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“We can’t sit around and do nothing!” Claudia protested.
“We won’t!” Margaret insisted. “The fae fear us because we have slaughtered them in the past. Where they perform simple illusions, we perform real magic that can poison their blood and turn their dead against them. But our magic is growing weaker. They are a war nation, with armor and weapons we do not have. They train to kill from a young age, and we are not equipped to go against their military. Until we can bring an end to the Waning, we cannot fight the fae. But they know nothing of the Waning, and we must keep it that way. We must let them believe we have the power and the means to annihilate them at any moment. If we don’t draw a line in the sand now, the fae will find any opportunity to attack. Their fear is our greatest weapon.”
“And how exactly do we convince them of this?” Claudia asked.
“We will send them a message,” Margaret stated confidently, like she’d already thought this through. She conjured a spellbook, though it was unlike the ancient spellbooks I’d seen before. This one was modern and looked more like a college textbook. “There’s a spell we can perform that will allow us to hack into the fae’s broadcasting system. The spell requires a member from all five Casts, and I’m confident we can do it.”
“What will we say?” Charlotte asked.
“Leave that to me,” Margaret said. “We must perform the spell immediately to show the fae we will not stand for this. Charlotte, get the camera.”
Charlotte hurried to set up a camera on a tripod, and we all surrounded it in a circle. Margaret was the only one in the frame, but off camera, we all held hands. We began reciting the spell from the book, and I stabilized our energies like I’d done so many times before.
Once our magic flowed in sync, it began to swell. I could feel it growing, traveling over all of the Miriamic coven, then wider, until it reached across the Atlantic ocean. Visions passed behind my lids, like flashes of movies playing on a screen. I realized it was television. Claudia was a Seer, and her powers allowed me to see where our magic had connected. We were tapped into a system—broadcasts across the world, I was sure. I guided our magic through channel after channel, searching for the fae network.
Somehow, I just knew when I had it. It must’ve been part of the spell. At our will, the fae’s news broadcast stopped, and we began broadcasting our own message.
“My name is Priestess Margaret,” Margaret stated to the camera. I could see the broadcast behind my eyes—see her features from the angle of the camera—and I knew the fae in Malovia must be seeing the same thing.
“I am a member of the Imperium Council, the Miriamic Coven’s highest order,” Margaret continued. “I am here to deliver a message to every fae—shifter, sorceress, and child. The Imperium has witnessed what you have done to members of our coven, and the despicable acts you put them through last night before their disgraceful execution. The Miriamic Coven would like to say that this heinous crime will not go ignored. Our witches and warlocks are ready to fight, and our magic is strong. Each of our kind is ready to die defending our coven’s right to survival. Should the fae move in on our coven again, we will retaliate. From henceforth, if a fae should take another witch life, we will consider it an act of war.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes at the camera, looking deadly. “King Elijah, I speak directly to you. You are a young king—don’t be getting yourself involved in a battle that you cannot handle. We have beaten you once, and if necessary, we will rally the other supernatural races against you so that we may win again, and this time, we will be sure to wipe the fae off the face of the Earth. If you wish for the vulgar stain of your race to remain on this planet, you will immediately cease all further acts of violence against our coven. You have been warned.”
Margaret dropped her hands, and the spell ended. The vision behind my lids vanished, and I felt our magic recede.
Margaret stood. “The fae will hesitate to attack. It is of the utmost importance now more than ever to bring an end to the Waning. We cannot fight the fae without magic.”
Lilian scoffed. “That’d be much easier if we had any answers.”
“Then we will just have to find the Oaken Wands faster. We will have to motivate people.” Margaret shot a quick glance at me, like she’d forgotten for a second I was in the room.
She was talking about Professor Leto. I’d delivered them two Wands, and it sounded like he had yet to deliver one. The priestesses still thought I was ignorant to their plan.
Margaret calmed her tone. “It’s a feat in itself that we managed to send that broadcast. We must fix this before the fae force us to send another. I trust no one will speak of the incident outside these quarters.”
“The coven has a right to know,” I argued. “Kenna and her parents deserve a memorial, and people need to know if they’re in danger.”
“What good will it do?” Margaret snapped. “We don’t have the means to fight a war. Telling them the truth will only incite a panic.”
“If it comes down to a war between us and the fae like you fear, our people will be unprepared to defend themselves if we lie,” I said.
“And what shall you have us do?” Margaret demanded. “Admit we can’t defend them? We are the Imperium Council. We are supposed to be as powerful as witches come, and we can’t even fight off the king of the fae. I refuse to admit our weakness!”
For the first time, the woman actually sent chills down my spine. She was scared of the fae, and that made her even more dangerous than she already was.
“If I may,” Priestess Lilian cut in. “Perhaps Nadine is right.”
Had hell frozen over? Priestess Lilian had never agreed with me.
“The coven should know what we’re up against,” Lilian stated. “We must gather support and build our own army. In the meantime, we will hold off the fae until we are strong enough to fulfill our threats.”
Hours passed as we discussed our options, but it all came down to finding the Oaken Wands and restoring our power. I left the Imperium headquarters at sunrise, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Kenna was gone. I didn’t know her well, but she’d gone to school with us. I couldn’t get the image of her body dangling from the gallows out of my head. It was devastating that she’d never return.
I turned down the road to the school, and the scene ahead of me stole my attention. A group had gathered near the main gate’s entrance, and I heard people screaming. Storm clouds had rolled in overhead, and in the dimming light, I could just barely make out something hanging from the archway above the main gate.
I slammed on the brakes, and my whole body became a statue. I had to be seeing things. It looked like Kenna, hanging from the gallows all over again. This didn’t feel real. Kenna had been hanged in Malovia. It couldn’t be happening here, too.
Isa meowed loudly. My whole body shook as I pulled off to the side of the road and parked my car. I climbed out of the vehicle to hear cries echoing through the forest. My blood turned to ice, and I began racing toward the front gate. When I got close, I could finally see that it wasn’t Kenna.
