FIVE
The triplets remained content while Layla got ready for bed, but they started squeaking right as she cracked open the heavy copy of Divination for Beginners and scatter gemstones across the vanity. Keeping her ears tuned into her children, she scrambled to find the information she needed, but by the time she reached a useful passage, the fussing had warped into wailing.
“Shit.” She bit her lip while scanning her mess. Then she opened the bathroom door just a crack. After making sure Quin hadn’t returned, she opened the door wider and called across the room. “It’s okay, my loves. Mommy’s right here.”
They quieted, making Layla think her absurd plan had actually worked, but as soon as she returned her gaze to the book, the sirens started up.
Unwilling to annoy Nala’s family, Layla left behind her mess and hurried to the crib. She picked up the loudest baby first. Then she used a little help from her magic to gather the other two. Her eardrums rang as they shrieked at her head, too worked up to realize they’d gotten their way, and as she turned toward the bed to make sure Benzio was still asleep, she found Cordelia standing on the threshold.
“I knocked,” she called over the commotion. “May I help?”
Layla threw a panicked glance at the open bathroom door. Then she composed herself and tried to act normal. “Sure.”
Cordelia met Layla halfway and took Kaedan from her shoulder. Then they both began bouncing babies and softly speaking into their tiny ears. The room eventually quieted, and Cordelia smiled while looking at Layla. “Good thing Benzio has a silencing spell cast around him. Do they cry like that often?”
“Only when I have something I need to do,” Layla joked, but she immediately regretted it.
“I’ll help,” Cordelia offered. “What do you need to do?”
“Oh… nothing really, I was just um… getting ready for bed. I let them cry while I finished up.” She shifted Lilyana and Farrow so she could see their faces. “That’s how we ended up throwing full-blown fits, isn’t it?”
“That’s not the only reason,” Cordelia countered. “You’re leaking.”
Layla bowed her head and discovered two tit-sized, wet spots on the t-shirt she’d borrowed from Quin. “Damn.”
Cordelia’s voice floated across the room. “I’ll get a towel.”
No! Layla whipped her gaze up, but it was too late. Cordelia had already entered the bathroom.
Layla’s lungs deflated as she dropped her head. Then she shuffled to a rocking chair by the window, awaiting the inevitable interrogation.
Cordelia was quiet for a while, no doubt piecing together the clues. Then she emerged from the bathroom and brought Layla a towel. “Here. I’ll dry your shirt if you don’t mind taking it off.”
Layla balanced her babies on her thighs and stripped off her shirt, too tired to be modest. After passing off the mess, she draped the towel across her lap then gave Lilyana and Farrow the boobs they were searching for.
“That’s definitely what they wanted.” Cordelia summoned a chair to the spot across from Layla. Then she rocked Kaedan while magically cleaning the shirt. “Is that your stuff on the vanity?”
There it was, and there was no sense in lying, so Layla opted for straightforward. “Yes.”
“Is it for Brietta?”
“Yes.”
“Does Quinlan know about it?”
“No.”
Cordelia stayed silent and thoughtful as she finished cleaning Quin’s t-shirt. Then she stood and used one hand to help Layla slip it over her head. After returning to her seat, she patted Kaedan’s back and resumed the conversation. “You don’t think he’d approve.”
Layla shook her head no, feeling guilty enough to keep her gaze on the floor, and Cordelia released a contemplative hum while summoning a side table to the spot between them. “Isn’t that just like a wizard to try to keep his witch from doing something he’d do?”
Layla looked up, stunned by Cordelia’s response, but she wasn’t about to question the support. “I’m not so sure. He doesn’t put much faith in soothsaying.”
“That didn’t stop him from using it when the Dark Guild took you.”
Layla tilted her head. “He summoned visions?”
“Yes. I figured you already knew that.”
“He mentioned he received visions, but he didn’t say he summoned them. He doesn’t like to talk about what he did while I was in the guild.”
Cordelia’s eyes grew shiny as her aura darkened, but she breezed by the subject while transferring Layla’s supplies from the vanity to the table between them. “Let’s see what you have.”
“Quin could return any minute. He won’t be happy if he finds us like this.”
Cordelia winked. “Good thing I have Nala keeping an eye out for him. Witches have to look out for each other. So, what are you aiming for? Dreams?”
“Yes.”
“About Brietta?”
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“Information on Kegan or Alec would be useful.”
Cordelia nodded while taking stock of Layla’s gemstones. “You realize inviting visions can expose you to a flood of unwanted information, right?”
“I figured.”
“Did you also assume that going into this unprepared could expose you to negative energy?”
“Yes. That’s why I grabbed the book. You can block negative energy with certain gemstones, right?”
“You can try.”
“Do I have the right stones?”
“You have the bare minimum, which would work for a basic session calling for a broad range of visions, but you’re looking for something in particular, something difficult to find.” An overnight bag appeared on Cordelia’s lap, and after digging through it for a few seconds, she withdrew four gemstones. “These will help. Now we need something that belongs to Brietta and Kegan, or something they’ve touched. Oh, wait!” She plunged her hand back into the bag and withdrew a lavender-purple satchel. Then she loosened the drawstrings and dug inside. “I have the adoption list they handed out at Thanksgiving.”
Still stunned by the help, Layla watched the overhead light reflect off the shiny, purple pouch. “Is that your personal satchel?”
“Yes.”
“It’s pretty.”
“I’ll make you one if you’d like, but I’m sure you’ve noticed the witches in our coven don’t use them very often.”
“I have, but I never thought to ask why.”
“We like to claim they don’t work with dresses, which isn’t a lie, but there’s more to it. Generally speaking, there are only three scenarios in which a wizard will let you use his satchel like it’s your own. Either he’s related to you, he’s a member of your coven, or he wants a relationship with you. If none of that applies, don’t expect a place in his satchel. He might carry something for you if you ask, but he won’t save room for your stuff or get into the habit of offering, and he won’t like it if you leave something in it.”
“So it’s symbolic of a relationship? Like letting a girl wear your class ring or Letterman jacket?”
“Yep. I doubt it started that way, but that’s what it’s become. It’s pretty common for a teenage witch to fantasize about the moment her crush will offer to hold her stuff in his satchel.”
“That’s funny.”
“It’s ridiculous, but we love it. Watch closely next time you see it happening. The witch will probably be wearing a smug little smile because she just proved that’s her man. Unless it’s siblings. In that case, she’s smiling because she just suckered her brother into holding all her crap. Do you remember the first time Quinlan offered you a spot in his satchel?”
“The day after I met him. He offered to hold the bouquet he made me.”
“The one with the little stickman?”
“Yeah.”
“No wonder he’s so adamant about keeping it alive.”
Cordelia had freed the adoption list from her satchel and was skimming the handwriting. “Brietta passed this to me, but it looks like it was written by Kegan, at least partially, which means they’ve both touched it.” After folding the paper and placing it next to the gemstones, she summoned a purple scarf. Then she used magic to fashion the material into a pouch before flipping through Layla’s book.
Farrow and Lilyana were dozing off, so Layla maneuvered them from her chest to her shoulders. “I’m surprised you’re going behind Quin’s back to help me.”
Cordelia grimaced while filling her homemade pouch with the adoption list and gemstones. “Let’s omit that first part and pretend I’m just helping.”
“If it bothers you, why are you doing it?”
“Because women have to stick together. Guys have their code, and we have ours.”
“I don’t know the code.”
“It isn’t difficult to figure out. You have close female friends, right?”
Layla’s throat solidified as moisture flooded her eyes. “Bri. She… she’s the first woman my age I’ve felt close to. I wish I would have spent more time with her.” Unwilling to burst into tears, she swiftly rose and floated to the bed to lay down her snoozing babies.
Once Layla returned to her seat, Cordelia passed over Kaedan and tied the homemade pouch to Layla’s oversized pajama pants. “What about hexless girls when you were younger? Were you close to any of them?”
“Not really. I had a lot of friends, but no best friends.”
“Hmm… hexless people have a hard time connecting with us.” Cordelia patted Layla’s leg before moving to her chair. “You have a lot of women on your side now, including me. If your mom had come to me for a favor, I would have done it, no questions asked. The fact that you’re with my son shouldn’t negate the girl code. We all know how bossy and overprotective wizards can be, and Quinlan’s no exception. I know, because my own bossy and overprotective husband raised him. And I encouraged it, because most witches love when their men take charge, take care of business, and take care of them. But sometimes our well-meaning wizards are a pain in our asses. When that happens, you can always count on your girls to help you out.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Here.” She handed over two more gemstones. “Those need to go under your pillow.”
“I wasn’t aware you know so much about soothsaying.”
“I know very little about it, but I know more than you.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t do it?”
“No. I just want to make sure you’ve considered the consequences.”
“I’m more concerned with success.”
“That might be difficult to achieve since this is the first time you’ve worked this kind of magic.”
“But I’ve received visions without even trying, and I’ve performed uncommon magic on the first try before. Besides, Bri’s worth the risk.”
“I see you’re determined, and your confidence is promising, so I’ll stop trying to talk you out of it.”
Cordelia stood once more, waving a magical hand to replace the table and chair and stow the divination book in the babies’ bag. Then she gave Layla a hug and headed for the door. “Try to concentrate on Brietta while you fall asleep, and you need to shield yourself from the rest of the room. Whatever you invite in, you don’t want it touching your kids. Block both mental and spirit magic.”
“I will. Thank you again. I promise not to tell Quin you were in on it.”
Cordelia paused on the threshold and glanced back. “That’s the least of my worries. I hope you find what you’re searching for. Brietta’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
She swept from the room without waiting for a reply, and Layla eyed the soothsaying pouch, which was woven through a slit along her waistband. Her t-shirt remained bunched up around her shoulders, so she wiggled one arm in and pulled the material down far enough to hide the bag. As soon as Kaedan got drowsy, she pulled him to her shoulder for a burp. Then she slipped the two loose gemstones under her pillow and crawled into bed.
Guilt over hiding from Quin and involving his mom continued to plague her, but she was able to quiet the turmoil by telling herself it would all be worthwhile if she succeeded in bringing Brietta home.
Rolling over to face her children, Layla whispered while kissing their heads. “Whatever this world becomes, it needs your cousin Bri’s sunshine.” Then she cast a carefully constructed shield around herself and recalled Brietta’s bright smile.
~***~
Quin entered Nala’s guestroom to find the lights off and his family in bed, surrounded by so many auras, spells and shields he couldn’t confidently determine where they were flowing from, where they were going, or what purpose they served.
After quietly closing the door, he vanished the Scotch and cannabis from his breath and floated to Layla’s side of the bed. She lay facing their children and had yet to move, but when he landed and leaned over, she looked up at him.
He laid a hand on her arm as he knelt and lowered his lips to her curls. “Hey.”
“Hey back,” she whispered, grazing his knuckles with soft fingertips.
He ached to pull her onto his lap and smother her in kisses and love, but he merely squeezed her arm. “Need anything?”
She shook her head no, so following another soft squeeze and a kiss to her shoulder, he reluctantly let go and got ready for bed.