Eva
My ass is numb from the plastic chair I’ve been sitting in for the last few hours. I anticipated Lena’s offer would be presented and promptly voted down, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I’m starting to worry.
Celeste’s counterargument might be working. It’s taking every ounce of self-control to not interrupt her and scream at the top of my lungs. They don’t know how dangerous this is for demons. They don’t know what kind of danger Sorren could be in if Lena gets her way.
Maybe I should tell them about him. I’ll admit to everything and throw myself at their mercy for the greater good. I can already imagine the looks of fear and disappointment from everyone in the room. Worth it, if it would save a single demon.
“We all agree this dark magick is an abomination. We could reunite the covens, right the wrong from so many years ago. Then, when we have regained our power, we can bring them back to the light. Convince them that dark magick has no place here,” Celeste proclaims to the coven.
Heads nod and approving murmurs ripple through the group.
My knee gets bouncy, ready to launch me into the air. How can everyone sit here so calmly?
This is wrong! We cannot condone this kind of magick.
My fingers itch to fiddle with the smoky quartz stone sitting on the table in front of me.
The sharp angles would feel so good in my hand, a place to put my worries.
But I can’t touch it. Holding it would call for a vote, and it’s not time yet.
I keep a keen eye on everyone else’s stone.
They are all unique to each witch, a representation of their distinct magick.
My stone called to me when it was time to choose.
Someday, I’ll know why the stone picked me.
Instead, I rub my index finger and thumb over my grandmother’s necklace and think of Sorren.
“There is no reasoning with witches who have embraced the darkness. That type of magick turns a witch into something evil.” Siobhan’s response is a lot calmer than mine would have been.
It’s not just about the effect it has on witches. Demons matter too, but that seems to be lost in the conversation. I’m not sure my full-throated defense of demons would do any good at this moment.
“We could gain their power temporarily. Open the leylines, and deal with Holloway once our magick has been restored,” Penny says. Her sweet and squeaky voice obscures how dangerous her suggestion is.
I know in my bones that if we reunited with them, there would be no going back. We would all be lost.
“There is no temporary when it comes to dark magick. It cannot be undone,” my mom says, thinking along the same lines as me.
I open my mouth to speak, unable to stay silent any longer. They’re going to be pissed about Sorren. Hell, they might even kick me out of the coven, but I can’t stand by and do nothing.
Riley places her hand on my jumpy leg. She shakes her head no, a motion imperceptible to anyone else and mouths the word ‘wait’.
I still my leg and calm my thoughts with a few deep breaths.
Paige stands up and marches to the front of the classroom, the same spot she teaches from every week. She takes a deep breath and looks around the room, pausing on every member of the coven.
“Splitting a coven is a tragedy and is never a decision taken lightly. We must trust that our mothers and grandmothers did the right thing all those years ago. Rejecting dark magick was not a mistake or something we need to correct. Our coven must stand firm in our values, stare down evil, and tell it to fuck right off.”
The tightening at my throat finally releases. There is no arguing with that reasoning. The vote hasn’t even taken place yet, but the energy shifts in the room. Nodding heads and smiles affirm my impression.
Siobhan stands, approaches Paige, and grabs her hand, bringing the room to order. “The matter before us belongs to all. In the light of the full moon, answer this true. All those in favor of combining with Holloway, make your intention known.”
The entire room stops. The quiet feels loud in my ears. Only the smoke twirling over the sage dares to move.
“All those in favor of denying the petition to unify, make your intention known.” The small stones placed in front of each witch rattle and shake. Mine shoots high into the air. Riley’s rock hovers about a foot in the air. Soon, all the rocks are suspended in the air. Unanimous.
“The will of the coven,” Siobhan says, bringing the matter to a close.
Paige places a blue candle on a mirror. My mom flicks on a lighter and sets the wick aflame. I laugh to myself, Sorren would have loved showing off his little party trick of lighting it with a snap of his fingers.
Siobhan writes our answer on a piece of paper, rolls it up and holds it above the flame. The paper flashes, and its ashen remnants float into the air, disappearing into nothing.
Relief overtakes me, but a nagging feeling still tugs at my chest. In the spirit of open discussion and vulnerability of the gathering tonight, I feel like a fraud. I’ve been keeping Sorren a secret from my mom and Paige. My instinct tells me it’s time to tell them.
The witches gather up their things and start to file out of the classroom.
When was the last time they were all in this room?
Probably when they were novices, learning about what it means to be a witch.
I don’t know why they have stopped coming to help with the classes.
I’ve just assumed that it’s too painful to sit with that empty void of magick where it once was.
I’ve never felt that loss, and that’s why I see myself in these young witchlings.
I grab onto Riley’s elbow. “Hang back.”
She scrunches up her eyebrows in a silent question.
“I’m going to tell them,” I whisper, looking pointedly over at Mom and Paige.
“You sure?” she asks. I nod, grateful she’s let me decide this on my time. I’m sure she has felt the weight of my secret along with me. Asking her to keep such an important thing from the coven feels wrong, and I feel bad for dragging her into it.
“Hey Mom, Paige, want to come over and have some tea?” I ask, training my voice into sounding casual, not like I want to introduce them to the Prince of Hell in my living room.
“That sounds perfect,” Paige says and loops her arm in mine as we walk to the parking lot.
In a split second decision, I choose to not tell them ahead of time.
Their reactions are too unpredictable. I need them safely tucked away in my house when I drop the news of my mistake.
My hands shake as I put the key in the ignition.
I can’t tell if I’m breathing heavily, or holding my breath, all the way home.
Maybe the summoning was a mistake, but I refuse to think of Sorren as one. I can’t believe it. I think I’m falling in love with him.
The truck rumbles up the driveway to the house. By now Sorren knows I’m home, he’ll have heard the truck. I put her in park and take a deep breath. There’s no going back now. This is for the best.
Two cars pull in right behind me. Riley jumps out of one and power-walks to me while Mom and Paige amble out of the second. They are bickering about something between them as they meander to us.
“I’m thirsty after all the debating.” Paige taps at her hoarse throat.
“Before we go in, there is something you need to know.” I take a shallow breath. “Something happened the night after Mabon. A grimoire showed up and I was desperate. I made a mistake.”
“Oh honey, it can’t be that bad,” Mom says, climbing the three stairs leading up to the house. She taps her toe on the door and it opens wide, a little trick my grandmother charmed the house with back when it was hers.
“Mom, wait!” I run in after her and squeeze my eyes shut. Waiting for her to scream.
“Evie, what kind of tea do you have?” she asks from the kitchen. My eyelids crack open then search desperately for Sorren. Where is he?
“Mrs. S!” Riley shouts, following us into the house. Her eyes dart around the room, looking for the demon. She lifts her shoulders with a silent question. I shrug back.
“Do you have anything stronger than tea?” Paige asks, brushing past us on her way to join my mom in the kitchen.
“Uh. There should be some tequila in the cabinet next to the window. Give me a sec, I need to check something.” I race up the stairs. The only thing worse than being surprised by a demon is being surprised by one in the bathroom or bedroom.
I check my bedroom first. Empty. Then the bathroom. Also empty. His bed is neatly made in the unoccupied room.
I wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans and head back down. Maybe he’s in the shed working with Malachi.
“Hey, Riley. Do you mind checking on the cat? He’s probably in the shed out back.”
“Sure, Eva. I would be happy to,” she says robotically, catching my drift. Luckily, Mom and Paige are too busy arguing about who makes the better margarita to notice how suspicious we are being.
Riley slips out the back door unnoticed, and I position myself at the sink, with a clear view to the shed. I watch as Riley cracks open the shed door then swings it wide. It’s dark and empty.
Her eyes dart to mine, and she shakes her head, telling me what I already know. He’s gone.
He left, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
It’s for the best. He was needed down there anyway. I’m working hard to convince myself that I believe those words.
I walk into the living room where a faint smell of smoke and iron lingers in the air. Warning bells ring in my head. Something’s wrong. I turn, trying to identify the source of the scent.
On the floor in the center of the living room sit Sorren’s glasses. He would never leave without his glasses.
Sorren didn’t leave. He was taken.