Water Witch by Amelia Bishop Read Free Book Online Page B

Frantically I reached out to touch a root, grasping the one that had grown stronger as I’d watched. A strange combination of my mother and Salil. I didn’t dwell on what that might be about, instead grasping the other, now withered, stem. Scott, our house in the desert. Of course. I tried to touch another root, one that had not fallen victim to the watery purge, but it recoiled from my probing fingers.
    Structures I’d seen here my whole life were now gone, new soil filling the spots they’d occupied. So much missing, what does this mean? Panic crept up again, and the pull back to my body increased. This time I let myself go.
    ***
    Working backwards, I repeated my meditation ritual. When I was fully present in my body and aware of my surroundings again, I slowly stood and left the protective outline I’d drawn in the sand. A flutter of green on the water, too bright to be natural, flickered in the periphery of my vision. But when I turned there was nothing but the sparkling bay, and my favorite boulder sat empty in the distance.

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    “Thank the goddess there’s a coven meeting tomorrow. I’ll call Liliana now and put this on the agenda.” My mother stalked to the telephone and dialed, eyes worried.
    Noni pursed her lips. “What do you think it means, Vincenzo?”
    “I don’t know.” When she tilted her head like she didn’t believe me, I lost my temper. “I don’t know!” Fuck, I shouldn’t be yelling at her.
    She was unfazed by my outburst. “But it frightens you.”
    “Yes, it does. I’m sorry I snapped at you.” I sat beside her on the couch and she patted my thigh.
    “It’s all right.” She took a deep breath, keeping her gnarled hand on my knee. “I know you think your interpretation skills need work. And they do. But remember—the answers are already inside of you. It is only a matter of finding them. Listen to the song of your blood, and trust your skill.” Using my knee as a brace, she stood.
    “I don’t know how—”
    “Stop these doubts. You knew how well enough when you were a boy. Remember.”
    She scuffed away, and I scrunched my eyebrows together at her back. Had I ever known how to interpret properly? Was it a skill, or an innate ability?
    My mother returned from her phone call, much more relaxed. “She’s clearing the whole meeting for us. After the Esbat ritual you can explain everything to the coven, and we’ll all discuss possibilities.”
    “Great.” The first full moon of August usually consisted of a brief ritual followed by a rushed meeting, capped off with a long, booze-soaked party around the bonfire. And I was going to use it to explain my weird dream to the whole coven, which I hadn’t met with in two years. Fantastic.
    “Don’t sound so excited.” She planted a fist on her hip, irritated at my sarcasm.
    “Sorry. I just don’t feel comfortable sharing this. I don’t even know what it means.”
    “That’s the point, Vinny. The coven is stronger together than we are alone. Let them hear, give their insight, and maybe we will have a better idea of where to go with this.”
    “Okay. Yeah, that’s a good idea.” I tried to sound more sincere than I felt.
    “Good. At least pretend. That’s good.” She patted my shoulder and left, shaking her head.
    Noni’s words still rung in my head. Had I known when I was little how to interpret my visions? Had I simply forgot?
    Maybe I could ask Salil.
    That thought gave me more hope than anything I’d come up with yet. If the sneaky Fae was going to trespass, steal, and tease me with his sexy, half-naked body in my dreams, the least he could do was answer some questions and help me work through this shit. And who knew more about visions than the Fae? Maybe I was looking at this all backwards, thinking of him as a threat. Maybe he was an asset, after all.
    I couldn’t stomach another vision then, not even to get answers or to see Salil, so I did some yard work with Noni. It felt