your own suit’s spells without the cards. At least, those of you who become full-fledged Ravens.” She caught Vivi’s eye. “Because some of you probably won’t make it that far.” She turned to Sonali. “Okay, Sonali, you’re up first. Please turn over a third card.”
Sonali did as she was told, revealing the Queen of Swords, the same card she’d drawn last night. “Ready to conjure the magic of a Swords witch?” Scarlett asked. “Repeat after me: ‘I call to the Queen of Swords, wise and fair. Lend me your power to summon the air.’”
Her voice quavering slightly, Sonali repeated the words. Nothing happened.
“It’s okay,” Scarlett said, sounding unusually kind. “Right now, they’re just words. In order to turn them into a spell, you have to speak with more than your lips and breath. You need to feel the words come out of your heart.” It was something Vivi could picture Daphne saying while trying to con one of her clients, but here in Kappa House, it was enough to make Vivi’s skin tingle.
Sonali took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was steady and sonorous. “I call to the Queen of Swords, wise and fair. Lend me your power to summon the air.” The temperature in the greenhouse seemed to drop, and the air became heavy, like it did right before a thunderstorm. Vivi could’ve sworn she felt a breeze on the back of her neck, but that was impossible; all the greenhouse windows were shut tight.
Yet to Vivi’s amazement, the plants around her began to sway as a soft but unmistakable wind blew through the greenhouse, building slowly until Sonali’s hair flew out behind her.
No one spoke. No one even breathed until Scarlett smiled and said, “Well done, Sonali,” as if she’d just returned a tricky tennis serve instead of bending the rules of nature. “Bailey? Please turn over your third card.”
It was the Queen of Wands, the Fire sign Bailey had drawn during the first test. “For centuries, new Wands witches have started their magical training with a simple fire-summoning spell,” Scarlett explained. “Now focus your energy on one of the candles and repeat after me: ‘I call to the Queen of Wands. Show me your might by giving us light.’”
Bailey took a deep breath and said, “I call to the Queen of Wands. Show me your might by giving us light.” The final word had barely left her mouth when smoke began to curl up from the wick in front of her, and a moment later, the candle sparked to life. Bailey stared at it in disbelief, then her face broke into a huge smile. “I still believe that worked. How the hell am I supposed to go back to physics class after this?”
As Scarlett made her way around the circle of pledges, Vivi’s heart began to beat so quickly, it was hard to catch her breath. She was desperate to try her first spell and utterly terrified that it wouldn’t work, that’d she be revealed as a fraud, forcing the Ravens to wipe her memory. She couldn’t go back to her normal life after getting a taste of something so extraordinary.
When it was finally Vivi’s turn, she flipped over her third card to reveal the Queen of Pentacles. Even though she’d expected it by this point, the power of the cards still made her shiver.
Scarlett reached into her basket and produced a small pot filled with dirt. “You’re a Pentacles, so your magic is rooted in nature,” Scarlett said, handing Vivi the pot. “I planted a seed in here. I want you to make it grow by repeating after me: ‘I call to the Queen of Earth. Show us your power over death and rebirth.’”
“Okay,” Vivi said, trying to steady her nerves. “I call to the Queen of Earth. Show us your power over death and rebirth.”
Nothing happened.
“Try again,” Scarlett said. “And take your time. You’re casting a spell, not ordering at McDonald’s.”
Vivi took as deep a breath as her nerves would allow and repeated the words more slowly. The dirt remained resolutely still.
Scarlett crossed her arms and looked exasperated. “Do you know what it feels like to tap into your magic?”
Vivi thought back to the moment the sparkler crackled to life, to the energy that flowed through her veins. Another memory sprang to mind on its heels, unbidden. Mason touching her arm. That same spark. Throat tight, worried Scarlett might be able to peer inside her head and see her traitorous thoughts,