Witch, Missing (#3 in the Witches Trilogy) -ON HIATUS-

Chapter Six: Gold

//you gotta tell us your story//

Vera 

I’m at a ball.

It’s kind of weird, since I can’t dance and I’ve never been to a ball in my entire life. But here I am, in a super fancy room, with all these rich looking young adults partying away around me with gourmet finger food and elegant champagne flutes.

I feel disoriented. Did I drink something?

I look around for a familiar face. There’s Anna, in the corner, wearing a rare smile on her face, but she’s disappearing into another hallway with a black-haired guy. A secret boyfriend?

I blink. My limbs seem to be moving in slow motion, like I’m trying to pass through jelly. I half-glide around. Voices and music blend into a whispery sort of whoosh in my ears.

There’s Kieran! I recognise him straight off, seated at a table with Xavier and a stranger. They seem to be arguing about something.

Finally they shake hands across the table and stand up. My gaze drifts again. Anna has emerged alone and she’s talking to someone-no, confronting someone whose face I can’t see but in a clingy, barebacked dress and with long dark hair.

Everything ends abruptly.

I’m lying in my own bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling nauseous and like I’m going to puke.

“You’re awake.”

My head turns so fast I get whiplash. “Sarah?”

“Hey. How’re you feeling?”

“Bad.”

She grins. “Xavier will be happy.”

I vaguely remember him saying something like ‘it’s about time’. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“Have you ever heard that when witches are getting to the peak of their power, they start getting sick a lot?”

“No one mentioned that, funnily enough.” I cast my mind back trying to remember if anyone ever told me that. “How do you know?”

“I just do. Plus, Vinni called in sick so much that year in school that our teachers thought she was playing truant.”

I frown. That was the year I went to stay with dad. I wouldn’t know. “So Xavier’s happy because I’m getting more powerful?”

Sarah sighs. “As opportunistic and power-hungry as that makes him sound, yes.”

I feel uneasy. I don’t know where to place Xavier. On one hand he’s a capable leader who’s run this show for five years, but on the other I’m constantly hearing about how his first priority is amassing power players. I change the subject. “How long was I out?”

She smiles. “Six hours.”

“Six hours?” I wave the tent flaps aside and find it’s dark out. “It didn’t feel like six hours. More like six minutes.”

“They’ve left and they’re done and they’re on their way back.” Sarah laughs. “You’ve missed a bit.”

“Wait, who’s they? Where did they go?” My mind immediately jumps to the weird dream/vision I had. Was it real?

Sarah’s words confirm it. “This morning, Xavier got an invitation from the leader of the Bringers, Ian Gold.”

“The Bringers?”

“It’s a name people have come up with over time. One Bringer per season, maintaining balance, et cetera et cetera. You know, bringing in the seasons. Ian is summer.”