The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga by Taliesin Govannon (top 10 novels of all time .txt) 📗

know, it might feel good to shed this body for a few right now I thought.  All I could say, however, was “sure.”

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I walked down the hallway without bothering to be discreet.  I didn't have to be… my body was snoozing peacefully back in the meditation room.  I knew that there were some who could still sense me, but I had the advantage of knowing where they were at.

                I walked into an unoccupied room and turned to the wall.  On the other side were Angelique and Hatsu, and Angelique obviously wanted me to hear what they were talking about.

                I had always minded things like walls and doors out of habit.  However, there was nothing forcing me to do so when in spirit form.

                “Well, here goes nothing.” I said to nobody.

                I walked forward, through the wall, and into the space between the rooms.  A small hole allowed sound to freely pass into the space, and I soon heard familiar voices.

                “She is settling… in very well.” Angelique’s said with her usual cool delivery.

                “That is good to hear.”  I had only heard her speak a few times, and one of them was in spirit form like I presently was in,  but I’d know Hatsu’s voice anywhere.  “There are many for whom the reawakening of the Sorceress is a very concerning occurrence.”

                “Vincent and I have the situation well in hand, I can assure you.”

                “You have to admit that, given your history with such things, such an assurance carries little weight.”

                “I, of all people, want this time to be different.”

                “This one is especially strong.  If you fail again, the repercussions could be worse than before.”

                “I am fully aware.”

                Damn, I thought, neither of these two are giving a single thing away.  It’s like a meeting of the ice water sisterhood!

                “I am satisfied.” Hatsu said after a pause.  “This one has resources the others did not.  You are utilizing them well.”

                “I am honored by your assessment.” Angelique said, and then glanced my way.

                Suddenly I was flying backwards, no regard given to wall or other obstacle.  I hit my body hard, sitting up suddenly on the sofa.

                Rini was ready, bong in hand.  She passed it to me without fanfare.

                “Hit this.  Quickly.” she deadpanned.

                I did as she said, inhaling deep.  As I exhaled, I felt the stirrings of the mother of all headaches begin.  Slamming back into my body that fast always did that to me.

                The next thing Rini was handing me was a tub of chocolate ice cream.  “Eat.” she said, handing me a spoon.

                After a few more rounds of Fae weed, the headache started to recede.  I had quite a bit on my mind, and decided to ask the one person I could for answers.

                I started to get up, but found that my body just didn’t want to rise just yet.  A combination of astral traveling and powerful Fae ganja were conspiring to make me rest.

                “Tomorrow.” I said to no one in particular, and then drifted off.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I awoke the next morning in my bed, unsure of how I got there.  I assumed that Vincent had found me passed out in the meditation room and moved me, even being careful to fold my clothes on the side table.

                Dammit, I was naked around Vincent and was too wiped out to enjoy it! I thought, and started putting on my clothes.

                The walk down to the kitchen was one spent lost in thought.  How many Sorceresses has Angelique known?  And how many have gone well?  Has ANY gone well?

                I stopped halfway to the kitchen, a note taped to a vase of fresh flowers.  Please join me in the garden was written in Angelique’s distinct handwriting.  I took a deep breath, inhaling the perfume-like fragrance of the flowers, and decided that a morning trip to the garden sounded splendid.

                I found Angelique outside, sprinkling rose petals on the ground around her prize rosebushes.  She smiled when she sensed my presence and started talking without looking away from the now-pink grounds.

                “These are the last of this year’s rose petals.” she said dreamily.  “Many have wondered how I grow my roses to smell like they do.  Few appreciate feeding not just the roots, but the spirit of the plant as well.  The beauty of a rose  is a legacy to be built on, not just bred.”

                I stood behind her, and she turned to face me.  She ran her hand down my cheek.  “My beautiful Annabelle,” she said, “so full of awe, of questions.  Would you like to know how I keep these flowers looking so… young?  How the colors change with the decades?”

                She was weaving her usual spell of beauty and wonder, but my mind would not be swayed.  “How many Sorceresses have you known?”

                “A few.”

                “What, are there so many you’ve lost count?”

                “No, I remember everyone." she said, looking wistful for a moment.  "I just prefer to think of them as people, not numbers.  I remember every name, every face… young or old."

                “Did any of them live to be old?” I asked, dreading the possible answers.

                “The vast majority.”  She smiled, and it drove away my mounting fear.

                We walked over to the old wrought-iron table we kept out there and sat on matching chairs.

                “Thanks for the heads-up.” I said, still breathing a sigh of relief.

                “I promised no more secrets.” she answered.  “I knew that Hatsu wanted to talk about your progress.

                “You mean my stability?”  I tried not to sound hurt.  Hatsu didn’t know me.

                “Which you are acing!” she assured me.  “And, to be honest, I have a great deal of history to tell you.  I just have too much to give you all at once.”

                I thought furiously for the right question.  She doesn’t want to talk numbers, that’s