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Nadine grabbed my wrist, and I followed her gaze. A police car drove down the street in the direction of the protesters. I thought the police would stop this… but they didn’t. The squad car kept driving straight past the angry mob.
“They’re not going to do anything!” Talia squeaked.
“They probably organized it in the first place,” Grant sneered.
Nadine’s lips tightened. “Screw them. Someone has to do something.”
We started racing down the sidewalk, and we threw ourselves in front of the protesters.
“Stand back!” Nadine demanded.
“You can’t tell us what to do,” someone growled.
“I am a high priestess of the Miriamic Coven,” Nadine reminded them. “You reserve the right to protest, but violent acts and vandalism will not be tolerated.”
“This business owner should be charged with violent acts against the coven!” a woman in the crowd demanded. She shook an angry fist at the shop, and I spotted a Seer tattoo on her hand. “She’s letting all Casts inside and refuses to keep Seers safe in their own space!”
“We’re being oppressed!” a guy shouted. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me. I thought I recognized him, but I wasn’t sure where I’d seen him before.
“This woman is imposing on our rights to shop peacefully by allowing other Casts inside. This is a Seer shop,” his friend added.
Everly had refused to ban anyone from her shop, and these people thought she was oppressing them? Since when did preserving someone else’s rights become oppression?
“Seriously, Clay? And Carl, come on,” Talia said. “She’s hurting no one.”
“Your brother’s getting into your head,” Clay shot back. “Think for yourself.”
That’s when I realized where I’d seen them before. They were in the Wicked Warlocks, the band Talia’s brother sang in.
I realized then why all the other shops had put signs in their windows. People were demanding spaces for their Cast only, and business owners feared losing money if they didn’t meet consumer demands.
“My brother hasn’t said anything to me,” Talia told the two Wicked Warlock musicians.
“Then you’re a traitor to your Cast!” Carl yelled. “Get ‘em!”
The mob started forward, but a door creaked open behind us. Everly stuck her head out of the shop and hissed, “In here!”
I threw up a shield to block the mob as we scrambled inside. The door clicked shut behind us, and heavy fists pounded against the glass. Whatever potion they’d used to vandalize Everly’s shop had made it so I couldn’t see through the windows, but I could still make out their shadows coming for us. My heart hammered as I backed away, pushing Nadine behind me. The door shook. I expected it to burst apart at any moment and for the protesters to force their way inside.
“My shop is protected,” Everly said calmly. “They can’t get inside.”
Nadine breathed a heavy sigh, sounding relieved. “What is wrong with them?”
“They’re angry,” a girl said.
I’d been so focused on the door that I hadn’t realized there were other people in the shop with us. I turned to see Chloe sitting on the counter, casually shuffling a deck of tarot cards like the mob outside didn’t bother her. She wore a brace on her wrist but otherwise looked fine. Verla stood nearby, and another man sat in a chair, though I didn’t recognize him. He had to be in his late sixties. He wore a nice suit and a kind smile. He seemed at ease.
“Chloe, you’re all right!” Nadine said brightly.
She set the tarot deck aside and hopped off the counter. “Of course I am. I knew I would be. That’s why I got arrested on purpose. I had to show that the priestesses will silence anyone.”
Chloe gestured to the protesters outside. “I guess people didn’t get the message, though. Thank the Goddess Headmistress Verla was there to negotiate for me.”
Verla stepped forward. “The priestesses assigned me as Chloe’s lawyer, since she’s still a student and therefore my responsibility. They think I’m on their side, and I was able to convince them that convicting her would do more harm than good.”
“My grandmother may be awful, but she’s still family. She let me off easy. I didn’t even get a charge, just a night in jail,” Chloe said.
“Is there any way you can convince her to change what she’s doing?” Nadine asked. “These people are angry about the wrong thing.”
