or Pauline's, or the nurse, or even the house. It was all just…gone.
What did that say about me?
And what am I supposed to think about what just happened at Crwys's? I'd barely said yes to that voice before I was charged with power and took out those little monsters with little thought. If it weren't for my Undine and her cold shower, what would I have done? Killed Blackwood before he could escape?
Did the Arcane know the Ceremonial Magician was there while I didn't?
I didn't have a magic book or some kind of manual to tell me what I was supposed to do because no one, especially not a Witch, is supposed to use this power. I let the hot water wash over me as I put my hands on the scar at my chest. I hadn't looked at it since that night at the restaurant. But knowing now that it was possible Crwys hadn't rejected me, that he hadn't just dumped me and left town, gave me courage to finally look down.
It was the size of a silver dollar and about the same measurement in height above my skin. The last time I'd looked at it, the tissue around it was raw and looked more like I'd been burned or branded. Odd indentations decorated the surface and when I put my hand on it, it felt like whatever it was sat just beneath my skin. Crwys and I had toyed with the idea that the scar was the mark of Arcane, the mark the Witch Finders had used to catch the Witches who used Arcane. But the more the scar changed and grew…I doubted that was the answer. The Malleus Maleficarum, in all its flawed revelations, not accounting for the viewable words given to Cowens, non-witches, told of moles and odd growths hidden on the Witch.
This sucker was not small, and it was not hidden. It was right out there for everyone to see.
My Undine appeared just inside the curtain. She was beautiful, just as all my Elementals were. And when I saw her, I felt only love, affection and appreciation. I reached up and held my hand out to catch water from the shower. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't let the Arcane take control like that."
She settled on my palm, her touch light and ticklish. When she shook her head in agreement, I smiled at her. "You're going to keep me on my path?"
That's when all of them appeared. The Sylph just behind her, the Salamander just above the nozzle away from the water, and my Gnome who peeked in as she moved the curtain. All of them nodded.
I dressed and ran a dryer over my hair, then gave up. It was thick and black and unruly. I grabbed clean clothes, jeans, a button down shirt, socks, and an older pair of boots I hadn't touched since I wore them to Savannah, Georgia nearly a year ago. My regular boots were still wet.
Everyone was in the break room when Grey and I came down the stairs. Even Dharma. That didn't make me happy. The kettle was hot and I poured myself a cup of tea before I turned and faced them. "Dharma, this is a private meeting. You can go home."
She shook her head. "I'm staying. You need my help."
"No. I don't."
"Sam," Kyle said. "Just listen, okay? I've already briefed them on what happened."
I looked from him to Dharma to Ivan and then back. "Everything that happened?"
Kyle matched my gaze. "Everything."
Dharma stood up from the table as her chair scraped the hardwood floor. "Miss Hawthorne, it's okay. I'm not going to tell any of the others what's happened. Ivan filled me in on how you became infected—and I can honestly say—"
"Infected?" That…what she said instantly pissed me off. "You think I'm infected? Little girl, do you even know what this is?" I put my hand to my chest but I didn't reveal the scar. "Do you know what I did? What made this infection possible?"
My voice must've carried some kind of weight because I swear the girl trembled where she stood. And I wasn't going to let up on her.
"Miss Water, you have no idea what I've been through from my side of things. And right now, I'm not interested in disinfecting myself. I'm interested in finding someone who might have been kidnapped and could be in some serious pain. Now, I'm happy you and Ivan are a thing, but this is personal, it's private and it's non of