Chapter Two

Excitement rushed through me at the possibility of finding another Oaken Wand. We hadn't made progress in three months, and now it sounded like we were close to a breakthrough. We'd already found several Oaken Wands, but they'd fallen through our grasp each time. We weren't going to let that happen again.

We knew the priestesses had possession of the Seer and Alchemy Wands. We'd obtained the Alchemy Wand from the Crock of Death, and I'd given it up to save my friends. Last semester, we found the Seer Wand in a pocket universe within the Vanishing Stairwell, and the priestesses had forced us to give it up in exchange for my kidney transplant. Then we witnessed the Mentalist Wand fall into the pit to the Abyss when we fought the demon, Professor Leto. We hadn't found any leads on the Mortana or the Curse Breaker Wands yet, but it sounded like this could be it.

Obtaining all the Wands before the priestesses was imperative to stop them from gaining control over the coven's magic. Once we had the Wands, we could work to heal the coven and bring an end to the Waning.

"Tell us everything," I insisted.

"It will be easier if you speak to our source directly," Chloe said.

"Who exactly is your source?" Lucas asked.

"He's a wandmaker named Beau Blankard," Miles stated.

"You met Beau?" Grammy cut in, sounding shocked.

"Yeah. You know him?" Miles asked.

"Beau and I were friends when we were young," Grammy said. "He's half-witch, half-fae."

I didn't know much about the fae, but I knew they hated the witches. We'd been on opposite sides in the Great Supernatural War. From my understanding, the fae came to Earth hundreds of years ago from another realm and settled in Europe. They were made up of four Factions, categorized by their shifting abilities. The male of their species could shift into dragons, wolvens, alicorns, or griffins. Each shifter was mated to a female fae sorceress, whose specialty was the power of illusions and portals. It was odd, to say the least, that a witch and a fae would ever mate.

"Beau's the man who made Nadine's wand," Grammy added.

I pulled my wand from my pocket and twisted it in my hands, eyeing the swirls and the moonstone crystal embedded into the handle. "I remember you telling me about him. He used hair from his faekin companion in my wand."

"Yes," Grammy confirmed. "I haven't been in contact with him for ages. I didn't know he was still alive."

"He is, and he's living in Hok'evale," Chloe said. "As a wandmaker, he's studied wand lore, including legends of the Oaken Wands. Nadine and Lucas need to meet with him as soon as possible."

Lucas took my hand. "Then let's get going. Chloe and Miles, you're with us. We'll call the rest of you if anything goes wrong."

We'd all purchased new phones when we came to the safe house, and we'd protected them with magic so the priestesses couldn't track them.

Lucas lifted his hand, and a portal bloomed in front of us. A pine forest appeared—the same forest that Chloe and Miles had been standing in when we portaled them to the safe house earlier. Our cats stayed behind as the four of us stepped through. The morning California air felt nice, and the scent of saltwater drifted through the trees.

"How far is it into town?" Lucas asked.

"It's a hike, but we know a faster way." Chloe gestured for us to follow her.

The trees here were taller than the pines back home. I couldn't see much through the forest, until we stepped into a clearing at the edge of a mountain. Back home, our mountains were more like rolling hills, but here, the peaks were much higher. Far off in the distance, I could make out the ocean.

Lucas and I both paused to take in the beautiful landscape.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Miles asked.

"It's beautiful," I agreed. "I might be a bit jealous of the Elementai tribe."

"Their tribe's name is Hawkei," Chloe clarified. "Elementai is their supernatural name. It's like how supernaturals refer to us as witches, but we belong to the Miriamic Coven. They're Elementai belonging to the Hawkei tribe."

"I don't know that much about them," I admitted.

"I'll tell you on the way." Chloe cocked her head, and we followed her down a narrow footpath. "From what I know of the Elementai, they're a fairly young supernatural race. Their people are indigenous to the Americas, and they were driven from their homes when the European colonizers arrived. They came together here in Northern California to protect themselves from further threats. Their ancestors gifted them powers of the elements, as well as made them protectors of magical creatures. The Hawkei tribe is made up of five smaller tribes, also known as Houses, one for each element."

"Kind of like our Casts?" I wondered.

Miles nodded. "Sort of, but their magic is inherited, where ours is chosen. There's Toaqua, who control water. And Koigni, who control fire. Then Yapluma for air, Nivita for earth, and Anichi for spirit. They believe that each Elementai's soul resides within a magical creature. When an Elementai comes of age, they bond with their special creature, which they call a Familiar."

"That's really cool," I said. "Are the Hawkei the only tribe of elementals?"

"Yes, they mostly stick together," Chloe replied. "But just like in our coven, some of them travel, and there are locations all around the world where people of all supernatural races are welcome."

"Hok'evale is one of those places," Miles added. "The Hawkei's main city, Kinpago, isn't too far from here. Technically, Hok'evale is outside the reservation's protective borders. It was a place of refuge during the Hawkei Civil War, which only ended a few months ago. Hok'evale has been around for a while, taking in people from all supernatural races who don't have anywhere else to go."

"I've heard the Hawkei are very diverse," Lucas said thoughtfully. "Is that true?"

Chloe nodded. "Absolutely. We visited Kinpago a few weeks ago, and their city is full of influences from around the world. When the Hawkei tribe formed, they sent their people all over the world to form alliances and grow their numbers. They brought back people of all races, and they've continued to honor global cultures to this day. We ate at this really good restaurant in Kinpago's Chinatown, and we went shopping in the Italian district. Their college, Orenda Academy, is at this beautiful castle built by a friend of the Hawkei who came over from Scotland."

"It sounds like a wonderful place," I said. "Have you guys seen many magical creatures in Hok'evale?"

Miles gave a cunning smirk. "Buckle up, Nadine, because you're about to experience the magical world like you've never seen it before."

Miles pulled back branches and thick brush, and I stopped in my tracks. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Ahead of us stood a large clearing filled with magical creatures I could only ever picture in my wildest dreams. I knew that dragons and unicorns existed, but it hadn't ever quite felt real until I saw it with my own eyes.

Unicorns with fire manes and shimmering horns grazed in the clearing. Among the Fire unicorns was a unicorn with white fur that shimmered blue in the sunlight. Its horn looked like an icicle, and it blew snowflakes out of its nose.

Dragons of all sizes frolicked through the clearing. A mother dragon with black scales and red spines spread her wings and launched into the sky, and three baby dragons flew behind her, blowing fire at each other as they navigated around other flying creatures. I spotted flying sheep and birds of all different colors. Some of them looked small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, and others had wingspans as long as a school bus. Watching them fly through the sky was like witnessing a rainbow dance. The birds sang a song together that sounded coordinated and calmed my nerves.

Tiny rodent-like creatures chased each other around and scampered up trees, before swinging like monkeys to the next branches. They were all different colors, with big eyes, tiny noses, and big bushy tails. Their ears looked like that of a fennec fox, and the creatures reminded me of bush babies with bigger bellies.

Something I thought was a pile of rocks moved, and I realized it was a goat with granite for skin. I spun around to take it all in, but I wasn't sure what to marvel at first. It was all so amazing.

Lucas gasped and pointed. "It's a real chimera and a hippogriff!"

A winged creature with three heads—a lion, a dragon, and a goat—tackled an animal with the body of a horse and the head of an eagle. The hippogriff clacked its beak. The three-headed creature Lucas had called a chimera rolled onto the ground, like they were playing a game.

Felines of all sizes and colors lazed in the sun, but they were unlike any cats I'd seen before. One of them had feathers that shimmered blue and purple, and another white and pink-speckled feline had horns on its head and wings on its back. One of the cats didn't even look solid, and it gleamed an ethereal blue as it played with a baby dragon. The creature looked like it was made of air.

Nearby, a stream cut through the clearing, and water creatures of all sorts splashed in the brook. I witnessed a small sea serpent with blue fins slither up to a green horse-like creature with the tail of a fish. There was so much to take in, and it was like all of the magic of the Elementai permeated this clearing.

"This is incredible!" Lucas exclaimed.

Chloe beamed. "Wait until you ride one."

"Are we allowed to do that?" I asked.

Chloe shrugged. "All you have to do is ask."

She gestured to a group of people surrounding the dragons. They scrubbed down the dragons' scales and fed them snacks. The dragons had their eyes closed and faces pointed to the sun, like they were enjoying every second of being pampered.

"Come on." Chloe gestured for us to follow, and we made our way across the clearing to the group of people.

"Chloe, Miles," a guy greeted. He looked about our age, and a black alicorn followed behind him. "It's good to see you again. I see you brought some friends."

"Hi, Sam," Chloe said. "These are the friends we told you about; Lucas and Nadine."

"Oh, my Goddess!" A woman emerged from behind one of the dragons, followed by a gray cat. I saw her black hair first, and my heart leapt in recognition.

"Monica!" I cried.

"Lucas! Nadine! It's so great to see you both." Monica rushed over to us and squeezed us into a tight hug. "I can't thank you two enough for saving my life after I was framed for The Hearse Tragedy."

Monica had been playing piano on The Hearse the night the demon caused the crash that killed seventeen people. The priestesses had blamed Monica's mentalist abilities for manipulating the driver, even though they knew the demon had been behind it. The priestesses had intended to poison Monica as execution for the crime, so the coven would have someone to blame. We slipped her a fake potion that mimicked death, then revived her body after the funeral. She left for Hok'evale to seek refuge that same night.

"It's good to know you made it safely," I said as I drew away. "We had no way to contact you."

"It's better that way," she promised. "As long as the priestesses believe I'm dead, I can live my life in peace."

"So you like it here?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, very much," Monica replied. "I've met so many wonderful people. My best friend here is a Nivita woman who named her little girl after me! I'm splitting my time between teaching music lessons and caring for magical creatures. How are things in Octavia Falls?"

Lucas and I exchanged a glance. "Tense…" I admitted.

Monica sighed, appearing sad. "I assume you aren't in Hok'evale for a vacation."

I frowned. "Unfortunately, no."

"In that case, I won't keep you. Good luck to you both." Monica waved, then returned to the dragon she was caring for.

Sam dropped his gaze. "Chloe and Miles say you've been looking for information to help your coven. Ancestors know how brutal a civil war can be."

Something dark flashed in his eyes, and it was obvious he'd seen a lot over the last few years. The Hawkei Civil War might be over, but it'd take ages for their people to recover.

Sam extended his arm to show a tattoo of a broken arrow surrounded by a partial circle. "Ours was a genocide, and they marked people like me as weak and inferior. I do hope your coven treats its people better."

"We're doing our best to prevent the coven from taking it that far," Miles told Sam. "We might've found information that can help us, but we need to speak to someone in town named Beau Blankard. Can you get us there?"

Sam patted one of the dragons on the shoulder. "Leslie's all ready for a flight, but she's the only dragon I've got at the moment."

Leslie was a smaller dragon compared to the others, but she was still the size of a small car, with shimmering purple scales and blue spines running down her back.

"Leslie can only carry two riders at a time," Sam said.

"Then she should take Nadine and Lucas," Chloe offered. "It's important that they hear what Beau has to say."

Leslie bowed her head to me, nudging her nose against my shoulder. I ran my fingers over her scales, and I was surprised by how smooth they were. The dragon licked me, as if to say she liked me. I saw she had a forked blue tongue that glittered in the sunlight.

"How will we find Beau?" I asked.

"He should be at the library right now, working a fundraiser for foster kids," Sam said.

It seemed so positively normal. A witch couldn't host a fundraiser in Octavia Falls these days, and it's not like the priestesses would care about the foster care system, anyway.

"A lot of kids lost their parents in the war," Sam added. "We're doing what we can. The community's really come together to help them, but it's been a tough road so far."

My stomach sank. "I'm sorry things have been hard for your people."

"It gets easier every day," Sam assured us. "Take it as a sign of hope. If our people can end their civil war and become one tribe again, then so can your coven."

"Thank you," I told him.

"It's nothing," Sam replied with a shrug. "Are you two ready for a ride?"

I bounced on my toes, and Lucas looked thrilled. I hadn't seen him that excited in a long time.

"We're ready," Lucas said brightly.

"All you have to do is grab her spines, hoist yourself up, and she'll take care of the rest," Sam instructed. "She knows where she's going, and when you're done, just hop back on her and she'll bring you back here."

"Thanks for all your help," Lucas said. "If there's any way we can repay you, let us know."

Sam waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Go help your people."

Lucas grabbed one of Leslie's spines and jumped. He settled into a smooth area on her back, then reached down to help me up. I sat in front of him and was surprised to find I felt secure in the curve of Leslie's back. I held one of her spines to steady myself, and Lucas wrapped his arms around me to keep me even more secure.

"See you soon!" Chloe waved goodbye.

Leslie spread her wings, and my heart plummeted to my abdomen as she leapt into the sky. Lucas and I both screamed as we rose high into the air, until Chloe, Miles, and Sam looked like mere ants beneath us. My legs tightened on the dragon's sides, and wind whipped through my hair as she pumped her wings.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as my heart pummeled against my rib cage. I thought this would be fun, but now that I was doing it, I realized I wasn't at all prepared. One wrong move, and Lucas and I would plummet to our deaths.

Lucas's screams turned to laughter. He let go of me, and I instantly curled over the dragon, clutching her neck for dear life.

"Lucas!" I screamed.

He tapped me on the shoulder. "Nad, it's okay. Open your eyes."

The ride seemed to even out, and the wind seemed calmer. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open and looked around. Clouds surrounded us at all angles, and Leslie had stopped flapping her wings. She soared through the air, her wings slicing through the clouds like butter. I glanced at Lucas to see he had his arms straight out to the sides. His fingers grazed the moisture around us.

"Woohoo!" Lucas screamed like he was having the time of his life.

And he was; I could tell. We'd been cooped up in that cabin for so long, and we'd been living in survival mode for even longer. Riding on the back of a dragon felt like freedom.

Gingerly, I reached a hand outward, while holding firmly to one of Leslie's spines with the other. My fingers cut through the clouds, and tiny water droplets swirled around us.

"I've got you," Lucas said as he laced his fingers in mine. He gently took my hand off the dragon's spine and stretched my arms outward.

I expected to freak out, but I leaned my back against him, and I found that I felt confident up here in the clouds. My heart rate began to slow, and for a moment, I let myself take it all in—the warmth of Lucas's body on mine, the strength of the dragon beneath us, and the cool air blowing my hair back. It felt like we had no care in the world.

My shoulders sagged against Lucas, and he kissed my cheek. In an instant, the scene around us changed as we broke out of the clouds. I gasped and grabbed Leslie's spines again as the ground came into view. We must've been hundreds of feet up, but I only had a moment to process it before the most incredible sight stole my attention.

All around us, flocks of magical winged creatures flew through the air. A herd of hippogriffs flapped their wings beside us, and I looked up to see a group of winged serpents spinning through the sky. Below us soared a massive bird with six wings, leaves in place of feathers, and horns that looked like tree branches.

I spotted a break in the landscape ahead. It ran like a line through the mountains, all the way down to the ocean. I thought for certain it was a river, until we got closer and I realized the land below us was dry. It was a narrow canyon, and it was bursting with life.

There had been no signs of human life since we left the clearing, and it occurred to me why. Hok'evale was designed to be hidden, and it'd been built deep within the canyon. Unless you knew what you were looking for, the city was difficult to find. You wouldn't know there were people living here until you were right on top of them.

Leslie flew downward so I was able to get a good look at the town below. People milled up and down the canyon, riding in carriages or on the backs of magical creatures. Parts of the canyon were narrow, with thatched-roof houses lining the canyon walls and a street running between them. I spotted holes in the sides of the rock face, as if doorways had been carved out for living quarters.

The canyon widened, and we saw a market below us where vendors sold hand-made items and dancers spun to the sound of drums and flutes. In a nearby alcove, a copper-haired woman in a long, flowing skirt and bangles played a singing bowl, while others moved in a slow, coordinated motion around her. She looked to be guiding a group meditation. As they waved their hands, elements rose up around them. Vines grew out of the earth at Nivita's command, and Toaqua controlled water droplets in the air. Yapluma controlled the breeze and sent leaves spinning around the alcove, and Koigni lit flames in their palms. It was all very calm and controlled.

As we flew closer to the ocean, I noticed a tall structure in the widest area of the canyon. I realized it was a pyramid built of stone, in the style of an ancient Central American temple. Far in the distance, I could see the beach with houses built on stilts. A sea serpent a hundred feet long broke the surface of the water, before splashing down again and causing a huge wave.

Leslie let out a loud cry.

"I think she wants us to hang on," Lucas said.

I clutched tight to her spines, and my stomach leapt to my throat as the dragon dove downward. Lucas squeezed me close, and I let out an exhilarated scream as we dove into the canyon. The wind blew back my hair, and my body was buffeted by the plummet. I had to hold on tight to keep from being torn off.

Leslie made a soft landing, and my heartbeat began to slow. I looked at the people walking around, but barely anyone glanced our way. It was like dragons landing in the middle of the streets was an everyday occurrence, and I supposed it was here.

Lucas slipped off Leslie's back, then helped me down. I held on to him to steady myself, because I still wasn't sure my feet were on solid ground. It felt like we were still flying, and I wasn't sure how long it'd take me to come down from the high.

"Did you have fun?" Lucas asked.

I beamed. "We can definitely do that again."

Lucas patted Leslie's neck. "Good girl."

Leslie gave a coo, then licked Lucas' face affectionately.

I giggled. "I think she likes you."

"I would hope so," Lucas replied as he stroked her scales. "She could've bucked us off her back at any moment. But you wouldn't do that, would you, girl?"

Leslie cooed again.

"Wait for us here," I instructed her. "We'll be back soon."

Leslie had dropped us off next to the edge of the canyon, where the rock face stretched up taller than a six-story building. Above a large wooden doorway hung a sign that read Hok'evale Public Library. The doors were propped open, and a banner outside advertised a fundraiser.

Lucas took my hand. "It looks like we found the right place. Let's see if we can locate our guy."

Inside, the library was air-conditioned, and bookshelves stretched to the back wall. People gathered around fundraiser tables, which were filled with items for sale or set up for raffles. Most people were accompanied by magical creatures. I expected someone to notice the cauldron tattoo on my arm and tell us witches to leave, but people just passed by and nodded kindly.

Lucas and I approached a girl our age sitting behind the raffle ticket table. She had long white hair, and a luna month sat on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," I said. "We're looking for a man named Beau Blankard."

The girl didn't look me in the eyes. Instead, she kept her gaze on my lips. She didn't say anything as she made a motion with her hands. She was deaf and communicating in American Sign Language.

"I'm sorry," I said, signing one of the few words I knew in ASL by making a circle over my chest with my fist.

The girl smiled and signed something else. I didn't know what it was, but she had this look on her face that told me I shouldn't worry. She made a gesture that told us to follow her.

She guided us behind a row of shelves, where an older man was walking toward the fundraiser tables. A white jaguar bigger than a grizzly bear prowled beside him. The creature had glowing blue lines running through his fur and shimmering blue eyes. The man stopped when he saw her approaching, and she signed something to him.

The man looked a lot like the girl, but he had long black braids with white feathers twisted into the ends. He had the kindest eyes, but I also saw wisdom in them. It wasn't hard to believe we could trust him.

The man nodded kindly to the two of us. "My daughter tells me you are looking for someone."

Lucas kept his voice low. "Yes. We're looking for a man named Beau Blankard. We believe he might have information that will help the Miriamic people."

"We have heard of the conflict within your coven," the man said. "I'm Chief Cauac, leader of the Anichi House, and this is my daughter Luana. I've spoken with other witches who have come to Hok'evale."

"Then you must know Chloe and Miles," I said. "They sent us. I'm Nadine, and this is Lucas."

"Yes, they mentioned you," Chief Cauac said brightly. "You certainly understand that given the nature of your conflict, I must ask what you wish to speak to Mister Blankard about."

Lucas and I exchanged a glance. I nodded to him to let him know we could trust these people. We had to if we were going to get any information.

"Our priestesses are searching for antique relics known as the Oaken Wands that could control all witch magic if they get their hands on them," Lucas explained. "We intend to find the Wands before they do, so that we can unite our people before the priestesses divide them completely."

I lifted the hem of my shirt and showed Chief Cauac my crescent moon tattoo. "I'm the only Curse Breaker of my coven. I served on the Imperium Council before they stripped me of my title, because I opposed their tyrannical methods. If it helps… Beau made my wand."

I showed Chief Cauac my wand, and his contemplative gaze roamed over the craftsmanship.

"All we want is to help our coven," I told him. "Beau may have information that will stop our priestesses from hurting our people."

Chief Cauac looked sympathetic. He signed something to his daughter, and she walked away.

"Although we do not wish to involve ourselves in other supernatural affairs, we cannot witness the downfall of another people," Chief Cauac said. "We will help in any way we can."

"Thank you," Lucas replied kindly.

Luana returned with an elderly man who seemed to have years of wisdom in his eyes. He had salt-and-pepper hair and wrinkles around his eyes, and he walked with a cane. A miniature cat-like creature with the wings of a dragonfly fluttered onto the front of the green wool suit he wore. The animal reminded me of some of the other Familiars in Hok'evale, but this man was part-witch, part-fae, so he couldn't have one.

It hit me then that the animal on his shoulder wasn't a Familiar. It was his faekin companion. I didn't know what I expected faekin to look like, but Grammy had said they were companions to the fae and shared some of their blood. It was my understanding that there were many types, but this faekin appeared to be part of a group of tiny animals with fairy wings that could fit into the palm of your hand.

"These witches wish to speak with you, Mister Blankard," Chief Cauac told him.

"I believe you might recognize this," I said, holding out my wand. "It contains hair from your faekin."

The faekin locked its feline eyes on me and gave a low growl.

"Settle down, Bitsy," Beau scolded the small creature. "I apologize. Faekin are very protective. May I?"

Beau reached for the wand, and I handed it to him. He turned it over curiously.

"Yes… I remember this," he said thoughtfully. "But I didn't design it for you."

"You made it for my mother, Faith Evers—her maiden name is Tucker," I told him. "I inherited it."

"Yes, I recall making it for Helena Tucker's daughter," he recalled. "I heard what happened to her. It was awful she was driven out of the coven by a family curse."

"I broke the curse. But not before…" I choked up.

Beau dropped his gaze. I didn't have to say it out loud for him to understand. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," I replied. "Our friends Chloe and Miles say you may be able to help us."

Beau's demeanor brightened. "Yes, I spoke with them. Lovely couple. You must be the friends they mentioned."

"Nadine is a Curse Breaker—the only member of her Cast—and I'm the Reaper's Apprentice," Lucas said. "I will become a reaper when I die and ferry the souls of our coven members to Alora."

"I'm honored to meet you!" Beau grabbed Lucas's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Boy, do I have a story for you."

"Why don't we go somewhere private to talk?" Chief Cauac suggested. "Luana and I can escort you to the Hall of Records."

"A good idea," Beau agreed. "There is much to discuss about your Wands."

Beau handed my wand back. We followed Chief Cauac through the library, until we came to an elevator. We stepped inside, and we rode the elevator to the next level. We came to a hallway, and Chief Cauac guided us to the doors at the end.

We entered a small room lined with bookshelves on all sides, with sconces hung between them. Arching stained glass windows let in sunlight, and two tables sat in the center of the room. Sculptures of magical creatures filled the shelves beside the books. There was no one else here, so we could talk freely.

Luana signed something to her father, and Chief Cauac said, "My daughter and I would like to stay and help in any way we can."

"Yes, of course," Lucas agreed. "We could use all the help we can get."

Chief Cauac gestured to one of the study tables. "Please, have a seat."

The five of us gathered around the table, and Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana as Beau began speaking.

"If you wish to learn more about wands, then you've come to the right place," Beau began. "Wands are my specialty, as I am a wandmaker myself. I've been studying them most of my life, even before I moved to Octavia Falls."

"You weren't born there?" I wondered. "My grandma said she knew you when you were both young."

Beau chuckled. "Young can mean many things to a person my age. It's true I lived in Octavia Falls in early adulthood, but I was born in Malovia to a sorceress mother and a warlock father."

"How's that possible?" Lucas asked. "The witches and fae despise each other."

"My mother was Unseelie fae, which means she can draw magic from sources outside herself," Beau explained. "It is a rare classification, as the Unseelie were all but wiped out by the Seelie fae long ago. Unseelie fae have kept their magic secret for a long time, as the Seelie deem their magic dark, and will criminalize anyone who uses magic they don't like. The Seelie fae consider wands to be black magic, and they are banned in fae culture. However, as I am half-warlock, I could never resist the call to wands myself."

"That's why the fae don't like witches, isn't it?" I asked. "We use wands and crystals, and they don't approve of that."

"Yes," Beau confirmed. "But my mother did not see it the same way, as she wielded dark magic as well. She met my father at a supernatural hub located in Paris while researching Unseelie magic, and they fell in love. They settled in Malovia, because my mother was hired to do important work for the monarchy, though they had to remain in hiding. When I came of age, my father performed my Evoking Ceremony, and I received the mark of Mortana. I came into my dragon-shifter powers at the same time, and I attended Arcanea University to learn my shifter magic. It was there that I began studying wand making in secret. My unique warlock gift is to work with gems to amplify their powers for other members of my Cast, and I found these gems worked well when embedded in wands."

"So you put your magic inside of them, like transference?" I asked.

Beau shook his head. "No. I work with the natural magical qualities in the stone. I don't give my power to others. Rather, I pull that power out of the stone, so that the gem's power to amplify a Mortana's ability is even stronger. I was able to keep those powers a secret, but before I graduated, I found my mate. The fae did not approve of my mating bond, and my mate and I were forced to flee."

I couldn't believe they'd do that. Witches didn't bond magically the way the fae did, but just thinking of someone trying to break Lucas and me apart made my blood boil.

"How could they do that to you?" Lucas asked. "From what I've heard of the fae, the bond between a shifter and his sorceress mate is the most powerful type of magic they have."

"That, precisely, was their objection," Beau said. "I did not mate with a sorceress. I mated with another dragon shifter. Same-sex relationships were considered blasphemous in my day. I have much respect for the current reigning Malovia monarchs, because they are fighting for the rights I never had as a gay man with Unseelie magic. I hope they succeed in their endeavor, because I don't want anyone to go through what I did. My mate Sebastian and I kept our relationship secret for a time while we finished up our studies at the university, but we had no choice but to leave when my parents were discovered. Their intersupernatural relationship was outed, and they were hanged for it."

"That's terrible," I said sadly. "I hope Octavia Falls was kinder to you."

"For a time," Beau admitted. "We found a home in Octavia Falls. I opened a wand shop, while Sebastian worked at one of the cider mills in town. He posed as an Alchemist, as fae are able to brew potions. We were able to conceal our true nature using fae magic and went undetected for over twenty years. But it took only a moment for the magic to falter, and Sebastian was discovered as a dragon shifter living within Octavia Falls. He was poisoned by yarrow, which is deadly to fae. It was my parents' execution all over again, though even worse, because he was my mate."

Beau dropped his gaze. "To lose a mate you're magically bound to… it can make a man go mad. And that's exactly what it did. I left Octavia Falls and began researching the Oaken Wands profusely, with a keen interest in the Mortana Wand. I thought if I could find it, I could use its power to bring him back from the dead."

"Is that even possible?" I wondered. "The coven can't bring people back to life, so it stands to reason that the Wand can't, either."

"The Wand has power over death, but nobody knows for sure how far that magic extends," Beau admitted. "I wish I had the answer, but I stopped asking that question long ago. I pursued the Mortana Wand because I was so in love that I didn't know who I was without my mate. I was in denial that he was gone from this life for good, and I'd bargain anything to get him back. But my grief stretched into decades, all while the world was changing around me—and I with it. I came to realize that even if I was able to bring Sebastian back today, I couldn't go back to who I was and have what we had again. I spent all that time mourning the life we'd lost, that I forgot to continue living myself. I abandoned my search for the Mortana Wand several years ago, and I came to Hok'evale to heal."

"So you never found the Wand?" Lucas asked softly.

"No, but I got close," Beau admitted. "Your friends tell me the Oaken Wands were hidden from the Imperium Council decades ago, in order to protect the relics. However, what your friends mistakenly assumed was that all the Wands were in the council's possession."

"Nicholas didn't take them all?" Lucas wondered. "Which ones was he missing?"

I could see Lucas calculating it in his head, and I did the same. We knew that my grandfather had the Mentalist Wand four decades ago. At that time, the demon, Professor Leto, took it and gave it to Chloe's grandfather, Jebediah Olson, which resulted in the feud that got my grandfather killed. The demon had taken possession of the Mentalist Wand again before he was banished all those years ago. It remained in his possession until he returned to Octavia Falls last spring and posed as a professor to kill people for power. We battled him, and the Mentalist Wand fell into the pit to the Abyss.

As for the others, my grandfather had used the Curse Breaker Wand during the feud. Grammy had kept it for years after his death, until it was stolen from her. We didn't know where it ended up. Before he died, my grandfather hid the Seer Wand in the vanishing stairwell, and he'd placed the Alchemy Wand in the Crock of Death. Now the priestesses had both of those Wands in their possession, along with the Crock. Which meant there was only one Wand my grandfather had never touched.

"The Mortana Wand," I said. "If that Wand was never with the priestesses to begin with… where has it been all this time?"

Beau leaned forward and lowered his voice, even though we were alone. "My research indicates the Mortana Wand resides with the Reaper Order."

Lucas's jaw dropped, and my heart stalled. When Miles said this information could change everything, he wasn't exaggerating. This information was enough to lead us straight to the Mortana Wand. I'd bet the priestesses didn't even know where to start, or they'd have pursued it by now.

I grabbed Lucas's shoulder, nearly bouncing out of my seat. "Lucas, you can get it! As the Reaper's Apprentice, you can contact the reapers and get the Wand from them."

Lucas stared straight forward, like he was still trying to process this information. Finally, he turned to look at me. "I'm not sure that I can, Nad. I can only summon them on the Reaper Moon, and our chance to do that has passed. There's not going to be another Reaper Moon for a hundred years."

"That can't be our only option," I insisted. "We hold séances and converse with the dead all the time. Reapers are just people. There must be another ritual we can use to summon them."

"They aren't just people, though," Lucas said. "Reapers aren't like any old spirit. They have power over the realms, to move between them at will. A normal ghost can't do that. That's why our people need reapers to lead them to the other side, or why other cultures have their ancestors to greet them at death. Not just anyone can hop realms at any time—not without a powerful portal."

"If reapers can come here willingly, then we must be able to summon them," I theorized.

Lucas shook his head. "Even though reapers are powerful, you know how touchy Mortana magic can be. Summoning a reaper before we're ready to cross over could have deadly consequences. They could reap our soul unintentionally, and with our souls tethered to living bodies, the results could be worse than death. It could damage our souls permanently. I know we said we're willing to risk death for these Wands, but what I'm talking about is far worse than that. The only reason summoning them on the Reaper Moon even works is because the magic of the stars is just right to allow it."

"There is another way," Beau said. "I researched much about the Reaper Order and what it takes to join them in my attempt to get my hands on the Mortana Wand, but I came to learn it is far out of my reach, as I don't have the power to become a reaper. But it is possible for you. You are the Reaper's Apprentice, which means that once you master your powers, you will join the Reaper Order."

Lucas furrowed his brow. "I'll join the Reaper Order when I die. That's the only way I can get in."

Beau's shoulders fell. "My dear boy, where is your reaper master?"

Lucas chuckled nervously. "Well, I sort of shoved the last reaper I met into a portal to the Abyss. I suppose perhaps I was meant to learn something from him. There's not much record for me to go off of, since there's only one Reaper's Apprentice per generation."

Beau sighed, like he really felt for Lucas. "Then let me share with you what I know. A reaper does not gain the full height of his power upon a death. The apprentice must master his power to move beyond his apprenticeship and become a full member of the Reaper Order. This is something that can be done before or after death, once his training is complete."

"I haven't been trained, though," Lucas said. "I've been learning on my own. I don't even know what powers I need to master."

"To master your powers, you must undergo the Warlock's Trial," Beau said.

Lucas and I both leaned forward, but it was Lucas who spoke. "What's the Warlock's Trial?"

"As I'm not a reaper myself, I can't speak to all the details, but what I do know is that the trial is a demonstration of your reaper power," Beau explained.

"So it's a bit like an Evoking Ceremony?" I asked.

Beau tilted his head. "In a way, I suppose, but less on the ritual side and more on the practical application side. It is a trial of death."

"So… that sounds like I need to die," Lucas mused.

Beau sucked a breath, like he was struggling to explain. "It's more about your magic—your comprehension of your power. Once you demonstrate that you've mastered your abilities, the reapers will appear to welcome you into the Reaper Order. It's one of the few ways that they appear to the living."

"So once they come to me, I can ask them about the Wand," Lucas said.

Beau gave a cunning smile. "Better than that—they'll give it to you. The Mortana Wand passes down between reapers, from the master to his successor. When you are ready, the Mortana Wand will be yours."

"I'll do whatever I need to do," Lucas decided. "What steps do I have to take?"

"That information lies solely with the reapers," Beau said regrettably. "I searched for many years for more information on this trial, but it's like someone took all that information for themselves. I wasn't able to learn more."

I furrowed my brow. "Who could be hoarding all this reaper information, and why would they? Lucas is the only living reaper, and the Reaper Order hasn't offered up any information to him. There must be someone alive who knows more."

Lucas leaned his chin on his fist, looking thoughtful. "Or maybe there's a ceremony I'm supposed to do that I'm unaware of. If the Reaper's Apprentice is meant to have a master, there's got to be another way to get in touch with the reapers. Maybe it's not about summoning them fully, but communicating with them in another way. The reaper I fought the night of your Evoking Ceremony was the last one to live before me, which means Edgar Nowak must be my master. He's gotta have the Mortana Wand."

"There must be a reason you've been left on your own," I theorized. "I never received priestess training, but that was because the priestesses didn't want me on the council, and they just wanted to get rid of me. Intuitively, I don't feel like that's the case with the reapers. If we can't summon Edgar, we'll have to go to him."

"How?" Lucas pondered. "He's got to be somewhere in the afterlife when he isn't reaping. I can't portal to other realms myself yet. Astral traveling isn't going to get us between realms, and we're not sure of the consequences if we could. The only thing I can think is that I could hitch a ride while I'm reaping, but reaping is more than just creating portals. It severs a tether between your soul and this earthly plane. I could risk destroying my soul in the process. What I need to do is figure out how to portal between realms in my physical form. I've got the power—I just need to learn how to isolate it."

I tapped my fingers on the tabletop. "Let's say you figured out how to do that. Portaling between realms isn't enough if we don't know where to find Edgar Nowak. He could be in Alora, or the Abyss, or anywhere in between. I don't know much about the afterlife, but I bet each of these places are huge. How do we track him down?"

"A tracking spell might work," Lucas suggested. "We'll track Edgar down and find a way to communicate with him, then I'll complete my training and pass the trial to get the Wand."

He conjured a bundle of white sage. "Let's smudge the room with some sage, cast a spell, and see what we find."

Chief Cauac had been interpreting the entire conversation to Luana, but for the first time, she signed back.

Chief Cauac turned to us. "We'd kindly like to remind you that witches can't smudge. Smudging is a religious ceremony done by indigenous cultures. As you are not indigenous, you cannot smudge."

Lucas furrowed his brow and addressed Chief Cauac. "We've been doing it for ages. Is there a better cleansing ritual we should be using?"

"You may address my daughter directly, and I will interpret in first-person," Chief Cauac offered.

Luana continued to explain, and Chief Cauac spoke aloud. "What your culture does by burning herbs for cleansing is a suitable ritual, but it is not smudging. What you do is called smoke cleansing. Smoke cleansing can be performed by anyone by burning herbs to cleanse your spirit, altar, or home. It looks a lot like smudging, but they are not one and the same. Using words that describe our rituals and herbs from a closed practice is harmful to our people, as it erases the significance it has on our culture."

Lucas and I exchanged a glance. Neither of us knew any of this, and I was horrified that we'd participated in something damaging like this.

"We're sorry," I told Luana genuinely. "We had no idea there was a difference."

Chief Cauac signed to Luana, and she responded back. "We do not tell you this to assign blame—only to educate. Smudging is very sacred to us, and it's something that only certain members or spiritual leaders of our culture can do. People of other cultures can't do it, because they simply aren't qualified. Adopting this ritual into your culture is like blessing water and calling it Holy Water. Blessed water is not Holy Water unless it is blessed by Catholic clergy members. Similarly, smoke cleansing is not smudging because it lacks the cultural significance to carry out the ceremony properly. You are free to continue smoke cleansing as you wish—we simply ask that you do not use our religious terminology in your practice. Continuing to do so contributes to the erasure of our culture. We have already been stripped of our land due to colonization, and we wish to preserve as much of our culture and spirituality as we can."

"Absolutely. We'll stop using that term immediately," Lucas told Luana. "Our coven should have educated us on this. It's not fair to you, nor your job, to educate us, but thank you for doing so."

Luana looked down at the white sage bundle in Lucas's hand. Chief Cauac interpreted. "White sage is sacred to our religious practice, as it is native to our lands. Due to overharvesting of white sage, it can be difficult for our people to find access to white sage. Because of that, we do ask that you find an herb significant to your ancestry that may contribute more ethically to your smoke cleansing rituals."

"Yes, we can do that," Lucas agreed. "I'm sure there are plenty of other cleansing herbs we can use. I'm just confused why the coven would care to use sage when there isn't enough for you."

"The Elementai used to trade with the witches, so some of our herbs got traded as well. However, herbs alone do not invite others into our spiritual practices. Our lands are not the only thing your ancestors took," Cauac responded.

Lucas looked horrified. "I thought our land was cleared before the coven settled. I hate to think we had anything to do with harming your people."

"Regardless, you are still on stolen land," Chief Cauac interpreted.

"That's awful." I felt sick to my stomach.

I knew American history, but I knew little about the coven's involvement. From what I learned in my history class, witches settled all across New England when they arrived in the Americas. They came over here to escape the witch trials in Europe. But the trials continued here, and it harmed so many humans who had no magical blood. The coven formed Octavia Falls to go into hiding and stop the witch trials.

"Even if we weren"t a complete people when the land was cleared, it's naive to think members of our coven had nothing to do with it," I said. "Our coven needs to take responsibility for the hand our ancestors played in the atrocities."

Luana wore a sympathetic expression as her father said, "We cannot change the past, but I urge you to do better in the future."

"We will," I promised. "It's clear we have a lot to learn, and we will work with the Hawkei to do better. What can we do to mend the harm done?"

Luana signed, and Chief Cauac said, "Acknowledging harm caused and choosing to change your actions in the future is the first step—as you've acknowledged you will use the term smoke cleansing from now on. We greatly appreciate your willingness to learn."

"The last thing we want is to cause harm to anyone," Lucas replied. "We'll stop using sage, too."

"There are many different types of sage—it's specifically white sage we ask that you stop using," Luana explained, while her father spoke. "White sage is native to the Americas, but common sage is found elsewhere in the world. I would encourage you to look into your roots and use herbs tied to your ancestry."

"The Miriamic people came from Europe, so you may want to explore herbs similar to what the fae use," Beau suggested. "The fae priestesses use Siberian cedar to smoke cleanse, and it's what I use when I need to clear my energy. You could use that, as well as cedar oil. You can also use rosemary, thyme, spruce, or fir. Most of with witches lived in what's now Germany in the 1500s, so ancestrally, the proper plants to use for smoke cleansing for witches would be those that naturally grow in that area."

"I didn't know that," I remarked. "I don't understand why the coven would ignore their own history and cultural practices."

"We lost much of our culture due to the witch trials," Beau explained. "The Imperium Council forced their people to assimilate to American culture so they wouldn't be hunted. They outlawed mass-produced information about our heritage so that other people wouldn't be able to identify them as witches, and so they could hide easier. Family grimoires were allowed, but sharing information among other witches was outlawed. I only know this much because I have been researching our history for decades, and I had to search outside the coven to obtain this information."

I tensed in my chair. "The Imperium Council chose to control the way we worshiped, in order to control our people. They've been playing this card for a long time, convincing the coven they're doing this for our benefit. We thought the Imperium Council we're facing now was the worst, but they've been doing this for all of history."

Beau frowned. "I do not put my trust in the Imperium Council of our modern day, but I do believe the council did what they had to back then in order to keep our people safe, even at the cost of our culture. You must understand the extent of the witch trials back then. Mother Miriam settled in what is now Germany with her children in the 1300s. The coven grew their numbers there, and witch families spread across Europe until the 1600s, when the worst of the Würzburg witch trials were taking place in what is now Germany. It was one of the biggest mass extinction of witches in known history. Over nine-hundred people died as a result of these trials. The Miriamic people were forced to gather anyone they could and migrate to America. Anyone who stayed in Europe was killed at the stake."

Lucas's hands curled into fists. "Regardless of their intentions, it's still wrong, because it wiped out our cultural identity. Our cultural practices and knowledge were stolen from us."

"That's why we adopted our ceremonies from ancient open practices, like Samhain and Yule, that pre-date the coven," I realized. "We were never able to develop a unique culture, because it would be stripped from us if we did. It's a miracle we managed to hold on to these pagan rituals at all, even if they aren't completely ours."

"It is wrong," Beau agreed. "But sometimes, people are not given a choice. Tension grew when the witches petitioned to join the first iteration of the United Supernatural Union, before the Great Supernatural War eighty years ago. The angels and the fae objected, and the witches had to water down their culture further so the angels wouldn't slaughter them. The angels had already stolen pieces of our culture to get us to convert. They made Santos out to be a devil in their lore, in order to demonize him and make us abandon our god. Ultimately, we were able to hold on to our deities, and a few pagan rituals, but many of our other cultural practices died."

"It's clear there's much that needs to change," I stated. "We will win our war against the priestesses, and we will make sure the coven knows of this history. We will bring back the old practices we lost."

Lucas held up his white sage bundle. "In the meantime, should I return this bundle to the Hawkei?"

"That won't be necessary," Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana. "As long as you commit to sourcing your herbs ethically, that is all we ask. We have traded sage with your people in the past, but our war is over, and things are changing. The witches must be more careful about their religious practices if they hope to mend relations with the Elementai—especially after the witches sold us the Omnimotus curse that infected our Familiars, started a pandemic in the tribe and killed many people several years ago."

"We've heard of the curse, but what was it exactly?" Lucas asked.

"The Omnimotus curse was a horrific spell from the Miriamic Coven purchased by members of a Hawkei resistance party, intended to target the Familiars of powerful Elders to overthrow them," Luana explained, while her father interpreted aloud. "It is a spell used in war that doesn't affect other witches but can harm other magical races. It takes a strong witch or warlock to cast the curse—not just anyone can do it. If cast properly, it causes another's magic to turn inward and become deadly. It acts as a viral disease and can spread to members of the same magical species. Since Elementai magic is drawn from our Familiars, the curse was designed to target our magical creatures, which in turn killed the Elementai they were bonded with when the creatures perished. Luckily, we were able to eradicate the plague, though not before it claimed many lives."

My heart sank deeper the more she explained. "Who would sell you such an awful thing?"

I was horrified that anyone from my coven would harm another community like this, only I could think of several people who would sell a curse in a heartbeat and not think twice about it.

"Priestess Stella was trading with the Hawkei—nightshade for unicorn hair," Lucas pointed out. "I wouldn't put it past her or any of the priestesses to strike a bargain for a curse like this. If it takes a powerful witch or warlock to cast, then Priestess Stella fits the bill. That must be how she got her hands on the unicorn hair in the first place to start nightshade production. Then once she had enough product, she turned to trading the nightshade itself."

"This is wrong," I insisted. "How many other people has our coven hurt? This needs to end."

Luana looked at me when she signed. "You need to heal your people first, because you can't do this alone," Chief Cauac said.

Lucas shook his head in disbelief. "We have so much to learn, and we won't let our coven continue to sit in the dark and act as if our actions don't impact other people. Once this is over, we're going to learn all we can about other cultures and share that knowledge with our people so we don"t harm them again."

"I agree," I said. "We aren"t our ancestors. We can't undo the harm they"ve done. But we need to do better."

Chief Cauac interpreted everything we said, and Luana signed back to me. "You can make reparations once your own people are united, because a divided tribe cannot help anyone, only cause harm. When the witches have come together as one, we can all contribute to the path of peace. Go to them. Find your Wands, and bring your coven back together."

"We will," I promised. "We don't know how to thank any of you enough—Beau for your information about the Mortana Wand, Chief Cauac for welcoming us into this wonderful place, and you, Luana, for educating us. You've all been so kind."

"We only want to help," Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana.

Beau stood and reached out to shake my hand. "I'm glad all my research has finally culminated in something useful. I no longer wish to use the Mortana Wand for myself, so I've been more than happy to pass this information along to the two of you, as I trust you will use it for good. I hope that one day peace is restored and I can return to Octavia Falls to open my wand shop again."

"We'll do everything in our power to make that happen," Lucas promised. He reached out to shake Beau's hand, but Beau hesitated and reached into his pants pocket.

"Take this," Beau offered, drawing out a clear cushion-cut gem. "I keep gemstones on my person at all times, as is the nature of a dragon shifter. It's nothing valuable—just a simple quartz—but I've used my power on it, and the gem will help amplify your Mortana abilities."

Lucas took the gemstone and couldn't tear his gaze away from it. "Wow. Thank you so much."

"It's nothing," Beau said with a wave of his hand. "I'm only happy to help."

"I speak for myself now when I say that if we can be of any help, please let us know," Chief Cauac offered as he stood. Luana signed something to him, and he added, "My daughter is a certified healer and a medicine woman. She works at the hospital in Hok'evale as a midwife. If you or any witch needs medical attention and can't get it inside your coven, she is more than willing to help you get it here."

"That's very kind of you," I told her. "We don't currently have medical resources, so we'll let you know if we have an emergency."

"Nad…" Lucas gave me a pointed expression. "We have medical needs outside of emergencies."

It felt like too much to ask. Ever since the kidney transplant, I'd been feeling much better, but I still had a host of meds I had to take—namely, immunosuppressants to prevent my body from rejecting Lucas's kidney. I'd be on them the rest of my life.

My friends had been paying off a shady fae pharmacist in France near the borders of Malovia all summer to get my meds. It was cheaper than dialysis for sure, but my medication was eating into Grammy's savings. I had a problem asking anyone for help with my health, but I promised Lucas I'd be more honest about it.

"I suppose I should see a doctor about some medications," I admitted. "As long as we're here, we might as well see what it costs."

"You don't need to worry about that," Chief Cauac promised. "Our health institutions run independently and have programs to cover refugee healthcare. Now that our war is over, we pay for everyone's healthcare now, including refugees in Hok'evale."

It sounded too good to be true. "I'm technically not a Hok'evale resident, though," I pointed out.

"It doesn't matter to us," Chief Cauac said gently. "You are on the run from your people, and we want to help. Let me give you directions to the clinic, and you should have your prescriptions filled before you leave today."

I couldn't express how touched I was by his offer. This place was so unlike the coven. The priestesses didn't give two shits about whether I had my meds or not. Part of me wanted to run away to Hok'evale, but then Lucas squeezed my hand, and I remembered the rest of the coven. The priestesses would continue hurting people until there was no one left to go against them. We had to keep fighting until our last breath, because we could not let them win.

Chief Cauac drew a rough layout of Hok'evale on a scrap piece of paper, then showed us where to find the walk-in clinic next to the hospital. We said goodbye, and Lucas and I left the Hall of Records with a new spring to our step.

"I can't believe what we learned today!" Lucas exclaimed once we got outside. "All we have to do is track Edgar down and get the Mortana Wand."

"You make it sound so simple," I said.

"Well, it isn't simple because I still have to learn how to portal between realms, but we have more answers than before," Lucas admitted. "At least we have a direction. And we have resources and allies. For the first time in months, it feels like we're making progress."

"We're definitely on to something," I told him. "I can feel it in my bones."

We approached Leslie. The dragon was right where we left her, and Lucas showed her the drawing. "Can you take us to the hospital?"

She gave an affirming coo, and we climbed on her back. Leslie walked through the streets of Hok'evale, since the hospital wasn't far enough to warrant flying. From the ground, we got a better view of the town. Children ran through the streets laughing, and a woman pushed a cart handing out ice cream. She must've been fae, because her ice cream cones shimmered with illusions that looked like fireworks.

We passed by a café with a sign that read The Falcon's Nest. I caught sight of a man dining outside beneath an umbrella that blocked out the sun. He brought a glass of thick red liquid to his lips. At first, I thought it must be a Bloody Mary, until I saw the flash of his fangs. I realized it was real blood, and the man was a vampire. A waitress approached his table. I noticed a string of stars tattooed over her arm. She had to be an Astromancer, an enchantress who got her magic from the stars.

Nearby, a teenage girl laughed as a guy her age chased after her playfully. "Race you to the beach!" she called. She jumped into the air, and brown feathery wings as tall as she was burst out of her back. She flapped them and flew high above the town.

"Not fair!" the guy shouted. One moment he was running along on two feet, and the next his body had morphed into that of a griffin. He had the haunches of a lion and the head of an eagle. He pumped his wings and followed close behind the angel girl, nipping playfully at her ankles with his beak.

Here in Hok'evale, people of all different supernatural races interacted. It was odd to see, considering members of our own coven avoided each other if they weren't part of the same Cast.

We arrived at a large building near an entrance marked Walk-In Clinic. We left Leslie outside, then entered and spoke to the receptionist. She asked us to sit and wait, but it wasn't long before a woman came to get me. She was accompanied by a hamster-like creature with purple eyes and white tufts of fur on its ears. The woman had to be an Elementai, and this was her Familiar.

I was surprised by how short the wait was. It struck me how similar it felt to the first time I'd visited Dr. Yonker in Octavia Falls. When I first came to the coven, my quality of health care was better than I could've ever hoped for. That had quickly declined once the priestesses started shoving their bullshit policies where they didn't belong. Dr. Yonker had really cared about me, and Dr. Mack had cared deeply for Lucas, but once the priestesses decided we didn't deserve care, it didn't matter. In the midst of it all, I hadn't realized how quickly things had shifted, because I was used to being discriminated against when it came to my health. Now looking back, I was more appalled than ever.

Lucas stayed in the waiting room while I followed the woman into a long hall.

"This must be your first time in Hok'evale," she said kindly.

"Did I make it that obvious?" I joked.

"First-time visitors are sort of my thing." She gestured me into an exam room, then shut the door behind us. "Let me start by saying welcome to Hok'evale, Nadine. I'm Dr. Metzi, and I'm a specialist who meets with patients their first time at the clinic. As you know, Hok'evale is full of refugees, so it can be difficult to obtain their medical records without alerting the society they're fleeing from. That's where I come in. Using my healing magic, I can assess your medical history as well as diagnose certain things we may not see through traditional tests. I'll also work with you to develop a treatment plan."

"Healing magic? So you're Anichi?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm a member of the Spirit House. Spirit magic can be used in many ways, but one of greatest strengths is healing."

"Can you use magic to treat me?" I wondered. I'd asked Dr. Yonker the same thing when I first met him, but he'd told me that witches didn't have powerful healing magic like other supernatural races. Our Alchemists could brew potent medications, but they couldn't heal in an instant.

"Treatment through healing magic is possible," Dr. Metzi told me. "But our healing magic is limited by your body's own capabilities. My magic works by speeding up the healing process, rather than replacing it. Something like cuts and broken bones could heal very quickly, but my magic is already sensing that you've come for something much more complex. I can administer a healing treatment today that should help you feel better for a while, but again, it's going to be limited by your body's own capacity."

"Do you know why I'm here?" I asked, trying not to give anything away. This whole idea of healing magic had me intrigued.

She reached out a hand. "May I?"

I placed my hand in hers, and her hands began to glow a bright white. I felt warm magic enter my body, and I found it incredibly soothing.

Dr. Metzi closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she explored my body with her magic. Something told me I was a bit more complicated than her typical cases.

Finally, she drew away, and I spotted a look of intrigue in her eyes. "You have three kidneys. It's standard to leave the old kidneys in the body when a kidney transplant takes place. I'm guessing you had the transplant less than a year ago?"

"Yes," I told her.

"You needed the transplant because of your lupus," she stated. It wasn't a question. Her magic had told her everything that was wrong with me. Dr. Metzi turned to her computer and began typing. I couldn't wrap my head around how quickly she had diagnosed me. If I'd had access to healers years ago, I wouldn't have waited two years to get my diagnosis.

"I noticed some scars on your leg," Dr. Metzi said. She glanced downward, like she could see the scars even though they were covered by my pants.

I shrugged casually. "I had a bit of a run in with monsters from hell."

Her eyes lit up, looking intrigued. "Can I see?"

I lifted the hem of my pants to show her the twisted scars. Grammy's herbs had helped after I'd fought off the monsters that crawled out of the demon's pit a few months ago, but the wounds had been very deep. The herbs kept the injuries from getting infected, but the scars were still red and dimpled.

Dr. Metzi looked over my legs. "Since the injuries have already healed over, I can't completely get rid of the scars, but we can heal some of the redness to reduce their appearance."

"I would love that," I said.

Dr. Metzi was gentle with me as she rolled my pant leg up further. She propped my foot up on her knee, and her soft hands curled around my leg. That warm white magic began to glow again. There was a dull ache in my leg I'd become so accustomed to that I hadn't even realized was there until her magic made it feel better. Before my very eyes, the twisted red scars on my leg began to smooth out, and the redness subsided. They weren't completely gone, but they blended in with my skin better.

My eyebrows shot up. "Wow, that's amazing! You said you can heal broken bones, too? My fiancé has been having problems with his leg since he broke it a few months ago. Can your magic help with that?"

"Yes, absolutely," she replied brightly. "I can see him after I'm done here with you."

Another idea struck me, though I was nervous to ask. I drew a deep breath. "Can you also heal mental illness?"

Dr. Metzi frowned. "Mental health is one of the few things healing magic can't fix. The brain is so complicated. It's difficult to fix chemical imbalances with medicine, let alone using magic to fix it. We can help clear the mind and take a bit of the edge off, but we can't cure it."

"Oh," I said flatly. That was disappointing to hear.

"We have mental health specialists on staff if you need to talk to someone," she offered.

"I was asking for my fiancé," I said. "I'll let him know."

She nodded kindly. "Of course. Let me know if you have any other questions. We're here to help. For now, let's get you a treatment plan."

Dr. Metzi asked me a lot of questions about my lupus and my kidney transplant—like when I was diagnosed, if I had any complications with the transplant, if I had allergies to any medications, and more. We talked for a long time about my health, and it felt like she really cared and wasn't just trying to rush me out the door so she could see her next patient.

"What medications are you currently taking?" she asked.

I told her, but quickly added, "I get headaches from my meds, though."

She frowned as she typed something into the computer. "Although the brand you take for your immunosuppressants is common, headaches are a well-known side effect. However, there are alternatives. I'm going to put you on something new. I'm sending the prescription to the pharmacy now. You'll be able to pick it up down the hall before you leave."

"Thank you," I told her.

"Of course," she said. "That's what I'm here for. If you're all right with it, I'm going to give you a full-body healing treatment that should make you feel better for a couple of weeks. We'll get rid of some aches and pains, and get some of your energy back. Then I'll walk you down to the pharmacy to show you where to get your prescriptions. Obviously, healing magic isn't a replacement for your pills, so you'll have to keep taking them daily."

"I understand," I told her.

When I walked out of that exam room, it felt like walking out of a day at the spa. Dr. Metzi's treatment made me feel refreshed and focused.

She showed me where the pharmacy was, then left to talk to Lucas while I waited for my prescriptions to be filled. When I returned to the waiting room, Dr. Metzi was gone, and Lucas was right where I left him, flexing his foot like he'd just gotten a new leg.

"I take it Dr. Metzi worked her magic?" I asked as I approached.

"Literally. The ache in my bones is gone." Lucas raised the hand that he'd sliced earlier and wiggled his fingers. The bandage was gone, and the skin looked like it'd never been cut at all. "Good as new."

I lifted my bag from the pharmacy. "And I got my meds. This place is like a dream."

Lucas stood and wrapped an arm around me as we left the clinic. "It's certainly amazing."

"The coven needs a clinic like this in Octavia Falls," I remarked.

"Maybe when the Miriamic Conflict is over, we can open one," Lucas suggested. "We'll have free check-ups, testing, prescriptions, and mental health resources."

"I love that idea."

We approached Leslie, but I didn't reach up to climb onto the dragon right away. Instead, I looked around to take in the town one last time. Nearby, a man helped a woman with a broken spoke on her carriage. Beyond them near a small cluster of houses, I spotted neighbors harvesting a garden of beans together. Someone played a flute from their porch swing, while a drum matched the beat several houses down.

I turned to Lucas. "The town here is so vibrant. Don't get me wrong, I love the dark vibes we get in Octavia Falls, but it's more than just the colors and the sunshine. The people here seem so connected. Back home, we're divided."

Lucas looked thoughtful as he glanced around. "The Miriamic Coven can be vibrant again. There's community in our hearts, and our people are going to come together. We just have to stop letting ourselves be ruled by fear, so that we can love each other again."

"You're right," I agreed. "And Luana was right when she said we can't do this alone. For so long, it's felt like the coven needs us to save them, but I don't think that's the case. I think in some ways we've fueled our own fire and witch hunts by trying to fight back, but maybe fighting isn't the answer. Maybe we just need to be our authentic selves, lead with love, and people will unite."

Lucas nodded. "I think that's accurate. We've fought so long for people to believe in us, when maybe we don't need them to believe us. We just need to do the right thing."

I wanted to believe that was true. But I also feared that this conflict wouldn't be over until more blood was shed.

Some of it by my own hands.