Southern Fortunes Read online

  “Yes.” Deidre stepped toward me. “We couldn’t make your lecture today, but we hope to tomorrow.”

  “What do y’all teach?”

  Burt placed a hand on his chest. “For moi, I teach magical ingredients and their common uses. I own the supply shop in Magnolia Cove, Magical Elements.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

  Burt offered his arm like a perfect gentleman. I took it because, well, I didn’t exactly deem Burt the harmful type. He seemed to me to be the sort of gentleman who played for the opposite team.

  He was gay, y’all.

  Burt splayed his fingers across his chest. “Well then, you’ll just have to stop by my shop. It’s truly a magical place.”

  The three of us walked down the hall together. They were so easy to talk to it was a pleasure being with them.

  “And you, Deidre? What do you teach?”

  She peered out from around Burt’s other side. “Witch history. It’s my passion.”

  I cocked a brow. “Oh? I’ve never thought about our history. I don’t know why. I suppose I should.”

  “It’s simply fascinating. You know about the Salem witch trials.”

  “Of course.”

  Deidre scratched her head with the pencil. “Some of the women who were witches in that area but weren’t accused of the craft escaped and ended up down here.”

  “Really?” This was fascinating.

  “Yes, and Deidre’s family is among them,” Burt said.

  “Is that true?” Interesting tidbits here.

  She blushed. “It is. I come from a long line of witches.”

  “Don’t be so bashful.” Burt pulled her in closer. “Go ahead and tell her.”

  Deidre leaned over as if she was sharing a secret. “I come from one of the oldest witch families here. Other people—who shall remain nameless—think their families are old and pedigreed, but they aren’t.”

  “Cue chilling music.” Burt laughed. “But seriously, the witches who think they own this school are some of the worst offenders.”

  A shudder fissured down my spine. “If you’re referring to one of the visitors in my class, then I wouldn’t want to be the person who tells them that.”

  Burt clapped a hand over mine. “My dear, these women have barks worse than their bites. For the most part, that is.”

  “I prefer not to find out.”

  We reached the front door. My gaze swept across the elaborately decorated foyer and up to a staircase.

  My breath caught. Standing at the top of the stairs was Rufus Mayes. His dark eyes met mine.

  I shivered, but not because he creeped me out. No, I knew some of what was inside Rufus Mayes. He’d been bad in the past, but I genuinely believed he was trying to make things right in his life.

  After all, he’d helped me on more than one occasion.

  Yes, he’d once attempted to kidnap me, but he hadn’t done it since, so I knew a hint of goodness lay hidden in his heart.

  Now it may have been buried so deep down that you needed a blasting kit to find it, but it existed.

  Anyway, like I was telling y’all, it wasn’t the sharpness in his gaze that caught me by surprise; it was what he was doing.

  His elbow rested on the wall, and he was smiling and laughing as he spoke to a woman. Rufus was flirting. But it wasn’t even the flirting that made me flush under my collar.

  It was who he was flirting with.

  Rufus Mayes was standing in the middle of the Southern School of Magic flirting with Beverly, the witch determined to ruin my class.

  She hadn’t said that, but I knew it was true.

  My gaze flickered from Rufus, and we headed outside. Maybe he didn’t know Beverly had it in for me. If he did, I prayed he tried to talk her out of it.

  But as I walked, a feeling of dread washed over me. I shot a glance back toward the house in time to see Beverly’s face filling a window.

  Yep. She had it out for me. I only hoped I’d be able to stand my ground against her.

  FOUR

  “Today we’re going to learn how to match with your familiar. To demonstrate, I’ve brought this kitten.”

  I hooked a hand under the fur ball I’d brought and laid her gently on the table. The kitten took one look at the crowd and instead of bolting, she purred softly.

  I smiled. “You’ll notice that animals used as familiars are different from the more domestic.”

  “How is that?” Beverly shot out from the back of the class.

  I took the kitten and walked her down the aisle. “Feel free to pet her,” I instructed to the children. “To answer you, Beverly, they’re different because the inherent fear many smaller creatures have to humans isn’t there.”

  “We aren’t human; we’re witches.” Prissy snickered.

  I paused. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. But we still have basic similarities to humans. We’re not vampires or werewolves.”

  “Thank God,” their third friend chimed.

  I let the rest of the children pet the kitten and returned to the front of the class. “Now that you’ve all met her, the way we figure out if an animal can be your familiar is to work a simple spell. Something small, like levitation. It’s all that’s necessary.”

  I settled the kitten on the desk and picked up a book. “When you work a spell in front of a potential familiar, you want to focus on the creature. If the animal is a good match, you’ll know.”

  “How?” Beverly shot out. “Will pixie dust surround you?”

  I could feel my face burning. I wanted to say, No, but if you’re not swallowed up by the earth, then it’s a good chance you’ve done something right.

  I didn’t know why that response came to me. It wasn’t like it actually made much sense.

  “Beverly makes a good point.” I was now smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. “Though pixie dust won’t happen, something else does. A witch matched to his or her correct familiar takes on a glow. It’s quite remarkable. I don’t know if y’all will be able to see it as clearly as I can, but we’ll see. I’ll demonstrate first.”

  I pinned my attention on the book and the kitten. The book rose. The kitten pawed at it playfully.

  “You’ll see there isn’t a real connection between me and the kitten.” The book floated down in a rather wobbly way and settled back on the table. “That just means we don’t make a good pair, y’all. But that doesn’t mean one of you won’t.” I grinned widely at all their young, shining faces. It was so precious. I wanted to squeeze their little cherub cheeks and wrap them in hugs and feed them cookies.

  But I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of children and cookies. No, thank you.

  “So now. Let’s go around the room one at a time and see if anyone is a perfect match for this kitten.”

  One at a time, the children approached the desk. Their eyes widened as each and every one levitated the book while focusing on the feline. And one at a time, none of them matched.

  Until the very last child.

  It was a young boy. He sat all the way in back. A fringe of dark bangs shielded his eyes. He approached meekly, with a timidity that bordered on frightened.

  My heart lurched. I gave him what I hoped to be an encouraging smile.

  “Your turn.”

  The boy extended a hand, and the book rose. It didn’t wobble. It shot up as if yanked by an invisible rope. The boy reached out with the opposite hand and stroked the kitten.

  Then he glowed.

  My breath hitched. There was nothing more splendid, more humbling than standing in front of a witch, or wizard in this case, while they fed off the connection from their familiar.

  “Can anyone see that?” I glanced around the room. I knew my expression beamed hope. Desperate hope. I hated to think what Beverly and her crew would do if they couldn’t see or at least feel the power the boy worked.

  “No,” Beverly said rudely.

  I didn’t even bother looking at her. “Anyone else?”

 
“I feel something,” said a little girl.

  “I think I might see something,” said a boy.

  “Yes, look there!” Another girl pointed to the boy. “I see something.”

  “Me too,” said a young man.

  Then the room erupted as boys and girls shouted that they could see a slight glow. It wasn’t as bright for them as it was for me, but it was tangible.

  As much as I almost hated to admit it, the slap in the face that Beverly received from the class witnessing and reacting to the familiar pairing was awesome.

  “Wait a minute.” Beverly rose. She lifted her chin and stared down at me. Yes, she managed that from across the room. Quite a feat, I know.

  “What is it?” I said innocently enough.

  “Anyone can match a wizard to a kitten. That’s easy. Nothing hard about that at all.”

  “Um. Well, I would disagree.” I pointed to him. “He was the last child to come up. All the others had gone. It was only him. The animal doesn’t matter.”

  “Doesn’t it?” she said smartly.

  Like, what was her problem? I’d never stepped on her toe or looked at her cross-eyed or anything. Why did this Beverly lady hate me so much?

  I folded my arms and puffed up my chest. “No, the animal doesn’t matter. If a witch is supposed to match with a certain familiar, then she or he does. That’s what counts.”

  She quirked a brow. “So any animal could be matched?”

  I rubbed my forehead. “I went over the best ones yesterday.”

  Beverly stepped forward as if this were now a challenge. “But could you match anyone to any creature?”

  Every eye was on me. No pressure. “Realistically, yes.”

  “What about this?” Beverly snapped her fingers, and suddenly a serpent lay coiled in her hands.

  The children gasped.

  “I don’t appreciate you scaring them. That’s not what this class is about. It’s about familiars. There’s nothing scary or evil in that.”

  “Scared?” She arched her arm until the serpent and Beverly were eye to eye. “There’s nothing scary about snakes. These children use snakeskin in potions and divination.”

  The snake’s tongue tasted the air. My stomach twisted.

  “So, do you think you can do it?” she said.

  Had I missed something? “Do what?”

  “Match this snake. Pair it just like you did the kitten.”

  I laughed nervously. “First of all, there are no guarantees it will match.”

  “Aha! So you admit it. You brought a kitten because they’re easier to match.”

  My skin burned with anger. I spoke slowly and through gritted teeth. “I sell kittens. Yes, some animals like cats are easier. I’ve explained that already. Three times now.”

  Beverly shoved the snake toward me. “Then prove it with something hard. Prove that a more difficult animal can be matched.”

  “Is it yours?”

  The children’s gazes bobbed back and forth between us. I felt like I was being put on trial for a crime I’d never committed.

  All I wanted was to help folks, y’all. That was it. I didn’t need any of this drama.

  Beverly’s head snapped up at my question. “My snake? Why would you ask if it’s my snake?”

  “Because you’re holding it.”

  “Not mine.”

  A slow, evil smile crept over my face. Yes, I know it was evil because that’s how I felt. I felt a jolt of evilness fill me as I glared at Beverly.

  “Please come to the front, Beverly.”

  The witch hesitated. “You can take the snake.”

  I waved dismissively. “No. Not me. The two of you look comfortable.” My gaze washed over the room. “Don’t they look chummy, kids?”

  “Yes,” came a chorus from the children.

  I placed the flat of my hand on the book. “Now. I would like for you, Beverly, to perform the same bit of magic that we’ve already shown.” I grabbed the wizard boy by the shoulders and pointed him toward his seat. “Take the kitten and the shoebox with you. We’ll discuss the rest in a few minutes.”

  He obeyed while Beverly’s eyes shot flaming arrows at me.

  I smiled sweetly. “Come now. Don’t be shy. You know how to do it. Levitate the book and focus on the snake.”

  The snake coiled around Beverly’s arm as she placed her free hand over the volume. It rose high and steady, but Beverly didn’t glow.

  The witch smiled at me.

  I knew what she was doing. Beverly was cheating. She was pretending to use the snake, but she wasn’t. Not at all. All of this was an attempt to make me look very, very bad. Like I didn’t know what I was talking about.

  So I did something I shouldn’t have.

  I knew it was wrong. I knew it was totally uncalled for, but Beverly and her evil gang of minions had pushed me to it.

  A thought flared in the back of my mind. Tether!

  A connection was instantly woven between Beverly and the snake. I’d purposely redirected Beverly’s power to weave into the serpent. It wasn’t like it was hard. The snake and Beverly were already connected. After all, he was her familiar.

  That’s when Beverly glowed. I would say she beamed like an angel, but that would have been an insult to angels everywhere.

  What I will say is that Beverly was luminescent. The students gaped and clapped.

  “Well done!” I joined the thunderous applause. “And I didn’t think you’d be able to match with the reptile. But I see you pair beautifully with it. Now. Are you going to take the snake with you? Or do I need to find it a home at Familiar Place?”

  Beverly sneered at me. “I borrowed him. I’ll be sure to return the creature.”

  “Thank you. Thank you very much.” I filled my lungs with a deep, cleansing breath and smiled at the class. “That’s all for today, kids. I’ll see you back tomorrow for our last lesson.”

  The kids shuffled from the room. I approached the little boy who’d matched with the kitten. “My name’s Pepper.”

  “I’m Hatcher Gray.”

  “Hi, Hatcher. You matched with her.”

  He stroked under its chin. “Yes.”

  “Would you like to keep it?”

  His gaze darted to the floor. “No. We can’t have pets in the dorms.”

  The words left his mouth with such sadness my heart cracked. I felt so bad for him that I wanted to just give him the kitten and tell Saltz that he needed to make an exception for little Hatcher.

  “Well, okay.” I hoisted the box under my arm. “I tell you what. Anytime, you can come to my shop and visit her. How does that sound?”

  Bright light filled his eyes. Hatcher nodded enthusiastically. “It sounds great!”

  “All right then. Promise me you’ll visit?”

  “I promise.” With that, Hatcher bolted from his chair and left the room. I turned to watch him go. My heart sank when my gaze snagged on Beverly and the gang.

  I decided to beat her to the punch. “Nice try with all that pretending the snake wasn’t your familiar.”

  “You could see right through that, could you?” Her mouth curled into a hideous sneer.

  “I could.” I folded my arms. “Listen, I don’t know what I did to become the butt of your anger, but whatever it was, I take it back.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. Long curls like serpents unfurled down her back. “You can’t take back what you are.”

  “What am I? You don’t like head witches. Listen, I can’t help that.”

  “No.” She took a threatening step closer. “Your grandmother might’ve accepted your half blood, but you’re not a true witch and even all your Craple lineage won’t change that.”

  Ah. So she didn’t like me because my father had been a human. “Let me guess, you’re full witch and from old blood?”

  “That’s right.” She eyed me from crown to toes and back. “Stay out of my way.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or else.”

/>   She threw the snake at me. I screamed and thrust out my hands, only to watch it disappear at the last minute.

  “Pathetic,” Beverly said.

  She and her cohorts cackled. As they left the room, Prissy said, “I wish I’d thought of that. Making the snake disappear.”

  “But you didn’t. You’re not as smart as me, and you never will be.” Beverly plumped her hair. “That’s why I teach divination and you only teach tarot.”

  Prissy glared at Beverly when she wasn’t looking.

  “Come on,” Beverly said, “let’s go to Magical Elements. I need more divination powder.”

  They disappeared and I sank onto a chair. Thank goodness tomorrow was my last day at this school. Those women were horrible.

  I rubbed the heels of my hands into my eyes and sighed.

  “Rough day?”

  My back tensed. Just hearing Rufus’s voice unnerved me. I kept my eyes shut and rubbed my temples. “What would make you say that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I just saw Beverly and her friends leaving. They aren’t exactly the nicest.” The sound of a desk chair being scraped across the floor filled the room.

  I peeked out one lid. Rufus indeed sat behind a desk. He looked absolutely ridiculous stuffed into something fit for a child. I burst into laughter.

  “Now what could be so funny?”

  I pointed at him.

  “What? Haven’t you ever seen a six-foot-tall man sit behind a middle schooler’s desk before?”

  “No.”

  His arms flared. “Well, now you have.”

  I shook my head. “Listen, I know you’re friends with them and all, but I’m glad tomorrow is my last day here.” I cocked an eye at him. “And what’re you doing here?”

  “I told you about the job teaching charm making.”

  I dug a hand in my pocket. The metal ward buzzed against my fingers. “Right. I forgot. That reminds me. You accidentally left this in my shop.”

  He raised a palm. “Keep it.”

  I understood. He’d made it for me. I clutched the metal to my chest. “Thank you.”

  He wiggled out from the desk. “Listen, I’ll speak to Beverly about you.”

  “Y’all two certainly are chummy.”