Page 11 of Amateur Goddess (Morrigan University #3)

Everything was fucking insane.

And I wasn’t being dramatic.

Top-tier families were climbing over each other to attack Father on Sunday while they smelled blood in the water… Until he made the statement going after Councilman Reid. Then the chickenshits all waited to see if it would work.

I was impressed how the councilman let everyone get themselves in a tizzy, setting a press conference for the next morning.

And then announced it wasn’t even about that.

What? Like… What?

Wow. Okay, he was the head of the council for a reason.

I watched it with my mouth hanging open. People were shouting all kinds of questions, and he was—he was amazing.

He frowned and focused on one person in particular. “I’m sorry, you misunderstand the reason for this press conference. I’m not wasting everyone’s valuable time to call a press conference to respond to Charles Shaw’s baiting me and psychotic behavior.”

“How can you say his demands you step down are psychotic?” someone demanded.

Councilman Reid looked amused. “Funny how bold you are when one of his allies signs your paycheck. Don’t pretend you’re impartial when we both know that.” He sighed like he realized people weren’t going to let this go. “I understand Charles Shaw is not an idiot, but he has a flaw of assuming he’s the smartest person or only smart person and he’s not.

“He’s been convicted and fined for threatening my and my mate’s lives. So he tried to scare me into quitting because he wants my seat. Now he’s trying to have the public pressure me in the midst of his own disgusting scandal while trying to see if we’re investigating him. I’m not an idiot either and don’t show my hand.

“More than that, our society is very clear that they do not want the fallen former noble families to have any leadership role ever again. They loudly declare it every time they follow our laws and adhere to the way things are. Charles Shaw breaks those laws and bucks the system at every turn. And again, I’m not a fool.

“Right now, he’s going for the source of the proof and all of this stems from him trying to ‘reclaim’ his biological daughter for weeks now. He should be a little less obvious in his moves because we all saw this coming. If we say yes, we’re investigating the proof people received, he’s going to proclaim we’re using his former daughter as a pawn in politics.

“And he thinks that will give him the leverage to walk right through our ruling that she was disowned at her request. Because Charles Shaw thinks all women are morons and he’s smarter than all of us. Except he’s not, and his former daughter is a bright, intelligent, and smart woman who outmaneuvered him, and his pride cannot handle that.

“He’s threatened everyone who has been involved with or is working with Bevin Millen now. He has lost his mind to think he can threaten the life of the head of the High Council and then taunt me to resign the next week for not coming after him when he doesn’t even show up for the hearing.

“I am not a fool, and he would declare war between the council and the fallen noble families if we arrest him off of what was given to others and not even directly to us. And while he is flippant with the lives of our people, I am not. I respect all lives—even the lives of witches who are equal citizens.”

He smiled directly at the camera, amusement and mockery dancing in his eyes.

“But I think it’s clear who the better Shaw is even if her name is now Millen. Too bad her family didn’t appreciate her and value witches, but I’m happy that she can now thrive in our lawful society.” He waved people quiet when they started shouting. “As much as I would love to tear into Charles Shaw all day, we’re all busy. Now, on to why we’re here.”

And then he shocked everyone by outlining an overhaul of the High Council procedures and how court was going to run… Making it abundantly clear that he wasn’t going anywhere and instead leading the High Council into the next step of their leadership and doing things better for our society.

Father was going to lose his mind at how badly he lost that round.

He outlined that the High Council estate was going to be expanded to have more courtrooms and most of everything was going to be split up. The councilmen were bogged down with too much, and they now realized part of that was intentional to keep them distracted. Also, that they’d worked hard to keep order and they’d achieved it.

So it was silly for all thirteen of them to be at most hearings. One councilman could handle simple procedural filings and get the system moving faster to help our people.

And clearly, the council couldn’t afford to be distracted. The werewolf attack on Morrigan proved that. Also, the risk to the large familiars the current housing at the schools showed to be a problem. He outlined what was being done at Morrigan and reported that things were going well.

He was far from declaring the project a win and wanted to make sure it was the right direction before replicating it at other schools, but it was promising. Also, in an effort to focus on another area of education reform, the council was mandating all donations to the schools be made public for transparency.

It was something that repeatedly was demanded of students and adults in our society, and it was time that people saw exactly how funds were being used… And who gave them. The past ten years were going to be published in a report, and going forward each year would be published by the schools.

My eyes went wide when Tracey was introduced and she thanked him.

“Every year, the magic of the average witch and warlock declines,” she started with a bang. “We use it less because of technology and our busy lives. Familiar Treasures has always been committed to combatting that truth by helping our society’s familiars. It wasn’t an easy endeavor and many mocked it to start.

“It took years and a lot more training than people could ever understand to get to the level the owner has. People have chastised that it’s all about money or price gouging that there weren’t higher quantities. Those who have our toys know the value is there. The owner and our staff pride themselves that no familiar has ever, not ever been hurt because of our products.

“That was always the hesitation or delay. New products need testing . Everything should be done with care. More magic spread faster can mean mistakes. It can mean it’s not as effective.” She gave people a moment with that. “As many of you have noticed, our production has been increasing. It will never be what some hope or want but yes, we are increasing this year.

“The owner feels comfortable and that the trust is there—our reputation is built in the way the owner wanted before more production. More than that, we are expanding. As many of you are aware, we now have treat trucks that are selling to the colleges. The process is a bit tedious to start and again, our focus is to make sure no familiar is ever hurt.”

She went over how everything was set up and the procedure to make sure everything was in order. Also, how it would work in the future and plans for expanding.

“The High Council came to the owner and explained that they wanted to refocus our attention on using our magic, growing it, and finding new ways to tap into our potential,” she continued. “We cannot do what our ancestors did, not with the way the world is and certainly not with technology. That means finding new innovations of our own.

“After the attack on Morrigan, their worry is also on security. As I’ve already said, we’re planning on expanding into brushes. For now, we’re partnering with the High Council on this new magic. They are funding the first test brushes for the High Council guards.

“After some discussion with Headmaster Kerwynn, we’re also in talks to possibly have some master’s students involved in tracking the progress and magical uptake from using the brushes. Clearly, that’s tricky because every time I turn around someone is copying our products or trying to pass off knockoffs as Familiar Treasures’ toys.

“But the headmaster made some convincing points that pushing innovation means teaching the next generation how to think past outdated ideas. Especially that only certain people are worthy of magic or that only warlocks are powerful.”

“No,” I whispered in horror as she smirked at people and took off her power-muting charm. “No, Tracey.”

“Who wants to read how powerful this witch is and see the future we see for our people?” she asked the crowd.

They all jumped on it as tears filled my eyes. She was putting herself front and center to be the distraction for me.

I didn’t deserve her or that.

And it worked. It was everywhere that the president of Familiar Treasures was ridiculously powerful and obviously working closely with the genius owner was exactly what everyone needed.

But it was a huge win. The top-tier families went back to attacking my father with several praising this new direction of the council. One coming out ahead of the others, clearly the one who thought he would be the new top contender for the council seat the top-tier families were all pushing for.

Tuesday, I received a warning from Clare to be careful because Father was coming for me unless I recanted and turned over the spells to him and broke my contract with Familiar Treasures. I wouldn’t, but she said he had something planned. She didn’t know what but to be careful.

I believed her… Especially when one of the heads of a top-tier family was found dead Tuesday afternoon.

Everyone was shocked.

Besides me.

“You’re not surprised,” Taylor Reid muttered when I met up with him.

“I expected it sooner,” I admitted, but brushed off whatever he was going to say next, focused on what was on my mind. “You’re on the team or whatever now, right?”

“You could put it that way,” he hedged. “I’m worried about my family.”

“Me too. Tracey just put the same target on her, so she needs at least two of your best guards at all times,” I said firmly. “I want to meet them. I’ll fix their bonds, and—we’re at threat-level red. They can harvest at my house—I don’t fucking care. I’m not losing Tracey. I would rather walk back to the Shaw house and fucking level it even if I had to be inside to do it.”

He studied me and nodded. “I believe you and yeah, she did. She’s got bigger balls than I do, but apparently she’s got the magic to back it up. That’s what I need from you. My people are amazing and better trained than council guards. Just not in magic.”

“I suggest they trade notes and learn that part since we’re all on the same team now and need to fucking be to survive this.”

“On that, we agree.”

I worked with one of the councilmen and fixed the bonds of three of Taylor’s people, all of them shocked beyond words at what I’d done. Next, there was another big meeting to make some decisions after all the talk on Sunday.

And, um, not puke through most of it like last time.

Plus, one addition. Winter.

“You trusted me last time that you were ready and it was a good idea,” he said from outside of the Oliverias’ house… Somehow knowing to be there. “Please, please trust me now, little sexy. I know there are pieces I can help put together. I have before. I just—I feel it.”

I stood on my toes and pursed my lips for a kiss. He smiled and gave me one. “You always listen to me and help me like Link. I didn’t mean to exclude you. It’s just—this is all really heavy, Winter. I wouldn’t want to be a part of it if I wasn’t at the center of it.”

“Yeah, but some of us are fighters, Bev,” he said gently as he cupped my cheek. “We want to fight against the bullshit but don’t know how or haven’t had the right general in place. So I might be in this fight even if you weren’t part of it.”

Fair enough. I could see Tracey maybe being the same. She hated the way witches were treated, and—she dealt with racism too often. Being looked down on for being a witch was another layer that made her want to explode.

So it was everyone same as last time plus Winter and Taylor.

“I’ve made it clear to all my people that we’re not taking new contracts,” Taylor started.

“Wait, I’m sorry that you assume you’re the focus here, handsome, but you’re not, and you’re the newest addition to this,” Tracey interrupted with a smirk before pointing to me. “We’re all here because of her . She is the star of this show. She’s also the youngest and one people tend to push around. She is the one we need, so she goes first and we all adjust to help her .”

He blinked at her for several moments. “Okay then.”

Tracey glanced at me. “Your show, Bev. Where you at?”

I gave her a grateful look and pulled out my notebook where I’d been jotting down everything bothering me throughout the crazy. “We need to change how we manage the sessions with the council. I can’t just keep jumping around and showing up there. That mindset people will bump into me isn’t wrong, and I get they’re important, but my time is valuable too.

“And yes, we called out the four who used it to pimp me out, but there were three who did nothing in between the sessions. They’re not taking it seriously. I’m not jumping through hoops, asking for people to cloak and circle me there, to have them not even do the homework. I’m the therapist, they come to me.”

“Agreed,” Tracey muttered. “I was going to suggest the same now that we’ll have security at home. Okay, so what do you need? We need to redo the patio and get it ready.”

“Get it ready?” Mrs. Oliveria hedged.

I nodded. “The sessions have to be outdoors in nature. Even when freezing. So we need to get a patio set up, maybe a gazebo and firepits—outdoor furniture. We don’t have to sit on the ground. Some sort of outdoor ottomans are fine.”

“I can manage that with contractors and check the designs with you and Tracey,” she accepted, waving off when Tracey argued. “My familiar will love the excuse to spend time there.”

“Which is my next thing,” I admitted. “The land was mostly left alone, only you and Woodchuck. We’re going to let more people on there. We need to ramp everything up to keep that magic growing.” I studied her a moment. “You felt the next step, didn’t you?”

Her eyes flashed shock. “Yes, greenhouses, but neither of us has the time or the knowledge to grow anything. I mean, I had basic stuff in school, but—my magic wasn’t really grounded in plants like that.”

I nodded. “But the three of us are—we should hire staff. I’m sure Mrs. Rose will know who to steal that can—we’re stretched too thin. We need someone to take over the house and yeah, has green thumbs and can manage a gardener or whatever. I want to start going over all of the land to check it and manage it.”

Tracey sighed. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense if we’re going to have security. I assumed we were going to keep it hidden as long as possible. If we’re having contractors come in, we could use some other renovations and updates as well.”

I knew that, which was part of why I was pushing it. “But you’re also too busy to restock the lake and order worms or chickens especially with us ramping up now.”

“I don’t remember seeing chickens when I was there,” Councilman Oliveria muttered as he glanced between us.

Tracey snorted. “I’m fairly certain the wildlife ate them last year.” She smiled when several people gave her shocked looks. “Just hear her out.”

I explained how it wasn’t death on my property but the circle of life that made everything flourish. More life coming in—even if it died to be food—brought life and magic to the land. It trickled up and down the food chain and gave magic a chance to grow.

“How close are we to getting that land in Tennessee?”

“It should be next month,” she admitted, nodding when I couldn’t hide my shock. I would have assumed she’d jumped on the end-of-month closing since we had the funds and didn’t need the mortgage. “The humans smelled money and are playing games that we didn’t offer something ridiculously less. They took one look at a black woman with money and—their auras weren’t good.”

The staff came with food, and that gave us a chance to explain to Taylor and fill in the others more about what we were planning.

“Okay, I will start making lists of what I want on the property before we even really get started. There has to be a witch or warlock who will live in a house and raise cattle for us or whatever. I want a bunch of different farms—I want all of the life on that land.”

“If I’m following what you’re saying—are you saying that a cattle ranch where they have a slaughterhouse is teaming with magic?” Taylor asked.

I gave him a horrified look. “No, all of that death would negate the magic and life.” I waved him off. “There is a huge difference in animals being raised in pens by humans to be slaughtered by humans on the same land versus letting chickens roam free to be picked off by the foxes on our land. Or having free-range cows that a tiger familiar will snack on when visiting.”

“It seems a bit like semantics,” he hedged.

“It’s more like intent,” Tracey explained. “The foxes are on our land and have babies, give life, and thrive. We provided for their needs and tended to them like you do the land for magic to harvest. The other is a machine of food—needed and one I enjoy, but not conducive to magic.”

“I felt the magic, so you know what you’re talking about, but it’s—magical theory wasn’t my best subject.”

It was refreshing he accepted and admitted that instead of railing against it or looking down on us.

I focused on Councilman Reid. “I also think you need to do the same with the council estate. That place should be a beacon of magic and an example of how we can thrive. Even when problems hit, I went there and found help. That should be how people feel about that place, not that it’s where we go to be punished. Criminals should feel that, not the average citizen.”

“I agree and would love that to be true. We simply haven’t had the path to make it so, nor the time given everything else we’ve been doing.”

People were excited at the idea, discussing it while we ate… And what else could be done.

“No,” I finally interjected when the ideas reached ludicrous levels. “No—just… No.” I sighed when people seemed shocked. “I’m not gatekeeping what I know, but we’re stretched too thin.”

“I agree,” Tracey bit out. “And you’re not an elected official or don’t owe people anything . Teaching at the colleges on how to do this? Why, so the top-tier families can learn and get more power? Why is that on Bevin?”

“You’re right, and we—I apologize,” Mrs. Reid accepted. “It would just be nice, and—a lot of the problems the average witch and warlock have are they don’t have a safe place to harvest.”

“Partially because they’re lazy,” I countered. “Don’t kid yourselves. If people put in the work, they could do it. Yes, I know they have to make money, but they prioritize other things too. Vacations and going out to drink—they could harvest and do better by their familiars instead. They don’t. They want the easy answers and I’m not that. I will never be that.”

“Which is why you make them pay for what you offer,” Winter said easily. “As you should. That session with you—my eyes are open to a whole other level of magic I didn’t even understand, and I’ve never been lazy with my power or Teddy.”

“No, you haven’t, and I’ve felt your…”

“What?” he asked, frowning.

“It’s not a magical theory I’ve ever read about,” I admitted before explaining again like I had before about the difference between Link, Councilman Oliveria, and me and our magical potential.

“I do know what you’re speaking of, but your framing is different,” Mrs. Reid said. “You’re seeing it from the outside perspective because you can whereas most of the advanced teachings are focused from the core of our magic. I’ll find some and we can work on that.” She chuckled when I blinked at her. “I used to be a professor at Morrigan.”

“Can you help me get Dr. Haskins to believe I’m not lazy and entitled and get some sort of real extra credit then?” I asked, explaining what was going on there.

“Yes, I will handle that,” she promised. “And we will talk more. Now what have you noticed with Winter?”

“That his magical potential has expanded. That was the hope with the new housing or maybe that the bonds stopped deteriorating but yeah, it was like I could see more of the potential in him yesterday.”

“And while I do agree with you that people can be lazy, there are a lot of people who don’t know how to start or are just overwhelmed,” Councilman Oliviera said gently. “Even Mrs. Rose. She would put in all of the work if she knew how. But she was a single mother focused on her kids and her grief. She has had too much to bear and keep going.”

“You’re right, she—I would help her. But that’s a judgment call and a slippery slope. What you’re talking about could also have helped Gregg Haddock, and he would have won over me that day if Professor Wyatt hadn’t stepped in. There’s too much darkness and evil in our society to just go wild in helping them become more powerful.”

Tracey saw where the conversation, was going and changed the trajectory. “We announced the ramp-up, but you’re honestly exploding now that you can. So I think we need to start storing stock and making it regular. Like something normal and expected, so many per week and in a few months a few more. Slowly grow it like you just bump up here and there after the initial jump.”

“Good, and the help for Keke is working out?” I checked.

“Two peas in a pod,” she chuckled. “Keke’s workroom had enough space, and I just put in another station. She has kids too, and—it’s a match in heaven. We just need a secure place to have them deliver to and not to the store for questions. I want to manage the inventory.”

“And I need access to more supplies. I’m out again.” I nodded when she chuckled. “Yeah, we need to do a full reassess. I want to do the blankets idea too because those are easy to throw in, and maybe we—I think I start that now, and we can launch next year with spurts of them or a lot of stock instead of always the waiting list.”

“Good. Okay, we’ll find someone who can finish them,” she muttered. “Brushes first, but we’ll start getting you materials to play with.”

“I can order whatever and start messing around,” I offered, seeing she was overwhelmed.

“I’ll put Rita or Nina on it,” she countered. “You’ve got enough too.”

The rest of the dinner went great. We had plans and schedules and managed to organize the crazy. Guards would be at the house going forward, and Tracey would have two bodyguards, visible and making it clear it was because of Father’s threats.

I was thrilled because I couldn’t handle feeling like a pinball always being bounced around all of the time. I just couldn’t. It wasn’t in me.