“Courtney, did you stay in touch with Audrey after you left Bearsden?”
“For a while. She told me she was sorry for using me. That her mother had hexed her and was forcing her to go after you and the coven. The last time I spoke with her before I left town, she was trying to get out from under her mother’s hex. Do you know if she was successful?”
“She was. She apologized to me and the coven for what happened. Courtney, Audrey’s parents tried to kill all of us in the coven for interfering with their business. They almost succeeded, but Audrey killed her mother, saving us all. Unfortunately, her mom threw a wave of magic at her right before she died.” The corners of my mouth fall. “She killed Audrey.”
“I didn’t know that.” Courtney’s eyes tear up. “I wondered why she never returned my calls or texts.”
“I’m sorry, even though your original arrangement wasn’t based in good intentions. Audrey was a good person, controlled by an evil witch. You’ve redeemed yourself, too. She’d want you to move on and be happy.”
The Tylwyth Teg fairy wipes the wet from her eyes. “I will. I mean, I am.”
“We should get back to the others before they start gossiping.”
I begin walking back, and Courtney follows me.
“Thank you, Gwyn. You didn’t have to be so understanding.”
I smile at her. “No, I didn’t. Take care, Courtney.”
She makes her way into the dining room and I go back to my friends. Archie has joined them.
“Gwyn, Archie asked if I could pick up your steamer trunk tomorrow morning,” Derek says. “It won’t fit in his Tesla.”
“Or my Prius,” I say. “Thank you for moving it for me.”
“Not a problem. You should come for dinner sometime this week. I’ll cook.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Archie says, nodding toward the back room.
Shane walks over to me with his lady friend. “Gwyn, I’d like you to meet Julia. I’ve told her all about you.”
“So nice to meet all of you finally,” she says, shaking my hand. “I was beginning to think Shane was ashamed of me.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” I peer at my boss out of the corner of my eye. “He was probably being protective of you. The members of the Fellowship can overwhelm people. Shane has been so happy these last few months. You’re the reason for that, I’m sure.”
Archie clasps my hand. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re needed for a brief meeting.”
Shane nods. “We’ll chat again during the open house.”
We rush to the back room. Archie whispers in my ear as we walk. “Your boss said they’ve been arguing back there for over twenty minutes.”
“Yeah, Skye and the others told me, too.”
Archie pushes the door in. Mayor Devine stands with her arms crossed and a glower etched on her face.
“I’m done talking about this,” she says, walking away. “You find a spell to shut that portal. John, I demand you stay on top of this. I can’t be the only one carrying the load for the safety of this town. The other council members who are in the knowing refuse to listen anymore. It’s too much stress for all of us. Do it.” She exits the room.
Agnes opens and shuts her mouth, mocking Jessica Devine. “Who the fuck does she think she is?”
“She’s the mayor, Agnes,” Elijah says. “And she has a right to vent. Unremarkables weren’t supposed to shoulder the burden of the supernatural in our town. That was the job of the Bearsden Coven.”
Trinity exhales heavily. “Damn straight. We kept the coven hidden for over thirty years. Now we’re confiding in every person we love. Eventually, the truth will get out.”
“Not if we close the portal,” Leslie says. “Tomorrow, we all meet at Agnes’s farm to finish up the grimoires. If we don’t find a portal-closing spell, we’ll have to seek out other witches here and abroad for help.”
“Aye,” Archie replies. “We may need to research ancient tomes in Britain to find one. My family has offered assistance.”
“Trinity, you’ll let the young witches know they’re expected tomorrow?” I ask.
She types into her phone. “Group text is already sent. Except for Ronnie. She needs to stay home with Luna.”
Notification sounds ring within seconds of each other.
“Just fucking great,” Agnes says, grimacing. “They better not sneak into my Bearsden Poison again. There are hexes in the database now, and I know how to cast them.”
Leslie rolls her eyes.
Trinity slams the last grimoire shut and drops it on the table. “That’s it, witches. We’ve exhausted the search here. I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your solstice morning. Unfortunately, we came up dry. Thank you again, Dr. Duffy, for lending a hand.”
“You’re most welcome,” he replies. “I will inquire through contacts at home, but I’ve never come across a spell to close a portal before.”
Agnes crosses her arms. “We tried one, but it didn’t work. Don’t fucking know why. We found another one, but they don’t want to use it.”
He cocks his head. “I’m befuddled. Why haven’t you tried to cast this spell?”
“Because it requires the use of a human sacrifice,” Spence says.
