“No,” my mom said, slamming the car door a bit harder than necessary in her frustration. “No sign of her.”
“Damn it all,” Persi cursed.
“I still think we’ll be able to get in touch with her,” I said. “We’ve got?—”
“What do we do about the Conclave?” Persi asked, steamrolling right over me.
“We have to tell them,” Rhi said at once.
“We have to tell them eventually, yes,” my mom said, twisting a strandof her hair around her fingers like she always did when she was preoccupied. She looked at Persi, who nodded.
Rhi looked back and forth between her sisters, her expression scandalized. “Kerri, you aren’t seriously suggesting we keep this from them!”
“No, not exactly. It’s just… you know how they are.” She raised her eyebrows as though that was all that needed to be said on the subject.
“Idon’t know how they are,” I said, starting to feel annoyed now. “Can someone please explain?”
Rhi gestured toward my mother, as though to say, “Be my guest,” and my mother heaved a resigned sigh.
“The Conclave is old school,” my mother began, and then, seeing the incredulous look on my face, she amended, “Yes, I know, all of Sedgwick Cove is old school, to a degree. But the Conclave is particularly stuck in their ways, and they are especially fierce when it comes to security.”
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Meaning that if they caught wind of this book reappearing, we’d likely never see it again,” Persi answered.
“That’s not true,” Rhi scoffed. “The book belongs to the Vesper coven, they know that.”
“And they also know what spells must be contained in this book, which means they’d be tripping over themselves to make sure it was buried again,” my mom said.
“Ostara especially,” Persi said, and her expression hardened into a mask. “In her mind, that book is the reason her coven was disgraced. It’s why she’s always been so fierce about dark magic, keeping the books locked away from her family. She will fear the temptation this book represents.”
“Which means she’ll fight to have it locked away,” my mom said.
“Or destroyed altogether,” Persi added.
“Oh, be reasonable,” Rhi cried, though she sounded more plaintive now.
“Why? Ostara certainly won’t be. We need to think strategically here,Rhi,” my mom said. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t tell them. We should, and soon. But let’s get what answers we can first.”
“Such as?” Rhi asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Such as who this Jess… what’s her name again?”
“Ballard,” I supplied.
“Right. Let’s track down this Jess Ballard and get the full story of how this book resurfaced. I don’t think she—or this Dr. Vesper, for that matter—understand what this book really is; but we need to be sure. We also need to know who else has handled it, and whether they were able to unlock any of its secrets.”
“Surely not, or they would have kept it!” Rhi said. But her voice was weak now, and Persi, sensing victory, jumped in.
“We have to be sure. And we need time to examine it for ourselves. Rhi, this book is the most important legacy our family has. Do we really want to hand it over before we’ve had the slightest chance to look at it?”
Rhi stood there tapping her foot. “Fine. But you have to promise me we will tell the Conclave.”
“Of course we will,” my mom was quick to reassure her.
Rhi’s mouth twisted into a disapproving little knot, but I could see her eyes softening, and even I could tell she was about to cave. “Samhain,” she finally said. “I’ll give you until Samhain, and then I’m telling them myself.”
Persi looked like she wanted to argue again, but my mother gave her a warning look.It’s the best we’re gonna get and you know it,that look seemed to say. Persi nodded curtly.
