Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 7.1

JOHN

I sat in Tamner's hut, digging through my backpack. Avery had been kind enough to hold onto it for me, making sure to bring it through the portal with everyone else's. I thought briefly of opening one of the packets of dried fruit but decided against it. I'd save it for later.

It had taken two more days of rest before Ezra and the others were ready to leave. I, on the other hand, was still weak and unsteady on my feet. I wouldn't mention it to them, though. I didn't want to hold them back, and I was anxious to get moving despite my weakness.

"Here," Tamner said, ducking in from outside. The old man held a tall staff, similar to the one that Suon had given Ez the last time we left the village. Of course, he knew I was wobbly on my feet. He may be old and have a hard time with English, but nothing got past him. "Use this to stay up. Keep balance."

The length was cut from dark wood, like ebony, with a portion of the top wrapped in a leather strap dyed to match. It was as simple and plain as that, but beautiful just the same.

Tamner held it out to me and, reaching for it, I could feel a trace of magic in the wood. Nothing special, just the lingering spark of the Earth's essence from when it once was a living thing. The surface of the wood was smooth and cool to the touch. My mind immediately raced with all the spells and magic that the staff could have helped me with, before remembering that it was no longer an option.

I clamped down on the rush of sadness and pushed it away. There would be time to feel it later. Now, I needed to stand.

Bracing one end of the staff on the dirt floor, I pulled myself up onto my feet. The world tilted for a moment, and I closed my eyes against the sensation, but it wasn't long before I could open them again.

"Good," Tamner said. "Come now, the village gathers."

Moving slowly, I lifted my backpack onto my shoulder and steadied myself again before following Tamner out to the village center.

Ezra was standing with his parents, talking with the Chief as the villagers began to assemble around. My eyes sought out Hunter and found him standing off to the side with the twins, Anissa and Tessa. He was saying something to them, something that sent Anissa into a fit of laughter. Hunter laughed with her, a smile bright on his face.

Heat burned through my chest and cheeks. Maybe I'd gotten it wrong. Maybe he wasn't interested in me after all.

I turned my focus back on the others that were gathered around. The warriors that were going to travel with us stood with their families, saying their goodbyes I could only guess. Ezra and Avery were exchanging hugs with Ezra's parents.

An overwhelming sense of shame poured through me. This was too much, I should be making this trip alone. I mean, how important was it really that I have my magic back? Yeah, I missed it, craved it even. But I didn't want to risk anyone else's life for it.

Ezra stepped away from the group, heading for a clear space in the middle. The crowd fell silent as he closed his eyes and raised his hands. I could feel the power build as he started the portal spell. The summoning sigils and circle appeared, bright red, spinning in the air. His hands moved in the complex motions of the spell, the power climaxing until it burst, the portal opening before us to show a small suburban backyard. Avery's mother moved into view.

Ezra's parents stepped up, and I caught the words of a quick goodbye between them before they stepped through. Avery waved to her mother.

"I wonder if I would be able to do that someday?"

I jumped, gripping the staff hard to keep my balance. Hunter stood next to me, watching transfixed as Ezra released the portal.

"Probably, in time," I said. My body hummed, being so close to him. "What I saw with Ez and Poe, casting the portal depends on a lot of different factors. And really, Ezra was very lucky to be able to master it as early into this journey as he did. But it was more out of necessity, really."

Hunter and I hadn't spoken since that first night I'd woken up in Tamner's. I felt like an ass. I wanted to apologize. But, whenever the chance came up, the words just seem to disappear. And the more time that passed, the worse I felt.

"Who knows then?" He offered me a shy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

The chief stepped forward to address the warriors that would be escorting us up to the temple. Suon was in the front, as the leader of those who'd be traveling with us. From what Tamner had told me, his son had volunteered for the position but had to convince the chief to let other warriors travel with us. Ezra had originally planned to go with just our little group, but once Suon had gotten wind of where we were heading, he had taken to the idea of accompanying us 'properly' like a terrier with a rabbit.

Ezra came over with a velvet jewelry pouch in his hands. He paused next to us, uncertainty in his features as he looked me over. "Are you sure you're ready? We can wait another day or two-"

I held up my hand, stopping him there as I shook my head. "I don't want to keep you all waiting more."

Ezra watched me as if he were sure I was about to fall over. "We'll start slowly, but let me know if you need a break, okay? Promise me."

"Yeah, okay," I said, glancing away.

There was an awkward moment of silence before Ezra opened the bag in his hands, working the fabric to reach inside.

"Before we leave, I wanted to give you one of these, Hunter."

In his hand, Ezra held one of the Summoner pendants, similar to the one he wore on the chain around his neck. He handed it over to Hunter.

"This is it, uh?" Hunter said, studying it. He glanced up sharply at Ezra. "It's different from yours."

He was right, I noticed. It was slightly smaller, and the stone in the center was a different color, but otherwise, the design was the same. Threaded through the ringlet was a slim piece of leather, not unlike the leather that had been wrapped around the end of my staff.

Ezra spilled a few more of the pendants from the bag into his hand, showing them to Hunter. "Mine is different because it's a symbol of the Head of the Family. That's the only reason I can think of."

"How do I use it?" Hunter asked.

Ezra cringed a little. "We can talk about that later. I've got to give Anissa and Tessa theirs, so we can get moving." Ezra nodded to us and walked off to were the twins were now standing with the warriors.

After a moment of studying the pendant, Hunter coiled the leather around his right wrist, stretching the last loop to fit over his hand. His eyes shifted up me then, holding his arm up so I could see the makeshift bracelet, and asked, "What do you think?"

Standing there next to me, his light brown hair caught the sunlight in a way that made me want to touch it, just to feel how warm it was.

But I'd already messed up, snapping at him when all he was trying to do was make me feel better. And what if I was wrong about him liking me? Or...what if he doesn't want me now that I'm powerless?

Hunter's eyes grew concerned. "John?"

"Looks good," I forced myself to say. "It looks good."

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Hello, my pretties. 

I'm not super thrilled with this chapter. I've gone off my outline a little - it'll be awesome in the long run, but it's slowed the pace down a bit here. Things should pick back up in the next section, which should be posted next Friday (1/18/19). 

I post daily updates and insights into my life to my Instagram account! Check me out at /Sachula. 

<3 J.D.