Page 19 of Of Flames and Crows

Relief surged through Mae. “Thanks.” She paused. “Any news on Candice Reese’s familiar?”

Raven’s face darkened. “You were right. Charred animal bones were discovered not far from her body. They were likely the remains of her familiar.”

Her Asian vine snake hissed softly on her shoulder. The witch petted the creature gently.

Mae frowned heavily as she ended the call. She phoned Jared, told him what she needed, and brought up Hodge’s number next.

“Steve, I’ve had an emergency come up. I’m gonna have to take the day off.”

A short pause followed.

“Does this have anything to do with what I showed you last night?”

Her boss sounded resigned, as if he’d been expecting her call.

“Yeah.” Guilt twisted Mae’s belly. “I may have to go MIA for more than a day. Are you going to be able to cope without me?”

“We’ll cope. Just…be careful.”

She sensed a pair of magic users approaching her place just as she was lacing up her boots. Recognition washed over her. Mae rose and opened her door just as Miles Nolan raised his hand to knock.

“Surprise,” Violet drawled beside him. “Raven asked us to babysit you for the day.”

“She said not to let you drive,” Miles explained pointedly.

Mae rolled her eyes, grabbed her keys, and locked up. She brought the cousins up to speed as they headed for the interstate that would take them north through Queens and Flushing.

Violet tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of the SUV.

“Fire Magic?” she said skeptically.

“Yeah,” Mae said. “From what Bryony said, it’s pretty rare these days.”

“Is it like Sun Magic?” Miles asked curiously.

Mae shook her head. “Not from what Bryony told me last night.” She chewed her lip. “I think someone used black magic infused with a demon’s power on Candice Reese’s core and it imploded and killed her and her familiar.”

A frown marred Violet’s brow. “And you suspect the Dark Council is involved?”

“I can’t think of anyone else who’d be able to combine the two.” Mae shrugged. “They’ve got Farago after all.”

Miles grimaced. “True. And we saw what that dirtbag was capable of in Philadelphia.” The sorcerer’s expression grew puzzled. “But why are they killing Fire Magic users?”

“I don’t know.” Mae hesitated. “But something tells me their intention wasn’t to kill them.”

Understanding brightened Violet’s face. “You think it’s another experiment by the Dark Council?”

“Yeah,” Mae replied glumly.

It was lunchtime when they reached the funeral home in Salem where the bodies were being kept for viewing ahead of the burial ceremony. It was a pretty, white-clapboard Georgian building with a recessed porch flanked by columns and rhododendron bushes. Mae, Violet, and Miles offered their condolences to the family before heading to the back room where the open caskets had been temporarily moved.

Mae’s stomach twisted when she entered the preparation chamber and beheld Philip and Robin Glass. They were around her age and looked serene in death. Born two years apart, they’d been members of the Boston coven and the Salem chapter for just under eighteen months.

She clenched her jaw until it ached.

They wouldn’t have stood a chance against the Dark Council.

The Salem witch overseeing their visit looked on nervously as Mae stepped up to the coffins. She’d already asked the funeral director and the mortician to step out of the room.

---