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Lucas stood and wrapped an arm around me as we left the clinic. “It’s certainly amazing.”
“The coven needs a clinic like this in Octavia Falls,” I remarked.
“Maybe when the Miriamic Conflict is over, we can open one,” Lucas suggested. “We’ll have free check-ups, testing, prescriptions, and mental health resources.”
“I love that idea.”
We approached Leslie, but I didn’t reach up to climb onto the dragon right away. Instead, I looked around to take in the town one last time. Nearby, a man helped a woman with a broken spoke on her carriage. Beyond them near a small cluster of houses, I spotted neighbors harvesting a garden of beans together. Someone played a flute from their porch swing, while a drum matched the beat several houses down.
I turned to Lucas. “The town here is so vibrant. Don’t get me wrong, I love the dark vibes we get in Octavia Falls, but it’s more than just the colors and the sunshine. The people here seem so connected. Back home, we’re divided.”
Lucas looked thoughtful as he glanced around. “The Miriamic Coven can be vibrant again. There’s community in our hearts, and our people are going to come together. We just have to stop letting ourselves be ruled by fear, so that we can love each other again.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “And Luana was right when she said we can’t do this alone. For so long, it’s felt like the coven needs us to save them, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think in some ways we’ve fueled our own fire and witch hunts by trying to fight back, but maybe fighting isn’t the answer. Maybe we just need to be our authentic selves, lead with love, and people will unite.”
Lucas nodded. “I think that’s accurate. We’ve fought so long for people to believe in us, when maybe we don’t need them to believe us. We just need to do the right thing.”
I wanted to believe that was true. But I also feared that this conflict wouldn’t be over until more blood was shed.
Some of it by my own hands.
Chapter Three
LUCAS
Visiting Hok’evale was a welcome reprieve to the darkness surrounding Octavia Falls. The people there seemed so happy and carefree. I wanted that for our coven, too.
We flew on Leslie’s back high above the trees. I still couldn’t take my eyes off the magical creatures. I’d heard so many stories about them, but I’d never seen them with my own eyes. Hok’evale was certainly a place I’d like to return to one day, when this was all over.
We returned to the clearing, where Miles and Chloe were playing with the magical creatures. Miles slowly tip-toed toward a creature with a lion’s body, the tail of a scorpion, and long, leathery wings. “Here, kitty kitty.”
“Leave the manticore alone,” Chloe called as she stroked the head of a large feline. “He’s going to bite you.”
“I’m sure he’s—” Miles cut off as the manticore let out a loud roar. He quickly scurried back across the clearing in our direction. Chloe laughed.
We slid off Leslie’s back, and Sam fed her a few treats.
“You two look like you’re having fun,” Nadine remarked as we approached Chloe. “It seems you made a friend.”
Chloe sat cross-legged in the grass, and the feline she was petting rolled over as she scratched it under the chin. The cat was nearly as big as she was, but it didn’t look like anything I’d seen before. It had the backend of a dog, and its long tail thumped against the ground happily. Although it had a mane like a lion and the pointed ears of a feline, its snout was blunt like a bear. Brown fur covered its body, and its eyes were a strange light gray with no irises or pupils. Two small horns protruded above its eyes. The creature kept its head low, never locking eyes with anyone.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Chloe asked. “I want to take her home with me.”
Sam chuckled. “I’m sure she’d love it if you took her home, but magical creatures aren’t allowed outside our borders. A glawackus like her snuck past the borders back in the late 1800s. It made it all the way to Connecticut and caused quite a ruckus with the lumberjacks. Killed a lot of livestock, too.”
Chloe scratched the creature behind the ears. “She must like the habitat by us.”
“I’m sure she’d be happy there,” Sam said. “But it’d be too dangerous. These creatures may be blind, but if you look them straight in the eyes, they’ll completely wipe your memory.”
Chloe looked up at him. “She seems so docile.”
Sam laughed. “Until she gets mad. You’re lucky she likes you.”
The glawackus sniffed Chloe, then put its head in her hand, like it wanted to give her something. Chloe gasped as she pulled her hand away, and a single whisker remained. “Look what she gave me!”
Sam furrowed his brow. “Is that… significant?”
Chloe nodded. “In witch culture, it’s a good omen when cats give you a whisker. They’re offering it up to use in your spells of protection and good luck. She’s giving me some of her magic.”
