The Tethering: The Complete Collection

3. Lessons with Molly

3

Lessons with Molly

“The thing you’ve got to remember is to stay covered,” Molly said, her voice clipped and tense as she led Jacob, Emilia, Connor, and Claire deeper into the woods behind the house. “You can stand in a field shouting spells as much as you want, but when it comes down to fighting for your life, you want to keep your body covered.”

They were far enough into the trees that the house could no longer be seen. Jacob’s chest tightened. He clenched his fists as he forced himself to walk farther from the house. From safety. He glanced behind at Emilia. She was pale, and though the day was cool, sweat glistened on her forehead. Molly didn’t know Emilia and Jacob had fought in the woods. Molly didn’t know Jacob had killed to protect Emilia.

Emilia walked faster, catching up to Jacob. She touched his arm and opened her mouth as though to speak before shaking her head and falling behind.

Molly had stopped walking and was talking again.

“First things first. I want you to give yourselves a bit of protection.” Molly had never taught any lessons at the Mansion House. It seemed strange that it was now her job to teach them to fight.

It should have been Samuel, Jacob thought.

“All of you know how to do a shield spell. Let’s see it,” Molly ordered.

There was a murmured chorus of “primurgo.”

The air around Jacob shimmered as his spell surrounded him.

“Fulguratus.” Molly formed a glowing bolt of lightning in her hand, which she threw at Jacob. The bolt bounced harmlessly off his shield. “Well done, Jacob.”

Molly threw another bolt at Emilia and one at Connor.

“Fulguratus.” Molly tossed a bolt at Claire.

“Ouch.” Claire rubbed her arm where the bolt hit.

“If you would focus, it wouldn’t hurt,” Molly said. She didn’t sound like the Molly who made breakfast every morning and always had treats hidden in the kitchen. She had changed. They all had.

“Talismans down here, please.” Molly pointed to the base of a tree near her feet. “We don’t want any of your spells getting too strong.”

Emilia slid the necklace with the sapphire pendant over her head and laid it in the grass. Jacob gripped his wand. He didn’t want to be without it, not even for a moment. Emilia caught his eye, her brow furrowed. Jacob placed his wand next to the necklace. Molly wouldn’t hurt them.

Claire pulled off her silver ring, took Connor’s wand from him, and slid the ring onto it.

“What?” Claire asked when Connor glared at her. “It’ll be safer that way.”

“Now,” Molly said loudly, keeping Connor from arguing with Claire, “I want each of you to take ten seconds to run into the trees. Your goal is to make it back to the house. If you get hit, by me or by each other, consider yourself dead. Keep down, keep covered, and get to the house.”

Connor began to ask a question.

“Go!” Molly shouted. “Ten, nine, eight…”

Jacob followed Emilia as she took off running through the trees. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Connor bolt down the path to the house. It was a mistake, the path was too open.

“Provis!” Molly shouted, and Connor hit the ground with a yelp.

“Hey!” Connor’s indignant shout carried over the sounds of Jacob crashing through branches.

Jacob stayed close behind Emilia as she wound through the trees. His instincts screamed to protect her, even if it was only from Molly.

“Chrystilla!” Golden sparks hit a tree to Emilia’s left.

“Verto!” Jacob shouted over his shoulder.

The ground in front of Emilia began to shake. “Emilia, watch out!”

She dodged to the side as a c***k formed in the earth.

Jacob was too busy watching Emilia leap to safety to notice the ground splitting under his own feet. His toes caught in a crevice, and he fell with a grunt. Before he could push himself up, Emilia had grabbed his hand, yanking him to his feet. The instant their hands met, he felt Emilia’s heart beating, her adrenaline pumping.

“Gelethra!” Molly’s shout cut through the trees.

The air around Jacob’s feet shimmered, and as he moved to take another step, his foot stuck to the ground as though trapped by mud. Jacob waved his free arm wildly, desperately trying to regain his balance, before he tipped over, releasing his grip on Emilia as he fell again. Pain shot through his hand as a rock sliced his palm.

“Macolia!” Molly shouted.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw leaves swirl in front of Claire, who glanced back at Molly as the leaves formed a solid wall, blocking her path. Claire rammed into the wall at full speed. The leaves quivered, and a boom like a large drum nearly covered her squeal as she tumbled to the ground.

“Really?” Claire groaned, holding her shoulder and lying in the dirt.

Jacob grabbed Emilia’s hand and pulled her farther into the trees, cutting a wide angle back to the house. His hand was slick with blood and Emilia’s grip tightened as she almost slipped away.

“Perectus!” The sound of a tree cracking echoed behind them.

Emilia screamed, stopping as though frozen by the spell.

“Emilia.” Jacob turned to her, but she didn’t stop screaming. She fell to the ground, covering her head, hiding from some unseen horror.

“Emi.” Jacob knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

“No!” Emilia lashed out, hitting and scratching him.

Her nails dug into Jacob’s face as she knocked him to the ground.

“Please don’t hurt him,” Emilia sobbed, covering her ears.

Jacob gathered her into his arms, holding her to his chest.

“You’re fine. It’s okay. You’re okay,” Jacob murmured. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Emilia gasped, struggling to breathe through her tears.

“You’re safe,” Jacob whispered.

“Emilia?” Claire stood next to them, her face white with fear.

“She’s fine,” Jacob said, not loosening his hold on Emilia.

Emilia pushed away from him, her gaze searching the trees before finding Jacob’s face. “I’m sorry.” Emilia stood up and stumbled away from him.

“Emilia,” Molly said. “You should take a minute, and then we can continue.”

“No.” Emilia shook her head. “I can’t do this.” She tore through the trees and back to the house.

Jacob turned and walked back through the woods to where they had left their talismans, fighting the urge to follow Emilia. She wouldn’t want him with her.

“I don’t think Emilia should come back out here,” Connor said, glancing over his shoulder at Molly.

Jacob didn’t say anything. He picked up Emilia’s necklace and slipped it into his pocket.

Connor slid Claire’s ring off his wand and tossed the silver band back to her.

“She has to come back out to train,” Molly said with a harsh authority that seemed strange coming from her.

“Not in the woods,” Jacob said quietly, not looking at the rest of the group. “She shouldn’t come back out here.”

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Molly said. “Do you think the Dragons are going the let her choose where she wants to fight? Do you think they’ll let her find a nice place before they try to kill her?”

“I think she already knows what it’s like to fight the Dragons,” Jacob said, staring into Molly’s eyes.

Molly glared back at him. Jacob could tell she was angry, but he didn’t flinch.

“Aunt Molly,” Connor said. “Maybe we should practice by the house.”

“You will practice where I tell you to, Connor Wright,” Molly said, rounding on Connor. “Your parents are still living on the High Peaks Preserve. Just because they haven’t been set upon by Dragons yet doesn’t mean it will stay that way. If your parents are attacked, if they are captured, you need to be able to defend your family. You have to be able to protect yourself.”

Molly was telling a fourteen-year-old he needed to be able to protect his family. The world was falling apart.

“Pelluere.” Jacob clenched his teeth as the sting of healing seared his palm.

Molly took Jacob’s hand, examining the place where the rock had pierced it. “Well done, Jacob. Claire, heal Jacob’s cheek. You need the practice.”

Claire didn’t seem nervous as she held her palm out toward Jacob’s face. Jacob tried to look calm as well. “Pelluere.”

Jacob felt the warmth of Claire’s spell before the stinging set in as his skin knit back together. He resisted the temptation to touch his face to make sure everything was still in the right place.

“You look good.” Claire smiled at him.

Molly walked over and inspected Claire’s work. “Nicely done.”

Claire smiled and bounced a bit at the praise.

“We’ll meet again tomorrow. Tidy up this mess before you come back to the house. I’ll go get dinner ready.” She walked back through the trees.

“She’s a bit creepy these days,” Claire said. “I know you said she had fought before, but I didn’t know she could be like this.” Claire gestured to the cracks in the ground and the fallen trees.

“It is weird,” Connor agreed. “Ramono.” The tree branch that lay at Connor’s feet flew back up through the air and reattached itself seamlessly to the tree.

“Where exactly did Molly fight?” Jacob asked.

“Tellura,” Claire said. The ground shook under their feet as a c***k in the dirt rumbled back together.

“At the High Peaks Preserve,” Connor said. “The settlement my parents are with. They were attacked. Travelers, wizards without a Clan, and centaurs. They all wanted the land my family was on, so my family defended it. They had to fight on and off for years. I don’t know much about it, but I know it got pretty bad sometimes. That’s why my parents sent me here.”

“Right,” Jacob said. “Prasinuro.” The flower stems at their feet straightened, and the singe marks on the trees disappeared.

“Let’s go,” Claire said, threading her arm through Jacob’s.

“I’ll catch up in a bit.” Jacob took a step back, disconnecting his arm from Claire’s. “I want to take a walk.”

“But―” Claire began to protest, but Connor took her hand and dragged her toward the house.

Jacob headed right, cutting sideways into the woods. He needed a minute to think away from the house. Away from everyone. In a few minutes, he found a clearing with a bench and one beautiful tree.

Jacob lay in the grass, staring up through the branches of his tree―the tree he had healed not even half a year before. It seemed like forever ago that he had lain in this exact same place and the tree had dropped a stick on his face. The stick that had become his wand.

Jacob twirled his wand through his fingers like a baton. It was strange how much a piece of wood could do. At the beginning, it was just a stick. Something to prove to himself that he was a wizard. That he, Jacob Evans, was meant to be a part of the magical world. But now, with all the hours of practice and all the magic he had done, the wand had become a part of him. After using it to fight for his and Emilia’s lives, he felt n***d and vulnerable without it.

The smooth surface of the wand glinted in the sunlight. There had been one spell Jacob had done without his wand. Emilia was trapped, and there was no escape. Bile rose in his throat as he remembered the heat that had burst through his skin.

Shrieks of pain and fear ripping from the mouths of the Dragons that had pinned Emilia down. Screams echoing through the woods. Fire turning the trees black but leaving Jacob and Emilia alive. Jacob sat up and forced himself to breathe, swallowing the sour in his mouth.

He should have died doing that spell. Using that much magic without a talisman to draw the energy away from his body was suicide. He’d known it and had done the spell anyway. Anything to save Emilia, to keep her from being taken back to the caves. Yet he had survived. He had survived, and the Dragons had died.

But he didn’t know how. Jacob looked at his hands―one streaked in gold, the other plain. Nothing on either of them showed he was special, that he could survive the impossible. Nothing marked him as a killer either.

He felt a pull in his chest.

Emilia.

She was angry, furious. Jacob resisted the temptation to run to the house. She didn’t want to be bound to him. His responding to her moods only made it worse. Every time he felt his heart lurch with a feeling that was not his own, Jacob wanted to run to her, to hold her and tell her everything was all right. But it wasn’t all right, and eavesdropping on her feelings wasn’t making anything better, even if he couldn’t help it.

The rage in Jacob’s chest didn’t subside. He sighed and stood, patting his tree goodbye before heading inside. He found Connor and Claire staring up at the ceiling.

“What are you doing?” Jacob asked, following their gaze, half-expecting to see a fairy flying above them. But the hallway ceiling looked normal. Not a flying magical thing in sight.

“Wait for it,” Claire said, not moving. A few seconds later, a horrible crash echoed from above.

Jacob started toward the stairs, but Connor grabbed his arm.

“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Connor warned.

“But someone could be hurt.”

“She’s fine,” Claire said serenely. “It’s probably good therapy. Getting out aggressions or something.”

“What?” Jacob looked back at the ceiling as the sound of shattering glass floated down the stairs.

“Emilia’s trashing Dexter’s room,” Connor said, looking apologetic for mentioning Dexter’s name. “I ran upstairs when I heard the first crash.” Connor glanced at Claire.

“Neither of us is brave enough to go in there,” Claire said. “She’s a little scary right now.”

Jacob turned back to the stairs. A shriek came from above.

“I’ll go check on her,” Jacob said.

“Godspeed, and gird your loins!” Claire called after him.