‘You’ll know where to find us, Charles,’ Ortiz calls as the door closes. Then all her attention is back on me. ‘Come on, Harper, I know you want to help us to help your kind. A world where witches don’t have to live in fear? That’s what we all want.’
My magic still hasn’t come to my rescue, and I shudder.
48
MOOT STATEMENT
FOR RELEASE 07:00
---- ALL MEDIA ----
The Moot is pleased to announce the election of a new president. The new incumbent is Sarah Elaine Fenn, of Sanctuary, CT, who takes office with immediate effect replacing Charles Ikenna Okoye.
Further to today’s election, the Moot is withdrawing its consent to the extended powers of the Witchcraft Registration Act.
Moot President Fenn said:‘The so-called “extended powers” permit the arbitrary detention of witches and criminalise non-registration. We believe this is an attack on the civil liberties of magical persons and is unlawful. Going forward, the Moot will not be co-operating with, or advising any magical person to submit to, this profoundly un-American piece of persecutory legislation.’
The Moot also notes that in its Ledger, Luka Ortiz now shows asnull, that is, possessing no magical ability. The names of witches appear automatically in the Ledger after a positive Determination, and the Ledger updates itself when a witch either dies (deceased) or loses their magic (null). TheMoot therefore believes that Luka Ortiz’s magical ability has been destroyed.
Moot President Fenn said: ‘The Moot has credible grounds for believing Luka Ortiz’s Gift has been ripped from him, and that this was done under duress, without his true consent. This is an abhorrent offence among the witching community – though not one which attracts any civil penalty under American law. It is likely members of the Moot were involved, and we are urgently investigating. We understand the main actor in this terrible deed to be Luka’s own mother, the campaigner and congresswoman Sandra Ortiz.’
The Moot regrets it is unable to offer interviews with President Fenn today. Please contact the press office on [phone] [email] with any enquiries.
49
SARAH
The sun rose a couple of hours ago, and we’re on our way to the border.
Yes, the border – they’ve taken my girl to Canada, we think. To evade US regulations, perhaps. Or for deniability. Not for any good reason. Canada’s a proudly pro-witch country, so whatever they’re doing, my guess is it’s under the radar.
Naomi’s at the wheel, a couple of her Moot colleagues with us. Maggie following in her car. I’ve been trying to call Lachlan all night, but the number I have for him simply rings off. He uses so many burner phones he may not have this one anymore, or the number may have been compromised and discarded. So when my phone rings with an unknown number, his is the last voice I expect to hear.
I answer, imagining melodramatic scenarios like an ultimatum from Michael Whitman that I give myself up in exchange for Harper, or a call from the Homeland Security department about this ‘coup’ at the Moot. But it’s Lachlan, and I wonder if the goddess communicated my desperation about our daughter to him through some witchy ether that connects all her children.
Except plainly she didn’t.
‘What the fuck, Sarah? You’re the new Moot President?’I check my watch: 7:05 a.m. Our press release has hit the morning newswires, then. ‘And what are you claiming about Luka Ortiz? He’s safe at my base, with Harper. That kid’s obsessed with magic, he’d never agree to give it up.’
‘Andyou’reat your base, are you?’ I ask, more coldly than I thought myself capable of. ‘Lachlan, neither Luka nor Harper are safe. He’s now a wreck, stripped of his magic, barely able to get out of bed. And Harper will probably be next because they’ve got her too. Fuck you, Lachlan, she was supposed to be safe with you.’
‘What?’
And so I explain. Walk him through the events of yesterday. How Harper is unlocatable, but we’ve worked through the night to get a read on where Ortiz or Okoye might be. It turns out you can’t Command a scarf, but a member of the Moot team with more skill than I have in location magic forced the vaguest reading out of Ortiz’s little piece of silk, enough to getNorth. Their scrying link to Okoye was more precise – Montreal, with a visual read on a suburban area.
‘Maggie’s got Chester trying to figure out where that might be, and we’re on our way there since precision with the reading improves with proximity. I’ve been trying to reach you all night.’
He sounds abashed, for at least a millisecond. Then it’s all anger and action.
‘I’m so sorry, Sarah. I though she – both of them – were secure with my team. But Montreal? I know who that’ll be. Delacourt. Fuck, I didn’t know her research was so advanced.’
‘Delacourt? What don’t I know, Lachlan?’
And he explains. His Redhaven networks have been tracking scientists they suspect of conducting witchcraft suppression research. One of them was at Mount Rowan Hospital but was recently let go for reasons that weren’t clear.She’s now consulting for a global pharma company and has set up a lab on Nun’s Island, south of Montreal city.
‘Hold it,’ I bark, and give Naomi that location and tell one of the Moot team to let Maggie know. ‘Okay, I’m back. Nun’s Island. What’s Delacourt doing there?’
I don’t really want to hear the answer. My insides have all iced up. Lachlan’s voice is shaking as he tells me.
