Page 100 of This Witch Is Not Wicked

“I agree,” she said.

“And furthermore—” I held up a finger, faltering. “Wait, did you just say you agree?”

“Nevan, there’s something you should know about me.”

Something brushed my arm again, and I swatted at it, not wanting to look away from Enid for a second. Was there a damn fly in here or something? “Right, but first, I need you to expand on that whole you agree with me thing. Because I really need some details to follow that statement.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, for fuck’s sake!” She pointed to something behind my shoulder. “Just turn around already!”

I frowned, slowly turning to see all the vines on my wall stretching out toward me. Like magic. Something tickled my head, and I looked up at the herbs, all of them wriggling and undulating. Similar to Vine. But they weren’t sentient. They weren’t magical. They shouldn’t have been moving.

I whirled to face Enid, who held out her hand, green sparkling swirls coming from her fingers. The exact same green that swished in that amulet around her neck.

“What are you doing?” I asked slowly, not understanding.

She looked like she was about to pass out. “Like I said, I have something to tell you.”

* * *

We sat on the bed in my room attached to the lab, and I stared at a book Enid had brought. It was splayed open in my lap, turned to a page with a picture of a woman with green skin, black hair, and long nails, along with a description of her.

Kaladenid was born of the earth godwitch and an unknown mortal.

Kaladenid. I’d never heard of that demi-godwitch. There were so many it was hard to keep track of them all.

Her birth brought about great happiness, for she was the firstborn child of the earth godwitch. But that happiness soon turned to shame as Kaladenid’s powers morphed into something monstrous: instead of creating blooming gardens full of beauty or trees full of fruit, Kaladenid’s powers were much darker.

I’d read this paragraph at least twenty times now, and yet my brain was still having a hard time comprehending.

Kaladenid is the mother of poisonous plants. Everything her magic grows is deadly, toxic, an abomination, according to her mother. If you’ve ever encountered a plant that’s tried to eat you, poison you, or suffocate you, it’s likely you’ve had an encounter with Kaladenid’s magic.

Unsurprisingly, the demi-godwitch never cultivated a following like other more popular demi-godwitches. Instead, Kaladenid has mostly faded into obscurity, succeeded only by her creations. Next time you stumble into a thicket of poison ivy, you can have Kaladenid to thank.

I stared at the page, blinking, mind a chaotic mess of thoughts that I couldn’t catch onto. A godwitch. A demi-godwitch.

“Are you going to say something?” Enid asked, standing by the door like she was ready to bolt at any moment.

Kaladenid . . . Kala . . . d . . . Enid.

It made sense. Every part of this made so much sense. And all the details about Enid I couldn’t figure out, all the little oddities and quirks, suddenly became so clear. She was a godwitch. A demi-godwitch. Maybe the only one left. At least, I thought she was the only one left. I had no idea.

“Nevan, please say something,” she said, a quiver in her voice.

I glanced up from the book, studying her, the way she curled into herself, arms crossed over her stomach. “This is all wrong,” I finally said. It was the only thing that came to mind after reading those few paragraphs so many times over.

Her face fell. “I’ll go. Vine too. We’ll leave Fairwitch Isle immediately, and you won’t ever see us again. Just please don’t tell anyone⁠—”

I sprang to my feet and grabbed her hand before she could move. “Don’t. Don’t leave.”

Her eyes widened in shock, fear flashing in them, and I realized how this all sounded. I’d scared her, and I cursed myself for not wording this better.

“What I meant to say was that everything that book said about you—it’s all wrong. The godwitches, your mother, historians—they don’t know a fucking thing about you or your magic, and I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry that they never bothered to get to know you, to see how absolutely glorious you truly are.”

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she let out a small sob before collapsing into my arms.

CHAPTER 40

Enid