“I did.” Mrs. Chen’s gaze sharpened. “Let me guess. They’ve gone missing?”
I hesitated. “We think so.”
Mrs. Chen sighed. “I hate it when I’m right.” The witch fixed me with a loaded stare. “Tell me what you know.”
I described the stale magical signatures Didi had uncovered during her compliance checks, what we’d found on Maple Street and at the sisters’ clinics, and the visit to Coven Headquarters.
Mrs. Chen’s expression grew troubled. “Melody said that?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Chen’s mouth pressed to a thin line. “Then this is most assuredly old witch business. Older than most realize.”
My wolf stirred.
“What do you mean by that?”
Mrs. Chen set her cup down.
“The Lincoln sisters aren’t just powerful healers. Their family has held influence over the Amberford covens for generations. Their grandmother, Agatha Lincoln, was instrumental in establishing the current coven structure.” She paused. “Not everyone was happy about that.”
“You mean, unhappy enough to maybe hold a grudge even after all these years?” I hazarded.
“Yes. After all, power attracts enemies the way honey attracts bears.” Mrs. Chen paused. “There were two families in particular who never forgave the Lincolns for their rise to prominence.”
Bo’s ears pricked. I leaned forward.
“Who?”
Mrs. Chen hesitated. “The Marchefords and the Thornwicks.”
The names meant nothing to me or my wolf.
“I’ve never heard of them,” I admitted.
“You wouldn’t have.” Mrs. Chen’s voice hardened. “The Thornwicks were exiled from Amberford decades ago. The Marchefords had their coven status revoked and aren’t allowed to practice magic. Not even party tricks.”
Bo fidgeted nervously. “What’d they do?”
“They dabbled in forbidden magic. The kind that no respectable witch would touch.”
Bo’s ears drooped. He crept under the settee.
A chill ran down my spine as I recalled the sinister power we’d felt on Maple Street. “What kind of forbidden magic?”
For a moment, I thought Mrs. Chen wasn’t going to answer.
“There are certain… texts that have been banned by the covens for centuries,” she said finally. “Books that explore the merging of different supernatural powers. Witch and vampire. Witch and demon.” Her mouth thinned. “The Marchefords and the Thornwicks were caught attempting to use one such book to amplify their own abilities so they could overthrow the Lincolns.”
My mouth went dry. Human power struggles really were a walk in the park compared tosupernatural ones.
“When the other covens found out what the two families were up to, they were stripped of their status. The Marchefords were allowed to stay in Amberford since they were tricked into committing the crime. The Thornwicks were banished.” Mrs. Chen paused. “Cordelia Thornwick, the matriarch at the time, swore vengeance on the families who voted for her exile, the Lincolns chief among them.”
My pulse quickened. “Could the Marchefords or the Thornwicks be behind the Lincoln sisters’ disappearance?”
“I don’t know.” Mrs. Chen met my gaze squarely. “But old grudges have long memories.”
It was uncanny how I kept hearing those words lately.
