Chapter 70.2

“—and this set will allow me to control the flow of magic itself,” Chloé said, pointing to another series of runes on the diagram in front of her. “Since we’re connecting to The Depths, I like to think of them as valves on a pipe. This combination allows me to close the valve, severing the connection, while this combination lets me open it up and invite more water in. However, these runes on the outside serve as generalized mass limiters. Because I’m relying on my inherent abilities rather than the standard suite of runes that initiate witches typically receive, we wanted additional protections in the summoning runes themselves. With these, even if there’s some kind of structural failure, I’ll be protected.”

Sitting beside Chloé, settled comfortably into a large antique armchair with plush velvet quilting, Coven Headmistress Elizabeth Bishop nodded slowly. Long brown hair gathered around her shoulders as she took a sip of tea, then she finally spoke up. “Without those limiters, what damage would a structural failure cause?”

Chloé thought back to her hours of studying with Tessa and Imani, then pieced together everything she knew and answered. “The standard runes given to all witches accomplish many different things. Telekinesis, basic detection, rune creation and alteration, things like that. Importantly, they also contain a series of runes designed to throttle the flow of magic itself. The channeling process is fueled by energy inherent to our bodies, and attempting to channel too much at once can overload the host, outright killing them. I don’t have these basic runes, thus I don’t have those safeguards. However, I don’t need telekinesis to control what I’m summoning, and I can already see the flow of magic due to my condition. I don’t particularly care about having the ability to create or alter runes, either. With that in mind, we’ve transferred the bulk of the throttling runes to this design. Not only will they prevent the flow of magic from overwhelming me, but on the off chance that my connection to Purgatory heightens any magic under my control, these runes will also prevent me from accidentally summoning too much. The worst-case scenario is death, obviously, but the other worst-case scenario would be learning that I can summon near limitless amounts of mass. Short of being in the ocean, it’s safe to assume that a spontaneous magical tsunami would devastate most anything around me.”

Miss Bishop smiled before leaning back into her chair. Her rich, tawny skin practically glowed in the warm lights of the study, and her smoky eyeshadow drew Chloé’s attention to the glimmer of pride sparkling in the Coven Head’s eyes. “Color me impressed, Miss Belmont. You really learned all this in the last week alone?”

Blushing slightly, Chloé mimicked the action and sank back into her wheelchair. “W-well, it’s not like my knowledge rivals Imani’s or Tessa’s. I only need to know how this design works; I don’t need a comprehensive understanding of all magic.”

After pausing to take another sip of tea, Miss Bishop continued. “You mentioned that you won’t need telekinesis to control whatever you pull over from The Depths. Can I ask for a demonstration?”

“Absolutely!” Excited to prove herself, Chloé floated into the air before spinning to face Miss Bishop. “So, you’ll recall that I managed to fight off Miss Gautier by using some kind of banshee shriek. That ability seems to be rooted in my condition, in the way I’m suspended between planes. My theory is that I’m distorting the inherent forces that bind the planes together, sending out shockwaves akin to, like, a gravitational wave or something. I’ll spare your ears the misery of listening to me scream, but I recently learned that I can exercise this ability in much smaller ways. When fighting Nick the other week, just after he broke out of his chains, I channeled this ability to simply empower my punches. Ever since then, I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of different ways to apply it!”

Thankfully, Imani and Tessa had suspected that Miss Bishop would ask for this very demonstration. Briefly phasing into her backpack, Chloé grabbed a large tennis ball that they’d initially bought to entertain a small pack of wolves. She turned her palm upright, holding the ball aloft, then closed her eyes to focus on the new abilities she’d been honing over the last few weeks. Her connection to the world around her thinned, and she manifested a small hum of planar vibration in her hand. The space around her hand buckled and warped, creating enough force to make the tennis ball hover several inches above her hand.

“Now, my abilities are nowhere near as dexterous as a witch’s telekinesis. As far as I can tell, whatever waves of energy I manifest must center specifically on my body. This ball, for example, is simply being pushed away from me. With a bit more force…” Chloé returned the ball to her hand, then turned her wrist to point the ball at the heavy wooden door marking the entrance to the study. Summoning her planar connection again, she strengthened and focused it, then released. The gathered force launched the ball across the room, where it collided with the door. Instead of bouncing harmlessly back to Chloé, however, it caught an unexpected angle in one of the decorative panels. It ricocheted sideways, nearly colliding with a large painting on a nearby wall before a separate magical force reached out and stopped it.

Thin waves of pinkish-purple energy swirled around the ball, halting it entirely. This magic originated from Miss Bishop who, with a delicate flourish of her hand, beckoned the ball closer until it landed peacefully on the tips of her fingers.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Chloé stammered, her face hot and flushed.

Miss Bishop quietly laughed as her magic faded. “That was hardly your fault, Miss Belmont. You demonstrated remarkable control of this strange ability of yours, and it would hardly be fair to dock you points simply because of some erratic paneling on our study door.” She held the ball aloft, then asked, “Can you do the opposite? Pull items towards you?”

“Uh, yes and no. I’m able to generate waves of forces that gather rather than repel, but because my abilities need to originate with me, I’m not able to target specific items at a distance. At least, not yet? It would be really cool if I could, but right now I haven’t figured out a way to do so.” Closing her eyes once more, Chloé focused on her latent planar connection once more. Rather than pooling her emotions into a burst of outward force, she pulled the energy deep into her core and pictured herself as the center of a deep gravity well. Releasing her focus, she summoned a single pulse.

The tennis ball leapt from Miss Bishop’s hand, flying several feet into Chloé's grasp, but it wasn’t the only thing affected. Several feet behind Chloé was a towering bookshelf that had been built into the back wall of the study. While the shelves themselves did not move, several rows of books shuddered and twitched several inches forward.

“Fascinating,” Miss Bishop muttered. “I will admit, in addition to the exciting applications of this design you, Imani, and Tessa have cooked up, I’m also excited to see your personal abilities develop. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.”

“Wait, does that mean…?”

The Coven Head nodded. “I’m more than happy to sign off on this project. You’ve demonstrated a remarkable understanding of the runes involved, but also of your own abilities. I trust you to handle this magic with care, especially seeing that you’re willing to admit the limitations of what you can do. You’d be surprised how rare that trait can be.”

“YES!!” Chloé spun around in celebration. She’d been studying her ass off for days, and in the process of preparing for today’s meeting, had grown exponentially more excited about adding magic to her own suite of abilities.

“Would you like to share the news?” Miss Bishop asked, a quiet smile on her face.

“They’re gonna be so excited!!” Chloé dashed towards the large study doors and phased through them, turning invisible in the process. In the lobby of the Coven Manor, lazily strolling around as they looked at the countless portraits of past witches, were Tessa and Imani. Thrilled to have a fun surprise, Chloé flew behind Tessa and threw her arms around the witch, lifting her into the air without a hint of warning.

“FUCK!!” Tessa shouted, her legs flailing as she hovered several feet above the floor.

“She said yes!” Chloé squeed, repeatedly spinning Tessa around.

Tessa planted her hands on Chloé’s arms to steady herself, then her excited smile joined Chloé’s. “Of course she did, Chloé. I told you there was nothing to worry about!”

“Damn straight!” Imani said. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone pick up so much material so quickly!”

After a few quick circles, the girls landed back on the floor. “Okay, yeah, but like… I dunno. You two have been studying this stuff for ages and I just started!” Across the foyer, the large double doors leading into the study opened with another pulse of magic, and Miss Bishop beckoned everyone to join her.

Once the three of them had gathered in the study, Chloé sank back into her chair and took a slow breath to calm herself. Her eyes fell to the paper on the table, the one that held Imani’s design, and she eagerly traced the various red and white lines. Now that everything had been approved, she began to picture the design as an actual piece of art on her body, and a quick flash of giddiness overtook her.

I’m about to get my very first tattoo!

“I believe congratulations are in order,” Miss Bishop said, settling into her armchair once more. “Chloé displayed incredible aptitude regarding the magic involved, which can only mean that the two of you displayed equal talent in your ability to relay the information.”

“Well, I don’t know about that…” Tessa muttered, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. “Chloé’s a really good student, and she was really excited, that’s all.”

Miss Bishop failed to suppress a quick, playful smile before she continued. “Imani, the design is inspired. The functional runes are clean, precise, and beautiful, while the structural runes display impressive efficiency. Elijah and the other Coven Heads reviewed the designs, and we’re all in agreement that you’ve assembled something truly impressive.”

“And this is only the beginning!” Imani said. “I have all these ideas for other ways we might configure magic to work alongside latent abilities, and perhaps even tweak the designs to offer functional assistance to—”

“One step at a time, Miss Mabaya,” the Coven Head cautioned. “You have yet to even apply Chloé’s tattoo, and I believe Tessa is also due for several additions.”

“Wait, mine are approved too?” Tessa asked.

Miss Bishop chuckled. “Why wouldn’t they be? The foundations are solid, and while the intended applications are a bit unusual, we’re excited to see your contributions. Ever since Davenport… stepped down as Headmistress, we’ve tried to loosen our adherence to tradition and precedent. In fact, our newest Coven Head—Miss Dakota Jackson—is particularly excited to talk with you once you’ve started your research.”

“Oh snap, Dakota got the job?” Imani asked. She then quickly shook her head and reverted to a slightly more formal tone. “I mean, uh, I’m proud of her! I think she’ll do great!”

“Speaking of other coven business,” Miss Bishop began, “I wanted to commend all of you on your clear, consistent communication with us these last few months. We’ve been under heavy scrutiny from the other covens, and it’s taken quite a bit of creativity to keep them from sticking their noses in our business. As much as I regret what happened to poor Nicholas, I must admit that the entire incident with The Wilds was a great boon for us.”

“Really? How so?” Chloé asked, curious to see hints of the inter-coven political landscape.

“It was definitive proof that our new arrangement is stable and effective,” Miss Bishop clarified. “Our choice to allow non-witches to assist us in protecting the campus—let alone an angel and a demon—was quite controversial, to say the least. Successfully managing multiple incursions is impressive enough, but you also kept us apprised of the situation the entire time. That communication gave us proof that moving Imani here was a wise decision, but it also began to heal Tessa’s reputation in the eyes of the other covens.”

“Shit, I have a reputation? That’s never good,” Tessa muttered.

“Your mother was a well-regarded coven head, and her reputation hangs over you whether you want it to or not. Unfortunately, throughout Davenport’s many years as Headmistress, she continually painted you in a very unflattering light, to say the least. News of her deception and abuse muddied the waters somewhat, and that uncertainty allowed me to argue that you deserved a second chance. I was able to write off your initial secrecy as a consequence of her foul demeanor, but that leniency only extends so far.”

“That’s… a lot. I don’t know how you manage all this political nonsense,” Tessa admitted. “I practically have a headache just listening to your cliff notes on all this.”

“Ugh, you’re right, I’m sorry…” Miss Bishop engaged her magic again, summoning her cup of tea back into her hands. “I don’t mean to complain, but outside of Palesa, you’re the only ones I feel comfortable talking with. I would never in a million years wish to surrender control to Cassandra again, but I’ll admit I miss not having to deal with all this paperwork.”

A clear, resonant chime echoed through the manor, pausing the conversation and drawing everyone’s attention to the doors of the study. With a heavy sigh, Miss Bishop set her tea back on a nearby table and rose to her feet. “Please stay here, I have to deal with this…” she grumbled.

Chloé, Tessa, and Imani exchanged curious glances with each other. While it would have been incredibly easy to talk amongst themselves, perhaps to celebrate the coven’s approval of their new tattoos, they instead reached a silent agreement to listen in on whatever business Miss Bishop was attending to. The main entrance to the manor opened slowly, accompanied by a heavy, ancient creak, and a young masculine voice began to speak.

“Hiya! How are you doing today? How about this weather, huh?”

“How can I help you?” Miss Bishop asked, her voice lacking all of its usual warmth.

“I don’t mean to take up too much of your time, so I promise I’ll be quick. I represent Falcon Holdings Incorporated, and recently our company has taken a great interest in properties like your beautiful manor here! We were hoping to speak to you about possibly acquiring this—”

“Tell your bosses that I’m not interested, and that if I see any of your representatives on my property again, I will consider it trespassing.”

Tessa’s eyes went wide and she glanced at the other girls before silently mouthing, “Oh shit.”

“I-I promise that we’re not—”

“Thank you, and good bye.”

The heavy door at the front of the manor closed with significantly more force than it had opened with earlier. Chloé flinched in surprise at the unexpected slam, then angled her chair away from the study entrance to pretend she hadn’t been eavesdropping on the coven head’s conversation.

Miss Bishop stormed into the office, her face flush with annoyance. “I swear to God, that’s the fifth one this week.”

“Is, uh, everything alright? What’s going on?” Tessa asked.

Collapsing into her luxurious armchair, Miss Bishop floated her tea back into her grasp. The ceramic mug shook slightly as she took a deep, lengthy sip, even closing her eyes as if to distance herself from reality for a moment. As she released a heavy breath, she lowered the mug into her lap and reopened her eyes. “Please forgive my attitude. I try not to let this job get to me, but goodness it’s getting harder with every passing day.”

“It sounds like someone was trying to buy this place,” Imani said, leaning forward while failing to hide her curiosity.

“How closely do you follow the news?” Miss Bishop asked. “Have you heard about that new Nonprofit Bill the state senate is about to pass?”

“Wait, 1408? The one that restructures nonprofit funding and tax status?” Chloé inched closer, surprised to hear such a bill impacted an organization such as Tessa’s coven. “What does that have to do with this place?”

“You all know us as a coven, but that’s a luxury you have because of your repeated brushes with magic. According to the rest of the world—and more importantly, the federal government—we’re a nonprofit historical preservation society. We advocate for the protection and management of culturally significant buildings, monuments, landmarks, parks, public spaces… all that stuff. If that bill passes, we stand to lose a lot of funding, and predatory real estate companies have been salivating at the thought of buying houses like this to try and flip them for an easy profit. Nearly everything we manage is magically significant in some way, however. We can’t afford to surrender these buildings and risk the companies learning magic, but we also literally don’t have the money to afford them all if we lose funding, and—” Miss Bishop cut herself off and sighed. “I’m sorry, this isn’t your problem. We should be celebrating your new tattoos and what that means for your futures.”

“With all due respect, Miss Bishop,” Chloé started, “I have a vested interest in keeping my school safe. Isn’t that part of the reason you deputized us in the first place? If there’s anything we can do to help, just say the word.”

“Any chance you know a spell for mass political reform?” the coven head said, forcing a laugh. “Heck, I’d settle for a chance to smack Senator Hart upside the head. That’s a joke, by the way. Please don’t harass public servants on my behalf.”

“Senator who?” Tessa asked, turning to Chloé.

“Senator Evan Hart,” Chloé clarified. “He’s the bill’s sponsor, and he’s got a ton of financial backing. He’s been doing a lot of stuff recently, actually. He also sponsored the 2019 Illinois Gambling Act. Fun fact, that bill is why Ekstápoli has that big casino downtown. Before 2019, building a casino on anything other than a river was illegal.”

“I think I’d prefer we change the topic.” Miss Bishop rose to her feet, brushing her long brown hair from her eyes as she smiled at the girls. “Might we instead celebrate today’s good news? There’s a fantastic deli around the corner, and I make a point of visiting every time I’m in town.”

As concerned as Chloé was about the state of the coven, it was hard to deny she was also quite excited about her upcoming tattoo. How difficult would it be to master her new magic? Would they integrate seamlessly with her current abilities? As silly as she felt for thinking it, she was starting to think of this tattoo like getting a new subclass in a video game. For now, because Miss Bishop was eager to change the topic, Chloé happily talked about her plans for her magic with the beleaguered coven head. Together with Tessa and Imani, the four of them shared a quiet lunch together while quietly discussing their plans for the coming weeks.