A Meeting of Witches

Rain starts to fall as we pile into the Jeep, a little discouraged by our first attempt to repair the barrier.

If I have to, I'll patch holes every single day, as many as I can, but it will be like slapping Band-Aids on a severed limb. Eventually, the magic will bleed out before we can mend it.

Conversation is minimal as Levi drives us back to town, his hands tight on the steering wheel and his brown eyes focused on the road. Drops of water splatter on the windshield and bounce off the soft top of the Jeep, making me shiver.

Haut cuddles me against his chest, sharing his body heat, while Tris brushes dirt off my feet and slips my socks and shoes back on.

"We're a little ahead of schedule, but not by much," Levi announces as he pulls up to the Silver Hollow Library. "The local coven should be finishing up brunch at the cafe, and they'll come over to meet with us."

He hesitates before shutting off the ignition and twisting in his seat to face us. "Tell them what you need to, but keep in mind that one of them could be the person who poisoned our barrier."

I glance at Aspen. "Does something like that constitute black magic?"

His lips press together into a thin line. "Only if they're killing to do it."

My hand moves to my wrist, where a dark squiggle marks my skin as a reminder that I used my powers to kill the man who tortured and hunted witches. "So ill intent isn't enough?"

"Unfortunately not." He grimaces. "There's no gray area in that regard."

I tug my sleeve down, though my wand sheath hides the mark. "Magic is stupid."

"Sometimes, yes." Aspen pops open his door and uses his new walking stick to climb out.

Not to be outdone by the invalid, the rest of us hurry to follow him.

Rain strikes the top of my head and my cheeks as we walk the short distance to the library's entrance, where I admire a display of calligraphy pens and handmade paper in the front window. Delilah would like that, and I pat around in search of my wallet.

When I find my pockets empty, I shove my hand into Tris's pants to grab his.

His brow arches. "Does this make me your sugar daddy on this adventure?"

I wave the wallet. "Your bank card is linked to my account."

"It's our account, my apple dumpling." He drops a kiss on my mouth before plucking his wallet from my fingers. "We can shop after our meeting."

"Fine." I pout for only a second. "Make a note. I want to buy a calligraphy pen and paper for Delilah."

Tris looks over the top of my head at Haut. "Remind me that Rowe wants to buy the calligraphy pen and paper for Delilah."

"I heard." Haut's hand on my back propels me through the door that Levi patiently holds open.

Immediately, the comforting scent of old paper surrounds me, reminding me of home. Barron's store, Books Blots, is one of my favorite places to spend time. We set up his study area as our translation station for the ancient grimoires my family created over the centuries.

Like Barron's modest shop, this one has dedicated the front to heavy tables laden with books, stationery, and pens. An ancient-looking cash register sits on a small counter to the right, and tall bookcases create a fake wall, separating the actual library.

As we wander deeper into the building, an elderly woman with steel-gray hair steps into our path, wearing a scowl that discourages us from taking one more step into the stacks.

"Levi." Her wrinkly old lips curl back in a sneer. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Hello, Cora," Levi says with forced politeness, clearly used to her hostility. "We're meeting Elana and the others here shortly. They reserved the study room."

"They didn't say you'd be joining them." She glares up at him with the same level of disgust she'd give to discovering dog shit on her shoe. "And I suppose you'll be wanting refreshments."

"That would be delightful," Levi drawls. "We'll see our way to the back."

With a sniff, Cora turns on her heel and stomps through a door that leads under a set of stairs. Before she disappears, she shoots one more venomous glare in Levi's direction.

"Wow," I whisper as we follow Levi through the stacks to the back. "Is she a cat shifter?"

She certainly has the distain of a cat.

He shakes his head. "No, she's human."

I slump with disappointment. "What did you do to piss her off?"

"Nothing, really." He shrugs, unfazed by her animosity. "Her daughter ran off with a werewolf when she was a teenager and never came back or contacted her again. Cora has been blaming our pack ever since."

Tris nudges me. "Mrs. Smith suddenly looks like an angel."

"I wouldn't go that far." The evil woman made herself my enemy on day one, though she mellowed out a bit after the stabbing incident. "We should probably call home to make sure she hasn't killed Jesse and stolen his pie recipe."

"She'd only do that if she was seriously afraid she'll lose the contest," Tris protests.

I give that some thought. "Yeah, a health check would be good."

"That will mean telling Barron about his van," Haut says.

I glance up at Tris, who nods. "You're right, Jesse's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

The study room turns out to be a walled-in area at the back, with a wooden table large enough to seat fifteen people. Little lamps with green glass shades run down the center, casting a soft, warm glow over the dented surface. A stack of loose paper and a cup of pens sit between the lamps.

As we settle at one end, Cora returns with a tray of mismatched teacups and a steaming pot, her scowl no less intense than before.

She thunks it down on the table, gives Levi one last disapproving glare, and disappears back into the bookshelves.

I give the teapot a wary stare. "I'm not sure I trust that not to be poisoned."

"She'd more likely spit in it," Levi says, and Aspen drops the teacup he was about to fill.

Levi pulls a chair closer to my mentor and turns it toward him. "Let's get that leg elevated. I promised the doctor that we'd keep you off of it, and we should at least honor the spirit of that agreement."

Aspen groans as he props his injured leg on the seat. "I believe the agreement was that I'd put it up once I was settled at the pack house."

Levi winks at him. "No harm in babying it a little until then."

Before he can grumble about being fussed over, six women bustle in, their presence filling the room with a tingling rush of energy. The coven Levi promised is fewer than I expected, but they each carry an air of confidence that makes up for their small numbers.

The woman at the front, her silver hair braided tightly into a crown atop her head, steps forward. "Hello, my name is Elana. I lead the Silver Hollow coven, and I specialize in earth magic."

"It's good to meet you, Elana." Aspen begins to get up, and a middle-aged woman with warm brown eyes bustles over to him.

"Don't you dare stand for us." She tut-tuts over his leg. "You should still be at the clinic, young man."

He settles back into his chair with a wry smile. "I appreciate the concern, Phoebe, but I'm fine. The poultice you made has done wonders for quickening the healing process."

A rosy glow lights her face, and she turns to the rest of us. "I specialize in healing magic, as you may have guessed. I met young Aspen here when he arrived last night. It saddened us to hear of the attack. Such dark times for Silver Hollow."

Aspen nods in greeting to the other newcomers. "My name is Aspen, and I co-lead the coven in Hartford Cove. I have an affinity with all elements."

It sounds snooty when he says it like that, but at least he left off all that circle stuff he usually boasts about.

He gestures to us. "My apprentices are Rowe, who is an ethereal witch, and Tris, who is an air witch with a minor fire affinity."

We both wave.

Aspen motions to the last of us. "Haut is a wolf shifter, though he has acted as a witch's assistant and is knowledgeable in the arts. He's here as their companion."

"Bond mate," I correct, and Tris nods.

Elana's eyes widen, but she dips her head toward us. "It is an honor."

A woman who looks closer to my age, with honey-blond hair, steps forward. "I'm Lyra, water magic expert at your service."

Her eyes twinkle with mischief as she winks at Tris, and I kick him when he smiles back.

"Hi, I'm Mina." A young woman with raven-black locks and pale skin waves. "I work with air."

"Kaela," chimes in a tall woman with striking blue eyes. "Fire is my specialty."

"And I'm Aris." The last woman introduces herself with a bob of her head, short curls bouncing around a softly rounded face. "I craft charms and talismans."

Excited, I push out the chair beside me. "You, come sit here."

Surprised, she glances at Elana, who nods.

As Aris settles next to me, the others spread out, and Mina pours the tea.

I turn to my new companion. "A few of my coven members make potions and charms. Fascinating stuff."

A blush creeps into her cheeks. "It's not anything flashy, like what elemental witches can do."

"Flash is overrated." Mina sets a teacup in front of Aris, but I cover the top before she can reach for it. "Don't drink that. It might have prejudiced-old-librarian spit in it."

"Oh, my. But I have a spell for that!" Aris pulls a keychain from her pocket laden with various charms.

She flips through them until she finds a tiny purple potion bottle. When she dips it into her tea, it turns green.

Grinning, she holds it up. "No spit detected."

I gape at her. "You are amazing. Where can I get one of those?"

Giggling, she takes it off her ring and hands it to me. "You can have this one."

I cradle it in my hand. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Her eyes twinkle. "I can always make more. And I can give you the spell, so your friends back home can have it."

Eager not to lose it, I pull my wand from my sleeve and thread the charm through a clip I had attached to the bottom. I had originally done it to link a chain to the arm sheath so I absolutely wouldn't drop my super-special magic stick, but then it got caught on a doorknob and damn near broke my arm.

Charms are a much better use for it.

"Your wand is lovely." Aris leans closer. "What kind of crystal is that at the top?"

"Lightning glass, actually." I hold it out for her to see. "Aspen put metal rods on the beach?—"

A throat clearing cuts me off, and I glance toward the head of the table, where Elana wedged herself in next to Aspen.

She smiles at me, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "We will have time later to get acquainted. But first, we have business to discuss."

She turns to Levi. "Why has the Alpha of Silver Hollow brought new witches to our town? Do you doubt our skills?"

Wow, this lady gets straight to the point.

The amiability that has graced Levi's face since the day we met slips away. "Your coven has been working for months to repair the barrier. It's not that I question your abilities, just that the solution may arrive too late. We felt it was time to ask for outside help, from a sister city who understands such things."

Tension crackles in the air as Elana's focus shifts to me and Tris, pinning us with a contemptuous glare. "And you thought these children could do what we cannot?"

"Watch your words," Levi growls, fire flashing in his eyes. "That is the Wendall witch and her eternal spark you are speaking to, and their mentor is a witch of the second circle, who has led dozens of covens already in his few years. Show some respect."

Damn, the dude did his homework before coming to Hartford Cove to ask for help.

Elana flinches back from his sharp tone, uncertainty flickering across her features. "My apologies, Levi. I spoke without full knowledge of whom we sat with."

"Even if they were hedge witches, you should have shown them respect." Shadows bubble up from his skin. "Griffen does not bring outsiders in with no reason. And it is not your place to question him."

She forces a smile. "How may we be of assistance?"

When Levi turns to Aspen, he clears his throat into the awkward silence. "First off, how did you realize that the barrier was failing?"

Elana sits with her back ramrod straight. "We started hearing reports from people who had left Silver Hollow. They were starting to remember the town."

"Which shouldn't be possible." Lyra twirls a blond lock around her finger. "The barrier's supposed to keep all memories of this place locked up tight."

"Exactly." Elana folds her hands on the table. "Though it was not the appointed time, we attempted to cast the renewing spell, but it didn't work as it usually does. It was like throwing spun sugar into a pond. It dissipated."

"Because your barrier is nothing but straight lines." I prop my chin on my hand. "With all the holes, the only direction the magic has to go is down."

The coven exchanges puzzled glances, their brows knitting together.

Finally, Aris touches my arm. "None of us can actually see the barrier outside of the casting, dear."

"Really?" When they all nod, I get up to grab two pieces of paper and a stubby pencil. "So, our barrier looks like this."

I sketch a half dome and cover it in fractal patterns. "It keeps the energy circling back into itself, with anchors that hold it in place." I draw a couple of lines leading to some stick trees as an example.

"But your barrier spell looks like this." On a fresh sheet, I sketch another half dome with stripes leading down from the top to the ground. Then I add a bunch of scribbles moving away from the dome. "Right now, it's spilling magic everywhere. Honestly, I'm not sure that's a new thing. It might have always been leaky, and it's just leaking faster now."

Aspen turns to Elana. "How often do you cast the renewing spell?"

"Every solstice and equinox." She stares at my drawings. "You?"

"Once a year," Haut supplies. "Though it can last for nearly two years on its own."

"Sounds like it's always leaked then, and your real issue is this." I lift the drawing of their barrier and stab the pencil through, making a dozen holes. "You have rot in your pipes, and the magic is spraying out everywhere."

"Rot?" Phoebe frowns, concern etching lines across her forehead. "That doesn't sound good."

"Definitely not." I stab the paper a few more times, but really, it's still not enough to encompass the problem. "It's going to keep getting worse, too."

"And you discovered this so quickly?" Dismay fills Elana's eyes.

"Within minutes of their first investigation." Levi studies the older woman. "How could you not know?"

She shakes her head. "We can't see it for ourselves. All we can do is perform the spell our ancestors left us with."

"I couldn't see it, either," Aspen interjects when Levi continues to stare at Elana with doubt. "I can only see Hartford Cove's barrier when Rowe is drawing on it directly. It's not meant to be visible to the average witch."

I push the pencil through the paper. "Sloppy design. You should get a new one."

Tris thrusts his hand into the air, waving it around. "Can't we just do that?"

Aspen frowns. "Do what?"

"A new barrier." His arm settles around my shoulders, and he scoops up my sketch of Hartford Cove. "Rowe and I have done this one before."

"You renewed it," Haut corrects, though he nods along. "But Rowe reclaimed it when those council witches re-established it. And she's modified it since then. It's a valid option."

"Only one problem." Tris reaches across the table to take the Hartford Cove drawing. "Our barrier doesn't make people forget. So unless they want to turn Silver Hollow into a prison for the non-paranormals who live here, we need another idea."

"We have a bigger problem than that," Levi says. "The primary objective of our barrier is to stop my pack from going moon mad. We've grown complacent over the generations, and we've taken in a lot more werewolves. Which means we don't have any way to contain our people on the next full moon if the barrier falls."

With so many murder monsters in one place, it will be a slaughter.