We fell silent for a moment, all of us caught up in last night’s death. That warlock had his whole life ahead of him, andthen he was gone. Just fucking gone. I refused to put off these important moments any longer.
“We’ve been waiting so long to introduce you,” Jenna said, and she looked younger as her face softened. “Let’s go right after dinner.”
“I’m done,” I said, pushing what remained of my fried rice away. “Let’s go.”
Belle, Haley, and Sara, who had been chatting while I caught up with my sisters, turned as we got to our feet. “I’m goingto the Barracks with the twins,” I said, patting my pocket to remind them I had our new spell. “I won’t walk alone.”
“We’ll keep you safe.” Jenna looked mildly affronted.
Belle smiled briefly. “Go, have fun. But good to see you’re sticking with our new pact. No one walks alone.”
Jenna’s expression relaxed when she realized it hadn’t been a dig at her ability to look after me, but a reassurance to myfriends that I was sticking with our plan. “Good idea, girls,” she said as she swung her bag over her shoulder. “You can neverbe too safe these days.”
They waved us off, and we headed to the Barracks. I’d passed this building so many times, heard the animals, seen the animals,and sure as heck smelled the animals, but I’d never been inside. The Barracks was exclusively used by advanced nature spriteswho had claimed their soul-creatures.
Jenna and Alice used the side entrance near the forest, and I gaped at the sheer size of the Barracks. “It’s deceptive fromthe outside,” I breathed. The ceilings must have been thirty feet high, wood slats extending for a mile in every directionI looked. “It’s the size of a small town.”
Alice chuckled, looking around as if she’d forgotten the grandeur. “It sure is, but there was no way any of us would dumpour animals in a cage when we’re not with them. They get accommodations as good as or better than ours.”
“That’s what I love about you nature sprites.”
We walked along the main aisle through the building, and I could see into the animal enclosures as we passed them. The polar bear had what looked like an acre of actual ice, snow, and a large pond. “They also go out into the wild every day,” Jenna said as I peered inside. “Our familiars are humanized, so they pose no danger to witches or warlocks. But they’re still wild at heart and need to revel in their freedoms.”
Having heard them talk about their familiars, and then seeing the truth of it here, was so vastly different that I found myselffilled with questions. “Do either of you stay with Simon or Morris at night?” I asked, noticing that most enclosures had abed set up in the corner. Even the snowy ones.
“Yep,” they said together.
“More often than not,” Jenna added, voice a little dreamy, and I was taken aback by how calm she appeared. The Barracks soothedthat frantic need of hers to overachieve and control every aspect of the world.
As we walked, they ran through a list of animals and their witch or warlock companions until we reached their familiars. Morrisand Simon were next door to each other, and we entered the sheep’s territory first. Inside, it looked and smelled like a farm,with grassy fields, a watering tank, and bales of hay scattered around the edges. I could see Alice’s bed set up in a far-offcorner, and as soon as she stepped past the gates Simon beelined for Alice. I tried not to laugh, because I’d never seen asheep run, and there was more than a little waddle in his gait. His cream-colored coat was short at the moment, no doubt shornfor summer, and when he got close, Alice dropped to her knees and held her arms out for him to bound into.
He was freaking bounding, and it was adorable.
The pair remained locked as her magic sparkled the air, a light dusting of happiness and tranquility. The nature spriteswere the least intrusive and combative of affinities, but they were strong in other ways. They created peace, and I still believed it to be the toughest and most elusive magic of all.
“Simon,” Alice said as she stood, one hand on his head. He appeared larger than a regular sheep, standing waist height onher. “This is my sister Paisley. She’s our best friend too, just like Jen.”
Simon strode forward and I marveled at the sheen of silver in his cream coat, even while his face was darker. He stopped beforeme, and I shot a quick glance at Alice, wondering about the etiquette here. “Should I pet him? Is that rude?”
She laughed. “Not at all. He loves a good scratch behind the ears.”
He absolutely did. Butting against my hand, I ended up spending thirty minutes scratching his head, telling him how beautifulhe was, between chatting with my sisters, who were deep in conversation about their process of applying to covens.
“It’s a lot like college,” Jenna said, her voice wavering, stress tugging at the corners of her lips. “You have applicationexams—a practical next month that will take us away from the school for a week—and then endless questionnaires to determinewhere you fit. We have to list ten jobs we’re hoping to secure after graduation. I didn’t know it would be this intense, tobe honest, but at least our college work is wrapping up. Just a few larger assignments are all that stand between us and graduation.”
“What covens have you applied for?” My question was soft, because I was internally freaking out. Hundreds of covens were scatteredacross America, across the world, and once you were initiated, your coven became your family. We were all heavily involvedin our parents’ coven, Blessed Souls of Spokane, attending events over the years.
“Blessed Souls, of course,” Jenna told me, and I workedvery hard not to let my relief flood my face. “Along with Ancient Mages of America, The Sisters of the Moon, and Sprites of Spokane.”
With each name, my relief grew. All those covens were local to our area, with the farthest only in the next town over, whichwas less than an hour away. “We didn’t want to be too far from home either,” Alice said gently, reading my emotions in herway. “We like the comforts of visiting Mom and Dad, and our animals in the forests around us. All those covens are amazing.They’ll offer us the job placements we want in the animal shelters and zoos, so we’re set.”
Feeling like ten tons had been lifted from my chest, I breathed easier, and left Simon so I could give them both hugs. “WhileI love that our lives are changing, and we’re growing up,” I admitted, when we pulled apart, “it breaks my heart to know it’llnever be the same again. We’ll never all live at home with Mom and Dad, and race into the living room to watch TV togetheror eat an afternoon snack or pet your bunnies in the forest.”
We weren’t kids any longer, and with that, our lives would be forever different.
“But our kids will do that,” Jenna said quickly, voice thick. “When we all have babies, they’re going to grow up together.I’m determined.”
The thought of having kids was so far off for me that I could barely envision the future she was suggesting, butdamnit did paint an awfully nice picture. Even though change was inevitable, we could still hold on to what made our lives sowonderful growing up.
