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Community centers weren’t supposed to be profitable. They were meant to bring the community together, and we had the means to provide free resources and events for free. I forced myself to bite my tongue this time as I watched Claudia pour the wine. She passed the wine glasses to each priestess, before placing a glass in front of me.
This was it. Within moments, the priestesses would be stripped of their powers and blame it on the Waning. I held my breath as Priestess Margaret lifted the wine glass to her lips. She tilted the glass… and paused. Her eyes landed on me, and the other priestesses hesitated.
“Aren’t you going to drink some, Nadine?” Margaret asked. “Claudia has been kind enough to provide this fine wine. It’s rude to refuse it.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” I said. “I don’t drink alcohol.”
“I’m sure one or two glasses are fine,” Margaret said.
“I have lupus and kidney disease, and I take several medications,” I reminded her. “It’s something I’ve chosen to stay away from for my health.”
Margaret set her glass down. She didn’t take her eyes off me as she said, “Hector, come over here.”
I felt all the blood drain from my face.
Margaret shoved her wine glass into his hands. “Drink this.”
Hector hesitated, and his eyes darted in my direction. He knew what would happen if he drank it.
“Priestess,” I protested. “Is it necessary to embarrass him like this? I simply have health issues that prevent me from consuming alcohol.”
“It’s all right,” Hector said. “I’m sure the wine is lovely.”
Hector shot me a glance, and I read the intent in his eyes. He was willing to make a sacrifice, to strip his magic and trick the priestesses into drinking the brew themselves. I didn’t get a chance to protest further before he put the glass to his lips. I watched in horror as the red liquid slid into his mouth.
He smiled kindly as he set the glass in front of Margaret. “Lovely, indeed. The priestesses have wonderful taste—”
The words halted on his tongue. He gasped, then threw his hand over his throat. His face turned red as he tried and failed to find air, and he dropped to his knees.
“Hector!” I screamed. I shot out of my chair and rounded the table toward him. I tried to catch him, but he fell through my arms and landed on his back on the floor.
“I could smell it!” Margaret snarled. “Someone has poisoned our wine!”
Hector began convulsing.
“No!” I cried. I placed my hand on his chest, searching for the magic that caused this. I had to be able to stop it, like I could stop a curse.
But it was too late. Hector’s body went limp, and saliva dripped down the side of his face as the life left his eyes. It had happened in seconds. I stared down at his corpse, unable to believe what I’d just seen.
That wasn’t how the potion was supposed to work. Something had gone horribly wrong.
The priestesses didn’t seem to care that a man had just died in front of them. Lilian shot out of her chair and pointed a finger at me. “She tried to poison us!”
“I didn’t!” I cried, scrambling backward. If there ever was a time I thought I might face the noose, it was now. I certainly looked guilty.
Hell, I was guilty. I never intended something like this to happen, though.
“You refused to drink the wine,” Lilian accused. “You knew this would happen.”
“I didn’t! I swear.” That was the truth. I never in a million years thought someone would die from this. I trembled as I got to my feet, steadying myself against the bookcase behind me. “Honest to the Goddess, I don’t drink alcohol. I didn’t know.”
“You’re lying!” Margaret accused. She lunged forward and grabbed me by the arm. “One way or another, we’ll get the truth out of you.”
Margaret yanked me so hard that I stumbled forward and caught myself on a chair. She forced me into it, then conjured a vial and held it above my head. It had to be poison. She was done with me. She wanted me gone for good.
I created a shield around myself and tried to make a break for it, but my feet swept out from under me. Lilian flicked her fingers, and an invisible force shoved me back into the chair. She was using her telekinesis on me. Pressure curled around my hands, and I realized she’d created a shield to keep my hands contained. If I tried to fight back with magic, it would backfire on me. The priestesses surrounded me, and I trembled.
“Margaret, are you sure you want to use that on her?” Charlotte asked. “The ingredients are rare. We have a limited supply.”
