Shadow Magic

Chapter Nine

Once we were almost out of the greenhouse Devin pulled out a water bottle and handed it to me. I chugged half of it and thanked them, not realizing how parched I had been. I felt their hand on my neck and I looked at them confused.

"You have a bruise forming," he said, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Oh, yeah I kind of got attacked," I replied, it was throbbing a bit.

"I can heal it," they told me, their hand still on the side of my neck.

"Okay, that's probably smart," I said. I felt a warm healing sensation flood the area. I couldn't see my skin, but Devin looked pleased once they pulled their hand away.

"Good as new," they said with a small smile.

"Great, thanks," I replied, their healing spell also giving me a small burst of energy. Devin opened the greenhouse doors and it felt warmer outside than before. I looked up to see the sun was higher in the sky.

My attention was pulled when suddenly cheering erupted. I was overwhelmed by how much the crowd had grown since before I entered. There were at least a hundred people now around the area mostly looking at me and clapping. It seemed like some families also had picnic baskets and were in the process of eating breakfast.

"We can go get breakfast after the ceremony," Devin whispered as he noticed me looking at the food.

"Ceremony?" I echoed, there was so much I didn't know.

I saw different Coven members watching with smiles. Violet's family was closest to us and one of her sisters handed me a flower crown that she had made. I kneeled and let her place it on my head and thanked her.

The other members of the Coven made a path for us, many of them reaching out to touch my hand and congratulate me. Younger kids ran after us and shouted happily. I made eye contact with Connor as we passed and he gave me a wink and smile. I blushed and smiled back. The courage he had given me had worn off, but the happiness from seeing him was something else.

I saw Devin was directing me over to where the other Elders were sitting on lawn chairs in a semicircle. They looked out of place in such a casual setting. The Coven Leader stood when we approached. Her blue robes were lined with fur and she looked like a winter goddess with her long white hair tied in a braid down her shoulder.

"Arcadia, congratulations on passing your trial," she started.

"Thank you," I said. Cheers erupted and I jumped at the noise, Devin laughing softly from behind me.

"Please have a seat," she said, putting her hand out towards the lawn chair in front of us. I followed her direction and sat and looked at them waiting for whatever ceremony was about to happen.

"Arcadia, do you swear to keep this Coven safe and protect it with your every breath?" Elder C.J. asked me.

"Yes, I swear," I replied, unsure of what was about to happen.

"Do you swear to keep this Coven a secret from humans and others who mean to harm us?" He asked.

"Yes, I swear," I said. I watched as he stood up and moved a few feet in front of me. He placed his index finger on my forehead, just between my eyes.

"I, Elder of Fire, grant you the knowledge of those before in this Coven," he said. I felt a strange sensation in my head, something fast flashed behind my eyes like a book being flipped through page by page. I realized I had more information about the history of the Coven than I had been taught. I looked up at him and he smiled.

"I, Elder of Air, grant you the ability to connect to those in the coven using the message spell," Elder Jill said as she did the same motion. I felt a small wisp of air caress my face and swirl itself around my ear. It tickled and I now knew how to communicate with other members.