The Devil's Tree by Ali Spooner

Author:Ali Spooner [Spooner, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Affinity Ebook Press NZ LTD
Published: 2016-01-02T02:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Thirty minutes after leaving the compound Devin turned around in her seat to find Lizard sound asleep in the backseat. “That didn’t take long.”

Tia looked in the rearview mirror to see the sleeping child. “Not much to see but rain and swamp right now anyway.”

“Thank you for inviting her to join us.”

“You’re welcome. I could see how disappointed she was when I told her you were leaving. I just couldn’t stand not asking.”

“She is very special to me.”

Tia drove on for a few more minutes before asking, “Does she know about her heritage and who she will become?”

“She understands that our way of life is very different from others, but she won’t start her real training until she is about ten.”

“When will she change for the first time?”

“It is different for everyone, but it usually occurs when puberty hits. All those raging hormones and such,” Devin explained.

Tia kept a tight grip on the steering wheel as she drove through the pouring rain. “Is it as painful as it looks?”

“To transform, you mean?” Devin rubbed her sore shoulder as she collected her thoughts for a response. “When you are first learning to shift, it hurts like hell. Your bones and musculature are completely changed in structure, but the more you practice, the faster your body learns to accept the pain, even welcome it.”

She looked over at Devin, who was still rubbing her shoulder. “Do you need another pain pill?”

“No, I’ll be fine, just stiff and sore.”

“Could you transform now with that injury?”

“I could if it was an absolute life-or-death emergency, but I would not be at full strength and would be vulnerable to an attacker.” Devin watched for Tia’s reaction and was very pleased with the ease she had in accepting her answers and her eagerness to learn about the pack. “May I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Tia answered.

“Do you have an aunt or grandmother that you’ve always thought was a little different from the rest of the family?”

Tia chuckled. “My entire family is a little different. Why do you ask?”

“I am trying to figure out where your powers come from. If it is from a living relative, they would be the perfect teacher for you since they would already know what abilities you have.”

Tia remained silent for a long while as she thought about Devin’s question. Devin saw her eyes light up when a memory came to the forefront.

“My grandmother used to make all sorts of weird jewelry and had a small pantry in her home that stored some really bizarre stuff.”

“Like what?” Devin asked.

“Feathers from many types of birds, small bones, powders and all sorts of liquids in colored bottles. She didn’t have a cauldron or a flying broom that I ever saw,” she said with a grin.

“Those are so stereotypical of the old wives’ tales used to scare children and are not accurate accounts of witches today.” Devin’s voice was solemn. “Is your grandmother still alive?”

“Yes, but she is in a nursing home and does not see many people these days.

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