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Lucas stood at the top of the stairs to the courthouse and raised his voice for all to hear. “I’m sure you’re all wondering what occurred here tonight. The truth is, the priestesses kidnapped our son, to lure us here with the intent to kill us. What the priestesses have done to the coven is wrong, and we’ve been fighting to make it right. We have spent the last year searching for artifacts that can help end the Waning. The priestesses, however, were trying to stop us from restoring your magic. They’ve escalated to stealing infants. We tried to negotiate, but they refused to stop their nefarious plans. Many people died tonight, including Autumn Loren, a coven member who sacrificed herself to save us. But the priestesses’ intentions went beyond killing people. They committed a terrible crime against the coven tonight, attempting to create a weapon to gain total control over every witch and warlock. We didn’t want anyone to get hurt. We gave them a chance to run, but they insisted on defending their evil cause. We came here tonight to stop them.”
“Where are the priestesses?” the crowd demanded.
“Three of the priestesses perished in the fight,” Lucas admitted. “Priestesses Lilian and Margaret fled.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” someone shouted.
“It’s true!” Professor Wykoff insisted. “I was there. The priestesses locked me in a cage, with plans to kill me. They wanted me gone because I dared to question them. These witches standing before you saved my life.”
“I understand it may be hard to trust us,” Lucas said gently. “For years, the truth has been manipulated, and words and intentions have been twisted. The coven deserves to know what’s going on, and that’s why I’m sharing the truth with you right now. Give us a truth serum if you don’t believe us, and let us show you what we know to be true.”
“I believe them!” a man called. It sounded like the same person who suggested the crowd hear us out. People parted to make way for him. He approached the front of the crowd with a woman at his side.
It was Professor Richards, who taught my Miriamic History and Alchemy classes, and Professor Loren, who taught Incantations and Moonology.
Tears filled Professor Loren’s eyes. “You met her? You met my Autumn.”
Lucas nodded and lowered his voice. “I did.”
She spoke in a trembling tone. “And my daughter’s gone?”
“I’m sorry,” Lucas told her.
“But is she in a better place?” she asked desperately.
“I believe she’ll find her way to Alora,” Lucas replied sincerely. He wasn’t just saying it to make her feel better, either. He really believed it.
When we’d first met Autumn, she was certain she was going to end up in the Abyss, but she’d come back to speak with Lucas for a reason. I believed she’d found what she was looking for.
Professor Richards turned toward the crowd. “I am Professor Anthony Richards. I teach history at Miriam College of Witchcraft. I am an old man who’s been around this coven a long time, and I have studied its past. If there’s one thing that history has shown us fails every single time, it’s the witch hunts that seek to silence our people. I say we hear them out!”
Several people booed, but the chorus of agreement drowned them out.
“And if we like what they have to say…” Professor Richards added. “I say we put them on the Imperium Council.”
Several more people joined in the protests. They were willing to hear us out, but they weren’t willing to go that far.
“Listen to me!” Professor Richards shouted. “Nadine was sanctioned as a priestess by Mother Miriam herself. She’s the only one left. You’ve all seen what the Imperium Council has done this last year—they’ve sectioned Casts off to different areas of town, drove us all into debt, broken apart families, and raised an army against their own people. Which one of you can say their soldiers actually protected you? Or did they drag you out of your homes, raid your businesses, and take your children from your arms? Every intercast couple knows what I’m talking about! The priestesses did it all in the name of ending the Waning, and yet it only continues to worsen. The hangings have only increased in number. The council once convinced you that these young people were the reason for the Waning, but they’ve been gone for months, and things have only gotten worse. How can they be to blame?” Richards gestured to us, and several people murmured in agreement.
“We are living in unprecedented times, influenced by a council that has the power to shape our coven without our input or approval,” Professor Richards continued. “I’m telling you that if there’s ever been a time when we need the coven to change, that time is now. Nadine was voted onto the council by the other priestesses. They told you they kicked her out for trying to gain power. If that’s the case, ask yourselves why she was found not guilty by Mother Miriam in her trial. Why would the priestesses still keep her off the council, after Mother Miriam gave her ruling? They unified against her because she knew what they were planning, and they took away her power because she stood up for the people.”
“The priestesses said she deceived us!” someone shouted.
“The priestesses said a lot of things that turned out to be untrue,” Professor Loren spoke up. “They also told us that when the healthcare system changed, people would still get care, but they didn’t. They died waiting for it! The priestesses said the Waning would get better, but it’s worse than ever. The priestesses promised we’d be strong and be able to defend ourselves against the fae, but if the fae came here right now, we’d be killed immediately. We did everything they said, gave up everything, and they never came through on their promises. They lied! Who’s to say they didn’t lie about Nadine?”
Whispers spread throughout the crowd.
“Mother Miriam would not choose this division!” Professor Richards pressed. “We have chosen ourselves to suffer under the doctrine of Miriam’s Chosen, but we can choose differently.”
He turned to Lucas and spoke lowly. “The priestesses have gone too far. You did the right thing getting rid of them. Now tell the people what you plan to do moving forward. Convince them that you’re the right choice.”
Lucas hesitated, like he wasn’t sure what to say. Then someone in the crowd shouted, “They only came here to get power! Richards is working with them!”
The uncertainty fell from Lucas’s face, and he stood straighter. “If power is all we seek, then we will fail, because no one can give power to the Imperium Council but its people. The priestesses could not remain in power because they were hurting the coven, but a new council must take their place. We want to prove to you we can be good leaders, but we don’t want to lead you without your consent. It’s always been our goal to reunite the coven and put the power back into the hands of the people. If you allow us to, we will rebuild. We’ll bring an end to the Waning and bring magic back for good. We will forgive the predatory loans the priestesses gave out, give business back to the people, and restore your normal lives.”
“You can’t promise that,” someone shouted. “We’ve lost people—people we loved! Things will never be the same.”
“You’re right,” Lucas said without missing a beat. “Things won’t go back to the way they were, because not a single one of us are the same people we were when this conflict began. But all your dreams and your goals can still be realized if we choose to lift each other up and become something new… together.”
