Chapter Nine

Emira

My magic still swirls around my hands in a beautiful shimmering pink mist. I float on its energy and then pull it back inside of me.

"I forgot what a rush the Goddess' magic was," I say, as I notice Kalum's gaze on me. He just shakes his head at me and chuckles. He holds out his hand and I place mine in his. His tan skin clashes beautifully with my own pale skin, like yin and yang. He's the yin to my yang. Kal gently pulls me forwards to catch up with the rest of the group. A cold chill travels down my spine and I raise my head. A pair of icy blue eyes stare at me. It's one of the girls from the Salem Coven. She was standing just behind their leader when they were introducing themselves. She has ebony black hair that falls in the straightest line I've ever seen down to her waist. Her pale skin makes her seem like a ghost and just accentuates the black tattoo on her forehead. I shiver involuntarily and squirm under her gaze. She definitely saw my reaction to the Goddess' magical barrier. I curse silently and walk quickly up the stairs leading into the Hall. We push past the large doors and enter into a giant circular open space. The walls are lined with seats that spiral on towards the ceiling high above us. The Hall is magical and made so that it will always accommodate the number of witches in it as well as our coven's need. Right now, our coven needs to look powerful, so the Hall naturally recreates itself into a huge Hall that demands respect. I smile sneakily at the magic, loving it. A giant full moon with two crescents on each side shines on the floor. The Salem Coven walks to the left side and takes the seat closest to the middle. My friends and I walk to the right and take seats opposite them. The tension in the Hall is so thick I could stab it with my twin blades. I sit down next to auntLuna with Kal next to me. My parents and my siblings sit next to each other behind us. Ben and uncle Daniel sit on Luna's other side. Kal's brother and parents sit behind them. Hanna, Natsuko, and Eddie sit right behind auntLuna. Everyone is on high alert. No one bears visible weapons but I know that each of their weapons are spelled to be invisible.

"Adham." Luna's voice rings out sharp and clear. Their leader looks up at us. "You came into our home unannounced, yet we welcomed you. Now if you do not mind, I and my Coven, wonder why you are here?" We all turn our attention to the other side of the room. Adham looks at us calmly. His head cocks to the side as if he was listening to someone. A glimmer of white floats around him. I reach out with my magic and sense an incredibly powerful wave of magic answer mine. I gasp at the same time as Jake. Without turning my head much, I look at him. He nods slightly and my breathing speeds up.

There is a spirit advising him. And by the way it's pushing against my magic, it's powerful.

"Why of course Luna." His unsettling gaze lands on me and he cocks his head a little to the side. "We came to officially meet with the Aether Witch. It is customary that the Aether Witch be presented to the magical community when she has come of age. Though I was surprised to find out that the honorable White Cove Coven had hidden the new Aether Witch, therefore breaking our customs." His voice remained calm, but the way Kal grips my hand tighter, I know he and the rest of my friends can feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. "I believe that you had a good reason to break our customs. And we want to hear it." Luna's hands ball into fists underneath the large alabaster slab sitting in front of us as a table. But she keeps her neutral facial expression.

"As members of the original Coven from Salem," Luna says calmly. "I expect that you value the words of The Goddess above all else." Adham nods. "Then you should know that the Goddess' word is law." Another nod. Luna sits straighter. "We were told that the Aether Witch was in danger and that she was to be kept safe. We followed her order as best we could. That meant that we shielded her from the rest of the Witch World as a method of minimizing the dangers that she was presented to."

I hate that they are speaking about me as if I wasn't here! I send my thoughts to Kalum. He squeezes my hand and runs his fingers over the pink veins on my wrist, tracing them calmly. The heat emitting from his fingers, combined with the little shocks of energy coming from everywhere our skin touches calms me slowly. I look up at him and I meet his wonderful ocean eyes. They look at me with so much love that I nearly grab his neck and pull his lips down to meet mine. A loud crash tears me away from Kalum. The same girl that watched me react to the barrier stands with her wooden chair lying on the floor. She stares at me with hateful eyes.

"I think that you are lying," I feel my coven tense up. "Cause what I saw when she crossed the barrier is unlike any other Aether Witch!" Her coven-mates look at her and then turn their attention to me. "I demand to see her magic!" Every member of my group stands up and starts arguing with the Salem Coven, refusing their offer. I stay seated running through my options in my head. I could show my magic and hope that they leave without hurting anyone. Or I could refuse and risk a fight breaking out. Only one right choice. I stand out and throw my arms out around me.

"ENOUGH!"