Page 2

NADINE

“T he Executors couldn’t have gone far,” I insisted. “If we’re fast, we can still catch them.”

I was already on the move, marching around the outside of the building toward the wing where the blast had detonated. I was determined to keep our people safe, which meant making sure something like this never happened again.

“We can try following their trail, but you can’t underestimate my grandmother, Nadine,” Chloe said as she followed me. “With the Master Wand, she has the power to cast portals now. I wouldn’t put it past her to use one to get those Executors out of town.”

“We’ve followed portals before. It’s how we tracked down Autumn at her cottage in the mountains,” Lucas pointed out.

We rounded the side of the building, and I slowed as I took in the blast site. The whole wing had been devastated by a powerful spell. The outer wall had completely collapsed, and building debris lay scattered everywhere.

Nearby, Gregory and Brayden were taping off the crime scene, and Alex was snapping photographs of the evidence. They’d all joined the police force after the coven put us on the council, but they’d barely started their training. They weren’t technically qualified to do this work, but we needed the manpower.

Professor Blackbird stood nearby in his police uniform, interviewing several witnesses. He was the town’s new assistant sheriff and had resigned as the Wand Studies professor to take the job. He was in his seventies and probably shouldn’t be out in the field, but he was ex-military and one of the highest qualified people in town to serve on the police force.

“Thank you for your time,” Professor Blackbird told the witnesses.

Lucas quickly flagged him down. “Sheriff, what have you learned?”

Professor Blackbird flipped through a notepad. “As far as we can tell, the blast was caused by a battle spell, though we aren’t ruling out potions or traditional explosives. Witnesses counted four suspects fleeing the scene.”

“We heard it was Executors,” Chloe said. “Any idea who let them out of their cell? They couldn’t have gotten out by themselves.”

“The security footage has been tampered with, but there was only one officer at the station when the Executors broke out,” Professor Blackbird said lowly. “It was Lincoln, the guy who used to guard Octavia Hall for the priestesses. He showed up at the station after the priestesses fled town, saying he wanted to help. I can’t say I wasn’t wary of hiring him, because he worked so closely with the priestesses for so long. But he’s one of the few guys we have left with any proper training, so we gave him a job.”

“Have your team bring him in for questioning, if he hasn’t fled with the others,” Lucas ordered.

I carefully stepped over rubble to look at the blast from another angle.

Chloe nudged Lucas. “I think Nadine’s on to something.”

I kept my eyes on the debris as I explained, “If we look at the direction that the rubble’s laying, we can reasonably estimate where the suspect was standing when he cast the spell.”

I took a few steps back and planted my feet firmly in place. I was far enough away from the building that there was no rubble at my feet, but close enough to cast a spell. “Right here. The blast is spread out almost symmetrically from this spot.”

“How does that help us?” Chloe wondered.

“I’m not sure yet…” I squatted down and closely inspected the ground around me. There were tiny bits of building material embedded in the dirt. If there were any clues here before, they were surely obscured by the blast.

Then I saw it—the tiniest hint of a muddy footprint left behind. It was only a partial print, and to the untrained eye barely looked like a disturbance in the soil at all. “I’ve got a partial print!”

“Good catch,” Lucas said. “I never would’ve spotted that.”

“Judging by the direction of the tread marks, the suspects went that way.” I pointed to a line of trees. The hospital was situated on the edge of town, and I didn’t think there was anything past that tree line but forest for miles.

Lucas carefully watched where he was stepping. He stopped several yards away from me. “I’ve got another print. It’s a different tread pattern, but it’s headed in the same direction.”

I conjured the enchanted broom I kept in my stash. “Let’s follow the trail.”

Lucas and Chloe followed my lead, conjuring their own brooms. Chloe’s wasn’t enchanted like the ones we’d found at Wicked Alchemy, but she could use her telekinesis to fly on hers.

“Professor, you should stay here and continue to question the witnesses,” Lucas suggested. “We’ll let you know if we find anything.”

“On it, Priest,” Professor Blackbird said.

We mounted our brooms so we wouldn’t disturb any of the footprints, then took off flying toward the trees. The trail was sparse at first and hard to follow. The dirt here was dry and hard, and didn’t lend itself well to capturing prints. I wasn’t surprised the police hadn’t noticed the boot treads.

My heart raced, and the wind blew my hair back as we ducked branches and dodged around trees. The deeper we got into the trees, the more apparent the footsteps became. The ground became muddy, and upturned leaves made the trail easy to follow. We couldn’t be far behind the suspects.

I caught movement up ahead. I signaled to Lucas and Chloe, and they both nodded back. I motioned for each of them to circle around to the sides, so that we could approach from three angles. They quickly veered off in either direction.

I leaned further over my broom, increasing my speed. I spotted four figures, and I was closing in on them fast. I didn’t need to see their faces to know exactly who they were, because I recognized them from behind. They were our worst enemies right behind the priestesses—Ryan Greyson, Frederick James, Cody White, and Leroy Benson. They were the cruelest students back at Miriam College of Witchcraft. They’d been among the worst of the Executors to perpetrate the most heinous crimes, having tortured and murdered innocent people.

I lifted my hand to cast a stunning spell. I didn’t want to kill them, just slow them down. Lucas and Chloe did the same, but before we could cast the spells, the Executors sensed us coming. They whirled around and blasted spells that hit us mid-air. I went flying off my broom and landed flat on my back, gasping for breath. The trees swayed above me, and to be honest, I was shocked the spell hadn’t taken my life. Not a single one of them would’ve hesitated to kill me.

Lucas and Chloe had been knocked off their brooms as well, but Lucas quickly jumped to his feet. He cast a shield around the four Executors, trapping them inside a small, shimmering dome.

I finally found my breath and pushed myself upright. Chloe stood beside me, wiping a bit of blood off her lip. Inside the shield dome, James, Cody, and Leroy all wore a matching stunned expression. Leroy reached out to touch the edge of the shield, as if he’d never seen one before in his life. He yanked his hand back like he’d been shocked.

“What are we going to do with them?” Chloe asked. “If we lock them up, then they’ll just escape again, and we can’t execute them. We promised the coven they’d stand trial.”

“They will.” Lucas took a step closer to the Executors. “First, I want them to talk. What’s your plan, Ryan?”

Ryan simply stated, “We are the army. We will destroy you at harvest’s end.”

“Yeah, tough words, big guy,” Lucas replied flatly. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

In unison, the Executors repeated Ryan’s words, which sounded really creepy and ominous as their voices overlaid one another. It felt like they were mocking us, and that really pissed Lucas off. Lucas blasted a spell straight through his shield. It hit Ryan in the face, and he stumbled back into the others. It wasn’t enough to cause any serious damage, but it sure looked like it hurt. Ryan grabbed his nose and then grunted—literally grunted, like a fucking caveman. I didn’t know if he thought it was threatening, but it was merely comical.

“So I guess we’re doing this the hard way,” Lucas said as he conjured his scythe. I didn’t think he intended to use it, but these men should know how powerful he was by now. They’d seen what he did to all the other Executors that night at Octavia Hall. Yet not a single one of them appeared afraid at all—like the mere concept of death eluded them entirely.

“Wait.” I grabbed Lucas’s arm as I observed the Executors. James didn’t even look at me, which was strange, because he was always foaming at the mouth to kill me. They weren’t casting spells or shouting obscenities like usual. I could feel magic coming off of them, but it wasn’t quite right . “Something’s very off about this.”

“Nadine’s right,” Chloe agreed. She circled around them, but her proximity didn’t arouse a single response. “It’s like they’ve been enchanted.”

Ryan dropped his hand to his side, and I gasped. His nose had completely flattened. In its place was a clump of dirt smeared across his face. It looked completely unnatural… inhuman .

“Fucking golems!” Lucas sneered. In the blink of an eye, he dropped his shield and swung his scythe through the air, slicing through the four Executors’ abdomens all at once. The blade cut through their stomachs like warm butter. Their bodies instantly morphed into mud that landed in a heap at our feet.

I jumped back. “What the hell is a golem?”

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and began pacing. “A diversion—that’s what they are. The hospital bombing wasn’t just an attack. It was meant to keep us occupied while the real Executors got out of town. These are just useless copies.”

I crouched down to inspect the mud but found that all magical traces were gone. Lucas’s scythe had broken the spell on these duplicates. “What is it? Some sort of illusion?”

“Basically,” Chloe explained. “A golem is a being that’s made from natural material—usually mud or clay—and brought to life by magic. They act as assistants to whoever creates them and do whatever the spellcaster tells them to. You can make them look like someone you know or give them fresh faces, which is useful either way depending on how you want to use them. It’s a relatively simple spell that most witches and fae can cast, but it doesn’t usually last very long or hold up well. Touch a golem wrong, and the spell breaks, reducing them to their original form.”

“They seemed so real, though a bit brainless,” I noted. “They could talk and cast spells.”

“Golems can cast basic spells and communicate in simple sentences, but it’s not at all convincing if you’re trying to hold a conversation with them,” Chloe told me. “I’ve never seen a spell like this hold so well. Usually a golem’s spell looks real but doesn’t have much oomph behind it. These golems were strong—dumb, as usual, but strong. We all felt their strength when they knocked us off our brooms.”

“That’s true, but their attack wasn’t as strong as I expected,” I admitted. “I was shocked they didn’t kill us on the spot.”

“The golems must’ve used up most of their energy casting the spell to blow up the radiology wing, and then writing that message in the sky… but they shouldn’t have had that strength to begin with,” Lucas said. “They’re more powerful than they should be. The only thing that can make them that strong is the Master Wand.”

“They were made with the Master Wand, all right,” Chloe agreed. “Which brings up another problem. Usually, witches and fae can only sustain one golem at a time. But if all four golems were made with the Master Wand, that means the Wand can create and sustain multiple golems at once. We have no idea what its limit might be. The Master Wand could potentially sustain thousands.”

“That must be what the Ryan duplicate meant when he said we are the army ,” Lucas mused. “The priestesses are going to make loads of them.”

I noticed something as I inspected the dirt closer. “Check this out. The consistency of mud between each of the golems is different. The dirt from James’s golem is dryer and more powdery than Ryan’s, which is more clay-like. It’s as if the James golem is older. Even if the priestesses can sustain multiple spells at once, I don’t think they create multiple golems at the same time. It looks like it takes time.”

Chloe crouched down next to me. “That tracks. Even though the Master Wand is strong, they’d still need to shape the mud for each individual golem. That’s how they’re made—you have to sculpt their bodies first, then the magic brings their features to life.”

Lucas furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “If that’s the case, it’d take them months to build a golem army that could take on all of Octavia Falls. Why not do something simpler, like using necromancy magic to raise an army of the dead?”

I tapped my chin. “Let’s think from their perspective. The only reason Margaret and Lilian haven’t returned to Octavia Falls is because they believe Santos is protecting us, and the gods are the only thing stronger than the Master Wand. Santos has power over the dead, because our necromancy magic descended from him.”

“I see where you’re going with this,” Chloe said. “We borrowed the golem spell from other cultures. The fae used it first, so the priestesses must be building an army that even Santos can’t control. Golems follow the instructions of their maker, and the priestesses have found a way to make them stronger. It’s their perfect army.”

I stood up straight. “The Ryan golem said they will destroy us at harvest’s end. That can only mean that the priestesses plan to march on Halloween, which has historically marked the end of the harvest. We have time, but we have to be ready for them.”

“Let’s go tell the others what we found here,” Lucas said. “The real Executors are long gone, but we have a better idea of what we’re up against, and that might just save our asses.”

When we returned to the hospital, the first responders had pulled all the survivors from the blast site. Mortana were on site to search for signs of life, but I could tell by the solemn looks on their faces that anyone else left in the rubble was already gone. Lucas gave a shudder, like he felt death in the air. I wondered how many voices he’d heard when the blast happened. He hadn’t mentioned it, so I didn’t ask.

The emergency room was on the other side of the hospital and thankfully hadn’t been affected by the blast. The waiting room was in pure chaos when we entered. Staff rushed from one set of doors to another, barking orders, while patients crowded the room waiting to be seen.

Miles was there in his sheriff uniform, scanning the waiting room like he was looking for someone. His shoulders sagged in relief when he saw Chloe. He rushed over to her and swept her up into a tight hug, then planted a passionate kiss on her lips. She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him back with fervor.

Miles drew away from Chloe. “Thank Alora you’re all okay! I’m sorry all this happened. I take full responsibility. My team is out searching for the suspects, but I’m afraid they may have gotten away for good.”

“There’s no use in blaming yourself,” I said. “All we can do is keep moving forward and help these people.”

“Call off the search, and get your team back here,” Lucas instructed. “We need volunteers to help administer basic first aid. In the meantime, we have some business to discuss.”

Lucas gestured for him to follow us down the hall. We found privacy in an empty exam room, where we told Miles about the golems we found in the woods.

He raked his fingers through his dark strands of hair. “I’m worried we don’t have the means to hold the priestesses off. If Santos wants to help us, where is he now? We don’t know if he’s ever going to show up again.”

“I’m not counting on it, to be honest,” Lucas admitted. “It’s rare for gods to meddle in human affairs. It’s a miracle he showed up that night in the courthouse to protect us in the first place. Life is constantly teaching us lessons, and if he shows up to solve all our problems, we’re bound to repeat the same mistakes. I don’t think Santos is going to interfere. But I also don’t think the priestesses are going to attack unless they’re confident they stand a chance against any of our potential allies. That’s why they’re building this golem army.”

“How do we defend against it?” Miles asked.

“Our priority is finding the Curse Breaker Wand,” I said. “The night we faced the priestesses, they used the Master Wand to curse the four Oaken Wands in our possession to become powerless. The magic of the Seer, Alchemy, Mortana, and Mentalist Wands is locked down tight, and we can’t use them against the priestesses or the Waning. But the Curse Breaker Wand is still out there and remains untouched by the priestesses’ curse. If we find it, then we can use it to break the curse on the other Wands and unlock their full power again.”

“Once we break the priestesses’ curse and obtain the power of all five Oaken Wands, we’ll be powerful enough to combat the priestesses’ army and the Master Wand,” Lucas added. “What’s more, we’ll have the power to end the Waning. We’ll even be able to break the curse the priestesses cast on Marcus that night, which prevents us from using him to create another Master Wand, or from ever telling him he’s a demigod.”

“Where do we start?” Miles wondered. “You’ve been looking for this Wand for ages.”

“We have full access to all the Imperium records now, which we never had before,” I said. “I’m going to start there. We know that after my grandfather died, Grammy kept the Curse Breaker Wand until it went missing from her possession. We don’t know who took it, but there could be clues somewhere in the records—connections the priestesses never thought to look for. Meanwhile, I’ll contact our allies from other supernatural societies to see if they know anything about this Wand. Beau Blankard was half fae, and we learned about the Mortana Wand from him, which means there’s a chance we could learn more about the Curse Breaker Wand from other societies as well.”

“Say you do find the Curse Breaker Wand,” Miles mused. “Couldn’t the priestesses just cast another curse on the Oaken Wands the second you break it?”

“The Master Wand would have to overpower all five Oaken Wands,” I replied. “These Wands are the most powerful weapon we have, and they’re strongest together. Once they’re all united, they’ll be an equal match for the Master Wand, and the priestesses won’t have the power to bind their magic again.”

“That’s if the Curse Breaker Wand chooses you,” Miles pointed out. “The Wands can decide who to give their power to.”

“If the Wand doesn’t choose me, then I’ll do whatever I have to in order to prove myself to it,” I said. “The Seer Wand didn’t choose Talia right away, but she was able to show it she’d use its power well. If it comes to that, then I can do the same. The Oaken Wands are the only thing strong enough to withstand an attack against the Master Wand. The Curse Breaker Wand is our only option.”

“Why not just use Marcus’s demigod powers against them? It worked last time,” Miles pointed out.

“He’s an infant, and his power is unpredictable,” Lucas said harshly. “We aren’t putting him in their path again.”

“The Oaken Wands draw their magic from the coven, don’t they?” Miles asked. “Why don’t we just get the coven to combine their powers to defeat the priestesses? It’d save us a lot of time hunting down the last Wand.”

“It’s a good suggestion in theory, but there are too many hurdles there,” Chloe said. “For one, we’ve agreed that these people aren’t soldiers, and we aren’t going to force them to fight for us. Even if we did, they’d have to willingly share their magic, and that’s not a sure thing as long as the Waning’s still depleting our powers at random. In that case, we’d still have to unite all five Oaken Wands, because the Waning isn’t ending until all five Wands are found and we can actually do something about it.”

“Isn’t the Waning caused by the Protection Tree?” Miles asked. “Can’t we just stop its spell?”

“You’re right that the Protection Tree is causing the Waning,” Lucas said. “Nadine and I learned that last year, when we discovered the tree was dying. The tree sustains the protection spell around the town by drawing magic from all of us, and by the coven dividing, our magic isn’t working in harmony anymore. The tree keeps drawing more magic to try to keep up, but the more we divide, the worse it gets. But to end the spell, we’d have to overpower it, and the protection spell is far too strong for any one of us to break it—even Nadine. Even if we could do that, we’d open ourselves up to threats from outside the coven. We’d have a fae invasion on our hands, and they’d slaughter us before the priestesses ever got a chance.”

“Lucas and Chloe are both right,” I agreed. “Once we have all the Oaken Wands, we’ll be able to redistribute magic to the coven, rebalance our magic and end the Waning, all while fortifying the protection spell to keep us safe. Until then, we need to navigate the Waning carefully. The priestesses can generate their own power from the Master Wand, but we have to be careful about expending our energy and using our crystals only on necessarily spells, because the Waning is going to slow us down.”

“All right, we’ll focus on finding the Curse Breaker Wand. But if we don’t find it by Halloween, when the priestesses plan to attack, then we need a contingency plan,” Miles insisted.

“If we can’t defend our people when the time comes, then we need to get them out of town,” Lucas said. “We’ll develop an evacuation plan and work with other supernatural societies to ensure our people have someplace to go, though I hope it won’t come to that.”

“It looks like we’ll have to start building our own army in the meantime,” Miles suggested. “We’ll have to gather witches and warlocks who are ready to fight against the priestesses once they arrive.”

“We can take volunteers, but we aren’t exactly equipped to train an army, especially with the Waning draining our magic at random intervals,” I admitted. “The Miriamic Coven has never had a standing army before, not even against the fae.”

Lucas shifted his gaze thoughtfully. “We’ll have to come up with an army another way. If witches can't fight, then we need to find those who can.”

“Won’t the priestesses be able to use the Master Wand to see what we’re planning and how it will all play out? It’s powerful enough to give them visions and read minds,” Miles pointed out.

“In theory, but they’d have to know the technique and understand how to interpret their visions,” I replied. “It takes years to learn how to control visions, and neither of them are Seers, so they don’t have the training. Teleinsight alone took Talia and Chloe months to figure out with the power of the Oaken Wands. As for reading minds, Verla has been teaching us how to ward our minds since last Yule. As long as we keep practicing her technique, the priestesses shouldn’t be able to get into our heads.”

Miles reached out to take Chloe’s hand in his. A black antique ring on her left hand caught the light. Miles had proposed to Chloe when we returned to Octavia Falls, and of course she’d said yes. A week ago when we’d driven the priestesses out of town, things felt hopeful. Now, we were faced with complete uncertainty.

“What does this mean for our people in the meantime?” Miles asked. “Do we put our lives on hold until this war is over?”

“Absolutely not,” Chloe demanded. “I’m not letting my grandmother take what good is left in my life, and neither should any of you. We have to continue rebuilding Octavia Falls, because no one’s going to want to fight for the coven if there’s no coven left to save. I, for one, want to live as much of my life before my grandmother arrives and tries to ruin it.”

“Does that mean you’ll be planning a wedding?” I asked.

“Hell, yeah,” Chloe insisted. “I’ve been planning my wedding since I was a kid, and I’m not giving that up just because my grandma wants to show off how big her wand is. Miles and I are getting married on the autumn equinox. Mark your calendars.”

Chloe had clearly already made up her mind, and there was no changing it.

“All right,” I agreed. “We’ve all got a job to do, and we keep at it.”

Miles gave a firm nod. “It sounds like our new council knows what it’s doing. Let’s get to work.”

We returned to the emergency room, where we found Onyx organizing volunteers. She placed me at registration to help check patients in, while Miles helped transport medical supplies. Chloe naturally stepped into leadership mode, carefully listening to coven member’s concerns and reassuring them of their safety here in Octavia Falls. Chloe had an innate talent for articulating herself well, and she’d always been straight-forward and honest, so when she spoke, people believed her.

Lucas talked with families of the deceased, aiding them through their grief. He’d gotten really good at that and was extremely professional. It was obvious he took his job very seriously.

We stayed at the hospital for hours. Twice, Onyx brought me something to eat because the registration desk was so busy I hadn’t been able to step away for any length of time.

Finally, well after sunset, we’d discharged enough patients that things started to settle down. I left the registration desk and went down the hall to find my friends. I passed my primary care provider, Dr. Yonker. He’d obviously been running around all day trying to help people, because his hair was disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. He didn’t even notice me as he hurried to his next patient. I was glad he was here to help these people because he was a great doctor, but I could see that this was too much for even him. Even if we had the equipment to bounce back quickly from the devastation, the staff were already hanging on by a thread. One more calamity, and our healthcare system would surely collapse.

I continued down the hall. One section of the emergency room housed rows of beds that were separated by curtains. As I passed, I noticed one of the curtains was open, and a frail elderly woman I recognized lay propped up in bed. I was shocked to see that Rose was still here since this morning, as most patients had either been discharged or moved to a private room for overnight observation.

I approached Rose. She noticed me and gave me a kind smile. “How are you doing, sweetie?” she asked weakly.

I must’ve looked really tired. The fatigue had set in hours ago, but I was accustomed to pushing through it.

“Doing okay,” I told her as I sat down. “I’m more worried about you. What did the doctors say?”

“I’ve got a clean bill of health,” she said. “Just shaken up. Your quick response saved me from any lasting injuries.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, but if that’s the case, why haven’t they discharged you?” I wondered.

“I can’t drive myself, and there’s no staff to transport me back to the resident facility. At least I have this bed for the night. The doctor says they’ll find me a more permanent solution in the morning.”

“Permanent solution?” I wondered. I did my best to mask my emotions. I didn’t want her to know I was worried. “What happened to your room at the nursing home?”

“Rooms are hard to come by these days,” Rose admitted. “Ever since the priestesses started shutting down nursing homes and shoving us all together in the same facility, things haven’t been the same. It seems I get a new roommate every week. The priestesses wanted to conserve resources, but it has only led to a shortage. Nursing home staff were diverted here to the hospital today, and it sounds like they might need them permanently. I’m afraid they’ll c-close my f-floor and I’ll have nowhere to g-go?—”

Rose burst into tears, and my heart shattered for her. I reached out to take her hand, and her whole body shook with sobs.

“I’m not going to let that happen,” I stated firmly. “Rose, I promise I will work with your care team to make sure you have a place to go home to.”

She wiped her tears with her other hand. “That’s so kind of you, Priestess. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” I told her. “I’m here for you.”

Rose gave my hand a weak squeeze. “The coven was right to choose you to lead them, Nadine. Now that you’re here, we finally have hope.”

I gave her a smile to mask the concern swirling in my gut. The priestesses had left a huge mess behind for us to clean up. I was more than up for the task. I just hoped my persistence was enough.

I waited at Rose’s bedside until she fell asleep. I stepped into the hall and found Onyx speaking in a low voice to Lucas and Chloe. The hallway was otherwise secluded.

“We’ve done what we can to help these people today, but this attack has more than devastated our already fragile healthcare system,” Onyx said. “There were over a dozen medical professionals working that wing who were killed today, and our most expensive imaging equipment is now gone.”

“What do you know about the nursing homes?” I asked as I approached. “Rose is worried she may not have a home to go back to.”

Onyx sighed heavily. “We’re doing what we can, but things have changed a lot while we were in hiding. While the priestesses were in power, people were taking in the unhoused against occupancy laws, and doctors were providing services for free behind the priestesses’ backs. In the months we were gone, the priestesses gutted one of our largest nursing homes to salvage supplies for the luxury apartment complex they wanted to build at the Catwalk.”

“We can repurpose the material,” I suggested. “The priestesses had other apartments built that are almost complete. We can convert those into temporary housing.”

“It’s a good start, but that’s going to take a few more weeks of heavy labor,” Onyx said. “In the meantime, many elderly patients are staying with family, but these families are overwhelmed with trying to care for complex medical problems they aren’t trained to help with. One of the things I’ve been helping with is finalizing details for a temporary home-aid program that will support families who are helping provide basic care. It would allow certain patients to stay at home, while licensed staff would visit on a more part-time basis. It’s far from a perfect solution, but it would help these families immensely in the meantime.”

“We need to help Rose,” I decided. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her during my visits to the nursing home, and I’ve never seen her so worried. We need to give her a home, so she has stability.”

“Doesn’t she have a family that can take her in?” Chloe asked.

I shook my head. “She has no one. Her husband’s long gone, and her son doesn’t live here anymore. It seems I’m the only one giving her hope right now, and if I can be that for her, then I’m happy to.”

This decision wasn’t just up to me, though. My friends and I were all living together at Lilian’s estate, which now belonged to Chloe. If we were going to let someone else live there with us, we all had to agree.

“If you’re all okay with it, I’d like to take Rose in until we find a more permanent solution for her,” I suggested. “I know it’s not ideal, but we have to do what we can, because she has nowhere else to go. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: We need to care for each individual, because there’s no community without them.”

“I agree,” Chloe said. “We have an extra guest room, and Rose is more than welcome to stay.”

“Any chance I get to help another patient is a chance I’ll take,” Onyx agreed.

Lucas nodded. “We’ll take Rose in. It’s not even a question.”

He wrapped me in his arms and kissed the top of my head. I felt so much of my worry melt away at his touch.

I breathed a heavy sigh as I drew away. “What happened today was devastating, but if there’s any good to come from it, it’s shown us that our people will still come together in times of need. The priestesses may have the Master Wand, but we still have our coven. They can try to take this town by force, but they can’t take the heart of the people.”

They’d already laid this town to ruin. I’d sooner die than let them take what hope we salvaged in the aftermath.