“Not if Hecate herself asked me to!” I reply, clutching my chest. “You couldn’t get me within a hundred feet of Tudor Thornblade, or any of his progeny. Youknowhow I feel about vampires.”
The air between us shifts. I bring my hands to my hair distractedly, adjusting the scarf tied around my long rope twists. Callista and I have been friends for a long time, and I don’t need to explain things further to her.
Her voice softens, and she puts a hand to my shoulder. I lean into the comforting gesture. “I understand why it would be hard for you to be around vampires, Amara. And of course, I feel the same way you do. We all know that vampires don’t share the same values good witches do. But…”
My friend is interrupted by the tinkling of the shop bell. We both turn to the front of the bakery. Framed in the doorway is a tall, red-haired witch in a green traveling cape. She’s accompanied by her orange cat familiar and holding her broomstick in one hand.
“Lydia!” Callista shouts, hurrying toward her sister andenveloping her in a big hug.
“Amara, Calli, it’s so good to see you!” she says, as the door shuts with another ring of the bell.
“It’s good to see you too!” I say. “How is everyone?”
“All well,” she replies. “I can’t stay too long. I just came to chat with Lavinia, and thought I would drop in on both of you before I go.”
“What business did you have with Lavinia?” I ask.
Lavinia Nox is the High Priestess of the Hecate coven. She’s not very happy with Lydia, who left the Hecate coven to become an independent witch.
“It was about the underage wolf shifters,” Lydia says, taking a seat at one of the tables at the front of the bakery. Callista goes behind the counter to get her a rose scone. She waves her hand to warm it up, the way her sister likes it.
“The Arundel shifters?” Callista asks. “I thought they were all imprisoned in the Cave?”
“Not the younger ones. They’re still in Hemlock Haven, under close watch,” I say. “There have been questions about what to do with them. Lavinia wanted to throw them in the Cave too, but we managed to convince her not to.”
Lydia grimaces. “I know. But I think I have a solution to that problem. Amrita is talking about starting Elmwood Academy again.”
“The integrated magic academy?” Callista says, taking a seat opposite Lydia.
“Exactly,” says Lydia. “We need to improve relations between the magical groups. All of this mistrust and secrecy hasgotto stop. Amrita thinks that if we start the academy again, it will help maintain the peace.”
I give Callista a pointed look, which she ignores.
“That’s a great idea, Lydia,” she says. “But what does that have to do with the wolves?”
“We can take in the young Arundel wolves as students,” Lydia explains. “Amrita and I will keep an eye on them, make sure they’re safe and that they don’t get into any trouble.”
Our conversation is interrupted again. Through the glass door, I see my hawk familiar tapping his beak on the glass.
With a wave of my hand, I magic the door open. My familiar comesinside, looking at me with his intense, sharp eyes.
“What is it, Merlin?” I ask.
“Lavinia Nox is requesting to see you, and Callista Craft. It’s very urgent.”
Lydia stands, and takes her warm scone from its plate. “I should probably be going anyway. It’s a long ride back home.”
Callista and I make our goodbyes, then hurry to see what our High Priestess wants.
Lavinia Nox’s office is in the back of the old church in the center of the village. It’s a beautiful building, but I always feel uneasy here. I can’t help remembering the old days of the witch hunts. It was a completely different world back then.
Just another reason not to take this peace for granted.
High Priestess Nox wears an elegant yellow robe and a stern frown. She sits behind her desk like a queen on a throne. Her familiar is a small white terrier. He’s curled up on her desk, taking a nap, his ears twitching as he dreams. Lavinia waves her hand impatiently as Callista and I file into her office and shut the door behind us.
“Callista, you can’t go undercover anymore,” she says, with a frustrated sigh.
“What?” Callista responds. “Why not?”
