Read Online Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) by Jen McConnel - Free Book Online
Authors: Jen McConnel
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magic sticks out about a foot from his entire body.”
“That’s how far mine extends?” I stretched out my arms, staring at them intently, but I couldn’t see anything. “Can you show me?”
Squinting her eyes in concentration, Izzy traced her hand around my head. I couldn’t see the color she said was there, but her hand never came closer to my body than a foot and a half.
When she was done, I asked, “What does it mean?”
She shrugged. “I always associate people with a wider aura of magic with more power. That means that you and Justin are two of the more powerful Witches I’ve ever met.”
A thought occurred to me. “Izzy,” I began slowly, “what did you see when you fought Rochelle?”
Izzy pursed her lips. “Hers is bigger than yours. But it’s weird: it’s Red along the outside, but inside, close to her body, it’s Black.”
I shivered, not sure what that could mean. “So Rochelle is stronger than I am?”
She nodded. “Only if you face her alone.”
“Right.” I took a shaky breath. “When should we talk to the others about forming a Coven?”
Izzy smiled sweetly and flopped down onto her freshly cleaned bed. “When I wake up. But I warn you, I might sleep for years.”
I chuckled. “The cat won’t let you. We’ll tell them in the morning.”
I flicked off the light, and my room plunged into darkness. I lay awake for a while, listening to the sounds of Izzy’s breathing. Despite the disaster that had hit the Coven, I felt almost relaxed for the first time in months as I drifted off to sleep. That night, no nightmares plagued me, and if I had any dreams at all, I didn’t remember them in the morning.
Mom had taken Dr. Farren and Lorna out to the coast before Izzy and I woke up. While on the one hand I was glad she was doing everything she could to try and help them heal from the shock of Samuel and Roy’s betrayal, I was also sort of annoyed. I’d really been ready to broach the subject of a Coven with my parents, and I knew I needed Mom’s support before I tried to talk to Dad.
“Did she say when they’d be back?” I grumbled at my dad, who sat quietly at the kitchen table with his newspaper.
“Do the math yourself, Lena. It’s a three-hour drive, and they left here before sunup. Your mom will be home around dinner, I’d guess.” He sounded cranky too, and I wondered why.
Izzy grabbed a bagel and sat down next to him. “Then that just means you get to hear the idea first.”
I shook my head at her frantically, but she didn’t notice. Dad looked at her before folding his paper and setting it down.
“All right, you’ve got my attention. What do I get to hear first?”
Izzy nodded at me, and I sighed. I took a long swallow of coffee, trying to stall, and I felt Izzy kick me under the table. Finally, I said, “When Izzy helped me fight Rochelle in January, it worked because there were two of us.”
Izzy rolled her eyes, but Dad nodded, his face blank. “That’s nothing new.”
“I know.” I took a deep breath. “Look, Izzy and I were thinking that if we could form a Coven—”
Dad sputtered, cutting me off. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
My temper flared. “Why? What’s wrong with the idea of trying to work with other Witches? Doing it alone hasn’t worked for me so far.”
“Darlena, you were working with another Witch when you blew up that nuclear plant!”
I glared at him. “That’s different.”
“How?”
Izzy leaned forward.“Because then, it was just two Reds. A Coven would have more than one kind of magic. It would be balanced, sort of.”
Dad ignored her and stared at me. “Just who were you thinking of for this little group?”
I took a deep breath. “Like Izzy said, balance is important. So if we found, say, two Blues, two Greens, and two Whites, we’d have a place to start.”
“And I assume you wouldn’t try to bring another Red into it?” I’d never heard my dad sound so bitter,
“That’s how far mine extends?” I stretched out my arms, staring at them intently, but I couldn’t see anything. “Can you show me?”
Squinting her eyes in concentration, Izzy traced her hand around my head. I couldn’t see the color she said was there, but her hand never came closer to my body than a foot and a half.
When she was done, I asked, “What does it mean?”
She shrugged. “I always associate people with a wider aura of magic with more power. That means that you and Justin are two of the more powerful Witches I’ve ever met.”
A thought occurred to me. “Izzy,” I began slowly, “what did you see when you fought Rochelle?”
Izzy pursed her lips. “Hers is bigger than yours. But it’s weird: it’s Red along the outside, but inside, close to her body, it’s Black.”
I shivered, not sure what that could mean. “So Rochelle is stronger than I am?”
She nodded. “Only if you face her alone.”
“Right.” I took a shaky breath. “When should we talk to the others about forming a Coven?”
Izzy smiled sweetly and flopped down onto her freshly cleaned bed. “When I wake up. But I warn you, I might sleep for years.”
I chuckled. “The cat won’t let you. We’ll tell them in the morning.”
I flicked off the light, and my room plunged into darkness. I lay awake for a while, listening to the sounds of Izzy’s breathing. Despite the disaster that had hit the Coven, I felt almost relaxed for the first time in months as I drifted off to sleep. That night, no nightmares plagued me, and if I had any dreams at all, I didn’t remember them in the morning.
Mom had taken Dr. Farren and Lorna out to the coast before Izzy and I woke up. While on the one hand I was glad she was doing everything she could to try and help them heal from the shock of Samuel and Roy’s betrayal, I was also sort of annoyed. I’d really been ready to broach the subject of a Coven with my parents, and I knew I needed Mom’s support before I tried to talk to Dad.
“Did she say when they’d be back?” I grumbled at my dad, who sat quietly at the kitchen table with his newspaper.
“Do the math yourself, Lena. It’s a three-hour drive, and they left here before sunup. Your mom will be home around dinner, I’d guess.” He sounded cranky too, and I wondered why.
Izzy grabbed a bagel and sat down next to him. “Then that just means you get to hear the idea first.”
I shook my head at her frantically, but she didn’t notice. Dad looked at her before folding his paper and setting it down.
“All right, you’ve got my attention. What do I get to hear first?”
Izzy nodded at me, and I sighed. I took a long swallow of coffee, trying to stall, and I felt Izzy kick me under the table. Finally, I said, “When Izzy helped me fight Rochelle in January, it worked because there were two of us.”
Izzy rolled her eyes, but Dad nodded, his face blank. “That’s nothing new.”
“I know.” I took a deep breath. “Look, Izzy and I were thinking that if we could form a Coven—”
Dad sputtered, cutting me off. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
My temper flared. “Why? What’s wrong with the idea of trying to work with other Witches? Doing it alone hasn’t worked for me so far.”
“Darlena, you were working with another Witch when you blew up that nuclear plant!”
I glared at him. “That’s different.”
“How?”
Izzy leaned forward.“Because then, it was just two Reds. A Coven would have more than one kind of magic. It would be balanced, sort of.”
Dad ignored her and stared at me. “Just who were you thinking of for this little group?”
I took a deep breath. “Like Izzy said, balance is important. So if we found, say, two Blues, two Greens, and two Whites, we’d have a place to start.”
“And I assume you wouldn’t try to bring another Red into it?” I’d never heard my dad sound so bitter,
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