Page 11 of This Coven Won't Break
“Why don’t we sit.” Mom turns without waiting for a response and leads us to the dining room. I don’t know how she keeps going, how she stays strong in the face of all this, but her voice is steady. “Ryan, what is this about a raid?”
Archer recaps what Cal already told me last night. That the Council figured out where the Hunters were making the drug. That a team of agents out of Boston were supposed to infiltrate the facility last night and destroy everything.
“But it was like the Hunters knew they were coming. Both Casters were shot with the drug within seconds of breaching the entrance. They were surrounded, but without their magic, the potions they brought for protection were useless,” Archer finishes.
“Then why did the Hunters kill them? I thought the whole point was to get rid of our magic and make us ‘human.’”
Across from me, Cal tenses and tears slip silently down his face. Suddenly, I feel like the biggest asshole in the world. Cal and Archer were from the same Clan as the agents, and they all worked for the Council. Fresh shame burns my cheeks, because it’s more than just that. Cal isfromBoston. I know Casters don’t have covens the way Elementals do, but he probably knew the agents. Maybe even grew up with them.
“We don’t know for sure,” Archer says before I can apologize. “Cal managed to pull security footage. They fought back. That might have been enough of an excuse for the Hunters.”
Silence falls over the room. Morgan reaches for me under the table. Her fingers tremble with fear, and I hold her hand in both of mine. “What happened to Mom’s old coven?” I ask, making sure I keep my voice gentle now. Curious instead ofaccusatory. “How did they lose their magic? Were they ambushed at a coven meeting?”
“That’s the worst part,” Archer says. “We have no idea.” The doorbell rings before I can fully process the bomb he just set off between us. He glances toward the front door. “That’ll be Elder Keating. I’ll be right back.”
Archer slips away from the table before I can wrap my mind around the fact that there’s about to be anElderin my home. Beside me, Morgan tenses. I squeeze her hand tight, but I can’t tell if she even feels me beside her. Can’t tell if she notices that I’m panicking, too.
I flinch when the door slams closed, and I know immediately that Keating isn’t the Elemental Elder. Even with my compromised magic, I can still sense Elemental power in others, and the Elder’s would fill the house to bursting. Instead, I feel nothing but Mom beside me.
“Is it your Elder?” I whisper to Morgan.
Before she can respond, Cal shakes his head. “Elder Keating is a Caster.” He wipes the remnants of tears from his cheeks and sits up taller in his chair.
My nerves grow.
Archer returns a moment later, followed by a woman who doesn’t look nearly old enough to be an Elder. Her blonde hair, which admittedly is streaked through with bits of starlight white, is pulled into a low bun. There’s hardly a wrinkle on her face. Her white linen pants, tall heels, and blue silk blouse look more suited to an executive office than our little suburban rental home. Her posture is more regal than anything I’ve ever seen in person. I feel childish, sitting here in my yoga pants and an oversized Salem State T-shirt.
Elder Keating’s gaze is the only thing that betrays her age. As she looks at each of us in turn, I can practically see the decades of hard-earned wisdom in her glittering blue eyes. And though I can’t feel her power, the way she holds herself, the soft confidence in her position, leaves no doubt in my mind that she’s the most powerful Caster alive today.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” Elder Keating says, like we had any choice about her arrival. Still, her gratitude seems genuine as she smiles at both Mom and me. “I’m afraid I don’t know your friend, though.” The Elder’s gaze falls to Morgan. “Is she another Elemental from your coven?”
Morgan stands abruptly. “I’m sorry. I should go.” She’s more panicked than I’ve ever seen. I want to comfort her, but she’s already pushing in her chair and backing away from the table. “Can I tell my parents?” She directs her question at Archer, and the second he nods, she’s gone.
It all happens so fast, I don’t have time to argue. To ask her to stay.
When the door closes at the front of the house, Archer pulls out the chair at the end of the table for Elder Keating. “That was Miss Hughes. She’s part of the Blood Witch family we relocated to Salem this summer.”
“Oh, of course. I’d nearly forgotten, with everything else.” Keating turns to me, smiling slightly. “It’s good to see you’ve helped her settle into town.”
My cheeks flush, and it’s all I can do to nod.
“Have Agents Archer and Morrissey had time to explain the events of last night?” Keating looks at me like I’m the only person in the world. When I nod, she continues. “I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to protect your coven. We’reworking on a barrier spell that will keep the Witch Hunters out of Salem. It will take time to complete, but I’m handling the preparations personally.”
“Thank you,” I say, but I can’t help but feel it’s not enough. There are witches all over the country. Sarah Gillow was part of a southern coven before she moved north for college and met Rachel. What about her family? What about Cal’s parents in Boston? My relatives in Washington have already lost their magic. There has to be more we can do to protect everyone else.
“Is something the matter?” Elder Keating asks, her gaze penetrating. It demands answers in a way her light tone does not. It’s both unnerving and inspiring, the way she commands attention with little more than the way she carries herself.
“I’m grateful, more than I can say, but... There has to be more we can do. Salem isn’t the only place that needs protection.”
The Elder Caster smiles, and I feel like I’ve passed some test. “That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”
“My help?” A surge of dangerous hope batters against my broken heart. This is it. This is my chance. “Tell me what you need. I’ll do anything.”
Elder Keating retrieves a thick file from her purse. She flips it open and pulls a photograph from the top. A four-story building with large glass windows stares back at me. “This is Hall Pharmaceuticals. It’s where the Hunters are producing their drug.”
“Is this where they had the raid last night?” I ask, pulling the photograph closer. I trace the lettering over the entrance. “Wait.HallPharmaceuticals... As in Benton Hall?” I trip over his name and reach for the black tourmaline hanging from my neck and squeeze tight. I need its calm now more than ever. I force myselfto breathe slowly.I’m okay. Don’t let them see you crack. Don’t lose your chance.
“His grandfather owns the company, yes.” Elder Keating looks to Archer, and he picks up where she left off.
