Page 8 of The Warlock's Trial
“You met Beau?” Grammy cut in, sounding shocked.
“Yeah. You know him?” Miles asked.
“Beau and I were friends when we were young,” Grammy said. “He’s half-witch, half-fae.”
I didn’t know much about the fae, but I knew they hated the witches. We’d been on opposite sides in the Great Supernatural War. From my understanding, the fae came to Earth hundreds of years ago from another realm and settled in Europe. They were made up of four Factions, categorized by their shifting abilities. The male of their species could shift into dragons, wolvens, alicorns, or griffins. Each shifter was mated to a female fae sorceress, whose specialty was the power of illusions and portals. It was odd, to say the least, that a witch and a fae would ever mate.
“Beau’s the man who made Nadine’s wand,” Grammy added.
I pulled my wand from my pocket and twisted it in my hands, eyeing the swirls and the moonstone crystal embedded into the handle. “I remember you telling me about him. He used hair from his faekin companion in my wand.”
“Yes,” Grammy confirmed. “I haven’t been in contact with him for ages. I didn’t know he was still alive.”
“He is, and he’s living in Hok’evale,” Chloe said. “As a wandmaker, he’s studied wand lore, including legends of the Oaken Wands. Nadine and Lucas need to meet with him as soon as possible.”
Lucas took my hand. “Then let’s get going. Chloe and Miles, you’re with us. We’ll call the rest of you if anything goes wrong.”
We’d all purchased new phones when we came to the safe house, and we’d protected them with magic so the priestesses couldn’t track them.
Lucas lifted his hand, and a portal bloomed in front of us. A pine forest appeared—the same forest that Chloe and Miles had been standing in when we portaled them to the safe house earlier. Our cats stayed behind as the four of us stepped through. The morning California air felt nice, and the scent of saltwater drifted through the trees.
“How far is it into town?” Lucas asked.
“It’s a hike, but we know a faster way.” Chloe gestured for us to follow her.
The trees here were taller than the pines back home. I couldn’t see much through the forest, until we stepped into a clearing at the edge of a mountain. Back home, our mountains were more like rolling hills, but here, the peaks were much higher. Far off in the distance, I could make out the ocean.
Lucas and I both paused to take in the beautiful landscape.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Miles asked.
“It’s beautiful,” I agreed. “I might be a bit jealous of the Elementai tribe.”
“Their tribe’s name is Hawkei,” Chloe clarified. “Elementai is their supernatural name. It’s like how supernaturals refer to us as witches, but we belong to the Miriamic Coven. They’re Elementai belonging to the Hawkei tribe.”
“I don’t know that much about them,” I admitted.
“I’ll tell you on the way.” Chloe cocked her head, and we followed her down a narrow footpath. “From what I know of the Elementai, they’re a fairly young supernatural race. Their people are indigenous to the Americas, and they were driven from their homes when the European colonizers arrived. They came together here in Northern California to protect themselves from further threats. Their ancestors gifted them powers of the elements, as well as made them protectors of magical creatures. The Hawkei tribe is made up of five smaller tribes, also known as Houses, one for each element.”
“Kind of like our Casts?” I wondered.
Miles nodded. “Sort of, but their magic is inherited, where ours is chosen. There’s Toaqua, who control water. And Koigni, who control fire. Then Yapluma for air, Nivita for earth, and Anichi for spirit. They believe that each Elementai’s soul resides within a magical creature. When an Elementai comes of age, they bond with their special creature, which they call a Familiar.”
“That’s really cool,” I said. “Are the Hawkei the only tribe of elementals?”
“Yes, they mostly stick together,” Chloe replied. “But just like in our coven, some of them travel, and there are locations all around the world where people of all supernatural races are welcome.”
“Hok’evale is one of those places,” Miles added. “The Hawkei’s main city, Kinpago, isn’t too far from here. Technically, Hok’evale is outside the reservation’s protective borders. It was a place of refuge during the Hawkei Civil War, which only ended a few months ago. Hok’evale has been around for a while, taking in people from all supernatural races who don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“I’ve heard the Hawkei are very diverse,” Lucas said thoughtfully. “Is that true?”
Chloe nodded. “Absolutely. We visited Kinpago a few weeks ago, and their city is full of influences from around the world. When the Hawkei tribe formed, they sent their people all over the world to form alliances and grow their numbers. They brought back people of all races, and they’ve continued to honor global cultures to this day. We ate at this really good restaurant in Kinpago’s Chinatown, and we went shopping in the Italian district. Their college, Orenda Academy, is at this beautiful castle built by a friend of the Hawkei who came over from Scotland.”
“It sounds like a wonderful place,” I said. “Have you guys seen many magical creatures in Hok’evale?”
Miles gave a cunning smirk. “Buckle up, Nadine, because you’re about to experience the magical world like you’ve never seen it before.”
Miles pulled back branches and thick brush, and I stopped in my tracks. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Ahead of us stood a large clearing filled with magical creatures I could only ever picture in my wildest dreams. I knew that dragons and unicorns existed, but it hadn’t ever quite felt real until I saw it with my own eyes.