Astra was cowering, her arms wrapped around her and Tilly watched in horror as she rocked herself back and forth, murmuring words they could not decipher, blood dripping onto her face from the patches of dark hair ripped out by Portia.
People were whispering until the whispers turned loud.
The women stood up, Jen and Bess helping Crystal stand, her frame weak but her eyes fully open and they looked at each other, checking for damage or pain.
And then they looked at the crowd of women that wore triumph like ball gowns. They were smiling, holding up signs made to speak on their behalf into a world that threatened them.
Cora smiled wide as Jen hugged her and Kelsea; as she pulled Tilly's head into her chest which was beating wildly.
She felt tired but she also felt the coursing emotions of elation and triumph.
"Are you okay?" Bess asked Crystal who was staring at her hands which no longer looked frail. They were slender and strong. She fisted them then spread out her fingers slowly a few times until she laughed.
"Yes, darling. I'm okay. We're all okay," she said as she looked around with shining eyes at these women.
These women, who had come together to eat black magic cake. To talk about their hearts and their woes, their failures and their victories together. These were the women who made time for each other in a world that would hope they'd be too busy.
They carved out rooms for each other inside of themselves, which took a kind of sacrifice and honesty that most people don't learn until too late in life.
She looked at these women as they talked, and laughed, as they held both disbelief and faith in their eyes. Freida stood next to Tilly like a sentry.
Bess wouldn't let go of Crystal, but still stood protectively over Margaret who sat on the ground mute, but otherwise okay, no longer bound.
Astra, Esther, and Beatrice were taken into custody, following where Rob had been dragged to minutes ago. Tilly searched for Theo but didn't see his head above the crowd.
Taylor was the one to cuff Margaret Lowell, nodding to Eloise with a wink.
The Lost Souls Coven watched them silently be cuffed, silently be walked out of the crowd.
And the ones who came to the city center, with signs trying to tell them how little they were worth, most of them left; quick eyes cast down in shame.
But there were some, just enough, who stepped over the line and joined them as they celebrated.
Businesses were opened and within an hour a street festival was in full swing.
Food and drinks were passed around, music was playing from somewhere, people brought out games and passed around black flowers that looked beautifully alive, even in their gothic state.
Crystal smiled as she looked up at the sky, that black cloud swirling with nothing to do and she raised her hands, summoned a magic that hadn't graced her bones in too long, and when she whispered her thanks to the ancient witchcraft, it curled around her like an old friend. Her smile widened as she released it into the sky and the darkness dispersed in a series of fireworks, bringing back the blue backdrop but still leaving behind bursts of light and magic.
Cotton ball clouds so white and pure filled with gold, purple and pink light, the ethereal sky creating a beautifully dramatic stage for the party.
They won.
And they would probably have to fight again. There would be another person who wanted control, someone who looked at the coven and saw women who should be taught a lesson.
But for now, they would drench themselves in the joy of being free and simply...being.
33. Unfortunate Endings
They celebrated in the streets of Salem until even the stars blinked tiredly and the great horned owl turned to the forest. Watching loyalty change in the streets of Salem in front of their eyes was a kind of magic that not many humans experience, but the greatest surprise was Freida holding out a warm cup of mulled cider to Tilly with a smile.
"You don't have to rehire me. I know that how I treated you was wrong. But if you did take me back, I have some ideas for the inn. I will still be kind of a grumpy person because that's how I came out of my momma's womb, but I can bake and I think we should think about mass producing your honey wine and selling it. Also, the wallpaper in the foyer gives me a headache."
Tilly suddenly felt the tension held between her shoulders release as her head tipped back and she laughed. God, it was a good laugh. The kind that heals those small cracks inside of you that seemed to matter so much, sapping you of energy.
"Freida," she finally said. "I would love to have you back."
"Really?"
