Chapter 32 This is Where We Rise #2
But then she lowered her gaze and said to the eight women following her, "Now we go to town and stake our claim."
There was a steady beat of thoughts Tilly could feel and hear inside of her with each of their heavy steps.
Only nine women.
There were only nine women trying to take on a town of people who would see them go.
"We are only nine," Tilly finally said. She couldn't hold the words inside of her any longer.
"Ten would be ideal," Crystal admitted but then she smiled, her wise eyes twinkling. "But nine of the greatest women I have known together is no small threat."
Day was officially upon the town and it was not a gentle start, as the sound of voices fighting against each other filled the air the closer they got to the town.
Worry, fear, trepidation. Tilly could think of every emotion that held hands with anxiety and fear, and they would be here with them now.
Once they cleared the outer street of downtown and could see the center of Salem they all paused.
The sound of clashing voices was now at a crest. Before them stood so many people that the nine women didn't dare move any further.
Signs were being thrusted into the air by angry chanters calling them all kinds of names that paired well with "witch. "
At the lead of the charge with a bullhorn was none other than Rob Sandis, suit on like a traveling salesman, his eyes covered in expensive sunglasses and his chest puffed out.
Eloise grabbed Jessica's hand but when she looked at the blonde woman she saw something more terrifying than a man yelling about taking away women's rights - a woman responding.
Jessica was poised, head high, blue eyes clear and mouth just barely smiling.
"She looks terrifying," Eloise whispered. Ursula nodded in shock.
"You know about some magic that will get us out of this that we don't?" Ursula asked.
Jessica shook her head. "No. But this ends now." The words were full of a conviction that punched through them all. Tilly felt it in the tingling of her fingertips and the cage of her chest, like some wild animal was rattling its cage.
An animal trying to get out.
Rage.
Astra, Beatrice and Esther walked down the main street of Salem, all in step and all wearing the same capes in emerald green that Margaret had been wrapped in.
They looked formidable. Strong. The way that Astra's face didn't move, her eyes sharp on them like a weapon made Tilly's strength pause.
The air dropped a few more degrees and leaves draped along branches lining the street dropped in a colorful shiver.
"Witches of The Lost Souls, do you come in peace?" Astra's voice cut through the voices like a knife. It was powerful, sharp. Everyone else around the trio stopped to watch.
"That depends," Jen called back. "Are you psychos leaving in peace?"
They were still ten yards away from them, but all nine could see, smell, and feel Astra's flash of anger. Her dark eyes narrowed.
"Crystal, surely you know what is at stake here," she said.
"I do." Today Crystal was donned in a black cape and flowing diaphanous pants showed the long slender legs of a woman who had marched through years of adversity. Now they carried her to within three yards of the witches before she stopped. "Do you?"
Astra considered her for a moment before her half-smile broke out.
"I heard about you, you know. Margaret had big accolades to say about the great Crystal.
But the more greatness," she raised her arms, her green cape following in a large verdant wingspan, "the greater the fall.
" Her arms sliced down to her side in a dramatic pull of fabric.
Betrayal is no defeat. There is no honor in it. But she didn't say that out loud. The wrong people are unwilling to hear the right thing.
Astra laughed at Crystal's calm silence. The other two behind her smiled.
"We will run you out of this town, bind your magic, and return Salem to nothing but a tourist trap where mortal women who wish that they could summon magic come every year in the hope of being something more than their boring, earthly selves."
"Such vitriol, Astra," Crystal chided gently.
"She's so cool. And calm," Bess whispered.
"There are nine of you." Astra's scoff was more visible than audible.
"Ten!"
Everyone swiveled their heads and no one was more surprised than Tilly to see Freida march up behind where they were standing off.
"Freida?"
The woman nodded at Tilly, her hair pulled back into a banana clip creating a fantastic pouf of blonde curls. She had on a clear visor, her glasses hanging around her neck, her faithful jug of water in one hand.
And she had what looked like thirty or so women behind her. Women from the town. Carmen freaking Frederick stood in the crowd, her head high and her look of righteousness for once not aimed at them.
"Thought we shouldn't sit this one out," was Freida's hello.
Tilly and the others looked cautiously around.
"Sorry, you're here for us? Or like FOR us?" Tilly asked.
"Whichever one is for women's rights and against whatever the heck those three crazies are trying to stir up.
" She shook her head, a flash of raw anger filling her middle-aged face.
"And him," She said pointing an aggressive finger at Rob.
"You made a mistake ripping a woman out of a peaceful town hall. "
"She disturbed-"
"She disturbed nothin'!" Freida yelled.
No one was more shocked at the rage than Tilly as she stood next to a woman who had treated her like a flea.
"I ain't sittin around for other people you deem less than yourself to be thrown out of this town. You're a joke."
Everyone behind Freida raised their arms, holding their own signs, loud cheers, shouts so shrill that everyone behind Astra and Rob shuffled back a step.
Rob's face turned red at the words and Jessica's calm smile turned regally feral.
"She was a disrupter of peace," he accused again, his hand pointed toward Jessica.
"These women have been nothing but excellent citizens," came a new voice.
Jen winked at Cora who nodded at her friend as she stood tall, her black suit pristine, the lines clean and showing off a demanding woman inside of it. She wore red high heels that looked lethal.
"She's fucking amazing," Bess whispered. Ursula cut her a look but then silently agreed.
"You have no place here anymore. The vote came in and you're out." Rob's smugness could be felt. It was thick, cloying, that overreaching humidity after a summer rainstorm, and overreaching male privilege.
Tilly scrunched her nose at the feeling and Eloise scrunched hers at the smell of too much spicy cologne and the scent of crisply unused money.
"I've said this before and I will say it again, Rob," Cora lifted her head.
"If the town doesn't want me as mayor, I gracefully bow out.
But I will still stand here for those who need fighting for.
You," she pointed to a narrow-eyed Rob then pointed to the three women, "and you three are clearly here to create a space of privilege for whomever you decide has earned it.
And as long as people like you are yelling, people like us," she made a wide sweep of her arm, "will come toe-to-toe with you to match your noise. "
"You still do not have the power here," Rob said.
"Power is an interesting concept," someone shouted through another bullhorn.
They turned to see a tall blonde woman wearing a light pink blazer walking through the crowd that Freida brought, and behind her was a single file of women in matching pink blazers.
The woman who spoke held out a file to Jessica whose wide smile greeted her. She then boldly walked up to a wary Rob and held out another file.
He looked at it then back at the woman. "What is this?""You're not Rob Sandis?" she asked, a faux look of confusion on her pretty features.
"I am," was his proud reply as he took the folder.
Her confused look melted into a practiced smile. "Then you've been served."
She promptly turned, winked at Jessica, and then she and her line of pink-clad businesswomen found a place behind The Lost Souls Coven.
As Rob stuttered out indecent expletives, ripping open the manila paper someone else parted the crowd- slow, steady, tall.
Tilly's heart tripped when she saw Theo in his uniform with two officers flanking him.
Her mind rewound Astra's words about him using her, and she swallowed against the pain and fear, but that was pushed aside when he pulled out handcuffs and read Rob Sandis his rights in the middle of Salem, in the middle of a crowd he had used fear to collect.
Jessica watched on with a look of content joy.
They couldn't hear what was happening but Rob was loud about not agreeing with the charges. He looked wildly to Astra who simply stood by, the only emotion showing slightly on her face was annoyance. She would not save him here.
She didn't need him.
The two officers escorted a bewildered and irate Rob through the crowd. But Theo stopped for a moment, his head turned and dark eyes zeroed in on Tilly. He'd known exactly where she was standing in the crowd and the people and space between them melted away.
Just empty space, no noise, him staring into her and there was a beckoning, a promise.
A promise of what, she wasn't sure. But then he gave her a half smile, breaking the concrete of his stoic face and she knew without one note of doubt or anxiety that he had not used her.
And the warmth that flooded her was the catalyst for kicking out any voices in her head that screamed uncertainty.
Rob called Astra's name and she ignored him, pinning Crystal with a look. "Theatrics won't get you out of this."
When Margaret walked out of the parting crowd, Crystal smiled.
"Came to see for yourself, Margaret?"
Astra's eyes darted to where the older woman stood. Shock was clear on her severe face, shock that rippled through the other two at her side as she nearly stumbled to bow her head.