“I got the idea from you, Hannah,” Cal says, coming into the room with my mom. He sits across from Archer. “That day in the Cauldron when you wanted to go back in time and stop the Hunters from ever finding out about magic in the first place. I think I’m close to a breakthrough.”
“Really?” Archer’s voice is infused with so much hope it makes me want to burst. “I thought you were having trouble with it.”
“Lexie has been helping. If she’s still allowed to, it shouldn’t take much longer. A week. Maybe two.” Cal drums his fingers against the table and glances up at Archer. “I haven’t figured out how to prevent it from working on the witches who have been drugged though.”
“We might not have time to wait for that,” Archer says. “And we’d still need a way to disperse the potion that would cover all the Hunters at once. As long as even one remembers, we’re still at risk.”
“We could put it in the water supply,” I say. “We could use their methods against them.”
But Archer shakes his head. “There’s too much room for error. They could already be avoiding tap water, given their own pursuits.”
“Then we do what they couldn’t.” A smile blooms as the idea takes root. “We make it airborne.”
28
THE REST OF THEweek is a whirlwind of investigations, magic lessons, and potion making.
And homework. So much homework.
Archer keeps me out of school under the guise that I need to stay out of sight while the police are hunting for Benton, but that doesn’t stop Mom from contacting my teachers to get homework sent to the house. While the Elders question Lexie, Coral, and Alice about their connections to the Hunters, I’m writing essays and solving forx.
I’m also working with Lady Ariana to regain control of my magic. I have access to the elements again, and the pain is finally gone, but it still feels... different. There’s a chance my power will never be the same as it was before, but I think I’m okay with that. It’s slow, and my endurance right now kind of sucks, but it’s stillmine.
While I’m busy working with my grandmother and catching up on school stuff, the Elders focus on the witches I’ve accused. They interrogate Lexie first, then Coral, and finally Alice. Each one is cleared of the charges I made against them, and by some miracle, they don’t leave Salem out of spite.
Probably because they believe I’m right.Someonebetrayed the Clans.
It just wasn’t any of them.
Archer continues his search for the mole—questioning everyone who might have had access to our plans, including my entire coven. Alice works with Morgan’s parents to learn more of the healing techniques she missed by being orphaned so young. Coral and Lexie return to helping Cal with the memory potion, Lexie even incorporating some of Dr. O’Connell’s research into their task.
I don’t hear from any of them until Sunday, when we learn that the Casters were successful: they’ve created a version that should work on anyone without Clan magic flowing through their veins. Archer calls while I’m in the middle of calculating the velocity of a falling object and invites me to the testing—he wants me to be the one to make the potion airborne.
Technically, any Elemental could do this, but Archer must know what it means for me to finish what I helped start. Mom drives, and between our combined anxiety, the car is freezing. When we get to Archer’s house, the cool October breeze is a warm relief.
Behind me, a vehicle slows and crunches over gravel. I turn and find Morgan and her parents pulling in behind us.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I say when Morgan steps out of the car.
She pulls her sweater tightly around her and reaches for my hand. “Cal thought you’d want me here.”
Her fingers slide between mine, and though her presence warms my heart, it doesn’t stop the thoughts running through my head. It was easy enough to guess that we’d be testing the potion on Benton, but I don’t know how I feel about taking away his memory. I don’t know what that will mean for the emotions battling inside my chest.
Benton tried to kill me.
He rescued me from his family.
And though he doesn’t want me dead like the rest of the Hunters do, he’d still take my magic if he had the chance.
“It’ll be okay,” Morgan says, tugging me toward the house. “If it doesn’t work, Cal can try again.”
I follow her to the porch, where our parents are waiting. “Ready?” Mom asks, reaching for the front door.
“As much as I can be.” I squeeze Morgan’s hand and step inside.
We find Archer in the foyer, his expression grim. “Alice is watching over Benton. This way.” He leads us to his living room, where Benton is sitting alone on the couch. He looks like he hasn’t slept much since we came back to Salem, but I’m sure that has more to do with his tormented conscience than anything the Council has done. Alice hovers at the edge of the room, her hair in loose waves around her shoulders and her arms crossed. She glances at me briefly but keeps a tight watch over the unbound Hunter.
Benton looks up when we come in, and I catch a glimmer of fear in his eyes. “Hannah.” He stands and steps toward us.
