Black Moon (The Moonlight Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the kitchen and a small laundry room off the back of the house, while one of the smaller upstairs bedrooms was being converted to a third bathroom. With so much space, Rowan and Wynter invited anyone who wanted to move in to pick a room. Rain, the female Water, had already moved in. She’d gotten a job at the local auto repair shop, leaving her home in Boulder. Charlotte and Elliot had also taken a room, moving all the way from New York to be with the Covenant. Toby, Hazel, and Corbin had decided to stay at their own homes in Denver, making the drive to Twelve Acres often. And Cal and Darby had purchased a small house a few blocks over.
    Willa wanted to move in to Ruby’s house, too, but decided to wait until she smoothed things over with her parents.
    Simon told her that as soon as she was ready, they’d move in together. She’d leave her parents’ house, and he his apartment. He didn’t love the idea of living with so many members of the Covenant, but the chance to be with Willa outweighed his discomfort.
    The two True Covens of the Covenant now sat around the long wooden table. Bound together by the magic of the blood moon, there were twelve witches, six male, six female, a pair of each of the Six Gifts. Simon and Willa, gifts of Mind and Dreams, sat next to their counterparts, Charlotte and Elliot. Char and Elliot were also the same age and now attending the University of Colorado, same as Willa and Simon. Next to them were Wynter and Rowan, the two Earth witches and leaders of the Covenant—Rowan as the head, or Luminary. On the other side of the table sat Cal, Darby’s husband and the other Fire; Hazel and Toby, the Air witches; and finally, Rain and Corbin, the Waters.
    Everyone turned and quieted at Darby’s command, and she tossed back her blonde hair and grinned a toothy grin. “That’s better. It’s time to train.”
    Simon exhaled quietly. He both looked forward to and dreaded this time of day. Every night, he and Willa were put through a series of exercises to hone their magical skills in preparation for the Elemental Challenge. He certainly wanted to earn the title of True Witch, but he worried what might happen along the way.
    Most witches trained their whole childhood and adolescence before attempting the Challenge; Simon and Willa were trying to do it in less than a year.
    Wynter got up from the table. Her strawberry hair glowed in the dim light of a single lamp. She wore a white dress, trimmed in green, with a full skirt and long sleeves. Most of her wardrobe had long sleeves now, to cover the line of scars on her right arm where Holmes had cut her. She retrieved a basket from a box near the side door and passed it over to Darby. From the basket, the Fire witch pulled six different stones, lining them up on the table in front of Willa.
    “Okay, girly,” Darby said, sitting back, tugging her bright red, pearly snap shirt into place. “Stones and herbs are essential to working spells. Use the wrong ones and the spell will fail—or worse. Six stones, six gifts. Each one has certain magical properties tied to its appropriate gift. Name them.”
    Willa inhaled, narrowed her eyes at the row of stones. This would be easy for her; she was good with the retention of facts. She pointed to the stone farthest to the left. “Emerald—Gift of Earth. Mica—Gift of Air. This garnet is for Fire. Amethyst is Water. The lapis is Mind; and lastly, the moonstone is mine, Dreams.”
    Darby grinned again. “Quick draw. Didn’t even hesitate. Very nice.” Wynter brought over another basket. From this one she took six different plants, placed them in front of Simon. “Okay, Simon, match the plant to the gift.”
    Simon dropped his eyes to the plants on the wooden table surface. “Moss goes with Earth; the dill with Air. Coffee beans are used with Fire. Seaweed for Water. Cinnamon can be used for Mind. And the lavender is Dreams.”
    “Nice work,” Darby said with a nod. “I thought we might throw you off