Faith took me gently by the elbow and led me inside, tut tutting as she went. After getting me settled on the couch, she bustled away to the kitchen and reappeared several minutes later with a tea tray laden with warm slices of homemade bread, a butter dish, slices of cheese, black olives, and carrot sticks. She set it on the coffee table and immediately poured some tea for me into an old, chipped mug.
“Thanks,” I murmured. “I’m sorry to just show up for the second time in a row.”
She shook her head as she took up her own mug. “Nonsense, Sage. I’m happy to have you come anytime. What did you read about?”
I took a shaky breath. “I…I read that Willa died in a duel with Chandra, and I came across Grandma’s obituary for Grandpa. Or…OWitchuary, as they called it.”
Faith gave a sad smile, the steam from her tea clouding her glasses. “Yes, that’s all true. Willa had a rather strong will, and she hated the idea of anyone pushing her or her family around. It got her in trouble in the end. It should have been me that…”
She trailed off, her eyes distant. I felt horrible bringing up the deaths in the family again, but Faith had at least had some time to grieve. I was being hit in every direction with news of dead relatives I’d never gotten the chance to know, all because of Chandra.
Even thinking her name made my stomach twist.
“What was Grandpa like?”
Faith’s smile grew. “Oh, he was handsome. Your grandmother had it bad for him. She didn’t admit it for the longest time, but Willa and I both knew. He finally got around to telling her how he felt, and they got married pretty quick after that.”
I found myself smiling as well, thinking of my grandparents dating in their old-fashioned way so long ago. The tight knot inside me eased a little to see Faith’s joy as she remembered her sister’s happiness.
“You know, I’ve got an album somewhere around here…”
She stood up and started shuffling through the piles of books, moving them one by one, shaking her head each time she looked at a cover. Moving to a smaller shelf on the far end of the room, she gave a cry of triumph. She hefted a large, old album and brought it over to the coffee table. Opening it, she pointed to a black and white photo of three young women.
“That’s us! Celeste is there in the middle.”
I gazed down for the first time at the face of my grandmother, feeling tears once more forming behind my eyes. She did look incredibly like me. We had the same heart-shaped face, the same slightly upturned nose.
“You resemble her quite a lot, you know.”
I smiled as I stared hungrily at the picture. “Some older ladies in the shop the other day told me that.”
Faith chuckled. “That was probably Lily and Eva.”
I looked up at her in amazement. “It was! You know them?”
She shrugged. “They were some girlfriends of ours from long ago. I haven’t talked to them in years, though.”
A silence stretched between us as we looked down at the photo again.
“Which one is Willa?” I asked.
“On the left there. We were all born with fair hair, but she was always dyeing hers dark for some reason. One of her many quirks.”
I noticed that Willa’s smile was more contemplative than happy. “What was she like?”
A laugh bubbled up from Faith. “So ornery! My goodness, that girl knew how to get under our skin. Classic middle child. But she also had a heart of gold. She was so good with domestic magic. Nobody could make a cup of herbal tea like her. We all wondered at times if she’d encountered Fae. She loved to wander out in the forest, and she was pretty quiet most of the time.”
I gently touched the picture of Willa, saying a secret prayer for her in my heart. Faith turned the page and pointed to an older couple, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, the woman’s head on the man’s shoulder.
“These are your great-grandparents, Calvin and Amaranthe Black. My mom and dad.”
I grinned. “They look so in love!”
Faith gave a contented sigh. “Oh, they were. Mother was absolutely beautiful, and Dad was over the moon for her.”
Moving my fingers over their faces, I suddenly felt angry again. “Why doesn’t anyone do anything about this? Chandra is a bully and a coward. Someone has to put her in her place!”
Faith looked up at me, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Honey, we tried. We did. Thing is, Chandra just had too many people backing her up. Even the council backed her up so she could use really dangerous spells. It’s terrible, but there is one thing that we have that she doesn’t.”
“What?”
I sounded more sarcastic than I’d meant to. Faith winced slightly. I gave her an apologetic look.
“People in Chandra’s coven, including her family members, only do as they’re told because they’re afraid of her. In our family, we have love and loyalty.”
Her words eased the torrent of emotions that had twisted so violently through me a moment before. Faith wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. I rested my head on her shoulder, both of us letting our tears fall.
Faith straightened, clearing her throat. “Look at us, sitting here blubbering like ninnies when there are goodies to eat. Come on, dig in.”
The bread was to die for, as if Faith had managed to bake a tasty cloud that melted in my mouth. The butter was also creamier than normal, storebought butter.
“Did you make all this by hand?”
Faith grinned. “Willa taught me how to do it…”
We were interrupted at that moment by a ferocious yowling and scratching at the door. Exchanging a worried look, we both got up and hurried to the door. I got there before Faith and opened it, my heart pounding. Jade streaked inside and stopped before us, her hackles raised, bits of leaves and sticks stuck to her fur.
Something is going on back at the townhouse, a ghost or an intruder or something. I could hear them. You’ve got to come quick, Sage!
