Cuckoo in the Coven

Aveline looked at her over the top of her glasses as if Sunny should know better. “There were a few minor snippets about late Victorian times, but other than that there’s a huge gap in local records. Really.”

There was a purr to Aveline’s voice, as if she were part feline. Sunny recalled thinking the librarian had a sexy, secret side. It looked like her instincts were right. She also noticed Eben, the blacksmith, had great respect for her, and rarely took his eyes off her. Was he in love with her? Sunny’s curiosity grew and grew. The locals had always intrigued her, but seeing this gathering of such disparate types together—with such a strange thing in common—was fascinating, to say the least.

“So there you are,” Willow said, “You not only have the gift from your grandmother’s side, you have it from the other side of your family too. This is absolutely amazing...you’re the best thing that ever happened to our coven.”

Sunny bristled. “Bloody hell! I’m not an experiment, nor will I ever be! I don’t know what the hell’s going on here, or what’s gone on with you and Fox, but you’re not using me as some sort of pawn in your stupid game.”

“That’s not what’s happening, Sunny, really,” Celeste reassured, a concerned expression furrowing her brow. “This has got out of hand, yes, and of course we didn’t know about the other side of your family, how could we possibly, but you were Hanna’s granddaughter and you’d have discovered your magic soon enough. We’re acting as guardians as you do.”

“Guardians? That’s a bloody euphemism. You made all of this happen!”

“No, I didn’t. You dreamed of each other before we got involved.”

“It was like you laid down the trail of breadcrumbs,” Willow explained, “and we followed the trail, and built upon it.”

“You must understand,” Celeste said, rather defensively, “my matchmaking magic can only work where there’s a thread of desire to begin with.”

“You mean this was meant to be?” Cullen said.

He’d taken the words from her mouth. Sunny waited with her breath trapped in her throat for the answer to come.

“To some extent, yes. I often think our magic is the thread which stitches things together. The thread is there, we cannot stitch without it.”

“Sunny connected with the lingering spirit you left in that house. It’s akin to the ghost world but different. She identified with it. All we did was put the two of you together. We’ve always been curious about your history, Cullen. There are lots of legends and stories in Raven’s Landing, but few are as mysterious and untold as yours. Now we know your disappearance was due to Nathaniel Fox.”

“My head aches,” Cullen said, resting back in the chair, which creaked loudly under the strain of his massive frame.

“There’s something important we must not overlook,” Aveline said. “Fox had a plan and he got waylaid. His original plan was to sacrifice a soul to the dark tides, which he’s done over and again. It’s part of the reason he’s become so powerful—he’s been dealing in trade with the dark tides for several decades. However, he’s broken the chain of events by giving thirty days to you, Sunny. He’s currently not as powerful as he thinks he is. We must remember that, because it may be important. He’ll overestimate himself at a crucial time. However, as long as we keep Cullen here, that advantage remains with us.”

“Why do I feel like a pawn on a chessboard?” Sunny said, feeling irritated by the issue of Fox being presented to her.

“I’m sure it does feel that way,” Celeste replied, “but it’s not the case. Consider this: how would you have felt had I told you had magical powers in advance?”

“I’d have laughed in your face.”

“There you go. And if your innate ability for magic had revealed itself without us around, who would you have come to ask?” Celeste raised her eyebrows, speaking rather pointedly, as if gently reminding Sunny she’d come here seeking answers. “You’d have been shocked and confused.”

Sunny snorted. “Shocked and confused? I probably would have packed my bags and moved back to London.”

“We all know that feeling,” Aveline commented sympathetically.

Sunny felt a little guilty. It hadn’t occurred to her they’d all been sitting here in her seat at one time or another.

“We did our best for you,” Celeste continued. “We understand how shocking it can be when a human soul discovers their magical ability without support.”

Sunny lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay. I’m sorry. I can’t help feeling a bit unnerved.” Understatement of the year, she silently added.

“Of course you can’t. Rest assured we’ll help you learn how to control and develop your powers. We’ll stand by you like sisters and brothers. The motto of our coven is ‘one tree, many branches.’ The coven sustains us all, you included. Your grandmother paved the way for you, prepared us for your arrival, so we could support you.”

Celeste was trying to reassure her, but everything she said only made Sunny feel deeply entrenched in a situation she needed to get a grip on.

“Go home, get some rest, spend some time together. We’ve all got hard work ahead over the next thirty days, but we’ll teach you and stand behind you. Fox is waiting, but when the time comes, we’ll be ready for him.”

Sunny remained silent.

Cullen leaned forward in his seat, nodding. “We will.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN