The Opal Witch

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Opal Witch

Lux

"You own a house?" Kitty and Travis asked together.

"According to Memaw. Her brother left the house to me."

"Not to be a downer or anything, but was this really so important that we had to come now? We've got a Bloodborn witch running amok and the gates of hell trying to burst open. We could totally work on redecorating later."

"Kitty's right," Travis said.

Unbuckling the seat-belt and stepping out of the car, Lux ignored them and stared at the looming structure before her. Her magic purred in contentment, and the ache that usually only quieted beneath Declan's touch diminished with each step she took towards the house. A sense of rightness washed over her, and she embraced it. This power was one she knew, and she'd learned long ago to trust in it.

"Lux," Kitty insisted again, her sandaled feet crunching as she walked up behind her. "We shouldn't waste the entire day here."

"Look, I promise this is important. Besides, we'd already discussed looping my grandmother in on everything. Now, we'll just do it in person."

"Lux is right. Phoebe has been quiet for weeks now. She wouldn't have asked us to come up here now if she didn't have something to show us."

Any further arguments were stopped by the creaking of a screen door opening and the clang of it shutting. Lux raced up the steps and flung herself into her Memaw's waiting arms and inhaled the older woman's familiar scent.

"Let me look at you, dear," Memaw said, pulling away and examining her granddaughter. What she found didn't sit well from the look on her face, and she turned a sharp eye towards Declan. "Is this what you call taking care of her? I don't know how she's even standing. When was the last time you ate?"

"Memaw, enough." The clipped command was enough to silence her grandmother, though she stared at Lux open mouthed for several seconds. Yeah, Memaw. Things have changed a bit since you left. "You said you found something important."

"Not that I care for your tone... but yes, y'all come on in."

The foursome followed the Godelieve matriarch inside the grand old home. The flooring was wide planked wood the color of espresso, and it creaked beneath the stampede of feet as they moved into the parlor off to the left. Ceilings stretching to fourteen feet towered above and matching crystal chandeliers cast spots of light on the floral wallpaper. Kitty pressed closer to her friend and whispered, "Forget decorating. This place is perfect."

"Yes, my brother had the good sense to keep most of the original decor the same, though I have found a few places his dreadful wife changed."

"They didn't have any children?" Lux asked, wondering for a moment if she had any cousins flitting about. Despite the lack of family, she'd never really thought about connecting with relatives, but now that her father had appeared, the idea held a lot of appeal.

"Sadly, no. My sister had a son who had a daughter. They don't speak to me. I'd really expected Walton to leave the property to them, but it appears he never lost his soft spot for me."

"But if the Godelieves have another daughter, wouldn't she be a witch?" Travis asked, sitting on an antique chaise.

"From what I've gathered, the girl is only fourteen. We'll deal with that problem when it gets here. Don't go borrowing trouble and all of that. Now," Memaw said, turning to pull an enormous book from a slim bookcase, "this is why it was so urgent for y'all to come."

Lux took the book and ran her fingers along the soft, dark leather. Familiar symbols marked the binding, but the cover was unlike anything she'd ever seen. A white pentagram took up most of the space, but a stone was affixed at each end of a point. "Emerald, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, and tektite. What goes here?" She tapped the indention in the center of the circle.