COVENS

Chapter Two

The next day starts early. I open my eyes to the sound of a bird screeching and moaning like an old woman.

"Stormcrow," Ellis groans somewhere.

I roll over and stuff my bag over my head, blocking out the terrible noise.

"What is a stormcrow?" I hear Clara croak.

"Uh... big, annoying bird."

Doesn't it cry before rainstorms?- I mean to say. What comes out is a muffled grunt.

It's too early for this. The room is dark, the green fire diminished to nothing. No light is coming through the shutters or cracks in the walls.

I'm surprised the room is so toasty. It must have been that magic fire. My thin blanket managed to keep me warm enough through the night too, though it itched like crazy.

"Up, up, up, little spellers." The voice comes through the door.

Nettles.

"We'll have breakfast in a few minutes then start your first lesson in the main house."

I pull my blanket over my shoulders, drowsily sitting on the side of my bed. Clara is already bustling around. She's hung a sheet to block her bed. Where did she even get that?

I put my face in my hands, rubbing my eyes.

I look down at myself. Dressed. I only own one pair of clothes anyway. But I tug on stockings and boots.

The three of us make our way across the green to the house, yawning. The forest is quiet and fog rises from the treetops like smoke from the big house's chimney.

We meet up with a pair of girls also walking into the house. Mildred and another girl, tall with light red hair. Clara immediately introduces herself and strikes up a conversation with them.

"This is Fletcher, my cousin," she says. "And this is Ellis Griswold."

"I'm Rosemary."

"Mildred."

They smile at us and we walk up the step. I hold the door for everyone.

"Thank you," Mildred says as she walks past, smiling directly at me.

"You're welcome," I murmur. I hit myself internally.

We eat breakfast by candlelight as rain pounds on the roof and shutters. The new students actually are from Gerfydd, the neighboring kingdom north of here. George Stewart, Warner Pinefield, and Morgan Washe are the other three.

"There are a lot of spellers back home," George says, choking down a pile of pottage. "They have lots of business, selling potions and treatments and things."

"They're rarer here, aren't they?" Clara says. "Compared to up there."

"Are any more students coming?" Rosemary asks. "Or are we it?"

"Yeah, there should be four more..." Nettles looks over her shoulder. "I'll repeat the lesson for them later, it's a short lecture."

"So are we going to learn how to make fire potion today?" Morgan asks with stringy black hair dangling in his face.

Nettles chuckles. "Not today, Morgan Washe. First, we must learn the basics. And get you your familiars."

I look up.

"Familiars?" Rosemary asks. "Like those cats who collect potion ingredients and things?"

"Exactly," Nettles grins. "Though catters can be employed by spellers and not be their familiar."