Page 17 of The Spell Caster

They winced. “I’m sorry. No. Not really. They’re just… you’ll see. They’re in the first apartment, right there. But I don’t think anyone’s home.”

“Oh, um, thanks. See you around?”

“See you. Good luck,” the witch said as they turned to go.

I knocked on the door, but as the witch had said, no one seemed to be home, and the lights were off inside. I sat down on the steps to wait, resting after my walk. If I was going to have to go up and down these hills every day, I’d be in great shape in no time.

An assortment of solar lamps lit the courtyard, two large oak trees standing over a blooming garden filling the night with the scent of blossoms. Crickets chirped in the quiet space.

Nature remained peaceful, the world humming along even during the worst human crises.

My fingers moved to my phone to text Costi… but I hesitated. Holly was right, even if it had hurt me to hear it. I needed to learn how to take care of my own problems.

Instead, I sent a text to my mother letting her know I had arrived at the Mountain Circle safely, trying not to read her messages above mine. I didn’t mention where I was staying.

I sat for a few moments longer, conjuring up a plan to seek out something to eat, when a group of three witches around my age entered the courtyard, talking in hushed tones. They saw me sitting alone on their steps and halted.

I stood up to greet them.

“Is this her?” one of the witches asked, propping a hand on his hip. He was slender, with dark hair styled to perfection and looking purposely messy, with a pair of bright hazel eyes.

“You must be Layla,” said another. She was a tall and willowy woman in a short dress, with gleaming black hair. She was carrying a fabric tote bag in both hands.

“I guess we can’t get out of it now,” said the third witch, all sulky lips and dark eyeliner. A mass of dark curls tumbled off her head and billowed around her curvy body.

“Hello, nice to meet you,” I said with a smile, trying to look confident. They were all so well put together, and I felt like a mess. “I’m not sure what’s going on. The witch at the gate said I would be staying with you. I hope it’s all right.”

The three of them burst out laughing at a joke I wasn’t in on.

“Fate, she’s super polite,” the curly haired witch said.

“That won’t last,” the bright-eyed one said.

“I’m Sativa,” said the tall witch, rolling her eyes. “This walking fashion show is Oliver, and somewhere under all these curls is Datura. Welcome to Mountain Thunder.”

“I’m a little confused,” I told Sativa as the others opened the door. The group tumbled inside and flicked on a light while we kicked off our shoes.

The main room of the apartment was spacious enough, with high windows shaded for the night.

The comfortable-looking couch set was strewn with clothes and bags. A tiny counter and island made up a small kitchen area with a mini refrigerator, toaster oven, sink, and a water boiler. It was piled with dishes and food containers. The place was a disaster.

Sativa pushed some of the mess aside, hoisted her bag up onto the counter, and began removing containers of food. I hoped they were in the mood to share or could at least tell me where to go get some.

“They said there was a new spell caster in Northern Sea who wasn’t in a coven yet, so congratulations, you’re in a coven now.” She waved her hand at the messy apartment.

The Northern Sea Circle only had one coven of spell casters. How big was the Mountain Circle?

“Don’t worry, you meet every qualification. You’ll fit right in,” Oliver said.

“We don’t have any qualifications.” Datura rolled her eyes, grabbing a plate and starting to fill it. “No one else would want to be in this coven.”

“There’s literally no one else to be in this coven.” Oliver twiddled a spoon around in his fingers.

Sativa handed me a plate and a spoon. “Thanks,” I murmured.

“Aw, she’s all sweet and shy,” said Oliver. “She can be our little baby caster, and we can teach her to be a vicious angel killer.” He patted me on the head.

I was already a vicious angel killer. I had zapped a whole squadron of angels minus one. Even if I had no idea how.

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