The Coven Awakens (Hollow Hill Academy #1)

14. Henri

Chapter 14

Henri

H aving Audrey agree to accept the coven’s protection took a lot of weight off my shoulders. We let her rest after that, retreating to the living room to hash out the details. I always knew I could count on my coven-mates to stand beside me but seeing it in action brought a warmth to my heart like nothing else.

The following few days went smoothly enough. Audrey was still on bed rest by order of the healer, so we had taken it in turns to sit with her during the day whenever we were free. Tatiana had even taken a couple of shifts when none of us had been available. Caius would not stop grumbling about her being in the apartment, but there weren’t many other alternatives. Each of us taught her and helped her catch up on her class work, while also making sure she didn’t fall any further behind. It was interesting to go back over things I hadn’t thought about in years. She got tired easily during the first two days, but by the end of the week, she joined us of an evening in the living room as we talked about various things.

We had each covered what Scion lines we were descended from. Soren talked about Odin and the Aesir, and Audrey looked excited as he discussed the Valkyries and Loki, about the shapeshifters, and the warriors among his people. She had a decent understanding of the Greek pantheon, so I had talked to her about where Pasithea fit into it, and the abilities I possessed. She had been very curious about illusions, and when she was better, I planned on seeing if she had any skill with them. I didn’t want to tax her energy before she was ready.

Caius let Ewan go next, and that had been a whole evening on its own. It was hard to explain where Cernunnos fit in. Lots of pantheons had horned gods who could shapeshift and were an embodiment of nature. Ewan wasn’t Fae, although many Fae would claim he was. Sometimes I felt a little sorry for him, but as a Scion of a Charity who was minor and relatively unknown other than for her marriage, I understood. It wasn’t like we could simply ask the gods to tell us their story. Eventually, he explained Cernunnos was an Irish god, but wasn’t one of the Tuatha De Danann, or a Fomorian. He was older, more primal. One of the first gods of his country.

A large part of Caius’s night was spent explaining the difference between the Olympians, the Titans, and the Primordials. For even though all interacted in mythology, their lineages had distinct differences. Caius and I weren’t related, although our lines sometimes intermingled. He was a Scion of Erebus. He was more than the night. Darkness ran through his veins, and I could see Audrey perceived him differently once his explanation was done.

Audrey’s grasp on the different Scion types was now much better. She was becoming more comfortable each day we taught her, which was good. She was still behind in some of her classes, but we would continue to work on it as much as we could. Ewan was the only one who could help her with shapeshifting, and they had plans to spend time outside, but they needed to wait another week before she pushed her body.

It was good to see the coven working together again. They were spending time with each other and eating meals in their apartment rather than in the hall. Caius even took his coat off regularly. Paiste was getting more pets and scritches than he’d ever gotten in his life. He was often sprawled on the couch, his head on Ewan’s lap, his tail across Audrey’s. The two had gotten past what happened between them and were bonding.

Audrey’s return to class had me worried, but it went seamlessly. The boys worked out a roster so I could focus on teaching. My job was important to me, and I didn’t want anyone accusing me of impropriety. None of the boys were in my classes, which helped, but with the coven games approaching, we needed to keep things above board. I was lucky that my fated mate mark was easily hidden. The rest of the faculty knew, but I didn’t want to deal with the students gossiping.

When we weren’t helping Audrey, we’d all been doing research, trying to work out what or who attacked her. Ewan and Caius were certain it was a student, and not a creature, but I wasn’t letting myself be swayed. Ewan patrolled the woods, looking for any sign of the ichor which seeped from Audrey’s wounds. Soren consulted the runes he kept with him, but if he had found anything, he wasn’t sharing, but that wasn’t unusual. Arguments about his reticence happened in my office, so we didn’t pull Audrey into them. However, either he had seen nothing, or he was determined to be stubborn.

Caius and I had been spending more time in the library. As not only was Audrey devouring books like a child who had been left alone with a birthday cake, but there were so many things which could have attacked her, it was difficult to know where to start. Caius was concentrating on poisons, while I focused on curses. We were slowly crossing things off the list, but it didn’t feel like we were getting any closer to an answer.

Since none of us could teach Audrey to harness her innate healing magic, we had asked Healer Torin if he could help. He was a Scion of Eir. I took advantage of her being with him on Saturday afternoon to call the boys together in my office. Caius made his way immediately to the bar, which told me he was just as frustrated by his research as he’d been the day before.

I didn’t immediately bring up my reason for calling them together, as we needed some time to relax. Each of us held a drink in our hands and talked about our own classes. Soren complained Lydia was bothering him more often. That girl was delusional if she thought he was going to take her back. We would never accept her into the coven, and Soren wouldn’t leave to join hers. They weren’t a bad coven, per se, they had powerful members, but Lydia ruled them with an iron fist, and Soren wouldn’t do well with that dynamic. He needed freedom to not only do what he wanted, but to keep the secrets he needed.

Caius had a lot of things to say about her, none of them nice. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear rumors of him threatening her soon. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done so, and he put a lot of effort into getting rid of her last time. Ewan kept his mouth shut during all of this. She’d shown an interest in him last time, but after all three of them had broken up, she now focused solely on Soren. It wasn’t clear if Ewan was relieved or jealous, and I made a note to check in with him later.

Our conversation slowly dwindled, and drinks were refilled. Now everyone was relaxed, it was time to bring up my idea. While subterfuge was my strength, it wasn’t the tact I preferred to use with my brothers. But it didn’t mean I was above doing what I could to get them on my side. This conversation shouldn’t be a difficult one, given everything that had happened, but I couldn’t be sure about Caius. He was onside for now, but that could always change.

“Before we get too relaxed, there is something I want to talk about. Normally I wouldn’t bring it up so soon, but time is going to run out if we don’t act.” My tone was as neutral as I could make it, but I saw the way Caius’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was the most resistant to my charms, but not because of any magical reason. He was just a paranoid bastard.

“Audrey is settling in with the group well and the coven games are in three weeks. I think it’s time we induct her into the coven formally, we don’t want to leave it to the last minute. The sooner we do the ritual, the better. She needs to get used to the feeling of the connection.” The boys had come to accept her presence, and I was fairly certain Ewan and Soren would be on my side. All three of us looked at Caius and waited for the argument to start.

The bastard took his time answering, sipping lazily from his glass. Filled with delight at leaving us to wait, I was sure. “I am still not convinced we need another member. That said, she is learning quickly, and it’s obvious in her lessons she has the capability to be a powerful witch, with the right guidance.”

None of that was an answer. My frustration built quickly, but I didn’t let it show. It was what he wanted, a reaction out of us. He could be such a child at times. Rather than give him my attention, I got to my feet and refilled my drink. If he wanted to draw things out, I could play that game too. I knew he wouldn’t answer until I was seated again, so I took my time. It felt good, taking a little of the power back.

A smirk was the only sign he gave, showing he knew what I’d done once I was seated again. “There is a new moon in a week. Assuming she is agreeable, that would be a good time to do it.”

Most covens did their work under the full moon, but not us. Ours was done in darkness. It was where both Caius and I did our best work. Ewan and Soren weren’t tied to the moon cycle, so they had always let us decide. One positive of it, aside from Caius and I being stronger in the darkness, was we didn’t have to compete with the other covens for the use of the ritual spaces.

“If we are looking for ways to help strengthen her, we should encourage her to pick a court to join,” Ewan piped up, and all of us turned to him, surprised. The courts didn’t hold as much sway at Hollow Hill as they did at other schools, or even in the outside world. Witches and warlocks had more important things to focus on, though we weren’t discouraged from joining a season. Almost all the students here were members of the Autumn Court, like Ewan and Caius. Soren and I had chosen differently.

There wasn’t a fancy ritual for choosing your season here, and most students said their pledges privately once they had made their decision. Some left without having made a choice at all, and others had already pledged before they joined the school. It was something to consider, though. Joining a court would give her access to pact magic that she might not have otherwise.

“Which season do we think she would join?” While I’d been getting to know her better, I didn’t have any idea which she would choose.

All three of them suggested a different court at the same time. Ewan said Spring, whereas Caius firmly replied Autumn. Soren’s response of Winter was softer, but I wondered if he knew something the rest of us did not. A sigh spilled from me unbidden, and I rubbed my temples.

“Surely, we know her better than this. What have you all been talking about when you spend time with her?” Covens needed to trust each other on a fundamental level. And you couldn’t trust someone you knew nothing about.

“We’ve been focusing on her education, Henri. I don’t see you offering an answer.” Caius glared at me now, but I didn’t rise to the bait. Especially since I had no better idea than them.

“I will talk with her about it during our next conversation. She knows about the courts, but I told her not to worry about them for now. She has so many other things to focus on, but Ewan is right, any edge we can give her against what is coming should be pursued.” Ewan looked pleased at my compliment. Did I need to include him in more of the planning? I felt like I involved them all equally, but perhaps he was feeling left out of things.

“I will help prepare her for the coven rite. She doesn’t know what to expect.” Soren’s offer to help was another surprise in the conversation. It was as if my brothers were determined to shock me today. If I was Caius, I would think they had organized it beforehand.

Soren wasn’t the most open of our coven, but this might be good for them both. If he was going to teach her how to open herself to the energies of the rest of the coven, it would mean he needed to open himself up again. He had become more and more closed off the longer he had been with us. He shared magic with us easily enough during rituals, but there was more to being in a coven.

It wasn’t the first time I wondered if Audrey was fated to help us all. We assumed Fate had something in store for her, since she’d been attacked not long after our fated mate connection was revealed. But you could never make assumptions about Fate. Something could instead be coming for me, and she was destined to help me.

My mind wandered away from the conversation. I’d always possessed an active imagination—it was how I fueled the illusions I cast. Being able to see things in my mind, down to the finest details, was a skill I spent years honing. That skill was currently being used to imagine Audrey in my bed. It was a place I did my best not to picture her, as she was still a student, and while I wasn’t her teacher, I was a teacher at the school. But before I could force myself to think of something else, her skin became crystal clear, and I let the daydream continue. My name was scrawled across her collarbone, the poppy underneath it delicate on her pale skin. It wasn’t the only name, though. Caius’s name was on her upper thigh. Ewan’s across her hipbone. Soren’s name spread across her ribs. It was a nice thought, the four of us being fated to her, and her to us. Rationally, I knew it wasn’t likely. It was rare for a Scion to have one fated mate, let alone four. It was more common among packs of shifters or covens than it was others. We were already bound, after all.

Dragging myself reluctantly from the image of Audrey spread out on my bed, my eyes met Soren’s. There was a brief flash in his gray eye, so fleeting I wasn’t sure I’d seen it at all. I tilted my head, wondering if what I conjured was my imagination. But there was no point asking him, he would just shrug and walk away. Better I not focus on it and live in the moment.

And at this moment, we had a lot of work to do.