“Is everything okay?” She looked at Prue. “I thought I heard something about a job at the bookstore?”
Prue looked from me to Mama and Auggie.
“What is it?” I asked with a shaky voice. “What’s wrong?”
Auggie swallowed. “Witch Superior is coming here to Thistlegrove. She’s set to arrive tomorrow.”
Prue gasped and dropped her books, all of them slamming onto the porch, rattling the boards.
My entire body went rigid. It was well known that Witch Superior traveled with her magistrates, who were trained to sniff out any illegal activity—including those living in the Witchlands without magic.
Those very magistrates had almost caught us once before. Because of Johanes. Because I confided in him, and instead of understanding, he tried to blackmail us, threatening to turn us in to Witch Superior and her magistrates unless we paid him. So we did, and the magistrates arrived anyway. We’d managed to get away and disappear, officially starting our life on the run.
“That’s not all,” Auggie said, swallowing.
“What else could there be?” I stepped forward, not sure I could handle any more bad news.
Mama’s eyes filled with tears. “It was Draven who asked her to come. He’s her grandson, Elspeth.”
The entire world went sideways, and I stumbled backward.
No. He’d mentioned his grandmother several times, and I knew they had a complicated relationship, especially after his parents had died and he took over guardianship of his sister. But he’d never once mentioned his own grandmother was Witch Superior.
My throat closed, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. To think, I’dbeen considering telling Draven the truth. Just because he and his grandmother didn’t get along, just because they couldn’t agree on how to raise Georgie, didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn us in. Not when his own grandmother was the leader of all the Witchlands.
My stomach turned. I felt sick.
“What are we going to do?” Auggie asked, panic in her voice.
I straightened, remembering what Prue said about our cart. It was fixed. “We’re going to leave. Pack your things.” I thought of Draven, his face, so serious and severe—except when he looked at me. There was always a softness in his eyes that I was coming to crave. “No time to say goodbye,” I said and turned to go into the cottage and pack my belongings.
Thirty-Nine
DRAVEN
Ipaced back and forth in our little apartment above the bar. It was early in the morning, the tavern not yet open. Georgie had already left for school, and an uneasy feeling had overtaken me.
I’d sent for my grandmother two days ago. She hadn’t known where I’d taken Georgie, but if she’d bothered to look, it wouldn’t have been hard to find us, to know we’d go where my parents had settled.
But Grandmother had always been proud. Stubborn. She wouldn’t stoop to search for us, to try and bring her granddaughter home.
She’d never cared much for me, not when I was male and unable to enter the Witch Trials, just like my father was unable to. It was always Georgie she’d set her sights on, wanting her granddaughter to follow in her footsteps.
My parents had been against it, adamant that that was not what would be best for Georgie, so after they’d died, I took Georgie and came here. But maybe my parents weren’t right. Maybe what Georgie needed was to be challenged, something my grandmother would certainly do. She’d keep Georgie on her toes. She’d keep her in line in a way I wasn’t able to.
I’d told Georgie her grandmother was coming, but I hadn’t yet toldher that I was thinking about sending her back to the capital with Grandmother. I did have stipulations, of course. One being that Helena wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near Georgie. Grandmother was desperate enough to get her heir back that she’d comply.
Helena was a snake who’d nearly ruined Georgie’s confidence, and I wouldn’t let her do that again. I’d seen Helena in town, probably searching for new recruits to “manage.” But I’d kept away from her, and in turn, she’d kept her distance from me.
My jaw locked. Elspeth hadn’t met me at the manor last night. I was craving her touch, her advice. I needed her right now. I needed her to tell me what to do about Georgie. She’d be objective, and she’d tell me the truth. It was something I appreciated so much about her. She never minced her words. She didn’t hold back, but she also wasn’t unkind. She was just honest.
Fuck it. The market wasn’t up and running yet. She’d still be at her cottage. I knew she wanted to keep us a secret, but I’d go there and if her family saw me, I’d say I wanted to ask her a question about something.
Grandmother would be here soon, and I had to figure out a way to untangle my thoughts.
Mind made up, I grabbed my coat and exited my apartment to go find Elspeth.
The cottage wasa flurry of activity when I arrived. The first thing I noticed was the Moonflower’s apothecary cart. It was fixed, standing there and opened up.
