Shadow Magic

Chapter Four

Devin was waiting for me on a bench outside the student union. Their lanky body was hunched over, probably trying to warm themselves against the cold chill. They were texting when I walked up and jumped at my presence, shoving their phone into their jacket pocket.

"Ready?" They asked, their face hesitant as if I was a timid animal ready to run at any moment. They weren't wrong.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said with a sigh. We walked in silence as we made our way towards the parking lot. I assumed the silence was because talking about witch things wasn't supposed to be broadcasted to the general public.

"You don't need to be nervous," Devin said as we reached their car. It was a black SUV with plenty of space for guests and very clean for a college student. It looked slightly muddy which made sense for the time of year.

"I just don't know what to expect," I replied, getting in the passenger seat and pulling my backpack in before shutting the car door. I put on my seat belt while I waited for them to get in and start the car.

"Well, you'll meet the Coven Leader and Elders. We've already let them know you are coming. There might be some other coven members at the manor that will want to meet you," they said, pulling out of the parking spot and heading towards the main road.

"Can I ask you something?" I started, my stomach in knots.

"Of course," they replied, their eyes on the road. When we stopped at a red light they looked at me and the knots turned the butterflies.

"Will you stay with me? You know, when I meet them?" I asked, knowing that I changed my question at the last second. The sound of the blinker echoing in my head at the moment I waited for a response.

"I will, the whole time if I can," they replied, turning the car to the right and then up a hill.

"Thank you," I replied, looking towards the road. We headed away from the water and it looked to be north.

"So where exactly are we headed?" I asked.

"Well first we are headed to pick up Violet, she told me she'd kill me if I didn't let her come," they said with a chuckle.

"Okay, that sounds good," I said, relieved to have another person there for support.

"She is excited to see you again," Devin said sheepishly.

"I really like her," I said thinking about her bright personality and kindness.

We pulled up to an old Victorian house where Violet was sitting on the porch. She waved when we pulled in and I noticed behind her through the front window two pairs of eyes looking out watching us. Upon closer inspection, they looked very similar to Violet, probably younger sisters.

"Cady hi! Devin, thanks for letting me tag along," she said when she got into the backseat.

"I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to keep my head," they teased, pulling out of the driveway.

"Astrid is meeting us there, she went to the manor with her Grandpa today. Her Grandpa is one of the Elders." Violet explained.

"Gotcha, how many are there?" I asked.

"Five in total, one Coven Leader then each Elder is the oldest in the birth order of their respective element. So Astrid's Grandpa is the Fire Elder. Maura and Easton's Grandma is the Air Elder. The Earth Elder is my Great Uncle, he's really kind." Violet replied.

"The oldest is the Water Elder, Valerie. I'm not any close relation to her, my great-great Grandma is the oldest sister of her dad," Devin said.

"It's kind of confusing around here with family relations," Violet laughed.