The three witches furrow their brows. Hadiza leans over to whisper to Nimue and then Elizabeth.
“Why would the coven believe they would be stronger without Blair?”
“They have been pulling from her power for some time,” Stevie says, trying to be brief, but also give them enough information that they don’t snap at her.
“And why would a coven be pulling power from another witch, and not the Earth? You’re telling us this has been going on for years and we’ve never been told?” Elizabeth asks.
“Yes, that’s what we’re saying.”
“How do you excuse the mortals for almost finding out about our kind?” Elizabeth asks.
“Honestly, that’s more Clover’s fault than mine. If she didn’t barge in there, he would have been none the wiser.”
“We do not interfere with humans!” Hadiza says loudly. When did witches become so scared? We could easily take on anything that mankind tried to do against us. But they’ve always been so reclusive, so passive, so unlike me.
“Something is different about this witch,” Nimue says.
“She’s not like us,” Hadiza agrees, nodding her head.
“We’ve never had to give a third strike. We must make an example of her.”
“Even if what she did was out of self-defense?” Stevie says.
Hadiza snaps her head over to her, her braids flying to the left of her face. “August, take her home.” Stevie goes to open her mouth, but I watch as the demon portals her and takes her away.
“Demons can be useful, but not completely trusted,” Hadiza says, clearly reading my confusion over August being here.
“Now what to do with you,” Elizabeth says, even when she’s being villainous, she doesn’t smile.
“I need my magic, I need protection right now,” I plead.
“You should have thought of that before you dismissed the council’s rules,” Elizabeth says.
“You don’t understand. Someone is coming after me. If I don’t have my magic, I have nothing.”
“Not our problem. Magic has a price. Did you think you could use magic to solve all of your problems and there would be no consequences? You knew the rules, you have been warned. If we go lenient with you, who knows what other witches might do?”
“It’s been far too long since we’ve had a sentencing, sisters,” Elizabeth says.
“I won’t let you take my magic,” I say. My shackles around my wrists are tight. Too tight. I go to cast a spell and nothing works.
“Ah, quite the tool, those shackles. Like I said, demons can be very useful indeed,” Hadiza says. I look at Nimue. She won’t rescue me, even if she thinks the punishment is too harsh.
The three witches all stand out of their chairs at an eerily similar pace before they descend on me. Each of them placing a hand on my shoulder.
“I think a month is fair,” Nimue finally says.
“So it shall be, sister,” Elizabeth says.
The magic hits me harshly, and I feel like I’m having a heart attack. Like all of my magic is being crumpled up into a paper ball and thrown hard against my chest. Like it’s locked inside of my body, feral and begging to get out with no escape.
“Now your magic will feel like Clover did,” Hadiza says. “August, be a dear and drop her off.”
“Sure thing,” he says. With the chains still shackled to my wrists, he portals me to the entrance of my driveway.
“Nothing personal,” he says as he unlocks my shackles. I tenderly rub my wrists. I feel so defeated and plain. It’s painful to have your magic dormant inside of your own body. What kind of spell can even do that?
With my pride and hopes in tatters, I walk the long drive, the gravel crunching under my feet. When I get to my yellow door, I touch my hand against the wood. I can still feel my wards. At least I will be safe here. I guess I will need to hide out here until further notice. If I didn’t have the safety of that, I don’t know what I would do.
