The Witches of Glass Castle: Uprising (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 2) (11 page)

Madeline glared at him. He glared back.

‘The bus,’ she repeated, breaking away from Mia and stalking back to Dino. ‘Do you realise this coat cost me one thousand plus? And now look at it!’ She dusted her fingers over the material of her now-dishevelled winter coat.

Dino frowned at her. ‘You dropped a grand on a coat? On my last birthday all you got me was a coupon for socks!’

Madeline’s cheeks flushed pink. She placed her hands on her hips. ‘And
this
is the thanks I get? Car thieves and runaways! We’ve been out of our minds with worry!’

Dino stepped out into the open and made his way to his sister’s side. ‘We left you a note.’

‘And that’s supposed to make everything better?’ Madeline scoffed.

He was about to answer when he caught sight of Cassandra. She was off in the distance, making her way across the meadow with a large tote bag slung over her shoulder. Her pace was calmer and more graceful than her sister’s had been. When she saw her children, however, her stride quickened.

‘Mum!’ Mia cheered. ‘We’re all here!’ Then, catching sight of Madeline’s glower, she repeated the sentiment in a tone more in keeping with the reproving mood. ‘We’re all here.’

‘Thank god you’re safe!’ Cassandra cried. She raced the last few steps to the courtyard and engulfed her two children into a hug that Dino tried unsuccessfully to duck.

‘Don’t hug them!’ Madeline spluttered. ‘You’re enabling their behaviour, Cassandra. You’re an enabler.’

‘You hugged Mia, like, two seconds ago,’ Dino shot back over his mother’s shoulder. ‘And nobody enabled us to do anything. If anything, you dis-enabled us.’ He stepped back from his mother and met his aunt’s steely glare. ‘We did what we had to do.’

‘Oh, well then!’ Madeline flung her arms skyward and tottered backward on her stiletto heels. ‘He did what he had to do,’ she mimicked him. ‘No!
You
are not the adult here, Dino.’ She pointed to herself and Cassandra. ‘
We
make the decisions on what’s best for you two.’

‘I’m nearly eighteen,’ Dino reminded her. ‘Maybe I—’

‘Maybe you what?’ Madeline challenged.

He looked down to the ground for a moment, then back up again. He tried to show more confidence than he felt. ‘Maybe
I
should make the decisions for Mia,’ he said at last. ‘Maybe I know what’s best for her. For
both
of us.’

Cassandra untangled herself from Mia and looked at Dino with a tender expression. ‘You may think you know best,’ she said gently, ‘but your judgment is clouded.’

‘You wanted to send her away!’ Dino accused.

‘Of course Aunt Maddie and I didn’t
want
to send Mia away!’ Cassandra replied. ‘We didn’t
want
it to come to that, but it did.’ She gazed up at the looming castle walls. ‘I understand that you think you did the right thing by coming here, Dino, but you didn’t.’

‘But I don’t want to be sent away,’ Mia appealed breathlessly.

Cassandra and Madeline swapped a private glance. Two sets of piercing blue eyes were sympathetic, but their resolve was unwavering.

‘Mia...’ Cassandra began.

‘Please,’ Mia whispered.

The two women exchanged another look.

For a long while, no one spoke. The only sound was the groan of a growing gale, rocking through the trees as Mia inadvertently brought her pain life to with each gust of air.

Thus, the little family was left standing at loggerheads with Blue milling on the fringe, nervously awaiting the outcome.

At long last, Madeline exhaled deeply. ‘This is getting us nowhere,’ she said, massaging her temples. As she did so, her chunky silver rings caught the glint of the low December sun.

‘Agreed,’ Cassandra seconded. ‘Let’s go find Wendolyn. We need to speak to someone who isn’t
us
.’

‘Agreed,’ Mia and Dino concurred in unison.

Pain Killers

As dusk fell, Cassandra and Madeline joined Wendolyn and the rest of the Arcana in the castle’s old stone dining room. A long oak table ran through the centre and candelabras were suspended from the towering ceiling. Carved into the stone walls was a huge fireplace crackling with flames and radiating a cosy heat. Only the Hunters and Amos were absent.

Cassandra reached for Wendolyn’s hand as they sat side by side at the head of the table. ‘You should have told us you were unwell,’ Cassandra fussed. ‘We would have come sooner. We could have helped you.’

‘Oh, my dears,’ Wendolyn chortled. ‘I have a chill, that’s all. Nothing to fret over. And Amos has been here helping where he can.’

Madeline gave a low wolf whistle and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Cassandra shot her sister a quick glare. ‘Maddie,’ she hissed. ‘That is totally inappropriate. Amos is Wendolyn’s brother-in-law.’

Madeline rolled her heavily made-up eyes. ‘Oh, don’t be such a prude, Cass. Wennie knows I’m kidding. Don’t you, Wennie?’

Wendolyn smiled serenely as Madeline selected a soft bread roll from a basket on the table.

‘Hey, you!’ Madeline snapped her fingers at Isaac, who was seated further along the table. ‘Pass the butter.’

‘You know,’ Isaac said huffily, glaring at Madeline, ‘here at the Glass Castle, manners are important. Wendolyn always taught us to say
please
, and I’m assuming she taught you the same thing.’

Jonathan interrupted Isaac’s rant by ferrying the butter dish to Madeline. ‘It smells as though a hint of goldenseal has been added,’ he noted, nodding down at the butter dish. ‘If there was a dash of yarrow and a speck of wormwood, we’d all be eating a prosperity ointment!’ Jonathan chuckled at his own apparent joke.

Madeline turned back to Wendolyn. ‘Who’s this kid?’ she asked, thumbing towards Jonathan.

Jonathan jumped at the chance to make the introduction. He extended his hand to Madeline and bowed slightly. ‘Jonathan Woodworth,’ he answered. ‘Arcana at the Lighthouse. And friend of Mia.’

At this last part, Mia felt herself blush. She was glad that Colt wasn’t at the table.

Madeline wiped her buttery fingers on her skinny jeans before extending her hand to Jonathan. ‘Well,
pleased
to meet you, John,’ she said, glaring at Isaac as she said the word
pleased.

‘Jonathan,’ Jonathan corrected, but Madeline’s attention had already moved on.

‘So, Wennie,’ she began, ‘don’t tell me you actually agree with these two.’ She gestured to her niece and nephew. ‘You don’t seriously believe that the castle is the safest place for Mia right now, do you? It’s way too obvious!’

Mia shifted uncomfortably in her tall, ornately carved wooden seat.

Gripping her fork in her frail hand, Wendolyn began prodding distractedly at the mound of root vegetables on her plate. ‘Would I have advised this course of action? No,’ she admitted. ‘Do I think the child should stay now that she is here? Yes.’

‘See?’ said Dino, slapping his palm to the table in triumph. ‘Wendolyn
does
agree with us. We can protect Mia here.’

‘Dino’s right,’ Blue supported his friend. ‘We can find the s-spell to break the Arx.  I know we can.’

‘Yes,
we
can,’ Isaac remarked, signalling to himself and Roland. ‘Can’t we, Roland?’

Roland, who was busy gazing dreamily at Madeline, didn’t reply.

‘Roland!’ Isaac prompted sharply.

He jumped in his seat. ‘Huh? What?’

Isaac exhaled tautly. ‘Pay attention! 
We’re
going to find the spell to break the Arx. Tell them.’ He gestured vaguely around the table.

‘Umm-hmm,’ Roland responded, returning his doe-eyed gaze to Madeline, who grimaced back at him. ‘Whatever you say, Isaac.’

‘Be that as at it may,’ Cassandra went on, ‘it’s not too late to take Mia into hiding.’

Stricken, Mia caught Wendolyn’s eye.
Please don’t let them take me away
, she begged silently.

Imperceptible to the others, Wendolyn gave Mia a small nod, indicating that she had been heard.

‘I have no reason to believe that Mia will be unsafe here,’ Wendolyn reassured Cassandra. ‘She will be protected. The Glass Castle is her home as much as it is mine, or yours. She has every right to seek refuge here. Who knows? Perhaps together we are stronger.’

The word
stronger
seemed ironic coming from the older lady’s lips, for she herself looked far from strong. In a matter of hours, she had deteriorated even further. Now looking pale and drawn, she was barely able to lift her fork.

‘Our priority now must be to locate the spell to break the Arx,’ Wendolyn carried on. ‘And to guard Mia until it has been found. As far as the missing spell to
steal
the Arx... I suppose all we can do is hope that the Tome of Black Magic turns up sooner rather than later.’

Cassandra patted her lips with a napkin, then folded it neatly on the table. ‘If that’s the course of action you wish to take, then that’s what it shall be.’

Wendolyn gave another nod.

As she did so, Mia’s heart leaped.
Thank you,
she gushed wordlessly.

‘But I must insist that Maddie and I stay on at the castle to oversee things,’ Cassandra continued. ‘It’s clear that this stress is proving too much for you, Wendolyn. You need to rest.’ She glanced at her sister. ‘So we’ll stay—at least until we can come up with a solution we’re
all
comfortable with.’

‘We’ll absolutely stay,’ Madeline agreed. ‘You won’t need to worry about a thing around here, Wennie. Cass and me will run a tight ship.’

Roland’s freckled cheeks grew flushed as he smiled adoringly at her.

‘Cass and
I
,’ Isaac corrected her under his breath.

‘Tight ship,’ Madeline repeated. She held out her soup spoon and slowly directed it at the Arcana seated around the table: Roland, Isaac, Jonathan, Blue, Mia, and finally at Dino, where it lingered. ‘That means you too, wise ass.’

Dino dropped his fork and held up his hands. ‘What? I didn’t say a thing,’ he defended. ‘Isaac’s the one who corrected your grammar. Point your spoon at him!’

‘So, what do you say, Wendolyn?’ Cassandra asked, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand. ‘Can we stay with you a while?’

‘Of course you’re welcome to stay,’ Wendolyn began, ‘but I couldn’t ask you to take on that responsibility—’

‘You didn’t ask,’ Cassandra cut her off gently. ‘We offered. We’re here now, and we can stay as long as you need us. I’m still lecturing at the college most days, but I can... I don’t know, I can call in sick. And as for Maddie, well—’she lowered her voice, speaking only to Wendolyn ‘—it’ll do her good to have a little break from daytime TV.’

Madeline gasped. ‘I
heard
that!’ She aimed her spoon at Cassandra. ‘I’m a thirty-year-old woman, and I’m entitled to—’

‘Thirty?’ Dino echoed incredulously.

‘Yes,’ Madeline asserted, tilting her chin upwards. ‘I am thirty-ish. I am in my
early
thirties, and I’ll have you know I only watch enriching and life-affirming documentaries.’

Dino crammed a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. ‘Reality shows aren’t documentaries,’ he garbled. ‘Neither are talk shows.’

Madeline’s eyebrows knotted. ‘Semantics,’ she said. ‘The disclaimer says that the people and situations are real.
Documented
for our entertainment. So there.’

There was a cough from across the room.

Mia turned quickly and found Colt lingering in the open doorway.

‘Oh, it’s the
boyfriend
,’ said Madeline, rolling her eyes. ‘Don’t get me started on
that
dysfunctional teen angst.’

Jonathan nodded emphatically.

‘Hello, mother and aunt,’ said Colt from across the room. ‘You must excuse me, but I’ve forgotten which one’s which.’

Madeline’s top lip curled. ‘Hunters,’ she muttered. ‘So rude.’

Colt frowned. ‘Was that rude?’ He sighed. ‘I just don’t know anymore.’

‘May we help you with something?’ Madeline asked curtly.

‘Is it presumptuous to request the company of your daughter?’ Colt gestured loosely between Cassandra and Madeline. ‘To whomever it may concern.’

Mia’s fork clattered to the table. ‘Can I go?’ she asked her mother.

Cassandra glanced briefly at Wendolyn. ‘Uh, well, yes, I suppose so. Aunt Maddie and I will check on you later—’

Mia briskly pushed out her chair and rose from the table, not waiting to hear the end of her mother’s sentence. She followed Colt out of the dining room and into the chilly corridor, closing the door behind them.

As soon as they were alone, Colt turned to her, catching her off guard, and kissed her.

‘What was that for?’ she whispered, the taste of his lips still lingering on hers like a beautiful poison.

‘That was for me,’ he replied in a murmur. ‘Now, are you ready for your second lesson?’

Mia’s shoulders sagged. ‘More Tempestus practising?’ she guessed.

‘You say that as though it’s a bad thing.’

She rose to her tiptoes and kissed him again in the dark corridor. Her head began to whirl as the poison spilled from his lips onto hers once more. She felt his heart rate quicken before he slowly detached himself from her.

‘Are you trying to distract me?’ he asked in a velvet voice. ‘Because that’s not very fair.’

She threaded her fingers through his. ‘Can’t we take a break from worrying about the Arx for one evening? Can’t we just spend time together, like real people?’

‘No!’

‘No?’ she echoed.

‘Yes. No.’

Mia folded her arms.

‘All right, fine,’ he changed his mind. ‘Once you’ve mastered your next lesson, we can be’—he cleared his throat, smiling wryly—‘
real people
. But only for a while, then we have to go back to being...
imaginary
. Or whatever it is you think we are.’

‘Deal,’ she conceded with a grin. ‘What is the next lesson? I plan on mastering it quickly.’

A shadow of a smile flickered over Colt’s face. ‘Follow me. This one will require a little more space.’ He slid his hand around hers and led her down the narrow corridor towards the exit.

As Colt heaved open the castle’s main door, a swell of cold air flooded the vestibule. Mia stepped outside into the courtyard. The wind was howling and the trees were groaning under the strain of the gale. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

‘You’re cold,’ Colt noted, falling into stride with her as they walked towards the gardens. He moved his arm around her, drawing her into him and using his power to shield her from the wind as they forged on.

Mia huddled closer to him.

‘Unfortunately,’ Colt explained, ‘being outside is a necessity for lesson two. We need space. And the weather is perfect for what I have in mind.’

A strong gust whipped Mia’s hair to one side. She pushed the chocolate-coloured strands from her eyes as they ducked through the hedge archway, momentarily escaping the squall before surfacing in the gardens. They kept walking, past the barren flowerbeds and hedge mazes, until they reached the clearing leading up to the embankment.

Once in the clearing, Colt came to a halt. He was perfectly still except for the short strands of black hair moving in the wind.

Mia, on the other hand, was scarcely able to keep herself upright as she battled against the wild weather, which was growing fiercer by the second. ‘Now what?’ she called, her voice carried away by the wind.

Colt extended his arms. ‘This,’ he said, looking skyward, ‘is yours to do with what you wish.’ He paused and locked eyes with her. ‘And I suggest you start with me.’

‘You?’ she echoed. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Move me.’

Mia stared at him. He seemed solid, like a stone statue cemented to the ground. When the gusting wind reached him, it merely slowed and coiled around him, more like a feathery scarf than a cyclone. He was its master. She, on the other hand, was barely an apprentice. And even when she
was
able to influence the weather, her control was unsteady at best.

‘You want me to move
you
?’ she asked, dubious.

‘I want you to
want
to move me.’

‘Okay,’ she said slowly. ‘I’ll try, but—’

‘Don’t
try
,’ Colt interrupted. ‘Do. Be.’ 

‘Okay...’ Mia repeated, unconvinced. She closed her eyes and imagined the gale slowing for her, just as it seemed to do for Colt. She imagined herself in control, commanding it to charge at him like her very own army of soldiers.

Go
, she willed it, raising her arms.
I am the storm.