Read Feathers (A Witch Central Morsel) for Free Online

huh?”
    “Nuh, uh.  Healers aim without seeing all the time.”  Ginia was studying the big target, face intent.  “If we practiced, we could do it.”
    Shay, on the bottom of the pile, had to twist around harder to see.  “We’ll just tell the little tree to get out of the way next time.”
    That should have been funny, and yet, somehow, it sounded almost reasonable.
    Matt plunked down on the ground beside the pile of girls and stumps.  “Congratulations.  You guys just did something most people would say is impossible.”
    The girls were untangling themselves.  Slowly.  Mia rolled a stump back and forth, eyes never leaving Matt’s.  “So did Nat.  And Helga.”
    Lauren hid a snicker.  So much for her moment of glory as Helga’s silent partner.
    Mia squinted.  “And Dad, because he doesn’t have really big muscles.  Just sneaky ones.”
    There were several Sullivans biting back laughter at that one, including Daniel.
    Matt had eyes only for the girls.  “So, who is the strongest?”
    Ginia grinned over at her brother.  “It doesn’t matter—I was dumb and hungry too.”  She looked back at Matt.  “We were all strong in different ways.  Sometimes we changed the rules, but everybody did something important, and we learned from each other and we made each other brave.” 
    And then her laughter blew loose, exuberant eleven-year-old girl done thinking.  She held up two hands, high fiving her sisters.  Lauren shook her head as the audience broke itself apart, heading for the girls and the bow in about equal proportions. 
    Lesson for the day, totally owned.
    -o0o-
    The heat of the late afternoon in Costa Rica didn’t mess around.
    Nell lounged under a wide tree near the swimming hole with all the other sane adults.  At this exact moment, that was a fairly small number.  The rest of their motley crew was in various stages of wet, with regular trips to the tree for sandwiches or one of the magical fruity beverages Téo and Nat had concocted.
    Nell had a frothy pink one.  It was delicious.
    A wet, squelching sound nearby pulled one of her eyes open.  Jamie, come to check on his napping daughter.  Kenna had sat down to drink some frothy pink and fallen over about ten seconds later, a slightly soggy sleeping cherub.
    “Benny’s next.”  Jamie took a big bite of something manly and full of meat and talked around his food.  “Dev’s tiring him out a little more.”
    That was a job for the ages.  “I manned the water slide last.  I’m pretty sure Benny came down every three or four sliders.”
    Her brother chuckled.  “He hasn’t quite figured out the waiting-in-line thing yet.”
    Nobody in Witch Central would have made him wait anyhow.  His exuberant yells as he went down the slide, over and over and over, were pure summer gold.
    Matt joined them under the tree, bearing a sandwich almost as big as Jamie’s, and something that looked suspiciously like brownie.  He handed over half before Nell had done more than prop herself up on an elbow.
    Brotherly love.
    She grinned, deeply enjoying the chance to spend some lazy time with the brother she didn’t see nearly often enough.  “I knew there was a reason I love you best.”
    “Hey!”  It was hard to look too aggrieved with a mouth full of stolen brownie, but Jamie managed.  “I made sure none of your girls ended up with arrows in their brains.”
    Nell just retrieved what was left of the purloined chocolate and raised an eyebrow.
    “No loyalty.”  Jamie shook his head, and then cocked an eyebrow at Matt.  “I can’t believe you armed Helga.  Business at the clinic must be slow.”
    Their quietest brother smiled.  “I was more worried it might be Aunt Moira. Didn’t expect Nat, though.  Should have.”
    That had been a hell of a javelin throw.  One she was now busy teaching Nathan and Téo.  Nell chewed contemplatively, glad to be in the shade of a tree.  Napping-kid duty was way less sweaty than the