The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga Taliesin Govannon (best free ereader .txt) 📖

meant that I didn't need to worry about work or finances, so I had the luxury of not thinking about the future, and I had been indulging that privilege with a vigor.

                That, however, seemed to be over.

                “I’d kinda like to do some good in the world, I guess.” I said, shrugging.  “Right some wrongs, save some babies from a burning orphanage, that kind of thing.”

                “All are honorable goals.” she said without judgment.  “Just remember that there are many ways to do good in the world.”

                I wanted to ask for something a little less vague when we were interrupted by the sound of voices.  I looked and saw that we were close to the playground that I often used as my turn-around point.  The voices weren’t of little kids this time, though.

                I looked at Hatsu, but she just gestured towards the voices.  We both crept closer.

                “You are such a loser!” one boy with messy brown hair said.

                “Yeah, who’d want to date that?” added a darker haired one with a sneer.

                They were two of four boys, all about thirteen to fourteen years old.  They were surrounding a slightly pudgy-looking boy with red hair and freckles.

                “I… I have a girlfriend!” he said defiantly.

                “Really?" the messy-haired boy challenged.  "Okay Mark… What's her name?”

                “K… Kim.” Mark said, nervous.

                “K-k-k-Kim?” the darker haired bully said mockingly.

                “I'll bet she's from Canada!" the messy-haired bully said to his friend, and they laughed bitterly at his joke.

                “So,” Hatsu whispered to me, “what would you do to help this child?”

                “I’ve been sending bees after the assholes.” I replied softly.

                “Let me show you another way.” she said, walking away from me.

                I watched, and in a blink, she changed.  In her place was a much younger version of herself, about the same age as the bullied boy.  Her clothes also changed in an instant, going from her normal kimono to jeans, a sweater, and a thin winter jacket.

                “Mark!” she called out excitedly, a broad smile on her face.

                The bullied boy looked shocked and mystified.  Don’t blow it, Mark!  I thought.

                He didn't need to worry, however, because his tormentors looked even more baffled.  They stared, slack-jawed, as the chipper young lady bounced over.  She threw her arms around Mark's neck and kissed him on the cheek.  "Did you miss your Kimmy?" she asked, hugging him close.

                She must have whispered something to break him out of his shock as they hugged, because he relaxed into the show.  “Hey baby.” he said with a grin.  “You better believe I missed you.”

                “Then show me how much you missed me." she said with a grin and kissed him deeply.

                One of the bullies who had been silent tripped over a rock trying to get a better look and fell into the messy-haired bully.  They both went down hard on the ground.

                Hatsu and Mark broke their kiss to laugh.  I had to join them.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I wasn’t laughing once I got back to the mansion, however.  I was deep in thought.

                What AM I going to do with this power?  What SHOULD I do with it?  Should I ask Petronia? I immediately dismissed the idea.  Sure, ask someone who lived a thousand years ago what they did!  Will she advise me, what, which goat to use to draw my cart to market?!?

                Hatsu’s seemingly innocent question had dropped me in the middle of a quagmire.  I knew that the question would come up someday, I just didn’t know it would come so soon.  Now that the question had been asked, I couldn’t stop asking it.

                I had always intended on getting my B.A. in library sciences, then looking for some small library to work at to pay the bills while I went for my Master’s degree.  Raina had agreed to match me step by step until we had gotten our Masters, then see where life would take each of us.

                Neither of us had ever registered at Kent State, the one school that had accepted both of us, though.  My elevation to being the Sorceress had interrupted our journey, Raina treating the ability to keep me safe as a full-time job.  Vincent and Angelique's generosity had extended to my best friends as well, so none of us had to worry where our next meal was coming from.

                Though I had never announced it, I had pretty much-abandoned plans for life as a librarian the moment I had come into my power.  I just couldn't see how I could be meant to use my unique gift to shelve and catalog books, though magick had made such a job potentially infinitely easier.

                Add an eye of newt, and poof!… the books are alphabetized! I thought, chuckling.

                Thinking of Raina made my mind up about one thing.  I knew just who to turn to for help.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I found her as I often did those days, in the basement practicing her offensive magick.  She was using one hand to hold several soda cans suspended in the air, spinning in a tight circle.  She was using the other hand to shoot micro-bursts of energy at the spinning targets, knocking them out of place for a cycle or two before they’d rejoin the other cans in the circle once again.

                “Wow.” I said, applauding softly.  “That’s really cool.”

                “Thanks.” she replied, dropping her hands and letting the cans clank to the ground.

                “You can do magick with both hands?” I asked.  “Did you have a second crystal implanted?”

                She shook her head.  She had gotten a blue Fae crystal, the means by which a human could wield Fae magick in the human world, implanted in her right palm just before my ascension.  This was, obviously, something different.

                “Still just the one crystal.” she said.  “It’s more of a ‘feeling the unity of purpose within your own body’