The Witches of Glass Castle: Uprising (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 2) (6 page)

Next to enter the room was Siren, whom Mia recognised from the previous summer. In comparison to the first two boys, Siren looked older and stronger, with angular features and short oak-brown hair. He took his post beside the younger boys while they waited for the arrival of their coven leader.

And when Colt finally appeared a few moments later, there was no doubting why he was their leader. His walk was bold and self-assured. It was clear that he was somehow expertly assessing the room without breaking his line of vision. There was something limitless in his deep-green eyes, like he could do anything. Or
be
anything. It was feral and challenging, as though a new side of him was showing itself. The leader in him had been awakened. His presence silenced the entire room.

Colt’s eyes flickered to Mia for a fraction of a second—so brief that it was almost undetectable. It sent a bolt through her like she’d been struck by lightning; it was something precious and dangerous all at once. His gaze then settled on Wendolyn.

And the meeting resumed.

* * *

Once Wendolyn had concluded the assembly, the Hunters were the first to leave the drawing room. In keeping with formation, Colt led them out.

Mia rose from her seat and made for the door. She was hoping to catch Colt before he disappeared with his coven. However, before she could intercept his path, someone intercepted hers.

Jonathan, Amos’s Arcana, stepped in front of her. ‘Hi!’ he said, grinning broadly. Waves of ash-blonde hair curved around his ears in wisps. He was tanned, with an athletic build and a charming smile.

‘Hi,’ Mia replied, casting a glance over his shoulder towards the exit. Colt had paused in the doorway, lingering for a second longer than necessary before leading his coven out.

‘I wanted to properly introduce myself,’ Jonathan went on, offering his hand for her to shake. ‘Jonathan Woodworth.’

Mia forced her gaze back to him. ‘Hi,’ she returned, accepting his hand. ‘I’m Mia.’

Jonathan chuckled. ‘I know who you are, Mia. Listen,’ he continued conspiratorially, his voice dropping to a sympathetic murmur, ‘I know you’re probably really scared about...well, you know.’

She frowned. ‘What?’

‘You know, the
Arx
,’ he clarified, his voice lowering yet again on the final word.

‘Oh.’ Mia was jolted back to reality. ‘Yes, it’s...’ she trailed off. What
was
it, exactly? ‘Bad,’ she decided. ‘Very bad.’ She glanced over Jonathan’s shoulder again. There was no sign of Colt in the hallway. He was probably long gone by now.

Jonathan placed his hand on her arm. She stared down at it.

‘You’re going to be okay,’ he assured her. ‘This
is going to be okay.’ His pale blue eyes shone with sincerity.

‘Okay,’ she replied, trying not to sound as preoccupied as she felt. ‘Thanks.’

‘No problem,’ Jonathan replied. ‘So,’ he went on, his tone lifting, ‘were you going somewhere?’

She cast one more forlorn glance to the drawing room doorway. ‘No,’ she answered at last. ‘No, I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Good.’ Jonathan broke into a wholesome smile. ‘Me, either.’

* * *

Later that night, while the Hunters guarded the forest, the other residents settled in the library, working through the castle’s archive of books. Wendolyn was seated at her desk, while Mia, Dino, Blue, Jonathan, Isaac, and Roland had made themselves comfortable around the apothecary table to work their way through the latest pile of books.

‘Back at the Lighthouse,’ Johnathan was saying to the others circling the apothecary table, ‘I was Amos’s go-to guy for research.’ He gave a cheery smile. ‘I won’t let you down, fellas! And lady,’ he added for Mia’s benefit.

She smiled.

Isaac’s expression darkened. ‘You may have been number one at the Lighthouse,’ he said in a clipped voice, ‘but you’re at the Glass Castle now.’

Roland nodded in concurrence. ‘Isaac is unsurpassed in Arcana studies.’

Dino raised an eyebrow. ‘Unsurpassed?’ he echoed. ‘Blue’s pretty good, too.’

Isaac and Roland swapped a smirk.

‘Oh,’ said Johnathan in awe, ‘I’m honoured to be working alongside so many exceptional Arcana.’

‘Yes, well,’ Isaac replied haughtily, ‘I’m glad you’ll get the opportunity to learn from us during your visit.’ He over enunciated the word
visit
.

The library door lurched open and Amos appeared with a refreshed tea tray.

‘I’m afraid this seems to be all I’m useful for at the moment,’ he joked. He set the tray on the apothecary table. ‘Honey and lemon,’ he said to no one in particular. ‘It’s a great soother.’

Amos adjusted his reading glasses and began distributing the tea. He crossed the library to Wendolyn’s desk and offered her a drink. Wendolyn’s hands trembled as she reached for the cup and saucer that Amos was holding out for her.

‘This one’s especially for you, my dear,’ Amos said with a jovial wink, though his expression was clouded with concern. ‘You’re exhausted, aren’t you? Have my elixirs helped at all?’ His tone was already deflated.

‘Perhaps they have helped a little,’ Wendolyn replied kindly.

Amos eyed her reproachfully. ‘Now I know you’re not being honest with me, madam.’

Wendolyn offered him a weary smile. ‘I
am
tired,’ she admitted. ‘Although it’s nothing a good night’s sleep can’t fix, I’m sure.’

From across the room, Mia looked up from her book and glanced at Wendolyn. Amos had been right; Wendolyn’s complexion was ashen and dark shadows were hanging beneath her eyes. Naturally, Mia felt a stab of guilt. Wendolyn was tired because of her.
Everyone
was tired because of her.

‘Why don’t you retire to your chamber?’ Amos advised Wendolyn. ‘Rest for a while.’

‘No, no.’ Wendolyn nursed her teacup and took a juddering sip. ‘I’m perfectly well.’

Amos cleared his throat. ‘You know,’ he said, his tone light yet adamant, ‘you are no good to us tired.’

‘I’m fine, Amos,’ she insisted tenderly. ‘I assure you, I’m fine.’

‘Even so...’ He took the teacup from her trembling hands. ‘A good night’s sleep is what you need, my dear. You said it yourself.’ He offered his arm to help her to her feet. ‘So, go,’ he said. ‘Sleep. Be well, please.’

It was clear that Wendolyn could no longer argue. When she stood, she hunched forward, as though her spine ached too much to be held straight. She folded her hand over Amos’s arm. ‘Very well,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Nonsense!’ Amos chuckled. ‘I’ll carry your tea to your room for you. It’s time to concentrate on getting you well again,’ he urged as he escorted her to the door.

All eyes were on Wendolyn as she left on Amos’s arm. There was something sombre about watching the elder woman depart. Something disheartening, as though they were watching an unbreakable wall crumble to dust.

The library fell silent.

A moment later, Amos returned. He took a seat at the desk and began rifling through the breast pocket of his blazer. Carefully he withdrew a little magnifying lens with an adjustable arm and attached it to his glasses, doubling the strength of his vision. Then, without a word, he retrieved Wendolyn’s discarded tome, licked his thumb, and picked up where she had left off.

Mia stared into the crackling fire, watching the thick chunks of firewood blaze and spit. Black smoke wafted into the ash-covered chimney in a steady torrent.

Wendolyn was sick. Everyone was exhausted, and they’d barely even scratched the surface of the castle’s books. What hope was there of finding the spell to break the Arx? Or, for that matter, of finding the ritual to steal the Arx in order to keep it out of malevolent hands—if it wasn’t already too late, that is.

‘Not even witchcraft can fix bad eyesight,’ a voice whispered in her ear.

Mia jumped, startled out of her reverie. Jonathan had dropped into the empty chair beside her. He raised his eyebrows and nodded in Amos’s direction.

Amos was busy attaching a second magnifier to his spectacles.

‘I’ve seen him put, like, six lenses on those glasses,’ Jonathan went on in a hushed voice, ‘and he still can’t see a thing.’

Mia smiled. ‘Shh. He’ll hear you.’

Jonathan leaned in a little closer. ‘Nah,’ he said with a shrug. ‘He’s deaf, too, poor sucker.’

Mia laughed in spite of herself.

‘You’re a Tempestus, aren’t you?’ Jonathan asked, his voice still lowered so as not to disturb the others—although Isaac did throw a quick glare at them from across the apothecary table.

Mia nodded in response.

‘I’m a Seer.’

‘Really? My friend Kizzy is a Seer,’ Mia told him. ‘She was here last summer.’

‘Yeah?’ Jonathan seemed overly pleased by that fact.

‘My aunt’s a Seer, too,’ Mia added.

‘It’s a cool power. That’s how I saw you, you know,’ he said. ‘It was in a dream one night. That’s when my visions come to me.’

Mia’s brow creased. ‘You saw me?’
‘Yeah. Didn’t you know? I was the first one to get a warning about the threat to steal the Arx.’

Mia’s eyes widened. ‘What did you see?’

‘Well, I saw you, surrounded by a bright light—the Arx, of course—and then a dark shape drawing the light from you until you...’ he trailed off.

Mia flinched. She didn’t need to hear the end of that sentence. ‘How did you know it was me?’ she asked.

‘I heard a voice. It kept saying your name over and over again. Mia Bicks, Mia Bicks. When I woke up I just knew I had to share the dream with Amos. So I told him about it straight away and we traced you here.’

‘You traced me to the castle?’ Mia asked, her stomach knotting at the thought.

Jonathan nodded. ‘Amos knew your mother from way back when, so he figured the Bicks surname might still be connected to the Glass Castle, and’—he held up his palms and smiled—‘the rest is history.’

Mia felt too shaken to smile back. ‘My aunt had a vision, too,’ she explained quietly. ‘I wonder how many more people know I’ve got the Arx.’
And that I’m hiding out here
, she added silently.

‘Don’t worry,’ Jonathan reassured her, ‘normally only Seers close to you would get a vision of you. It’s rare for a Seer to get a vision about a stranger.’

‘But
you
had a vision about it, and you didn’t know me,’ Mia pointed out.

‘True,’ Jonathan conceded. ‘But I have a theory.’ He blushed and grinned. ‘It’s dumb, really.’

‘Tell me,’ Mia urged.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, leaning in even closer. He met her eyes, biting his lip as he smiled. ‘I have this theory,’ he repeated, ‘that you and I are connected somehow, and that’s how I got the vision.’

He laughed in jest, but his eyes held hers for a second too long. A
significant
second too long.

It was Mia’s turn to blush. What had Jonathan meant by that remark? She stared down at the open book in her lap. There was something intense in Jonathan’s cool blue gaze, and she was suddenly aware of how closely they were sitting. The warmth of the fire began to feel too hot.

‘I’m glad Amos chose me to assist in this,’ Jonathan carried on, coaxing her eyes back to his. ‘I feel like I’m part of it, anyway.’

Mia pushed her discomfort aside for the time being. ‘When did you have the vision?’ she asked tentatively. ‘How long ago?’

‘A couple of weeks ago, maybe. Then a few days after that, Wendolyn confirmed you were one of her Arcana and we started doing damage control. You know, making sure your name didn’t spread any further than the Glass Castle and the Lighthouse...’

So that’s how Wendolyn knew
, Mia pieced the information together.

‘...we were able to isolate it pretty quickly. When Roland came to the Lighthouse for Demetrius and me, I was so amped to be chosen to help.’

‘Thanks,’ said Mia, all too aware that
help
meant spend the foreseeable future reading through the most boring books known to mankind. ‘I’m grateful that you actually
want
to help.’

‘Of course! I mean, it’s no big deal. It’s not all work, anyway. I’ve always wanted to come to the Glass Castle. The Hunters at the Lighthouse have been before, but Amos has never brought an Arcana. I’m the first.’ He glowed with pride.

Across the table, Isaac let out a snort before roughly turning the page of his book and glaring down at the text.

‘Well, it’s good of you to come,’ said Mia, ignoring the sporadic dagger stares from Isaac.

A small smile played on Jonathan’s lips. ‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Hey, maybe later, after we’ve finished up in here, do you want to do something? Maybe you could show me around.’

She hesitated.
Show him around?

The library door creaked open, cutting their conversation short.

In a rush of cool air, Colt stepped into the room. The candle flames wavered and flickered around him. He looked at Jonathan, then at Mia, then finally at Amos.