“My mom is on the panel of the Wicches’ Council,” Owen told us, ignoring Dave.“I’ve heard a lot of gossip over the years.Let me think what I’ve heard about Coreys…Actually, do you mind if I loop my mom into this call?She’ll know.”
I looked at Mom and she nodded.“Yes, please.That would be great.”
We heard some beeping, then a woman’s voice said, “Good afternoon, Samantha.”
“Hey, Mom.It’s me.I was messing with Sam’s phone when her cousin called.I have you on a three-way call with Arwyn Corey.”
“Oh,” she said.
“Arwyn, this is my mother, Lydia Wong.Mom, this is Arwyn Corey.She’s a Cassandra wicche.”
“Oh?”Her voice had shifted from caution to interest.She hadn’t liked being surprised, but now she at least seemed open to talking with us.
THIRTY-SIX
Too Many Revelations.My Head Hurts
“In the interest of transparency,” I said, “I’m here with my mother Sybil Corey, my cousin Faith Bishop, and my great-uncle Bracken Corey.”
“Bracken?”she repeated, even more interested in this conversation now.
He sat forward in his chair.“Lydia, it’s lovely to speak with you again.I didn’t realize Arwyn had a connection to you.This is a wonderful surprise.”He glanced at all of us and said, “I interviewed Lydia years ago.Hers is one of the great Chinese wicche families.Their history is fascinating.”
“I enjoyed our meeting very much,” Lydia said.“I gave everyone in the family a copy of the manuscript you sent me that year.”
Bracken smiled.“Good.It’s only right that we know our own histories.”He chuckled.“And that’s a good segue as to why we’re calling.”He gave her what we knew of the Corey history in the Wicches’ Council and asked if she could fill in the blanks for us.
“Let me think,” Lydia began.“It was so long ago.I must admit, the San Francisco families didn’t interact much with the Monterey families.Excuse me for saying this, but you seemed quite messy to us.”
I scoffed.“You weren’t wrong.”
Mom gave me a look, but I knew she agreed.
“I’d learned early on that there was bad blood between the Coreys and the Swans.We didn’t know the origin of it, and quite frankly, it never made sense to us.Coreys are far more powerful.Why were Swans trying them?”
“They must have something on you guys,” Owen cut in.“Look who’s on the panel now.A Swan.And the Coreys have left the playing field.”
“That’s the issue,” Mom said.“My mother, Mary Corey, has recently passed.I am now the head of this family, and I don’t like our being isolated from the rest of the wicching world.”She cut a look toward me.“Too much ill breeds in the dark.”
“Sybil, I believe we met once,” Lydia told her.“You were pregnant with your daughter.We shared a brief conversation in the bathroom at a Council meeting.”
Mom looked down at her lap for a moment, then smiled.“I remember.You asked if you could touch my stomach.I have no idea why I agreed.I was so nervous about anything happening to her, but I sensed your kindness and wanted an outside opinion.”She laughed.“Oh my goodness.I feel so much better about this conversation now.I remember you.”
“Mom is the best,” Owen put in.
“I believe that,” Mom replied.
“You’re all going to turn my head,” Lydia said.“Back to the point of the call.First, let me express my condolences on the loss of your mother.”
Owen murmured an echo of her sentiments.
“What I remember about Mary was that she was tough and powerful,” Lydia said.“Frighteningly so.She held people to account.Some didn’t like that.After years of Mary running the panel, rumors began, first about one daughter, then about another.”
The smile disappeared from Mom’s face.“What rumors?”
“I’m afraid I’m not going to be terribly helpful here.As I said, we really didn’t talk with the Monterey wicches other than at these meetings.Right now, I’m afraid I’m going to garble a rumor and end up saying something offensive about a loved one.”
Mom shook her head.“Please don’t concern yourself with that.You’re giving us the information we need.”
