AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not one to beat around the bush,” Merle continued. “I like honesty. So I’ll be frank and say I am one of those who are not entirely comfortable with opening the council up again to the Elders who followed Juneau. But”—a look that quelled rising murmurs—“I recognize that we must come together and make a heartfelt effort to reunite and heal our wounds. So.” She took a deep breath. “I welcome you back and will do my part in mending this community. Gods know we need to be strong, together.” And with a clap of her hands, she opened the meeting.
Sophie Laroche rose from her seat, her blond hair drawn back in a ponytail, dark circles under her eyes. The middle-aged witch sure showed signs of the stress the past months had borne—as the de facto head of the Laroches, the family that had started this entire conflict, she was at the epicenter of the strain on the community.
“I have requested this meeting,” Sophie said without preamble, her fingernails, which were bitten off to the quick, gripping the wood of the table, “to address the untenable situation of my family.” Sophie’s voice wavered a little. “As you all know, my mother was bound in the Shadows.” She pointedly did not look at Merle, the one responsible for the binding. “While I realize that her actions warrant the punishment—”
A flash of surprise on Merle’s face.
“Binding her in the Shadows had uncomfortable consequences for the rest of the family. You know that since my mother is still alive, the title of head of family hasn’t passed to me. Now, I don’t wish to inherit the title anytime soon because I certainly don’t wish for my mother’s death.” She swallowed, her eyes darting around, not fixing on anyone in particular. “But the current situation, with my mother locked in the Shadows and the title not passing, creates an issue for every single witch in my family. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but as long as my mother is caught in the Shadows, none of us can access additional magic.”
Gasps around the room, some murmurs.
Hazel leaned forward. “How do you mean?”
Sophie shifted her weight. “Well, I’ve done some reading on this, to get more info. It’s common knowledge that the head of the family is responsible for the magic used by all family members, and that the oldest witch has to uphold the balance by paying back for the power the other witches in the family drew from the layers of the world.”
Elaine made a we know that, wrap it up gesture.
“What most of us don’t know,” Sophie went on, “is that the head of the family isn’t just the one who has to pay back for the additional magic used—she is also the one who makes that extra magic available to the rest of the family.”
“A conduit,” Patricia Jones mused.
Sophie nodded. “And with my mother imprisoned in the Shadows, where her magic is suppressed, the access to additional magic is denied to the rest of our family. For as long as Juneau stays in the Shadows.”
Sophie finally chanced a glance at Merle, who shrugged.
“I fail to see how that’s a problem,” Merle said coolly.
Sarai Roth, who was about Merle’s age and had lost her mother in the Baldwin House Battle to an attack by the Draconians, chuckled and leaned back in her seat. Elaine smirked and sent Merle a look speaking of agreement, but the expressions of some of the other Elders revealed unease and thoughtfulness.
“It is quite definitely a problem,” Susanne Baldwin cut into the heavy silence. She’d taken over from her mother, Eva, who had been killed in the first skirmish between the warring witch factions several months back. The Baldwin family had been one of Juneau’s most loyal followers, and their reintegration—such as it was—into the witch community had only been possible after Susanne had grudgingly declared her rejection of Juneau’s position…after many a talk with the Elders of the Aequitas.
“I agree.” This came from Kristen Frost, one of the more moderate former Aequitas. “We discussed the situation of the former Draconians and agreed on ending their punishment and house arrest. If the Laroches can’t access the additional magic we all rely on to defend ourselves and do our jobs, they’re vulnerable in a way none of the other witches in our community are. Being restricted in their magic use, they’re basically still being punished. And that’s not fair, considering we lifted sanctions on the other families.”
“Well,” Elaine drawled, “the Laroches were the ones who started it all.”
“I thought we agreed not to hold family members guilty by relation,” Sonia Espinoza threw in. Like Kristen, she had never been one of the hard-liners among the Aequitas. “Given that the family has no other choice but to follow the lead of their Elder witch.”
“She’s right,” Hazel chimed in, despite the part of her still thirsty for revenge for how the Laroche family had treated Lily like an outlaw after she she’d been turned into a demon. She curled her hand into a fist under the table. “We need to let go of our grudges. The amnesty we offered applies to the Laroches as much as the other families.”
“Which means they have the right to access additional magic,” Susanne summed up, nodding at Sophie.
“All right.” Shobha tilted her head. “If that is so, then how do we remedy the Laroches’ situation?”
Sophie cleared her throat. “My mother has to be released from the Shadows.”
“No.” Merle crossed her arms.
“What Merle said.” Sarai pursed her lips.
The former Draconian Elders all murmured their agreement with Sophie, but Elaine shook her head.
“I agree with Merle and Sarai,” she said. “It’s unconscionable to unbind Juneau. So she can do what? Reclaim her place as head of the family…and Elder? Look, if you insist on exonerating the rest of the Laroches, fine, I can accept that—with gritted teeth, mind you—but we cannot, under any circumstances, release Juneau and let her have the same kind of power back that she used to start a bloody war.”
“No,” Hazel said. “No matter what, we can’t allow Juneau to have access to her full powers again.”
Kristen and Sonia nodded, their expressions troubled, and muttered agreement came from Shobha and Patricia Jones, another one of the former Aequitas. Even among the former Draconian Elders, reluctant assent formed. Carissa Hart and Thea Callahan gave tight-lipped nods.
“But you can’t just leave us without extra magic,” Sophie said, her voice shaking. “You have to do something.”
