The Witching Hour

Chapter 38 - Embers

Throughout the rest of the day, Ivy did best her to get her powers going. Sherecited her incantations. She waved her hands. She willed it deep from within, but nothing budged. Despite feeling the door unlock in her mind, she couldn't get much traction. Whatever had caused the massive growth of vines in her bedroom chose to stay dormant.

"Marina, you're a knower of all things," Ivy said, exiting her bedroom and flopping into the armchair. "Whatever you gave me worked, but it's also not working, you know?"

"I appreciate the compliment, but I definitely don't know everything." Marina floated in from the hall bathroom, a brush halfway through her hair. She flipped the brush around to pull the dark locks into a high ponytail. "Tatiana blocked your magic for days and not just with an outer charm."

Ivy cocked her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows.

"What I mean is she injected it into your body, your bloodstream with whatever she fed you." Marina set the brush on the side table, her fighters weaving the hair into a braid. "It makes it more potent."

"Will my powers come back?" Ivy half whispered, her voice on the cusp of breaking.

Pity crawled across Marina's face, starting with a purse of the lips that dipped downward into a baby frown. Her eyes darkened, the sympathy lodged deep in her irises. Without uttering a word, Ivy suspected her response.

"They have to," Marina replied mechanically, keeping her eyes downward. "They'll come back."

Marina dipped back into the bathroom and closed the door. The optimism rang clear in her voice with a sprinkle of fear dashed in the mix. Ivy ran her hands over the rough fabric of the chair and propelled herself out of it.

"The pictures, I didn't thank you," Ivy said, cracking the bathroom door open. Marina had changed into a pair of jeans and a gray long sleeve top. Her French braid stood out on the lighter color. She looked ready to take on anything. "It made waking up a bit easier."

"Ever heard of knocking?" Marina teased, opening the door further with a silly grin. "What if I had been changing?"

"My bad," Ivy laughed backing up to let her exit.

As she slipped out, Marina took hold of Ivy's forearm and squeezed, sending a rush of love into Ivy. She let go as if nothing had happened.

"Time to head to the courthouse," Marina said, going for the door. She slung her purse across her torso. "I'll meet you at the gate."

Nodding, Ivy waited to turn until the door clicked open then shut again. She turned on a heel, surveying the room in the process. Ghosts of memories haunted the room. Scenes of her and Hunter playfully bickering over jam in the kitchen continued in a loop. At the dining room table, visions of date nights played in succession. Even without his actual image, he lived on in the apartment.

"You won't win," she whispered. Grabbing an overcoat, she stuffed her phone into her purse and headed down to meet Marina.

The walk to the courthouse gave them the needed fresh air. Ivy tried to make a flower pop up at different points in the trip. Each time, a blockage dragged her back from the edge of feeling anything of real substance. The upside was that she sensed small surges from within. She crossed her fingers that surges would grow as Tatiana's charm vacated her body.

As they pulled up to the steps that led to the stone structure, Marina grabbed Ivy's hand. Leaves blew in circles from gusts of wind, their reds and oranges in stark contrast to the asphalt below. They resembled the embers of small bonfires either on the verge of bursting into flames or on the way to being extinguished. A crow cawed from above. Marina's head snapped upward as if she looked for something in the sky.