Chapter 1: just another visit on just another day
It was just another visit to the New York cell of our coven. Just another day of talking, politics… way too many witches who all wanted more power, more influence within our coven. Mom lived for this kind of thing. She got a thrill each time she was able to out maneuver one of her rivals, all along on her way to the top. There was only one person left between her and the leadership of Amyrant: Ciaran McEwan, a Scottish witch who was born with power. He simply had to hone his natural born talents, thus gaining the leadership of a powerful coven like ours at this relatively tender age of 42.
Mom on the other hand had studied her entire life to get where she is now. Every drop of magic was hard won, every bit of knowledge obtained by long hours of study. She worked hard to get what she got and she looks down on witches who get part of their magical accomplishments by birth. Like me. Somehow I was born with the power I have now. I don't know how - mom refuses to talk about it - but somehow I was born with a lot more magic in my veins than was to be expected with a mother whose natural born level of magic was closer to the average blood witch than to the higher limit of nature, closer to the level of magic that makes one labeled a demon-class witch.
As always, my thoughts go to the only witch I have ever met that was born as demon-class witch. Morgan Rowlands. Beautiful Morgan, with her sharp wit and iron will. A hell of a lot of magic wrapped in the sleek body of a teenager who will definitely grow to be a dazzlingly beautiful woman. I smile fondly in remembrance. It had taken me awhile, but eventually I had been able to woo her. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't stop courting her when she became my girlfriend. Quite the opposite actually. I had a lot of fun talking to Morgan, just being close to her while we cuddled and discussed whatever was on her mind. My smile grows bigger as I remember where those long hours of talk usually ended up with. Despite her schoolgirl appearance and impeccable manners, Morgan was … right in front of my nose… Huh?
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, thinking that my desire to see Morgan again has played a trick on my sight. But when I open my eyes again, she is still there.
As is the custom when many powerful witches gather, the Council drops by to check if we all abide the rules. Amyrant doesn't, but as long as we keep up the facade that we do, the Council is powerless to stop us from doing whatever we want. So a Seeker comes by, we all sit up and play nice, the Seeker leaves and we continue our day. It gets so damn boring that I got lost in my thoughts, not noticing that there was someone behind Hunter and what-is-his-name … the other Seeker. Now the discussion gets heated this person steps forward, out of the shadows that formerly concealed her.
"Wild accusations are getting us nowhere, Sam", Morgan says calmly, "If there is no evidence that these people had anything to do with the way poor Jacob was hurt, there is no reason to further intrude on their hospitality."
Nicely spoken Morgan! I start to pay attention, now I realise that Morgan's presence is more than just a odd case of a powerful witch working together with the Council. She seems to belong to the company of the two Seekers, cooperating with them perhaps? Apparently someone named Jacob had been hurt with magic and the Council immediately thought that we did it. We didn't, at least not that I know of, but we never bother to argue that. That Morgan does, is strange. Strange and appealing somehow.
"What happened to Jacob?", I ask.
"A rather cruel method of extracting one's magic from the body", Morgan answers with an attempt at a straight face, "He survived only because Alice happened to walk in the same forest that day. She heard his cries and came to investigate. The … persons that hurt Jacob fled before Alice entered the clearing. The Council is now investigating the case."
Her horror of the way Jacob had been hurt and her hatred toward the perpetrators is evident in her voice. I feel the need to console her, to take her into my arms and hold her until the fear and hatred leaves her eyes.
"Just because he is faking ignorance doesn't mean that he actually is innocent", Sam sneers at me. But Morgan just rolls her eyes, murthering "Goddess give me patience" in a rather theatrical whisper.
"Beside the obvious, there is an annoyingly simple reason why these witches are not the ones who hurt Jacob", Morgan says with an air of forced patience, "They lack the necessary equipment. Therefore it is obvious that we are wasting our time here."
"Hang on", Hunter interrupts her, "What do you mean, they lack the necessary equipment?"
Apparently my dear half brother cannot imagine that we might lack equipment to steal someone's magic. I can't either, but that is besides the point.
"The wounds on Jacob's body were made with a knife with a scalloped edge at both sides of the blade. All knives here are either smooth at both sides of the blade or have a different pattern to their edges", Morgan explains. The entire room goes silent. "I took the liberty of also checking your kitchen knives", she adds with an angelic smile.
The silence lasts for a moment until Sam asks her how she knows what kind of knife was used in this case. He suddenly looks suspicious at her. Morgan lifts her shoulder in a semi-casual shrug.
"I stitched up most of Jacob's superficial wounds", she says, "There were so many that I basically memorised the pattern of the wound's edges."
Now it is Hunter's turn to look dumbfounded at Morgan. "You stitched up Jacob's skin?" he asks her with disbelief in his voice.
"You actually believed me when I said Alice healed this skin along with all his more important internal injuries?" Morgan asks him with an innocent smile.
"Yes… Why would I assume that an uninitiated witch would have any part in the treatment of the patient when there is an experienced healer present?"
"Victims like Jacob often die because they bleed out, not because their injuries are fatal", Morgan lectures, "Therefore Alice and I decided that I would stop the bleeding while the experienced witch healed the bones."
I trade a look with Meg, our expert in healing. Broken bones and knife wounds in a theft of magic case? Definitely not our style like Morgan insinuated, but how would she know that? More importantly, why would she conceal her healing abilities from Hunter? When we were together, Morgan was proud of her accomplishments. What happened that she is now concealing her talent for healing. Or her talent for magic in general?
Suddenly alert, I stretch out my awareness to lightly hug Morgan's. She was the one who taught me how to do this, so I was surprised when she subtly shakes her head at me. Her eyes flicked to her Seeker companions in a clear warning not to let them know about our usual way to communicate. I narrow my eyes, asking why I can't share her thoughts now while she used to share them so freely with me in the past. Morgan makes a hand signal at me. At first I am confused at what she means, but then I get it. E-mail me.
I resist the urge to slam my head into a wall. E-mail. The ideal way to keep in touch with her while I couldn't reveal my current location while I traveled with my mother. Why hadn't I thought of that?