Peace is hard won
PEACE IS HARD WON
Amara
“You’ve got to admit, vampires are kind of sexy,” Callista sighs, running her duster along the bare shelf. “Ooh, I’m so excited !”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “It’s an undercover mission, not a vacation, Calli. Don’t you think you should be taking it a bit more seriously?”
I look around to ensure that nobody is listening in. But our little bakery is completely empty.
To non-magical folk, Hemlock Haven is just a quaint tourist destination several hours from the city. Since the Hecate coven is home to several hundred witches, we require an entire village to house all of us. Even though we keep our witchcraft hidden from the tourists, they can still sense the magical undercurrents that run throughout the town. They flock here in droves every autumn, especially around All Hallow’s Eve. But almost nobody visits this time of year, in early winter. It’s just Callista and me in the bakery that we run together.
The bakery is small, but it’s cozy and bright. The walls are lined with shelves filled with baked goods and tins of tea and candy. A century’s worth of knickknacks and baubles give it character and make it feel like coming home whenever someone steps inside.
“Come on, Amara,” says Callista, swatting me playfully with the duster. “Where’s your sense of adventure? You’ve got to be bored here in Hemlock Haven. Ever since the Wicked Wars ended, there’s been absolutely nothing to do. At least the battle with the wolves broke the tedium!”
“I refuse to romanticize conflict, Callista. I’m perfectly happy in Hemlock Haven! It’s beautiful here, and we have everything we could ever need.”
For the hundredth time today, I adjust the display of jams along the counter. I don’t want to admit it to her, but a small part of me is starting to get bored. Although we live in a witch coven, there hasn’t been much to do for the past few decades. The adrenaline rush of capturing the Arundel wolves is starting to fade.
“Don’t you want to know what’s out there, Amara?” Callista asks.
I shake my head firmly. “Absolutely not! And for the record, I think Lavinia’s whole scheme is ridiculous. There’s no reason to believe that the vampires are plotting against us. It’s just paranoia. If anything, us going undercover to spy on them is giving them a reason not to trust us . Not to mention how dangerous it is!”
“I remember when you loved a bit of danger. Wasn’t it so exciting, during the Wicked Wars, fighting against the evil witches?” My best friend gazes at me with sparkling green eyes. “Amara, you’re the best at offensive magic in our entire coven! Your magic is wasted here, you know. You should come with me!”
“Not if Hecate herself asked me to!” I reply, clutching my chest. “You couldn’t get me within a hundred feet of Tudor Thornblade, or any of his progeny. You know how I feel about vampires.”
The air between us shifts. I bring my hands to my hair distractedly, adjusting the scarf tied around my long rope twists. Callista and I have been friends for a long time, and I don’t need to explain things further to her.
Her voice softens, and she puts a hand to my shoulder. I lean into the comforting gesture. “I understand why it would be hard for you to be around vampires, Amara. And of course, I feel the same way you do. We all know that vampires don’t share the same values good witches do. But…”
My friend is interrupted by the tinkling of the shop bell. We both turn to the front of the bakery. Framed in the doorway is a tall, red-haired witch in a green traveling cape. She’s accompanied by her orange cat familiar and holding her broomstick in one hand.
“Lydia!” Callista shouts, hurrying toward her sister and enveloping her in a big hug.
“Amara, Calli, it’s so good to see you!” she says, as the door shuts with another ring of the bell.
“It’s good to see you too!” I say. “How is everyone?”
“All well,” she replies. “I can’t stay too long. I just came to chat with Lavinia, and thought I would drop in on both of you before I go.”
“What business did you have with Lavinia?” I ask.
Lavinia Nox is the High Priestess of the Hecate coven. She’s not very happy with Lydia, who left the Hecate coven to become an independent witch.
“It was about the underage wolf shifters,” Lydia says, taking a seat at one of the tables at the front of the bakery. Callista goes behind the counter to get her a rose scone. She waves her hand to warm it up, the way her sister likes it.
“The Arundel shifters?” Callista asks. “I thought they were all imprisoned in the Cave?”
“Not the younger ones. They’re still in Hemlock Haven, under close watch,” I say. “There have been questions about what to do with them. Lavinia wanted to throw them in the Cave too, but we managed to convince her not to.”
Lydia grimaces. “I know. But I think I have a solution to that problem. Amrita is talking about starting Elmwood Academy again.”
“The integrated magic academy?” Callista says, taking a seat opposite Lydia.
“Exactly,” says Lydia. “We need to improve relations between the magical groups. All of this mistrust and secrecy has got to stop. Amrita thinks that if we start the academy again, it will help maintain the peace.”
I give Callista a pointed look, which she ignores.
“That’s a great idea, Lydia,” she says. “But what does that have to do with the wolves?”
“We can take in the young Arundel wolves as students,” Lydia explains. “Amrita and I will keep an eye on them, make sure they’re safe and that they don’t get into any trouble.”
Our conversation is interrupted again. Through the glass door, I see my hawk familiar tapping his beak on the glass.
With a wave of my hand, I magic the door open. My familiar comes inside, looking at me with his intense, sharp eyes.
“What is it, Merlin?” I ask.
“Lavinia Nox is requesting to see you, and Callista Craft. It’s very urgent.”
Lydia stands, and takes her warm scone from its plate. “I should probably be going anyway. It’s a long ride back home.”
Callista and I make our goodbyes, then hurry to see what our High Priestess wants.
Lavinia Nox’s office is in the back of the old church in the center of the village. It’s a beautiful building, but I always feel uneasy here. I can’t help remembering the old days of the witch hunts. It was a completely different world back then.
Just another reason not to take this peace for granted.
High Priestess Nox wears an elegant yellow robe and a stern frown. She sits behind her desk like a queen on a throne. Her familiar is a small white terrier. He’s curled up on her desk, taking a nap, his ears twitching as he dreams. Lavinia waves her hand impatiently as Callista and I file into her office and shut the door behind us.
“Callista, you can’t go undercover anymore,” she says, with a frustrated sigh.
“What?” Callista responds. “Why not?”
“It’s Lydia. She’s starting up this ridiculous magic school with Amrita. They’re going to try to get the vampires involved, including Tudor Thornblade. I forgot that he knows Lydia, and now that they might be working together, I’m sure he’ll realize who you are if he sees you.”
Callista stares at her with indignation. But it’s obvious that Lavinia is right. Callista and Lydia are a few years apart, but they could easily be mistaken for twins. They have the same freckles and long, dark red hair, although Callista’s hair forms perfect ringlets while Lydia’s hair falls in waves.
If Tudor Thornblade knows Lydia, he would certainly realize that she’s related to Callista. Her cover would immediately be blown.
“Well, that’s too bad,” I shrug, turning to leave the office. “Who knows, maybe the academy will improve magical relations. If Tudor is teaching, that’s a good sign, right? No need to spy on anyone- ”
“Not so fast, Amara,” says Lavinia. “Just because Callista can no longer complete the mission, doesn’t mean it’s not essential. I received some unfortunate news this morning.”
Oh Goddess, what now ? I turn back toward Callista and the High Priestess.
“One of the northern vampires was attempting to communicate with the Arundel wolves in the Cave,” Lavinia reports solemnly. “We believe that she’s planning to ally with them and break them out. I’ve never trusted vampires. They don’t have a moral code, like witches do. They’re sneaky, and they only care about themselves. They would betray us at any opportunity.”
I cross my arms. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about that, Lavinia.”
“Yes, there is.” A slight smirk appears on the High Priestess’s face. “Amara, you’re going to go undercover at the vampire’s hotel, in Callista’s place.”
I stare at her in shock. “Me? Why me ?”
“You’re our best witch,” Lavinia says. “Your offensive magic is strong, and you’ve been serving Hecate for hundreds of years. And best of all, you haven’t been involved in any politics-”
“Because I hate magical politics-”
“So none of the vampires will recognize you! It’s a perfect plan,” Lavinia leans back in her chair, surveying me confidently. “You’ll work as a bartender in Tudor’s hotel, in the city. Get close to him and his progeny, and learn about what they’re plotting. It’s dangerous, but I’m sure you’re up to the task!”
I’m fuming. This is the last thing I want to do. I don’t mind rounding up some wolf shifters, but spying ? On vampires ? I haven’t been around so many vampires since…
“Absolutely not,” I declare. “I won’t do it, Lavinia. I belong here, in Hemlock Haven.”
She narrows her small eyes at me. “You’re making a grave mistake, Amara. I know that Tudor Thornblade and the vampires are up to something. If they pull out of our alliance, it could put our entire coven in jeopardy.”
Beside me, Callista huffs, still unhappy about this turn of events. I wish with all of my heart that she could be going, but we all know that’s not possible.
Still…I know that I can’t take her place.
I look Lavinia in the eye. “I’m not going. That’s my final word.”
My High Priestess sits back in her chair, her mouth thin. “, and difficult to keep. What would your father think if you lost it?”
Her words pierce my heart like a dagger. Without waiting for Callista, I storm out of her office, slamming the door loudly on my way out.