The Witches of the Glass Castle (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 1) Read Online Free

Hunter?’
    Wendolyn raised the teacups individually and circled each one three times in a clockwise direction. ‘An Arcana is what you are. In other words, a pacifist witch who lives as a civilian.’ She handed Mia a teacup. ‘Your powers are connected to nature and are used placidly. A Hunter, however, is a witch bred as a warrior. They too source their power from nature, but it is of, let’s say, a darker strain. They need these extra powers to aid them in combat.’
    ‘Combat?’ Dino echoed , interested now. ‘They fight?’
    ‘ Yes. Usually other Hunters or malevolent witches.’
    Mia bit her lip. ‘Are Hunters…human?’
    ‘Of course! All witches are born human. The only difference is Hunters are raised purely as weapons.’
    Mia flinched. ‘Will they attack us?’
    Wendolyn’s kind eyes were unreadable. ‘You would be wise to be wary of them,’ she admitted. ‘But they shouldn’t be of any concern to you. In truth, you’ll rarely see them. The Hunters reside in a different wing from the Arcana, so your paths will seldom cross. Occasionally I will need to call you all together, but even then they keep their distance.’
    A wave of fear coursed through Mia. She shuddered. Feeling tense, she took a sip of her tea. It didn’t taste like the sort of tea she was used to.
    ‘What is this?’ she asked , wrinkling her nose.
    ‘Tea,’ Wendolyn told her.
    ‘From a teabag?’ Mia stared down at the pale orange liquid stewing in her cup. Quizzically, she fished out one of the small tea leaves that floated on the surface. The little brown dot clung to her finger while she examined it.
    ‘It’s witches’ brew,’ Wendolyn explained. ‘Tea extracted from plants. Let’s see, it’s made up of fennel, rowan berries, mugwort, elderflower…’ she listed a long catalogue of plants, counting them off on her fingers. ‘It’s known to enhance psychic powers and bestow protection on those performing magical works.’
    ‘No, thanks,’ Dino said, slamming the delicate teacup down on the apothecary table.
    Wendolyn smiled at him strangely.
    Mia took another sip. On her second try it wasn’t so bad. Different, but not awful. She picked a tiny rogue leaf from her tongue and surreptitiously wiped it off on Dino’s T-shirt.
    He glared at her.
    ‘Try some,’ she said, offering her cup to him. ‘It’s not so bad.’
    ‘N o. I’m not looking for psychic powers.’
    ‘Well, I am,’ Mia retorted.
    Wendolyn laughed in a jolly fashion. ‘Oh, you don’t need tea to give you power, my dear. I can see power exuding from you even as we speak.’
    Mia tightened her grip around the teacup. ‘Really?’
    Wendolyn studied her for a long moment. ‘You are a daughter of nature.’
    ‘And that means …?’ Mia prompted.
    Wendolyn pursed her lips . ‘It’ll come to you when you’re ready,’ she said cryptically.
    I’m ready now , Mia thought irritably. ‘Am I psychic?’ she asked out loud.
    ‘No. Be patient. You’ll use your powers when the time is right. And as for you,’ she turned her focus to Dino, ‘you will learn to shut them off. After all, that’s why you’re both here – to learn.’
    Mia took her final sip of tea, hoping to gain something from it. She doubted that she had any powers at all. She certainly didn’t feel any different.
    ‘Are you finished?’ Wendolyn asked, gesturing towards the teacup.
    ‘Yes. Thank you.’ Mia handed her the empty cup. To her surprise, Wendolyn looked intently down into it, examining the gathering of leaves at the bottom.
    ‘Hmm…’ Wendolyn muttered to herself.
    ‘What does it say?’ Mia asked anxiously.
    Dino shook his head with a dry laugh. ‘It doesn’t say anything. It’s just a pile of leaves!’
    ‘What does it say?’ Mia repeated, ignoring her brother’s obnoxious outburst.
    Wendolyn placed the cup down on to the table. ‘I’ll tell you when you’re more able to deal with it.’
    Mia’s voice went up an octave. ‘What does that