Epilogue
Two months later…
I shut the door behind my last customer of the day, sagging against the wood.
Today was a particularly rough one. Every single person who graced this room seemed to be plagued with awful personal problems. I received visions of abusive husbands, sick children, and one particularly strange case of a man searching for the whereabouts of his lost pigeon.
My whole day has been spent acting as a sort of quasi therapist for the sad, lost souls who come to Zeke’s looking for answers. Thank God we decided to close the shop early today. I don’t think I have any more advice left in me to give.
Before I tuck my cards away, I shuffle the deck and pull one from the top. Of course this is the one I ended up with. I can’t help but laugh.
There’s a quick knock at the door before Joelle pokes her head in. She’s dressed in a sleek black maxi dress with low pumps, while I wear all white. “Busy?” she asks.
I shake my head, holding up my card in answer.
“The Lovers?” she sidles up next to me, pulling me in close and kissing my neck. “Whoever could that be referring to?”
In answer, I plant my lips firmly on hers, drinking her in and losing myself in the kiss.
If you’d asked me at the beginning of the summer whether dating Joelle was in my future, I would’ve shouted a resounding NO!
Even after the veil dropped and she became fully integrated into the coven, I wouldn’t have bet even a dollar that she’d stick around.
I always assumed magic was too much for mortals to comprehend.
Like the hateful trio, all they would ever see is power that was out of their reach.
But I should’ve known Joelle would be different.
Getting an inside peek at New Orleans’s occult underbelly is euphoric for her academic soul.
It’s more than any of her professors could ever offer her.
Although, she still plans to soak up everything they teach this semester.
As for helping her mother, she’s been working with Miss Connie on a healing potion to send back home.
“We should go,” she gasps, pulling back to suck in a breath. “Zeke told us not to be late, and he wasn’t messing around.”
“We won’t be,” I murmur, dipping back in for another kiss.
“Nope, nope.” She shimmies out of my grasp and leans against the doorframe. “Your brother’s waiting for us. We really have to go.”
“Ugh, fine.” I lock up the back room, and we stroll to the front, where Orion’s waiting.
He’s dressed sharply in black pants with a freshly pressed black button-down shirt. His tie hangs loose around his neck, and I walk over to tie it for him without being asked.
“I really think we should’ve gotten one of the part-timers to keep the place open till evening,” he grumbles. “The streets are still buzzing.”
“It’s New Orleans,” I say. “It’s always going to be busy. Closing the shop is a sign of respect.”
“Okay, but when Gramps goes over the numbers at the end of the quarter—”
“He’ll understand,” I finish, patting his chest. “Let’s go.”
We pause outside to admire the sign Joelle pinned up in the window.
In Remembrance. The faces of those we’ve lost line the bottom.
My gaze sticks to Chris—the youngest of the victims. Death comes for everyone, but I still wish it hadn’t stolen so many people I loved.
Out of the corner of my eye, Orion wipes his face.
They may be gone, but they’ll never be forgotten.
Orion unlocks the door of our old Honda, and we climb in. The engine rattles to life, but Orion and I both ignore it. We’re playing a game of chicken to see who’ll fork up the money to have it looked at first.
The car is silent the entire ride to the rec center.
Orion doesn’t even turn on the radio. I know without needing to read his mind that my brother’s still worried about business.
Gramps handed the reins over to him last month, partially retiring from running the magic shop in order to focus all his efforts on the election this fall.
To the surprise of everyone, Orion’s thrived with the responsibility, but it’s still difficult for him not to think he’s letting Gramps down. If only he could see how Gramps admires him when he isn’t looking.
“What are you doing afterward?” I ask him, anything to get him out of the thought spiral he’s sunken into.
“Oh, Andrew and I are going to Baton Rouge this weekend.” He shakes his head. “He got us tickets to some god-awful country festival.”
Joelle smirks, leaning between the front seats. “It’s not about the music; it’s about the quality time you get with him.”
“I know.” He gives her a gentle smile. “I’m not complaining, but we should take bets on whether I’ll be the only Black person there.”
We all shudder and laugh at the thought.
My brother has finally settled down, in more ways than one.
We pull into the parking lot, edging into one of the last open spots. All of us hoof it around the front of the rec center, filing into line with the rest of the coven. Normally, there would be basketball practice today, but Gramps reserved the gym for the ceremony.
Inside, black and white balloons are strung up around the room.
Folding chairs are arranged in rows, leaving an empty space near the front, where a short stage has been set up.
Bouquets of flowers sit in vases along the front as white candles burn atop a low table.
Gramps stands near the front with his hands clasped behind his back.
He and Aunt Roberta have their heads bowed as they speak in hurried whispers.
Joelle squeezes my hand and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Good luck,” she murmurs before she and Orion join Lizzie and Malik.
Aunt Roberta waves me to the front once she spots me. Her hug nearly steals my breath away. “I’m so proud of you,” she says. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about college, though.”
Her entire face lights up when I tell her, “My applications are going out in November.”
“Don’t hog the girl,” Gramps says, shooing Aunt Roberta away. He studies me with a closed expression, but the slight wobble of his lip betrays his emotions. “Your grandmother would’ve loved to see this moment.”
“She’s watching,” I say. “Gran’s always with me.”
He sniffs, pats my arm, and heads to his seat. I haven’t seen him cry since Gran died. If he sheds a tear today, there’s no way he’ll let anyone else see.
The lights dim as I take my place seated on the stage. In a sea of black-clothed witches, I’m the only one dressed in white. Aunt Roberta lights a stick of incense and waves it in the air around me, cleansing my space.
“I am the daughter of Rosetta Cormier Hill,” she says, her voice booming against the walls of the cavernous room.
“I am a direct descendant of our coven’s guiding light, the strongest among us, La Reine Sorcière.
Her name may be lost to time, but her spirit lives on in my great-niece, Mikaela Anne Broussard. ”
My stomach fills with butterflies as every single eye in the room falls upon me. I may have proven my value after literally dying for them, but a small part of me will never forget how they didn’t believe I was worthy at first. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving myself to the coven.
“Rise,” Aunt Roberta commands. Chairs squeak as everyone in the assembled crowd stands. “Is there anyone in this room who does not accept the ascension of our new Witch Queen?”
The silence is so complete you could hear a pin drop.
“Then kneel and pledge your allegiance to our queen.”
My heart stutters as every single person in this coven drops to their knees. Aunt Roberta, Gramps, Orion, Malik, Lizzie. Even Aunt Lorraine, who kneels on a pillow.
I ascend, towering over my coven and snapping my fingers. The candles extinguish themselves at my command as I point to the overhead lights, brightening the room.
Gramps told me to prepare a speech beforehand, but I knew I wouldn’t need one. All I have to do is speak from my heart.
“Following in my gran’s footsteps is nearly impossible.
She was a force to be reckoned with, and she led her family and this coven with strength and grace.
I only hope I can be half as great as the woman she was.
But that doesn’t mean she never made any mistakes.
” My gaze lands on Sabine near the middle section.
I offered her a place in the coven, and she accepted.
“Gran had her convictions, and so does my grandfather. They both believed in a very linear, strict path of what is right and what is wrong. But I’m my own person and I have to forge a path made especially for me.
I’ll make mistakes, and sometimes I’ll do everything wrong. But I will always find my way.”
I find Orion in the crowd. He lifts his hand to his chest and taps the spot directly over his heart.
“The Queens who came before me stand by my side,” I say. “They light the way forward.”
There’s a sea of applause as the assembled crowd gets to their feet. Music begins to play somewhere in the room as the coven reaches for me.
Orion makes his way to me. “I’m proud to be your brother,” he murmurs. “And the ones who aren’t with us are proud of you, too.”
I haven’t received any other visions of the future for me or the coven, but I know one thing for certain: I am the rightful Witch Queen, and I will protect the witches of my coven with my life.