I attempt to clear the junk from my brain as random thoughts continually invade the solitude. The clutter exits through doors…no, portals into different dimensions. This is amazing.
Agnes continues to offer guidance. “Take deep breaths and hold them, letting the air pass through your lips slowly. Again. And once more. Summon your witch energy and meld it with the labradorite.”
I face my palms toward the ceiling, concentrating on the connection. A magnetism pulls my hands toward my head. I want to look, but I’m afraid I’ll lose the connection.
“Fuck me,” Agnes whispers.
I peek through slits, glimpsing the swirl of energy above me, and open my eyes completely. “Holy crystals.”
A faint swirl of amber and white dances above me, connecting the magic from my fingers to the labradorite. And just like that, it disappears.
Agnes moans as she pushes up off the floor. “Fucking beginner’s luck.”
“Well, it doesn’t mean my witch’s intuition will be any stronger. Could the daily meditation have helped?”
Knocking on the front door echoes down the hallway, and it creaks open.
“We’re out of time, anyway,” she says. “Everyone is here to work on the database.”
Spence, Skye, Tyler, and Zoe shuffle in. My son walks across the room and hugs me. Richard may have caused me immense grief, but at least he gave me this compassionate man.
“Aww,” Spence says. “I’m sorry I caused that rift.”
Skye shakes her head. “If you could control what spews out of your orifice, this shit wouldn’t happen.”
“People like us can’t help it.” Zoe nudges Spence. “It takes a nanosecond for the words in our brain to transfer to our tongues. It’s a curse.”
“I have a spell for that, you know,” Agnes says. “The incantation is in the fucking database.”
Archie and Leslie enter the room in deep discussion with Trinity. Their expressions are wrinkled with concern.
“The coven may want to attend the next meeting,” I hear Archie say. “This will affect all of us.”
The Elder lifts her chin. “Indeed. Trinity, you’ll need to send a group text. We don’t have time for a circle.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my eyes jumping from Archie to Trinity.
Our coven leader puts a hand on her hip. “Elijah called. He says Alys Morgan has convinced John Erickson to introduce a short-term ordinance under emergency rules. They want to close off city-owned spaces and…institute a curfew for minors.”
“What the fuck?” I ask. “How will we entertain the Seelie Fae?”
“Exactly.” Archie brushes fingers through his hair. “They want extra police patrolling the town to enforce the curfew.”
Spence crosses his arms. “That’s fucked up. I mean, the night is just getting started at 10:00 p.m.”
“It is for the Seelie Fae, anyway,” Skye says.
Agnes grumbles. “Hmph. Fucking police can’t stop the kidnappings if a rogue witch is involved.”
“No,” I say. “But they will sure get in the way. If we don’t show up to play with them on a regular basis, they’ll become antsy like before.”
Zoe chuckles. “Yeah. Who knows what mischief they’ll start?”
“We’ll have to cross that bridge if it happens,” Trinity says.
“What about our allies on the council?” Archie asks, rubbing his goatee. “Can we rely on them to block this?”
“Trinity, you and I should contact Jessica Devine.” Leslie glances at me. “But that only gives us three votes.”
Our coven leader nods. “I get what you’re saying, Elder.”
And I do, too. “No. We can’t return to the old ways. I won’t cast a spell of influence.”
“Gwynedd, are you prepared to deal with the fallout if we don’t use magic to block this ordinance?” Archie asks.
“Yes, I am,” I say. “I’ll talk with Shailagh and Aonghas Saturday night and tell them we may not visit for a while. We have to plan other ways around the inconvenience if the city council goes through with the vote. But we’ll retain our integrity.”
Agnes guffaws. “Fuck integrity.”
I scowl at my mentor while the rest of them snicker and chuckle.
“For now, I’ll send a reminder text to everyone to show up at the meeting on Monday evening,” Trinity says. “Be prepared to speak up. It may be your sole opportunity. We have a couple of hours left to work on the database. Let’s get to it.”
While we sift through the grimoires, I ruminate over our dilemma. If I increase the strength of my intuition, I’d have a better chance at discovering the source of the random magic. I need to cajole Seamus to teach me his cat sith secrets. But how?
Chapter twelvePranksters Will Play
I stare out the window of Archie’s Tesla on the way to Spence and Tanner’s house, contemplating my next steps. Seamus has deep feelings for me, but it would be so unethical to prey on those affections. I can’t do it. So, where does that leave me?
