Witch's Brew - Spellspinners 1 (Spellspinners of Melas County) (31 page)

I tried, imagining invisible flecks of Logan’s rejection lifting off my skin, letting each bad feeling float into the darkness like a thin, smoldering ash.

I waited to feel better. When that didn’t work, I kicked at the indentation where his elbows had pressed me into the sand.

Why would he just take off into the sea? Was he trying to tell me something?

As I was asking myself the question, the answer swam into my head.

He dove into the water and disappeared to tell me he could Breathe.

Logan

He had to get wet. He didn’t want to attack the barista, and he knew if he hung around watching him pine over Lily, he wouldn’t be able to resist.

Besides, he wanted Lily to know that she was right about him. That he could do things other warlocks couldn’t.

Leaving Lily on the sand, he sprinted down the shore and into the waves.

Diving under a mammoth wave, he swam, with swift strides; so far out he could barely see the shore. He watched her the whole time, of course, never taking his eyes off her. She stared out at him too, her eyes shining like stars before she turned back to the barista and talked to him.

Logan swam out farther and farther until he couldn’t see her anymore, then flipped under the water. In a jealous fit, he swam fervently to the bottom, kicked off the cold sea floor, and jetted back to the surface.

He was never going to get this right.

But he had to.

Had to figure out a way for them to be together without risk.

Impossible.

He had to figure out the impossible
.

Dark, churning water tugged on his body, daring him to go out farther. The feeling of her consumed him. The fragrance of lilies perfumed the sea. Logan’s eyes darted to the left and the right. Nothing. Only ripples.

Then suddenly, he felt a tug on his ankle, and was yanked under the sea like a victim of a shark attack. He flailed, fighting the grip, expecting some malicious sea serpent and seeing a girl, a siren with hair floating around her face like strands of gold.

Her eyes shone like sapphires.
Don’t ever ditch me like that again.

Lily! Where did you come from? I just saw you on the shore with that guy and now you’re…

You think you’re the only one who needed to cool down?
She smiled, drops of water kissing her face.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her.

You aren’t mad?

You wanted to tell me you had another sign of the Roghnaithe; you wanted to run so you wouldn’t beat up Jonah? No, I’m not mad.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and felt her body press into his.

“Don’t tell me you can fly, too?” she said, her mouth on his ear.

“Not that I know of. But that doesn’t mean I can’t.”

Lily

Not Even Us.

Not even a witch could breathe underwater.

I told Logan the story of my first breath at sea as we weaved effortlessly together through seaweed gardens, schools of tangerine fish, our legs kicking in unison.

Fingers entwined, I followed him into the shadows behind a pink castle of coral. Under the water, his eyes shone like sapphires. Pulling me close, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Felt a fire burn. He pulled me deeper, his lips grazing my cheek as if he was whispering a secret in my ear.

I’m the only warlock who can Breathe too.

It was very hard to concentrate with my arms wrapped around his shoulders and our bodies pressed into each other. I tried to shift the focus from our torsos to my mind. From his hard stomach to my brain. Not an easy task, when his fingers were skimming my spine.
None of the other warlocks?

No. And you’re the only witch?

That I know of. Iris said I shouldn’t talk about it, so I don’t. But that’s the sort of thing that would come up, you know? You have to stop doing that. I can’t think.

Stop doing what?
He asked innocently.

Kicking off his thighs, I floated backwards the hair swirling in front of my face blurring the sight of him. Suddenly I was shivering. The absence of his heat hollowed me out and was replaced by this horrible sense of longing—an almost foreboding feeling. I shook off the gnawing emptiness and tried to warm up my goose bumps.

In medieval times they used to drown girls they suspected to be witches.

My chills froze icy.
That’s a weird thing to say. Besides, true witches don’t drown.

But the girls all did.

…Because they weren’t true witches.

True witch?

Back then Spellspinners possessed both dark and light powers; all true witches had the ability to Breathe. Maybe they just hadn’t tapped into it yet.

Why are you talking about that anyway? Sort of a disturbing thing to say.

Alone at the bottom of the sea and he’s suddenly talking about drowning witches? You might be in quasi-love with him, but he is a warlock, I reminded myself. Yes, he can Breathe, yes he can Heal, but you still haven’t seen a mark. Don’t let your guard down.

You still don’t trust me?
He looked hurt. He didn’t hear me because I wasn’t thinking sweet thoughts about it. Interesting how that worked.

Sorry. Reflex from years of learning to hate you.

He smiled wryly.
My point is the drowning thing was just an excuse to torture and kill suspected girls. Witches can drown the same as humans.

Yes, but many of the puritans were actually warlocks in disguise. Warlocks who suspected true witches.

No. Come on. Warlocks are bad, but not that bad.

Oathbreakers.

I shrugged.

People have always been afraid of things they can’t understand.

And by people you mean archaic paranoid warlocks?

If the label fits.
I bumped into the coral, scratching my shoulder.

His eyes lit up with alarm.
Are you okay?
He swam straight over.
It’s certainly not an excuse for ignorant misogynous lunatics being controlled by mob mentality under the guise of morality, but admittedly a woman’s power is a pretty intimidating thing.
He said in a low, sexy voice. Then he kissed my scratch.

You’re such a progressive thinker, Log—where did that come from? I’d figure all you’ve been taught is Boy Power over there at Castle De Warlock.

His brow crinkled.
I think for myself. I always have.

Well, you’ve never had to worry like we have. It’s not like they tortured and killed 60,000 of you in their fraudulent witch hunts.

There were plenty of warlocks that went down in blazes too—but not in the same numbers, you’re right. And I’m sorry. He touched my arm.

The sensation of our underwater kiss was so deliciously awesome, I felt like we’d float right up to the surface like the charged jellyfish bubbles encircling us.

So yeah,
I said, after we finally broke apart.
When I was in middle school and learning to surf, I’d intentionally get knocked off my board just so I could explore under water without the lifeguards trying to rescue me.

I caught the question in his smile.
What?
I asked.

You’re so cute.

I shot him a look.
I’m trying my hardest not to be. There’s something else hiding behind your eyes. I can see it.

I’m just wondering why you’re the only one with this gift.

Before I had a chance to respond, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the midnight water.

I want to show you something.

We swam for a while before he pointed out a wooden skeleton buried nose down into the bottom of the sea. The spaces where windows used to be looked like empty eye sockets of a dead fish. The rainbows and sunlight had vanished. This water here was even colder. Murkier. Dangerous.

A shipwreck.

My eyes asked the next question.

What does this have to do with us?

Logan

Everything.

Logan pointed to Lily’s chest where her amulet was glowing, a prism of lights breaking through the darkness and illuminating the sunken ship.

Water!
Lily said,
Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

That’s the thing I want to find out,
Logan said.
What if what happened at the Witch’s Brew was only a small portion of what the amulet is capable of when we’re together?

If you’re right, we should both be wearing full body armor then, because, man…

Then Logan felt the water shift. Sensed the energies changing.

Wait. Lil, don’t move.

Lunging forward, he closed his fist around the amulet. Through his fingers, it flashed—streaks of magic lightning shooting through the black sea water it was struggling for a breath, and then, like the last sparks of a firecracker, the charm fizzled to black.

Logan felt Lily’s desperation in the dark.
What are you doing? I can’t see.

Trying to pry his fingers from the amulet, Logan felt the race in her heart, but had to maintain his grip.
Stay completely still.

With his right hand, Logan felt for his knife tucked in its hiding spot against his thigh.

There wasn’t just one.

Two, then three, creatures emerged from the wreck. Slinking from hollowed windows, they moved like eels and resembled the oily creatures as well. Only these serpents were far more menacing. Larger than the traditional sea creatures in girth and length, their teeth were sharp as razors.

Finally able to let go of the now-silent amulet he clutched Lily’s hand tight.
They move by instinct but are blind—if we stay completely still they will swim past us.

He hoped. He hadn’t expected them to be down here.

Logan watched as the serpents circled them. His mind’s eye could See them—eyes cloudy-white from blindness, but instincts sharp as cut glass.

Logan? What is that thing?

You can See it?

Yes.

Lily winced and the beast bared its fangs, closing in on her neck. Logan was faster. Blade ready, he yanked the serpent into a headlock, reached around and slit its throat.

Fluorescent blood the color of moss seeped from its neck illuminating the other two monsters that were exhaling horrendous underwater moans. A white serpent, a rare albino with pink-red eyes, turned on Logan, its fangs shimmering in the green-blood sea.

Lily. Get to the surface.

He’s right on you! Logan, your knife!

The albino smashed into Logan’s hand, knocking the blade from his fingers. Pushing through the brine-streaked water, Logan watched Lily dive for it, catching it easily. Kicking off the bottom of the ocean, she smashed into the creature just as it sunk its fangs into the meatiest part of Logan’s lower arm.

He didn’t cry out, but let the pain burn through him. Punching it in the face with his free fist, he waited for the beast to let go. Cringing under ripping flesh he watched Lily straddle the beast, stabbing it deep in its fatty back. The creature flinched, but still wouldn’t unclench its jaws. Logan knew this about the totem serpents. Like pitbulls, like sharks, once they took a bite, they wouldn’t let go.

Slit its throat.

Lily

I knew immediately this was one of the creatures I saw in the ocean when I was a kid. Same inky skin, same otherworldly form.

I didn’t want to kill it. But it was killing Logan.

I dove on its back, scratching my way to its head. Tail slapping at my ankles, I smashed the top of its head with the butt of my knife until I felt its seal-like body go limp between my legs.

Kill it.

Wait.

The serpent unlocked its jaws from Logan and with glowing-pink eyes—met mine. I sensed its uncertainty as he glanced at his fallen brother still floating in a stream of its own blood—twisted in a horrible state of death.

Lily, kill it!

Logan, it’s okay. He’s going.

Turn your back on him and he’ll kill you.

No. He won’t.

I watched the creature turn and, in lonely solitude, swim back into the empty socket of the ship’s eye.

Rushing to him, I held his face in my hand.
We have to deal with your wound. Can you make it to the surface?

He half-grinned.
Don’t be so melodramatic. I’m fine.

But I knew he wasn’t fine. He was losing a lot of blood. The serpent’s teeth were more like needles than teeth. His skin was ripped, not cut. Lashes of flesh peeled off his bones like bloody ribbons.

The saltwater is healing.

He frowned.
The saltwater stings like hell.

I kissed him hard on the lips, and then, clutching his good arm, I pulled him toward the place where the water meets the sky, to fix him.

Logan winced as lashes of his bloody skin healed under my touch.

“It was the amulet? It drew the serpents out?”

“I’m guessing so.”

“That’s not…I mean, you didn’t lure me down there to get eaten alive by freakish eels, right?”

First the drowning witch comment, then luring her into a psycho serpent den?

“Lily. Of course not.”

Warlocks are the worst thing about our world. Don’t ever forget that.

Iris’ words stalked me like that eel.

Even though I didn’t have to, even though the spell was over, I left my palm on his muscle, which was still hot from my spell, wanting to believe him.

“You can believe me. I was trying to show you this cool old shipwreck I found when I was a kid. It was, well, sort of my hangout.”

“Aww, you wanted to take me to your secret hideaway?”

“Hush,” he said.

“That’s adorable.”

“No teasing.”

“Seriously. Is there a little waterlogged teddy bear down there too?”

He pressed me into the sand and I stopped teasing him.

“That never ceases to amaze me by the way.” I was lying in the crook of his arm. I leaned over and kissed the newly healed skin, drawings appeared all around it.

“Stick around. That was nothing.”