At this, she finally softened. “Perhaps we should have another round of tea.”
We reassembled in the living room, though Roscoe had abandoned Elena and me, taking a seat at Verona’s feet instead.
“There have been whispers of trouble,” Verona said, stroking the dog’s head. “Several practitioners have brought their concerns to me in recent months, seeking protective spells and amulets, advice, private places to meet. They say witches are being targeted again. That within the next few months, we’ll experience another Great Hunt. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. Rumors and old ghosts, I told them. Forty-five years I’ve been here, and though we’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve persevered. But this feels different now. Many have left Raven’s Cape and the surrounding communities. Witches in other towns are getting worried, too.” She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “I keep assuring them that we’ll get through this as we always have, but I’m not so sure.”
“Youwillget through this,” Elena said, surprising me by leaning forward and placing a comforting hand on top of Verona’s. “We all need to work together, now more than ever.”
Verona smiled. “Thank you. I know. I guess there’s just a part of me that doesn’t want to believe this sort of thing could happen again. Not in my lifetime.”
She finished her tea, then said, “The woman pretending to be Norah did not tell me why she bought her supplies, but the combination of tools and ingredients she selected could only be used for one thing—a highly complex protection spell. One that, if done correctly, essentially erases a person’s existence by changing her appearance and identity, altering her public records, and manipulating the memories of all who knew her.”
“People actually do that?” Elena asked.
“Not often. If one thing goes wrong with that spell—the wrong word in the incantation, a single caraway seed more or less than called for, a mistranslated sigil, the wrong moon phase—the caster could die.”
“Talk about erasing one’s existence,” I said.
“Precisely. There are other strong protection spells—those are the more common ones witches use, even in dark times. This one is not one to be trifled with.”
“You didn’t try to talk her out of it?” Elena asked.
“It is not my place to offer unsolicited advice to sisters of the craft, nor to pry too deeply into their affairs.”
We finished our tea in silence, each of us contemplating what these revelations meant.
When we rose from the couch to say our goodbyes, Elena reached for Verona’s hands. “Please be careful, Verona. It’s not safe for solitary practitioners right now. Even covens are in danger. You must do everything you can to protect yourself.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” she said, smiling at us both. “The witches of Raven’s Cape will continue to do what we’ve always done. We will weather the storms upon us with a little bit of magic and a whole lot of common sense.”
After promising to get in touch if Delilah or Norah returned, or if she thought of anything else that might help, Verona escorted us to the door.
“I’ll be right out,” I told Elena, lingering in the doorway. “There’s, ah, there’s something else I need to get from Verona.”
Fourteen
Gray
“Rayanne! Are you hurt?”
Deirdre Olivante was waiting for me outside the chamber, concern deepening the lines between her eyebrows. In the sudden bright light of the hallway chandeliers, she looked even older than I’d originally thought, but her eyes were sharp and clear, the exact shape and shade as mine. It seemed I’d also inherited her cheekbones.
There was no denying our resemblance.
Wow. I have a grandmother.
“I… I’m fine,” I said as the door shut behind me, blissfully separating me from the sleazy demon inside. Unfortunately, the moment the door sealed, the hellhounds reappeared at my sides, glaring at me with their mean red eyes as if they were daring me to try something.
I was too tired to be shocked, but their presence was as unsettling as ever.
“They do that sometimes.” Deirdre waved her hand toward the hounds, careful not to get too close. “I’d say you get used to them, but I’m afraid you never quite do.”
“Why don’t you have a pair?”
“I’m not a flight risk.” Deirdre sighed. “I’ve been with Sebastian a long time, Rayanne.”
“Well, I don’t plan on being here that long. Sebastian and I came to an understanding about a few things.”
She arched an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. It warmed her face considerably. “It seems he’s taken a liking to you. Sebastian doesn’t usually give his demon sworn an opportunity to renegotiate.”
