Lock and Key (Nocturne Academy 1)

“What about the Edict indeed,” Avery murmured. “There’s no denying that this is against the Other Law.” He nodded at the Queen and her Knight. “Against the Council’s ruling, anyway.”

“But there’s something romantic about it, don’t you think?” Kaitlyn sighed dreamily. “I mean, the idea of breaking the law together and binding themselves together against all odds?”

“Right,” I said flatly, even though my heart was pounding at the thought. “It would be really romantic to break the biggest Other law there is while binding myself to a Censured Nocturne and no doubt getting expelled all on my very first week of magic school. That’s the stuff rom-coms and romance novels are made of.”

“Actually, it kind of is,” Avery said mildly. He waved a hand and the image of the Witch Queen and her Blood Knight finally faded. “I mean forbidden love and breaking all the rules, anyway. But the question is, do you really want to go there? Especially with Griffin?”

“I don’t think you should,” Emma said, frowning. “I think this is dangerous territory you’re venturing into, Megan,” she told me. “But maybe that’s just me being cautious. I mean, we just found you…” She reached for my hand and squeezed. “We don’t want to lose you!”

“Thanks—I don’t want to lose you guys either.” I gave them all a grateful look. “And thank you for working the spell for me, Avery,” I added. “But I’m afraid I still have no idea what I’m going to do on Saturday night.”

“I can tell you one thing you’re going to do—you’re going to call me,” Emma said firmly.

“And me,” Kaitlyn chimed in.

“And me,” Avery said, nodding. “Check in with us and let us know where you’re going—if you go,” he added. “And then text us every hour on the hour after that so we know if we need to come looking for you.”

I felt a little tug on my heart strings. There at the last, before he’d sent me to my Aunt Dellie, my dad had been so distracted I could have disappeared for days and he wouldn’t have noticed. And now I had three good friends who wanted to make sure I was okay no matter what.

“Megan, you’re crying.” Kaitlyn sounded concerned.

“Am I?” I leaned over the scrying bowl again to look at my reflection. Sure enough, tears were rolling down my cheeks and, as I watched, one of them fell into the water.

“Oh!” Emma and Kaitlyn gasped as one.

For when my tear touched the surface of the water, another picture suddenly appeared in the ripples it cast.

It was a perfect red rose with blood-red petals and long, curving thorns. It bloomed briefly in the water and then the image was gone, replaced by nothing but the blank silver bottom of the bowl.

“Oh my God—did you see that, Avery?” Emma exclaimed.

“What does it mean?” Kaitlyn asked.

But Avery shook his head.

“Honestly, I don’t know. The scrying bowl is supposed to show either true intentions or sometimes it shows an image of the future. But I don’t know what the rose could symbolize either way.”

“Could it be that Griffin is going to send you roses?” Kaitlyn asked me doubtfully.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged and wiped at my cheeks, wanting to be careful that no more tears fell in the bowl. “I guess it could.”

“He doesn’t exactly seem like the sentimental type, though,” Emma pointed out, frowning.

“Even if he was, I doubt you could interpret the images of the scrying bowl quite so literally,” Avery said dryly. “It tends to speak in symbols and portents—not really obvious images. I mean, it’s not like one of those fake crystal balls.”

“So those are all crap?” I asked as he got up and carefully picked up the large silver bowl, holding it with both hands.

“Afraid so,” Avery said. “It’s just a copycat of real scrying—which isn’t easy to learn to do, by the way,” he added modestly. “My Aunt taught me since my mother couldn’t. It’s kind of a family skill.”

“Like Griffin’s skill controlling beasts?” I asked.

Avery nodded. “Sort of like that, yes. Different families of Others have different specialties—especially witches.”

“What’s my family’s specialty then?” I asked curiously. “What do the Latimers do better than anyone else? Is there some kind of skill I’m supposed to have that comes naturally to me?”

“Besides being stronger than everybody else and always heading up the Windermere Coven?” Avery asked. “Well, until this last generation, anyway when Nasty Nancy’s mother took over as the Head Sister.”

“Is the leadership of the coven a hereditary thing?” Emma asked. “I mean, is it passed down from mother to daughter or something?”

Avery nodded as he set the silver bowl aside.

“It’s supposed to be. Unless there’s a generation with no magic—then the leadership passes to the next strongest member of the coven.” He frowned at me. “We know your Aunt Dellie is a Null so she couldn’t take over. And you say your mom also didn’t have any powers?”