Coven Of Destiny

Chapter Four

Stella woke the next morning in a slight haze, still remembering the events from the day before. She got out of bed, knowing that even with everything going on in her life, she still had to maintain some semblance of the life she had before the reality of everything was sprung on her. Stella started getting herself ready for the workday she was forcing herself to commit to. She left for work after making sure that her appearance was on point. She had a particular reason to look her best today, a certain handsome, accented reason.

The day went by slowly, Stella thinking about her adventure ahead the entire time. She wasn't sure about the whole "ruling a kingdom" part, but it seemed that if she was going to have to live with having powers, she needed to learn to control and use them. Stella couldn't wait to see what Gavin had in store to teach her. However, she needed to focus on the main reason for agreeing to this: she needed to find her family.

Finally, her shift ended, and it was time to go back home to get herself ready to go. Stella walked into her house and straight to the shower, getting all the ick off of her that usually came from toiling away for tiny pay and smelling like food. She got out of the steamy bathtub to get dressed in her favorite but most comfortable jeans, her cutest t-shirt she owned, and the shoes she used for work. Stella assumed they weren't exactly going to a place that had motorized vehicles to get around. She would be walking a lot. Stella then put her hair up, then walked to her room to start packing. In the bag, there were clothes for a week, her toiletries, and her silver dagger (you really couldn't be too careful in this new world). She also packed her pillow made from her emerald green knitted blanket and her silver chain with an infinity pendant given to her by her adoptive older sister.

By the time she'd finished packing, she had heard a knock at the door. Bag in hand, she opened the door to see Mack with a large backpack and Al with two giant duffle bags and one purse that resembled a tote bag made of leather. Seeing Stella's raised eyebrow, Al said, "Yes, I know. But there may be more cute guys where Gavin's from. He only seemed to have eyes for Lala," she added while batting her lashes in Stella's direction.

Giggling, Stella stepped out onto her porch, locking the door behind her. "Ready to go, ladies? It's a twenty-minute drive to Southill Pub from here."

"Let's get going, then!" exclaimed Mack, already halfway to Stella's car. The others followed, and Stella drove off toward downtown at the address Gavin had given them. She found the place quickly. It looked like an ancient building with two stories, made of stone on the first floor and wood and steel on the second. They walked toward the stone step, and Stella's heart skipped when she saw Gavin standing near the aged entry door, not seeing them yet but waiting. She cleared her throat as they walked up. His face lit up as he saw Stella, offering his hand in a gentlemanly manner. "Hello, Dove. I hope you are all well-rested and ready?" he asked, glancing at Mack and Al standing behind Stella.

Stella nodded. "Lead the way," she replied, waving her hand towards the door.

Gavin walked into the pub, the girls following behind him in a line. He nodded towards the barman, who nodded back in turn. They went toward the back where Stella saw a dimly-lit corridor. As they walked through it, she saw that there were mirrors of all shapes and sizes on both sides of them along the walls, all leading to the very end of the narrow pathway. She realized where the only light source in the room was emanating from: a massive, ornate gold mirror stood shining as bright as the sun before them.

"Freaking wow," remarked Mack, open-mouthed. Al had an identical look on her face, but was entirely speechless, a first for her.

Gavin pulled a scroll from his jacket pocket and walked to the front of the mirror. "I'm going to do the spell, and after I say the words, I want you three to shield your eyes, okay?" he said to them. Stella nodded, and he opened the scroll."Misericordiam aperire Renescut..."