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Claudia looked me up and down. “You look perfectly fine to me.”
Oh, this bitch did not just go there.
“I think Claudia makes some good points,” Charlotte said. “I’d love to have her on the council and hear more of her ideas.”
“Agreed,” Margaret said.
“Claudia has my vote as well,” Lilian added. “Which leaves Nadine. Hector, a drink, please.”
The Alchemist at the fireplace nodded. He hadn’t said anything this whole time, and I still didn’t know what he was doing there. He placed a ladle into the cauldron and scooped the brew into a cup, then brought it over to me. His hands shook, and a few drops spilled onto the table. He didn’t say anything before scurrying back to the cauldron.
I eyed the clear liquid curiously. A slight mist billowed out of the cup and hissed. Isa ducked her head under the table. Instinct told me to run far, far away.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“This is Hector’s own brew,” Margaret said. “I wonder if you’ve met Hector. He works at the school.”
Hector wrung his hands together. “At the Cat-fé, priestess,” he said kindly, nodding to me.
“He’s the head cook at the cat café on campus,” Margaret explained. “He’s kindly volunteered to help the council with our brews when necessary.”
Hector’s features paled, and rage flared through my gut. He was scared shitless. There’s no way he volunteered for this. They were threatening him with something, though I didn’t know what. I knew one thing for certain, though. The priestesses wouldn’t have hired him to use the Alchemy Wand unless they couldn’t use it themselves. The Wand had rejected Margaret—the Alchemy priestess—so they’d found someone who could use it and forced him to work for them.
This was exactly the kind of thing I stood against. My heart broke for Hector. I had to do something to help him.
Margaret gestured to the brew in front of me, which I still hadn’t touched. “This is a dangerous potion, Nadine. Slow acting, but effective. We looked the other way the night of your crimes, but any new crimes will get you hurt.”
I noticed how she didn’t refer to that night as the Burning, like the rest of the coven did. She shifted the blame onto me, never once acknowledging that the other priestesses were responsible for the unthinkable.
“Should you continue to defy us, Hector will place this potion into every item on the café menu,” Margaret continued. “Your classmates will die, and it will be your fault.”
My knees shook under the table, but I wouldn’t fall for her fear tactics.
“You’re not going to poison them,” I stated. “We made a deal when I handed over the Alchemy Wand. I’ve done nothing wrong, and voting no breaks no laws.”
“Claudia will be on this council!” Margaret snapped, slamming her palm onto the table. Her patience with me had worn thin.
I crossed my arms. “You’re right, so what are we even doing here? The council works on a majority-rules system, and I know the three of you have already made your decision. So what do you need my vote for anyway?”
“It’s best if we have a unanimous vote,” Charlotte said. “We must show the coven that we’re united.”
“If you don’t vote Claudia onto the council, the coven will be notified,” Lilian added. “Do you really want them to see you as the odd-man-out, Nadine? You want the coven to trust you, yes?”
“I do, which is why I have to choose my integrity,” I said. “I want the coven to know that I will not be manipulated, and that I will always make the choice that I believe is best for them.”
I shot a glance toward Hector, and I saw the smallest bit of a smile touch his lips before he looked away.
“I vote no,” I stated confidently.
Lilian pursed her lips. “Very well. We’ll inform the Miriamic Messenger of what has happened at tonight’s meeting. By next week, everyone will know you voted against us. Meeting adjourned.”
She was trying to scare me, but I wasn’t frightened. I left the room feeling confident in my decision.
Isa followed me downstairs. My car keys jingled as I pulled them out of my cloak. I kept important things in the pockets, like my keys, medication, and wand, just in case the Waning hit and I couldn’t access my magical stash for a few days.
Darkness blanketed the corner of the lot where my car was parked. I was still reeling in anger after what the priestesses had said. I started the car and pulled onto the street…
And my heart immediately stopped.
