The Coven Awakens (Hollow Hill Academy #1)

10. Henri

Chapter 10

Henri

I hadn’t wanted to leave Audrey alone, but I needed to teach my class. I also needed space away from her, away from those blue eyes, which made me want to take her face in my hands and kiss her breathless. It gave me time to think about how to deal with the boys, and exactly how monumentally they were screwing this up. I expected this behavior from Caius, but the other two should have known better. Ewan needed to train more with Paiste. I was sure he would have some excuse—how it had been an accident—but I wasn’t in the mood for excuses. And Soren was unlikely to answer my questions at all, stating he had done it for a good reason. It didn’t change the fact I wanted to shake them all. Couldn’t they see how good of a fit she was for them? Her Showing revealed the immense power she could harness. I didn’t want to see them fail just because Caius was stubborn and the other two tended to listen to him when they should pull him up. Was I the only one who ever argued with him? I couldn’t keep doing it forever. I hoped Audrey would be a calming influence on him. She would be good for all of us, and if she joined the coven, I would get to see her more often, as torturous as that felt right now.

Once classes were done for the day, I made my way up to the coven apartment. While I wanted to check on Audrey, I resisted the temptation. Hopefully, she hadn’t run off during the day. I could have locked the door or made sure she stayed, but her trust in me was so tenuous I didn’t want to do anything to risk it.

I still had my key, and the boys hadn’t changed the lock, so I let myself in. All three of them were sitting on the couches, and Soren faced the door like he had known I was coming. I took the time to shut the door and put my thoughts in order rather than greeting them. It would only take one look at my face to tell them I was annoyed and seeing them made it spike. I needed to be calm when I talked to them. Wanting to draw things out and let their guilt build, I made my way over to the small kitchenette to make myself a cup of tea. I was usually a coffee drinker, but the ritual of tea making helped me relax. It was something Ewan spent a lot of time teaching me until I perfected it, or had it perfect, in his opinion. He was a little heavy-handed with the sugar for my taste. Once the kettle boiled and I had my drink, I joined them on the couches, sitting beside Soren. I didn’t need to see his reactions as much as I did the other two.

Caius had his arms crossed and refused to meet my eye. He rarely admitted when he was wrong, especially before other people did, so I turned my attention toward Ewan. Now wasn’t the time to work against their natural behavior. I needed to use their personalities and habits to my benefit, or this was going to take hours and Audrey would think I was avoiding her.

“Henri, have you seen Audrey? We’re worried about her.” Ewan’s statement surprised me a lot more than the question. As much as I tried to visit with the boys whenever I had time, they must know this wasn’t a social call. Soren undoubtedly told them I was coming to speak with them.

“Worried about her, or worried about what she is going to tell me? About what you did to drive her from here, and almost drive her from Hollow Hills?” I ignored Caius as he scoffed and muttered to himself in Greek. He knew I understood him, and he wanted me to hear what he wasn’t willing to say too loudly. Sullen was his usual state, so I didn’t give him the attention he wanted.

Ewan at least had the decency to look ashamed. He stared down at Paiste, scratching the dragon behind his head. “We didn’t do it on purpose. She was supposed to be in class.”

I hadn’t asked Audrey what the final straw was this morning. She talked about what each had done individually, but I was sure it had taken something combined to drive her away. Hearing Ewan’s excuse, I was right. I didn’t need to ask him, though, there was no need. Ewan hated silence, and he always did whatever he could to fill it. All I needed to do was wait, and he would spill everything.

It took less time than I expected before he ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. “Look, we know we shouldn’t have gone into her room, but it’s not like we went in there to take something. It was actually the opposite! We wanted to apologize to her and buy her something to show her we meant it, but we don’t know her well enough. We were just trying to learn more about her, and it seemed like a good idea.”

Setting down my teacup, I pinched my nose and exhaled slowly. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts before I started to yell. It had been quite a while since the boys pushed my patience quite this far. I took a couple of deep breaths. I prided myself on rarely getting truly angry, but I couldn’t believe how much they had messed up.

“So to apologize for being rude to her, for chasing her, for feeding her a potion without telling her what it was,”—I glanced at Soren for the last part, and Ewan and Caius looked at him in surprise as well. I wasn’t expecting a reaction from Caius, but I filed it away for later—“You broke into her room and went through her things, with no regard for her privacy. Rather than talking to her. Like ANY SANE PERSON WOULD!” I wasn’t able to keep my voice from rising toward the end. I had gotten further than I expected.

All three of them talked at once, throwing a myriad of excuses, none of which interested me. The seriousness of the situation was clearly lost to them. I thought more of all of them, that they would deign to snoop through a girl’s belongings to get to know her better. Even Caius didn’t normally display such stalker-like behavior.

I clapped my hands together, and the sound reverberated through the room. All of them fell silent. I took a moment to glare at each of them, so they knew how serious I was. “You are going to leave her alone to calm down for a couple of days. This weekend, you will make your apologies. Write them down if you need to. If you want to get her a gift, then think of something on your own. I shouldn’t have to tell you not to go through a young woman’s things. No wonder she doesn’t want to come back here. Do not talk to her in class, Ewan, just leave her alone. I am serious.”

My expression must have helped convey the heaviness of my tone, as they each stayed silent, just nodded. Soren’s face was clouded with a thoughtful look that I was sure I didn’t want to know more about. I was going to need to do more damage mitigation than I had planned, and the sooner I got to that, the better. Not having anything more to say to them, I stood and swept out of the room with nothing but annoyance in my wake.

My plan for the evening had been to encourage Audrey to leave my office. After she had some food, I’d hoped she would be more reasonable, but I was no longer sure that would be the case. I was going to have to talk to Tati about alternative accommodations for her. As I couldn’t ask her to go back to the room until the boys had done some serious groveling.

After I took a brief detour past the kitchen on the journey to my office—where a little charm went a long way with the staff—it wasn’t long before I was balancing two meal trays. Some time alone with Audrey would help me gauge her mood, and if this whole situation could be salvaged at all. I knew I was the most charming of my coven, but this was going to put my abilities to a genuine test.

Even though it was my office, I knocked before entering. I told her she was safe here, and I wanted her to trust me, to know that I was telling her the truth. When she didn’t answer, I opened the door just enough to poke my head through. She was curled up in the same armchair she had been seated in earlier, although there was a pile of books with her now. Some of them were mine, but she must have made a trip to the library for the rest. A good idea, as she had a lot to catch up on.

“I brought some dinner, as I wasn’t sure if you ate today. This way, you don’t have to worry about running into the boys.” The look of relief which crossed her face told me I’d made the right decision. She moved the books quickly out of the way, and I set the tray down on her lap. I then placed mine down on one of the side tables as I made my way to the bar. Today called for a drink, more than one really, but I had a student in my care and didn’t want to push it.

As I returned with a glass of wine in each hand, I was glad to see her smile as she took hers. It was a start. Her eyes were a little red, but it didn’t look like she had been crying recently. Silence settled comfortably between us as we both ate our pasta. I wanted to give her the peace to talk when she was ready. Watching the way she ate, I felt bad for not ensuring some lunch was brought to her. She was an adult, though, and could have gone to the dining hall any time she was hungry. There were always snacks out, even when it wasn’t mealtimes, as some types of magic used a lot of energy and so students needed to refuel.

The food was gone quickly, and I took both trays, leaving them on my desk for now. I would not be doing any work tonight, and I didn’t want to run them back to the kitchens yet. There might be some trouble in the morning, but nothing I couldn’t smile my way out of.

With the glasses refilled, I returned to my seat, looking into the fire as I took the first few sips. This was a delicate conversation to have, and I needed to plan it carefully. If I pushed her away now, I doubt we would ever get her back. She would end up among the covenless, which would be such a waste. The part of my soul that craved the best of things knew we had to have her with us. But this hinged on them being able to apologize, and her being willing to listen.

“Why don’t you tell me a little of what you have been reading today?” I didn’t want to dive straight into a talk about the boys. I’d let the wine do its work and relax her a little first. Two glasses weren’t enough to get her drunk, so I didn’t need to worry about the conversation becoming improper.

“Mostly about lineages. You mentioned Caius was a primordial Scion, and I didn’t know what that was. I still don’t know what kind of Scion I am. Tatiana said she was going to help me investigate it, but I know she’s busy and I don’t want to monopolize her time.”

My heart went out to her. It was hard not knowing what you were. I was surprised her family had not told her, but from what I knew, she had known nothing when she came to the school. Normally, she would have been paired with a student from a similar lineage, but if Tati hadn’t done that, maybe there was no one.

“There is an identification ritual we can do if you want to learn your Scion lineage. It’s fairly simple and most parents do it for their children. I have all the things we need here.” I had never done the ritual before, but I knew how. Maybe it would be a good way to get her on our side. If I answered some of her questions, it would show her we’d help her where we could. When she nodded eagerly, I got to my feet.

“Move the chairs against the wall. We will need the space.” I probably should have checked in with Tatiana to see if she planned for this. However, the chance to make Audrey smile, to give her a small amount of peace, was too good to pass up. The information was always good to have. If I knew what kind of Scion she was, I could help her more easily. Not to mention I was curious. Her Showing intrigued me, and I wanted to know more, to know if I was right about her being powerful.

While she moved the chairs out of the way, I gathered the ingredients we would need. It was a simple enough identification ritual. I drew a chalk circle on the carpet, just in case it went wrong, or it triggered some sort of power within her. Her Showing sent people stumbling, and the quad was still full of wildflowers. I didn’t need grass sprouting out of my carpet. Once I was done, I sat down inside the circle and motioned for her to sit in front of me.

Audrey looked nervous as she rubbed her hands on her yoga pants. I held out a crystal to her, motioning for her to take it in her palm. “I need to prick your finger. Most rituals like this need blood, though not as much as the Showing.” She didn’t look happy but held out her finger anyway. A quick prick and I caught the drop of blood in the bowl, leaving her to suck on the wound so it stopped bleeding.

I mixed in the herbs, and then dropped a lit match into the mixture, smiling as it caught fire. Whatever magic had shielded her during the Showing either didn’t extend to this ritual or had been successfully removed.

“All right. Now you breathe in the smoke while you hold the crystal. The head of your lineage should appear to us. With shifters, sometimes they will change shape, but I don’t think it will happen to you. I know you shifted at your Showing, but I don’t think you are a shifter. Like Ewan, I think you simply have that ability.”

She nodded, even though I was sure what I said made no sense to her. Not all the people who could shapeshift were from shifter lineages, though I didn’t want to take the time to explain that subtle difference now. We both took a deep breath, and when I gave her a nod, she closed her eyes and leaned over the smoking bowl, inhaling deeply.

For a moment, I thought perhaps I’d done the ritual wrong. Nothing happened. But then, like at her Showing, power exploded from her in a wave of white light. I was glad I was seated, so I didn’t get knocked backward. Her lineage must be tied strongly to her magical core, and just like her Showing, her hair had again grown long, her ears were now pointed, and a simple crown was woven into her hair.

My brow furrowed as I tried to work out what lineage she had descended from. With divine lineages like mine, the deity usually appeared beside the person, but there was no one around her. I didn’t think she was an elf, as the few elves I knew of had pointed ears all the time. Her eyes were still tightly closed, and she was muttering under her breath, but the words were too soft for me to hear even though I was close.

“Audrey? Who are you talking to? I need you to tell me.” My concern rose, waiting might have been a better idea. I questioned whether she was really ready for this. Just as I was about to stand, her eyes snapped open, glowing white, and she spoke louder.

“In the hush of whispered winds, the prophecy unfurls,

Morgan Le Fay, from ancient slumber, rises to reclaim,

Through bloodline bound, her descendant's form she whirls,

A vessel now for powers old, and magic to reclaim.

Her eyes ablaze with sorcery, a legacy revived,

She merges with her kin, a union forged by Fate,

With spells of old and wisdom bold, their souls entwined,

A spirit from the past, now present, to dominate.

Through veils of mist and realms unseen, their path is laid,

To shape the future’s tapestry, where destinies do bind,

Beware the turning of the age, where her strength is displayed,

For Morgan Le Fay claims her own, in descendant's form entwined.”

As her words faded, so did the light from her eyes. The crystal tumbled to the floor and Audrey bowed her head, panting. I poured water into the bowl, extinguishing the embers before handing the rest of the bottle to Audrey so she could drink. I was still struggling to find the words to say when she spoke.

“One thing I remembered from when Soren made me drink the awful potion was my mother telling me stories when I was younger. She talked a lot about the seven sisters of Avalon. I think I was there, just then. They were all around me, but the queen was the one who spoke.”

All I could do was nod. “Morgana Le Fay. There is a lot of debate about who and what she was. In the oldest stories, she was a goddess or a Fae, if such things differ from each other. She was a healer, but also a powerful sorceress.”

Audrey lifted her head and gave me a small smile. “Tatiana told me I had access to a lot of healing magic. I guess now we know why.” If she remembered the prophecy she’d just spoken, she wasn’t mentioning it, and I wasn’t sure I should bring it up either. The better course of action was to do some research and talk to Soren. If he had seen this coming and hadn’t warned us, I was going to punch him. I had never heard of the progenitor of a lineage taking over one of their descendants, but that didn’t mean it was impossible.

Audrey blinked sleepily as she took sips from the water bottle, flooding me with guilt. The ritual had clearly taken more out of her than I planned. I dismissed the chalk circle with a wave of my hand, and got to my feet, helping her up as well.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight? We can sort out your accommodation tomorrow. I will be in my room and will lock the door so no one disturbs you.” She was already nodding, and I was glad she didn’t argue. I placed the bowl and the crystal on my desk. And with another wave of my hands, the armchairs turned into a futon with blankets and pillows.

“I will leave you to sleep and see you in the morning.” Audrey was swaying on her feet, and I reached out to steady her, only to have her wrap her arms around me. Hugging her tightly, I felt her relax, and the guilt which had been rising in me only grew worse. I was going to have to ensure the apologies the boys made were exceptional. Audrey was going to need all the help she could get. I gazed down at her, only to see her looking back up at me. Her eyes were blue, a surprisingly bright color, given her black hair and pale skin. Her hair had returned to its shaggy, asymmetrical cut. It suited her much more than the long curls that had clearly not been hers.

“Get some sleep. You clearly need it.” I leaned down slightly to kiss her forehead, only for her to move at the last moment, our lips grazing. I was about to pull back, not only from shock, but my sense of propriety kicked in. This was a student, and even though I wanted her to join my coven, there were still lines that could not be crossed. There was another flash of light, and I felt a brief burn along my collarbone. I pulled back, far sharper than I planned, shock painted on both our faces.

“What the hell was that?” She rubbed her collarbone as she looked down her shirt to where my name was scrawled across her skin.

Fuck. Fucking shit. Holy fucking hell.

“I … We have a lot more to talk about. I will get the wine.” This was going to be a long fucking night. But maybe, just maybe, I really could have everything I wanted.