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I couldn’t believe she was suggesting this. Lucas’s parents would never contribute a penny. Students like him would be helpless. Lucas would no longer be able to afford therapy. His mental health could spiral, and that could put him in real danger. If things got really bad, I couldn’t stomach the thought of Lucas going to the emergency room only to be turned away.
“The coven doesn’t even cover student insurance,” I pointed out. I tried to hide my anger, but my tone turned harsh. “The cost is included in tuition.”
“Yes, but the coven owns the college,” Claudia reminded me. “We can take that money currently spent on school-sponsored insurance premiums and put it toward more useful things.”
“What’s useful about letting your people die because they can’t afford healthcare?” I growled.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Lilian cut in. “Claudia is right. People don’t appreciate the things they get for free. We should make them work for it. No more handouts.”
“But it’s not free,” I argued. “They’re already paying for these things through taxes and tuition—”
“The alternative is to raise taxes, and I daresay the coven will not be pleased with that,” Margaret cut in. “We must start thinking about putting more money into our military, to protect the coven in times of war. The young couple that now sits on the throne of the fae monarchy is aggressive. King Elijah and Queen Gabriella are already making threats, and Malovia’s military is growing. We need to be prepared if the fae decide to take their fight overseas.”
“I agree,” Priestess Charlotte said. “We must start this restructuring right away.”
They were really going to do this, with or without my say.
“Yes, this is a problem,” I said. “But we have to give our coven resources to fight with! We can’t fight the fae if our people are sick and we’re cutting the classes that are supposed to strengthen their magic.”
“I got a full-time job to pay for my tuition and healthcare when I went to Miriam College,” Margaret said. “It’s not fair that these kids are getting free rides when I had to pay for the same thing out of pocket.”
“That was back when you could afford tuition on a full-time job,” I pointed out. “Witches and warlocks are required to attend Miriam College and learn their magic, yet a full-time job can’t cover it—and that’s if you can get a full-time job between classes, which is impossible scheduling. Instead, we’re expected to take out tens of thousands of dollars of loans from the coven so the Imperium Council can profit off the interest! Make it make sense. Communities need to take care of their people. If our people’s needs aren’t met, they can’t contribute to the community. You can’t just take from people without giving back.”
Claudia frowned. “The community doesn’t need people who can’t contribute.”
“But they can contribute, if you provide them the resources,” I insisted. “If you want your people to learn how to control their magic, give them free public education and make sure their health is taken care of—”
“Nadine, can we stop this already?” Lilian huffed. “You’re being unrealistic. Claudia is clearly the best choice to place on the council. She has wonderful ideas. She’s well respected, and we need to be thinking long-term. Forget what’s happening in the coven right now. What happens five years from now if the fae attack? We will need Claudia on our side.”
“Not if the coven tears itself apart first!” I snapped.
“And I’m perfectly well equipped to deal with that matter,” Claudia insisted. “How hard can it be to get a few witches and warlocks to obey us?”
I was getting pissed. It was obvious the other priestesses chose her because they knew she’d take their side on whatever issue they wanted to press.
I tried to keep my voice even. “We don’t need people to obey us. We need them to trust us and respect us. We need to be there for them. Otherwise, when war does break out, you’ll have no army.”
“We must command respect!” Claudia sneered. “What are a few lives in comparison to the masses? Place me on the council, and together, we will develop firm plans to end the Waning and restore our magic in the quickest way possible.”
“By sacrificing people at the stake,” I growled. She was no different from the other priestesses.
“If it forces people to obey us, then yes!” Claudia cried.
“How do you not realize that the coven’s problems are created out of not taking care of our people?” I demanded. “Professor Carlisle turned to crime because he needed better healthcare. Professor Daymond only dealt drugs because he wasn’t secure in his retirement. What about the innocents—children and the elderly and the disabled getting caught in the crosshairs? Your method ensures that innocent people will die.”
“What does that matter?” Claudia asked. “A few innocent lives are required to end this. If people see that their safety isn’t the only thing at stake—but that their family and friends could die as well—who is going to stand up to us? The coven will be at peace again.”
“What is peace without freedom?” I demanded. “You’re planning to imprison your own people!”
Claudia straightened her shoulders. “It’s for their own good.”
My teeth ground together. She was repeating the same thing the other priestesses had said. Their methods were sick and twisted… wicked, even. And yet they couldn’t see it. They thought I was the evil one because I dared to question them.
“Besides, who cares if a few old people die?” Claudia added. “We need healthy, able-bodied people to fight for us. Disabled people don’t contribute to society anyway.”
My jaw dropped. The audacity.
“I’m disabled,” I told her.
