finally brought Blake over to where I was sitting, still sipping the coffee Pete had made me—which was totally still hot. Gotta love that power. I put that on my mental list of powers I needed to learn.

“Blake, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Violet,” Fiona said, presenting me with a flourish.

I stood up and offered my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here,” Blake said. He looked amused by the handshake. Come to think of it, he looked like he was amused by most things. His hand was soft and cool and he hung on a second too long. “Welcome to your life. What do you think of it so far?”

I glanced at Fiona. “It’s ... interesting.”

“Well, it’s gonna get even more interesting, so hang on,” Blake advised. “Speaking of which. Your mother tells me you need some help.”

“She certainly seems to think so,” I said.

“Darling,” Fiona cut in. “You do need help. I told you, you have to get up to speed quickly, remember?” She pretended to smile at me, but really she was gritting her teeth pretty hard. I could almost read her mind: Don’t embarrass me!

“It’s okay to admit you need help, you know,” Blake said, that amused smirk still playing at the corner of his pouty mouth.

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not, but either way I kind of hated feeling like I was a hundred steps behind everyone else.

“I’m getting there,” I said hating the defensive sound in my own voice. “I’m a fast learner. I can teleport really well. And I’m getting even better at my auric and crystal work. I’ve been reading my grandmother’s book.”

A heavy sadness flashed across Blake’s face, so fast I thought I’d imagined it. Had he and Grandma Abby been close?

“Her book, huh?” Blake said. “What book is this?”

“A book of her knowledge. Spells and stuff. She did a lot with crystals and the moon.”

“I see. Did her book tell you what to do if another type of being tries to harm a witch?”

I frowned. “Another type of being? I don’t think so. Although pages keep appearing so I guess it means that I’m learning more when that happens?” I looked at Fiona for encouragement, but she didn’t say anything. She looked annoyed to be discussing Grandma Abby’s book at all.

Blake ignored me. “Does it tell you how to handle a situation where a witch commits a forbidden act against a member of his or her own family? Or what a forbidden act even is?”

I shook my head, feeling my jaw clench of its own accord.

“Did it tell you which members of the council you can trust, and which ones you can’t? Did it tell you about the centuries-old resentments that have been festering in this community for years and have started to come to the surface? Does it tell you what could happen if a witch was found guilty of negating another witch’s power by using black magic?”

I got the sense he could go on like this for a while. “No,” I snapped. “She wasn’t a judge or a lawyer. She was collecting spells and passing along her knowledge in case I ever came back into this life. I get it—I don’t know anything compared to you. I’m sure no one does.”

“I beg your pardon,” Fiona said, drawing herself up even taller on her platform shoes.

I ignored her. “So whatever you have to teach me, let’s just get it over with, okay?” I picked up my coffee cup and pitched it toward the trash. I missed, hitting the rim of the can, and the small bit of remaining coffee splattered onto the floor. Without even thinking about it I snapped my fingers and made a lifting motion with my hand. The liquid poured upward back into the cup and finished its journey into the trash can.

Behind me, Blake applauded. “Nice work.”

“Oh, save it,” I muttered. I hated condescending men who thought they were smarter than any woman they met. He might be hot, but he was just as annoying as the rest of them.

Although I knew it wasn’t really him I was mad at. I hated the huge learning curve ahead of me. I wished I could just figure out a way to infuse the knowledge I needed into my brain. I mean, there had to be a way, right? We were witches.

But everything he’d just said had sounded so daunting.

“Violet.” Fiona’s voice cut through my mental rant, and she didn’t sound pleased. “Stop acting like a child. Blake is here to help you. And I expect that you’ll take his knowledge and expertise and get the full benefit of it. He’s being generous with his time.”

Before I could even turn and acknowledge what she’d said, I heard the air crackle, which meant she’d taken leave of us. When I spun around, all that was left was her usual pile of glitter. This time, it was multicolored.

Blake chuckled. “Your mom always knew how to make an exit. And an entrance, for that matter.”

I sniffed.

“Listen, Violet. I’m not trying to be a know-it-all hotshot lawyer guy. Because I know that’s what you’re thinking. Isn’t it?”

“Yeah, actually it is. Because that’s what you sound like.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. But this Mazzy Diamond thing? It’s pretty crazy. And what your mother is worried about is exactly where Oscar the Great started going today. Right at you. And if you don’t know how to navigate what’s coming, you could be in big trouble.”

I studied him, trying to see if I could energetically feel his aura and figure out if he was telling the truth. It wasn’t hard to tune in to him. And the color that came through loud and clear was blue. Vibrant blue, not murky or dark. Blue definitely meant balance—someone who was cool, calm, and collected. And confident. But I could see that before I even thought of checking his aura. What I didn’t get was any kind of negative color. I’d almost expected red, which wasn’t necessarily negative, but could indicate an overwhelming personality. None of that came to me.

He watched me watch him for a minute, then he smiled. “Get what you need?”

I was a little taken aback, but tried to cover it up. “What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to see who I am. I get it. I would do the same if I was you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You read minds or something?”

Blake grinned. “I can’t give away all my secrets right off the bat, can I?”

I wondered if he could actually see what I was doing, and if he could influence how I saw him. I had no idea what kind of powers this guy had, and even though my mother seemed to trust him implicitly, I wasn’t as quick to jump on the bandwagon. I didn’t say anything.

“So when are you free to meet?” he asked. “I get the sense Fiona wants us to start getting together soon.”

“You think?” I sighed. “How about tomorrow?”

He nodded. “I can be free tomorrow. Where do you want to meet?”

I had no idea. The only places I’d been in this new realm were the council chambers and a gemstone store Zoe had taken me to with charmed stones. I’d loved it and definitely wanted to go back, but hadn’t had a chance yet. I had no idea if it was appropriate to invite Blake to North Harbor, but Josie knew him so maybe Pete did too. We could meet at Pete’s, but then that might raise questions that I didn’t want to answer. How would I explain my clandestine meeting with a guy who, while annoying, was pretty hot, to Todd?

“Violet. That wasn’t a hard question,” Blake said, but he sounded more curious than annoyed.

“I don’t really know anywhere,” I said. “To your earlier point about how clueless I am. But I like coffee.”

He sighed. “I did not say you were clueless. I think you’re very brave and I can tell you’re smart. So listen. Why don’t we meet at Potions Cafe right around the corner on Amethyst Street? I think you’ll like it.”

I smirked. “As in witches’ potions?”

He grinned. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

“What the heck,” I said. “At least I’ll get to people watch.”