6. Not So Crazy

‘You need a little bit of insanity to do great things.’ -Henry Rollins

Sandy 

   It was a new morning and things were going splendidly crazy. I pulled on my usual bright colored clothes and put Legs, my tarantula, on my shoulder so he could spend the day with me. I had breakfast with everyone in the dining hall before we split up to go do our own things. 

   I knew Ember was headed to go meet with Killian in the woods. She told me the things that she had learned about him and the things that she had learned about her father's family because of him. It was good to see her light up about something new. 

   River was headed to go do Goddess only knows what. The guy acted as if he was a God and every female on the planet needed to worship him and suck his cock. Though it was a really good cock, most of the time I had a hard time saying no to it. 

   Melody was on her way to see the cosmic witches. I really hope she is careful there and doesn’t give away that we are watching them because there is a traitor around. She was pretty good at keeping secrets, but I never really trusted Oberon. I hated that Ember had gotten so close to him over the years, there was just something about him that felt off. 

   After leaving the dining hall, I skipped down the halls into the courtyard and over to the garden. I loved to skip. Who could be upset or angry when they skip? 

   “For the love of the moon. Does your crazy ass always have to skip everywhere?” Legs screamed out in my head as he hung onto me for dear life. 

   I laughed and told him, “Yes!”   

   Ember’s familiar wasn’t the only one that talked. Bastet talked to her and Legs talked to me. The only thing that was different with Ember was that she talked out loud like he was a person, while I kept my conversations with Legs secret. I think River and Melody did the same thing I did but I’ve never asked them. 

   I stepped into the garden area and waved at everyone as they got to work. I joined Halina, the garden witch leader, on a bench. She had her leatherbound notebook in her hands as she took notes with a quill and inkwell. 

   “Good morning, Sandy,” she said.  

   “Good morning. What do we have going on today?” 

   “Some mulching to do in the back where the squash is, harvesting of a few herbs, tea leaves need to be delivered to the divination witches and some herbs have to be taken to the kitchen. I have some of the others harvesting and delivering food to the kitchen as well. I have a meeting with Amarantha this morning about the expansion of the garden so I won't be around much,” she rambled.

   I nodded my head and said, “I can deliver the tea leaves for you. I need to go see Wislawa anyway.”

   “Thank you,” Halina said.  

   “You’re welcome.”    

   I stood up and went into the conservatory. We had been drying herbs and tea leaves for weeks and they were now ready to be delivered to the other departments of the coven. All of us working together in one space made it easier to live and a lot more fun. 

   I grabbed the tea leaves and placed them in a jar. I put the top on it and turned it upside down to make sure it was on correctly and nothing would come tumbling out. I walked out of the conservatory, through the garden and courtyard and back into the main part of the fortress. I walked the halls while holding onto the hem of my sundress so I wouldn’t step on it. Though it did stop above the top of my boots, so I shouldn’t step on it anyway. 

   I stepped into the library to find it quiet and boring as always. I spotted Wislawa sitting at their tea table and walked up to her. She must have known that someone was coming with the tea leaves this morning. 

   I stepped up to the table and placed the jar down in front of her. I stood there and looked at her and what she was wearing; a gray dress that covered her whole body like she was always cold. Everyone had their own style here and mine was just bright. 

   She motioned with her hand for me to have a seat in the chair across from her. I moved over and sat down while watching her. She quickly used the tea leaves and poured us each a cup of warm herbal tea. I felt Legs use his front two legs to get my attention as he brushed them along my neck. I smiled because that always tickled me. 

   “What do you think she has to say?” he asked me. 

   “I’m not sure.” 

   “Do you think she knows who the traitor is?” 

   “If she did, then why would she keep it from us?” I asked. 

   “That’s a good question.”

   I sat there and sipped my tea until I had finished drinking it in silence. Once I placed my empty cup down, Wislawa reached over and picked up my cup. She looked inside the cup to see what the leaves were telling me. 

   She hummed before she said, “make sure you really root yourself, otherwise, as the earth elemental, you could crumble.”

   I scrunched my face because I had no idea what that fucking meant. I brushed it off and smiled at her, then nodded my head. I reached over and picked up her cup and looked at the bottom of it. Right away I saw a cross and looked over at her. 

   “You must have a blockage or unforeseen trouble ahead. You have the cross, dear Wislawa,” I told her. 

   She nodded her head and said, “It has shown up for the past three mornings now.”

   “What do you think it means?”

   “Trouble is coming,” she said with a sigh.

   I took a deep breath and nodded my head before standing up. I smiled at her and tilted my head to the side. 

   “Have a pleasant day,” I told her and she nodded her head.  

   I left the library and started walking the halls back towards the garden. Suddenly, there was a note that popped up in front of my face. It appeared by a currier spell so I snatched it out of the air and opened it. 

   ‘Meet me at our place.’

   I sighed and turned on my heels. I danced down the hall and up the stairs to music that only I could hear. I got to the third floor of the fortress and went to the room the note told me to go to. The sun was shining in through the windows and it smelled fresh in here. I closed the door with a smile on my face and heard his voice as he sat in a chair.    

   “Feed me what you know so far,” River said. 

   I laughed loudly at him and asked, “You know that water feeds the earth, right?” 

   “Oh, you want me to feed you again. You naughty girl,” he says with a big mischievous smile.  

   I laughed even more at him and plopped down on a chair with my legs spread a little. I was going to taunt him but this was going nowhere today. There would be no fourplay and there would be no loud sex. All he was going to get was information.  

   “Sorry, but I have nothing for you. The garden witches aren't interested in ending the coven. They are looking to expand the garden to keep feeding us. I went to the divination witches this morning and had tea with Wislawa. She told me to root myself or I could crumble and she had the cross in her tea.” 

   “What the hell does all of that mean?” he asked.  

   “Beats me,” I said with a shrug. 

   He sat there and thought about what I had shared. He always looked more handsome when his gears were working. I loved to watch him.  

   “What did you find out this morning?” I asked after a little while. 

   “The kitchen witches are too busy with potions to protect the coven and feeding everyone to try to end things here. The chaos witches though, I’m going to have to make someone my friend in that group,” he said with a frustrated sigh.  

   "Oh, I'm sure you can find someone in the group that wants your attention," I teased him with a seductive smile.  

   "You're funny. I don't want to sleep with the whole coven," he fired back in anger.  

   "I wasn't saying sleep with someone, you took it like that you idiot. Use your brain, not your cock," I said while rolling my eyes.  

   He looked at me with raised eyebrows before I stood up and left the room. Another successful day of him being left stunned and not getting what he wants. Sweet victory.  

~

Unknown, in the Timber Coven

   I had a note appear in my room by a currier spell. I grabbed it out of thin air and read it quickly. 

  'Share with your king and commander what the wolves were doing there during the last attack. What has changed?' 

   I crumbled it up and threw it into the fireplace that was in my room. There was a small fire going in it tonight as I sat there in silence. The rest of the coven members were still down in the dining hall talking about the other three elementals getting ready to take over.  

   I grabbed a slip of paper, a quill and an inkwell before I started writing my letter. 

   'The two wolves that were here were Alpha Killian and his Beta. They are from the Nightshade pack. Amarantha has made an alliance with them. There will be new barriers around the coven and soon the pack will have them too.'

   I folded the note and sent it by currier spell to Levana in the Elding Gala Castle. I put my inkwell and quill away, then sat there staring into the fire. I have to be smart or this could go badly for me on all fronts. I have to deliver what is asked of me or I could be killed by Commander Ulric. If I get caught here at the coven I will be killed by anyone. 

   What makes this worse is that Ember is leaving and those other three will make my job that much harder. There are more eyes now watching the coven than before and it’s making me squirm. 

   I noticed River spending more time with the chaos witches today. I hope he spends all his time with someone else, since he is the smartest of the group other than Ember. Melody is sweet but she has eyes and a brain between her ears. She won’t pick a fight with anyone though. 

   Sandy is crazy, but I think the bolts that are loose aren’t the ones to worry about. It’s the bolts in the gears that are still running that we should worry about. She is smart even if she’s odd. 

   Another currier spelled note arrived in front of me and I pulled it from the air. I read it quickly before throwing it in the fire also. I stood there to wait until it had completely burned. 

   ‘Meet me in the planetarium.’

   What did he want now?