“Or a strange combination of those things,” Mom agreed.
I rubbed my stomach, feeling funny bubbles.“Which is why Uncle Joe was shaking in his shoes, falling over himself to comply with his son’s banishment and Great-Aunt Margaret thinks she can push you around.”
Mom rubbed her forehead with both hands.“This family.”
“The Swans are servants,” a deep, grumbly voice said through the phone.
“What does that mean?”Sam asked.
There was an audible growl.“That sorcerer.Abigail.I read her thoughts when—before.She used Catherine to do her dirty work.I’m sure she taught the latest one…”
“Calliope,” I provided.
“Yeah, her,” he said, “to do the same.As long as there have been sorcerers in the Corey line, there have been servants in the Swan.They’re their own form of symbiots.The sorcerer lends them power they don’t have on their own, and the Swan servant does whatever is asked of them.Arwyn, your gallery was set on fire when we were at the hospital with your aunt.It could have been her demon, but it was more likely a Swan.”
“The latest group of Swans has taken up black magic,” I told him.
“Eh,” he responded.“They’ve probably always been doing that.”
Mom sat back down, listening intently.“Why don’t their souls show the black marks, then?”Wicches could see auras, including the dark spots that indicated evil doing.
“Calliope knew how to scrub hers,” I reminded Mom.“She probably taught them how to do it.”
“Yeah,” Dave grumbled.“It’s a very old spell created by a demon, the demon Abigail worked with.”
I sat up in my chair.“Wait.Does that mean you know a spell to reverse it?”
He hummed in thought.“Let me look into that.I don’t know of one, but I can ask around.”
“Thank you!”That would help our case so much.
“Lydia,” Mom began, “we’ll all be at the Council meeting on Friday.”
“I’ve been told,” Lydia said.“I wasn’t sure why you’d asked after so many years, but this conversation has been quite enlightening.I hope you decide to rejoin us.We’re stronger when we stick together.”
“Agreed,” Mom said.“Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.You’ve helped me understand my mother better, and I’m grateful.”
“My pleasure,” Lydia replied.“I’m looking forward to seeing you all in person.”
We said our goodbyes, thanking Sam and Dave as well, then hung up.In the ensuing silence, we stared at one another.
Mom stood and went to the window.“I’m going to need time to process this and to decide if anything we learned will actually help us on Friday.”She turned back, her arms crossed over her chest.“I’m not sure it did.Bracken’s defense is an easy one.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry, darling,” Mom said.“I still think it needs to be you who presents the evidence we have and explains what the Swans have done.”
Faith was sitting with her arms around a pillow in her lap.“Is it wrong that I’m more creeped out than I was before?They have a history of working for sorcerers?”She shook her head, her braids swinging.“They tried to break into our house.What were they going to do?”She glanced between Mom and me.“I’m definitely the weak link of this group.”
I leaned forward and rubbed her knee.“This is supposed to scare you.It scares the hell out of me.”
“It does?”she asked.
I nodded.“I try to pretend I’m as kick-ass as my mother, but I’m not.I don’t understand people for whom evil is not a deal-breaker.How do you defend yourself and your loved ones from what to you is unthinkable?”I glanced at Mom and Bracken.“All I know is I’m damn glad I have you all, that I’m not trying to do this alone.”
Bracken nodded solemnly.
“Also, if Gran were here, she’d remind us that we’re stronger together.There’s a power in the Three, one we’ll use to protect our family.”
