48
Soleil
I allow myself only a few moments to recover after my conversation with Esme before I set off down the grand staircase back to the entrance hall.
There are still whispers, still a few people who call out to me as I pass, and if I were in the mood to be a better example of a soon-to-Ascend priestess, maybe I’d stop and stay for a while. I could assure everyone I’m alright, make sure none of my students had any crises while I was away.
The best I can manage is a few smiles and brief greetings as I make my way back downstairs. I’ll be back soon for Samhain and there will be more time, but right now I’ve got somewhere to be.
When I make it to the ground floor, Marianne is there, leaning against the banister.
Arms folded, fiery curls hanging around her face, one brow raised as I reach the bottom of the stairs.
“You look… surprisingly cheerful.”
“Do I?” I ask, still a little breathless.
“Bodes well for the rest of us, then, if you didn’t leave Esme in a mood.”
I laugh, and she falls in step beside me as we continue toward the door.
We pause on the wide stone landing just outside, and I breathe deep. The sun is about to slip below the trees, and the entire sky is painted in golds and pinks and purples and blues.
“I’m happy for you, Soleil,” Marianne says. “And I’m happy for the rest of us, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, first off, we get you as a priestess.”
I laugh again. “Maybe I’ll turn into an old curmudgeon as soon as I get my robes.”
“Maybe, but somehow I think you’ll be exactly what coven leadership needs. Which brings me to the second thing I’m thankful for.”
“And what would that be?”
“I’m thankful the rest of us get an example of how we can break the rules.”
My smile fades a little.
It’s not quite how I think of myself, a rule-breaker like my sister, but she’s got a point.
“Not in a bad way,” she continues. “In a way that means a few more of us might actually end up happy.”
That damn lump is back in my throat, and I try to swallow around it as I nod.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m pretty confident I am,” she says. “Besides, someone needs to shake things up for Esme and the rest of—”
Magick crackles through the woods around the coven hall, buzzing and electric, a familiar pulse of power that’s always served as a warning.
The wards around the Veil have been tripped.
My eyes lock with Marianne’s and she opens her mouth to say something, when I feel it.
A lurch in the center of my chest. A hard tug, drawing me toward the forest.
My mouth curves into a grin, and I laugh out loud before dashing off, calling back to Marianne over my shoulder.
“Tell everyone I’ve got it,” I say, already certain who’s waiting for me in the woods. “And there’s no need to worry. The demon who tripped the wards is here for me.”