Page 26 of The Spell Caster

It was only early afternoon, so I had time to kill. My mind automatically supplied me with a plan to go to the library and research familiars, which caused a flare of annoyance. Fate knew being dutiful had gotten me exactly nothing. No, I was going to go eat the worst junk food I could get my hands on, find a pretty dress, then waste my night away at the harvest party and get drunk.

I threw on some street clothes and stepped out the door. The witch with the shaved hair I had seen my first night was kneeling in the garden, pulling weeds. I paused.

“Hey,” I said, causing them to look up and smile. “Want some help?”

“Oh, sure.” The witch gestured to the unfinished section, where a huge number of invasive seedlings had started growing in the mulch.

“I’m Juni,” they said, waving with a dirty hand. “They/them, please.” They had a round face with expressive brown eyes—rare for a witch. We tended toward blue and gray.

I knelt next to them and started creating my own pile of pulled weeds. “I’m Layla, she/her.”

Juni grinned. “Don’t be weirded out, but everyone knows who you are.”

“That is a little weird, though,” I said.

“Are you doing okay? Mountain Thunder seems a bit, uh… they just graduated, and I think they’re going through a phase, you know?”

“Yeah, they’re a lot.” I looked around at the other apartment buildings that circled the central garden. “You’re in a coven?”

“Yup!” Juni pointed at one of the other apartments to the left of ours. “We’re the Dark Water Coven, six members, six years.”

“Wow. The Northern Sea Circle only has—had—ten spell casters total.” I dug out a particularly well-rooted weed with my thumb.

“Oh, we have at least thirty here, maybe even more. I think there are seven covens currently. Plus the new one with the rest of the Northern Sea casters. There are thousands of witches in the Circle.”

So many witches in one place—it was actually kind of incredible. “So, do you go out with teams and stuff?”

Juni nodded. “It’s not nearly as eventful as a big angel battle. I’m mostly involved in burning out infestations after the guardians find them.”

A less eventful life sounded perfect.

We pulled weeds without talking for a while. Juni didn’t seem like the type who needed to fill silence, and we settled into a peaceful rhythm. Warm sunlight filtered through the trees. My heart gradually resettled to the sound of bees buzzing around the late-summer garden flowers as we worked.

“Where can I find the unhealthiest food in the entire Circle?” I asked when we’d finished the bed.

With a conspiratorial smirk, Juni gave me directions to the main part of the community, which I had only briefly glimpsed this morning.

The Mountain Circle was beautiful. Houses crept up the sides of the hills, balanced by tall pillars, the entire community nestled between the rolling green mountains the Circle was named for. The walkways between the numerous buildings were bustling. Eateries, coffee houses, libraries, apothecaries, plant growers, ceramics studios, furniture builders, artists—everything a witch needed could be found here.

I checked to make sure my mother wasn’t among the crowds as I made my way to the cafeteria Juni had recommended. And just like that, I had found a reason to stay at the Mountain Circle. The buffet was incredible! It was light-years ahead of the one we’d had back home, with trays and trays of traditional witch dishes, popular outside foods, and recipes that seemed like local specialties.

Grinning gleefully and not caring who saw me, I piled a plate with every fried thing I could find, fully intending to go back for desserts. Behind the cafeteria was a tree-lined courtyard crowded with pretty wood-inlaid tables where I found a seat to devour my hoard. A pleasant, warm breeze brought the scents of flowers, and the forest above the buildings made a beautiful backdrop.

I was about a third of the way to the bottom of my plate, concentrating on my epic task, when a shadow fell over my food.

“Layla,” said Calamus’s mildly surprised voice. “Are you eating alone?”

Costi’s spell caster, still in his formal wear, paused in front of my table holding his own tray of food.

“You could join me. Um… if you want to.” I swallowed nervously, thinking of Datura’s declaration that he was interested in me.

He set down his tray, looking from his nicely balanced meal to my glorious mess of carbs. I refused to be shamed. I had earned my junk food by almost dying.

“I’m glad I caught you. I plan on going to the library this evening to look into your invoking problem,” Calamus said.

“This evening? You’re not going to the harvest party?”

He gave an easy laugh that took his face from handsome to stunning. “Not me. Do you want to come to the library with me?”

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