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Bernadette stepped further into the room, her eyes fixed on me. “Perhaps it gave you a sense of déjà vu,” she suggested. “Or else, the feeling of something yet to come. My art has that effect on people, you know.”
“Yeah, she knows, Bernadette,” Nova huffed impatiently. “I’ve already told her about your gift.”
Bernadette’s face twisted oddly. “Gift is not the word I would use.”
I couldn’t speak. She was staring at me as though she knew exactly what I was thinking… as though she knew that she had painted the very dream I’d had for as long as I could remember. A single question burned on my lips:Do you know about the Gray Man?
But I couldn’t bring myself to ask it.
A slamming sound in the front hall made us all jump, followed by the low murmur of several voices.
“Shit!” Nova whispered. “The books, get the books!”
We all scrambled to gather up the books we’d taken out and arranged them back on the shelves while Bernadette stood and watched us with a mildly amused expression. Nova locked the cabinet with shaking fingers and replaced the key, but by the time she’d finished, the voices were growing louder. Some of the words were becoming distinguishable, now.
“…ought to have met before this, but…”
“Ostara!” Nova hissed, her eyes alight with terror.
“In here, quickly,” Bernadette said, suddenly starting forward.
Without waiting for any of us to respond, she started shoving us toward the righthand wall of shelves. She tugged on the spine of a brown leatherbound book that looked no different than the dozen books on either side of it, except for the fact that this particular book caused the entire set of shelves to swing inward, revealing a hidden door. I had just enough time to think that I’d always wanted to enter a secret passage behind a bookcase before she pushed us all through it and closed the door behind us.
17
The door closed behind us, not a moment too soon. We heard the French doors into the library open once again, followed by several sets of footsteps.
“…think we’ll all be much more comfortable in here. Please, take a seat.” Ostara’s voice rang with authority.
There was a minute or so of general mumbling and shuffling and swishing, as whoever she’d brought with her settled into the library. I took advantage of the moment to look around at the room we now found ourselves in. It was small and square, containing more bookshelves, a writing desk, a leather wingback chair, and a single arched window set high into the wall. A small chandelier had blazed to life the moment the door had opened, casting a golden glow over the four of us as we crowded together, panting and trembling from nearly being caught.
“Who is—” Zale whispered, but Nova put a frantic finger to her lips and he pressed his mouth closed at once. Bernadette then whispered two words that caused the others to go still and cold as statues.
“The Conclave.”
I wanted to ask what the Conclave was, but I didn’t dare make a sound, so I just listened along with the others.
“As the acting High Mistress of the Conclave, I’d like first to thank our members for making themselves available to meet on such short notice. And secondly, I’d like to welcome our guests. Rhiannon, Persephone, Kerridwen Vesper, the Conclave welcomes you with open arms and open hearts.”
Everyone turned to look at me. I thought my heart would pound right out of my chest. What the hell were my mother and her sisters doing here? They were supposed to be back at the cottage, researching Asteria’s cryptic seance messages.
“I know we have all expressed it to you in our own ways, but on behalf of the Conclave and all it represents to the covens of Sedgwick Cove, I would like to offer our deepest condolences on the loss of your mother Asteria, the Conclave’s former High Mistress and a dear friend to us all.”
I heard some faint muttering that might have been my mom and the others saying thank you, but the bookcase door muffled the sound. Eva, Nova, Zale, and I crowded forward, pressing our ears to the door. Nova shoved Zale out of her way, so that he was forced to crouch on the floor to find room. Bernadette hung back, her expression calm, almost disinterested.
“…know that her friendships here meant a great deal to her,” came Rhi’s voice, high and tight with emotion.
“Just so,” Ostara said, and then cleared her throat. When she spoke again, she had taken on a more businesslike tone. “We’ve brought you here today to discuss a matter of grave importance to our safety and security in Sedgwick Cove.”
There was a loud sigh, and then Persi spoke. “Look, Ostara, if this is about the High Mistress position, none of us want to challenge you for it, okay? Your crown is safe. This whole meeting could have been an email. Can we go now?”
Ostara’s tone was decidedly frosty as she answered, “While I appreciate your vote of confidence, Persephone, this has nothing to do with the leadership positions within the Conclave. This is a much graver matter, a matter that will affect every witch in the Cove if we do not address it.”
There were a few seconds of silence before Rhi finally broke it. “Please, proceed.”
“Get on with it, Ostara. The girls have been through enough, we don’t need a dramatic recitation,” snapped a familiar voice, and I felt Eva shaking with the effort of suppressing a laugh at Xiomara’s impatience.
I could only imagine the look on Ostara’s face as she said, “Very well. Zadia, would you please give us the account from the Records?”
