by Phil Stern
But it was also a very clever ploy on another level. For technically, only senior witches, those wearing an earth stone for a quarter-century or more, actually voted on who would serve on and lead the Coven Council.
Thus, if anyone were to call for an actual election between Eleanor and Barbara for the office of Coven Leader, only the older, more conservative members of the Coven would have a vote. Tiffany and her generation would be locked out, mere spectators to the drama playing out before them. And since Barbara’s extreme hostility toward the Zarth coven was shared by the majority of the older witches, Eleanor might well lose such a contest.
But now it was nothing more than a popularity contest, which Eleanor was sure to win. In effect, the Coven Leader had neatly circumvented the Council’s own leadership rules to maintain her position. Barbara had been outplayed, pure and simple.
So on a practical level, what did this mean for the Coven’s future? Her mind racing, Tiffany considered the implications.
To any sane mind, Eleanor had no choice but to accept the temporary truce Tiffany herself had won in Zarth two weeks before. Clearly, the Zarth coven was far stronger than anyone had originally believed. Open warfare was in no one’s interest.
Yet the Coven Leader had just taken things one step farther, casually referring to the Zarth coven as “our newfound ruby sisters.” Did that mean Eleanor meant to grant some type of grand concession in return for peace? Indeed, would she go so far as to simply accept the Zarth ascendance, failing to oppose Claire’s plans to dominate Earth and other dimensions? To Tiffany’s way of thinking, that would be a classic example of the pendulum swinging too far to the other side.
Obviously, some type of moderate policy was in order. But after winning this showdown with Barbara, Eleanor would be in a position to unilaterally shape Coven policy.
For a five excruciating minutes the elderly Coven Librarian set up two large granite rocks on the Council table. The one to the left signified Yes, I do approve of Eleanor’s continued leadership, the other one counting as a No vote. Each sorceress simply had to direct a pulse of energy from their earth stone at either granite rock to register their vote. In turn, the granite rocks would glow more brightly in relation to how much green energy they had absorbed.
A few witches attempted some last minute campaigning among their nearby neighbors, though Eleanor summarily shushed them when it became too obvious. Clearly everyone realized the enormity of the moment, not only for the Coven, but their own futures as well.
When the voting officially opened, each witch hesitantly raised a slim hand to their earth stone. Taking a deep breath, Tiffany sent a soft pulse of magical energy at the rock on the left. Clearly, Barbara would be a disaster as Coven Leader, though Tiffany found it difficult to formally give Eleanor her approval.
“This is horrible,” Marissa sighed, worriedly twirling her hair after voting. “I’d rather spend a month in the Ventarian desert.”
Tiffany wondered if it was possible to somehow rig the results. Probably not, she decided. The Coven Librarian was sternly looming over both rocks, a hand on each one, making sure each vote was properly tallied and that no one voted twice.
“Hey, look at the bright side.” Once more leaning forward, Amber punched Marissa on the shoulder. “If Barbara wins, she’ll probably release you from arrest to personally clear all those Zarth girls out of Earth.”
“I doubt it.” Despite herself, Marissa smiled. “She’d probably keep me here as Coven cook or something while you guys had all had fun.”
“I hope not,” Brooke offered. “I hate your cooking.”
“Ladies, please.” Giving her friends a bleak look, Tiffany paused. “We are still in Conclave.”
Amber frowned. “You’re no fun anymore.”
“Yeah, the boyfriend saps all her energy.” Marissa nodded sagely. “That’s what happens when you get all settled down.”
“Are we ever going to meet him?” Brooke asked.
“No.” Facing forward again, Tiffany’s eyes were glued on the two granite rocks. “Absolutely not.”
“Afraid he might like us better?” Amber offered.
“I thought you said he actually knew about the Coven,” Marissa pointed out. “So there’s no reason why we couldn’t have a dinner party or something, right? With the boy toy as guest of honor?”
“Nope.” Eleanor’s rock, Tiffany now saw, was definitely glowing more brightly than Barbara’s. “Not a chance.”
“That’s a great idea!” Brooke eagerly stuck her head between Marissa and Tiffany. “It could be the four of us and...what’s his name?”
“Blake.”
“I’m in!” whispered another girl off to the side. “I’d love to meet the boy toy!”
“Okay, it’s settled then.” Now Amber also slid forward, her rich, auburn hair cascading over Tiffany’s other shoulder. “Myself, Brooke, Marissa, and Danni. We all slip over to Earth and meet at your apartment. We can each wear a pretty dress, and bring a dish...”
“By the stone, Amber!” another sorceress groaned. “This is all sounding way too wholesome.”
“Oh, trust me, it would be anything but that!” Grinning wickedly, Marissa patted Tiffany’s leg. “Can you imagine? A witch dinner party!”
“Maybe we could even try out some new spells on this Blake character,” Amber mused.
Brooke shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
Rubbing her forehead, Tiffany peeked out at the granite stones once more. Though it was closer than she’d thought, Eleanor was definitely in the lead.
“And what would be for dessert?” Danni innocently asked.
Marissa raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
They all laughed, drawing shocked stares and disapproving shakes from a dozen different directions. The voting now nearly complete, Barbara was bitterly sitting back in her seat, arms folded. Thinking the group centered around Tiffany was celebrating her obvious defeat, the Deputy Coven Leader nearly shook in fury.
“Stop it!” Tiffany hissed, glaring at each in turn. “Do you realize what’s going on here?”
“Yeah.” Quickly comporting herself, Marissa turned her attention back to the front of the Gathering Hall. “You’re realizing that Coven-mates sometimes have to share.”
“Very true,” Brooke primly agreed. “Tiffany, never let monogamy get in the way of good manners. It doesn’t speak well of you.”
“Uh, what a dirty word!” Giggling, Amber suddenly sounded more like a candidate sorceress than a top Coven operative. “But even if Tiffany has become a pervert in her old age, there’s no reason why the boy toy can’t have some fun, is there?”
Letting her eyes drift closed, Tiffany tried not to react. There were sometimes disadvantages, she ruefully thought, to having a bunch of exquisitely beautiful, predatory witches as her best friends.
“How dare you call Tiffany monogamous!” Marissa did her best to sound indignant. “She’s just...tired, that’s all. It can happen.”
Brooke grinned. “Not to me, it can’t.”
“Ladies, we can have all the dinner parties you want,” Tiffany muttered, trying to ignore Barbara’s infuriated gaze, now oriented solely on herself. “But Blake won’t be there. Trust me.”
“Well, maybe we’ll just drop by unannounced,” Amber whispered in her ear, with a consoling pat on the shoulder. “Men tend to appreciate spontaneity, you know.”
“And variety,” Marissa added.
“Listen, guys,” Tiffany stiffly began. “I don’t think you understand...”
“Everyone, please give me your attention!” Now Eleanor was standing between the two granite rocks. “According to our esteemed Coven Librarian, seventy-two percent of you have given me your approval. For that I thank you.”
By this point, of course, Barbara belatedly realized how Eleanor had deftly manipulated the proceedings. Barely containing her fury, the Deputy Coven Leader now shot to her feet. “Yes, and thanks to the nearly sixty witches who vot
ed with courage and conviction! It isn’t easy going against the crowd, and I commend you for it!”
Marissa slid further down on the pew. “This is getting embarrassing,” she quietly sighed. “Why can’t Barbara just shut the fuck up?”
Unfortunately, Tiffany’s friend spoke just as there was a sudden lull in the Hall. Combined with a weird echo effect among the closely-spaced wooden pews, Marissa’s private comment was clearly heard by nearly everyone present.
Her face becoming instantly flushed, Barbara’s eyes actually flashed earth-fire green. “How dare you!” she nearly shrieked. “You are completely out of line...”
“Enough!” Eleanor’s bellow seemed to have an almost physical force, sweeping in and among the assembled Coven. “Barbara, sit down!”
But the furious Elder remained as she was. “I will not be spoken to that way! That girl is under arrest! She shouldn’t even be here...”
“I said to sit down!” Never before had anyone seen the Coven Leader so angry. “Now!”
For a few seconds it actually seemed as if a stand-off might occur. Then, with almost excruciating slowness, Barbara sank back into her seat once more, her eyes never leaving Marissa.
“And you!” Now turning about, the Coven Leader shot a finger straight out at the sorceress by Tiffany’s side. “I will not tolerate such talk! If anyone needs to ‘shut the fuck up,’ as you say, than it’s you! Are we clear?”
Barely breathing, Marissa could scarcely nod. “Yes.”
“You will apologize, in person, to the Deputy Coven Leader!” Nodding firmly, Eleanor paused. “Directly after our Conclave!”
Her expression very tight, Marissa could only look away.
“Indeed. I will not tolerate any more discord. From anyone!” Walking around the front table, Eleanor now came to stand before the other six Elders, facing outward. “Frankly, I’m ashamed at the behavior displayed by many now in this Hall. We are sisters, of the Coven! We respect our seniors, and treat one another with deference and dignity.” Once more, Eleanor looked directly at Marissa. “We do not, under any circumstances, act like hens in a barnyard!”
Tiffany could feel Marissa’s fury building to a crescendo. First her humiliation at the Tennessee safe house, and now this? Fearing her judgment was spinning out of control, Tiffany subtly laid a placating hand on her friend’s leg. Nearly shaking, the powerful brunette sorceress relaxed ever-so-slightly.
“But let us proceed. I will now brief everyone on the current state of affairs.” Warming to her theme, the elderly Coven Leader slowly paced across the raised platform. “I will tell you everything we know, holding nothing back.”
“Why haven’t you told us the truth from the beginning?” someone called out. “Why have the Elders kept secrets from the rest of us?” Several heads nodded approval to this remark.
“Yes, indeed.” Rather than appearing angry, Eleanor thoughtfully contemplated the speaker. “You are correct. Secrecy, so far, has been our enemy. So let me review for everyone exactly how we got to this point, holding nothing back.”
Briefly, Eleanor then told of how Sharra, the now-deceased Zarth Deputy Coven Leader, approached Barbara in an outer world out of the blue some months before. Clearly, the very existence of another coven was a tremendous shock, especially when the Council realized that the ruby witches had already made strong inroads towards controlling several key dimensions. Fraught with indecision, and possibly just hoping their newfound rivals would simply disappear, the Council had said and done nothing.
Not content with being ignored, a sophisticated ruby witch, posing as a turncoat to her own organization, had then requested asylum. As it turned out this was actually the leader of the entire ruby organization. Yet Claire kept her true identity secret, using her time as a “traitor” to gain intelligence on her supposed captors.
However, with Claire’s sudden appearance the Council essentially panicked, ordering a series of assassinations within the ruby-influenced worlds. Tiffany herself had unwittingly taken part in this operation, killing a local leader on Tethra. It was after this rather rude rebuttal that the Zarth coven had then confronted Tiffany directly.
But things really went haywire after ruby witches attacked several of their own sorceresses on Earth. At the same time Claire broke out of their Rasten castle, wounding and even killing a member of the Coven garrison in the process.
“It was then,” concluded Eleanor, “that I vowed to confront the Zarth coven on Earth, staging large numbers of our sisters out of our Tennessee stronghold. Though we now know Zarth has access to a few other parallel worlds, their primary egress to the universe-at-large is through Earth.”
“But why fight them at all?” rang out a young, clear voice from the back of the crowd. “Why not try to be their friends instead?”
Stunned, most everyone recognized the speaker as Caylee. Barely eighteen years old, she was possibly the most junior member in the entire Hall. Almost groaning, Tiffany once more tried to sink down into her seat. While Eleanor might tolerate an interruption from a senior Coven member, the neophyte blonde sorceress was about to get her head handed to her.
But to her surprise, Eleanor smiled kindly at the rear of the hall. “My compliments to you, young lady. You’ve handled yourself superbly during this crisis, and were of great assistance to your older sisters. Though I have yet to make your personal acquaintance, I’m proud to call you Coven-mate.”
Turning about, Tiffany saw Caylee blush furiously, then hide behind the girl in front of her. Nearly laughing, Tiffany faced forward once more.
“But to your point.” Pausing, Eleanor solemnly nodded. “Yes, Caylee. I would like to be friends, as you put it, with our ruby sisters. In fact, I intend to actively explore some type of permanent accord with the Zarth organization, as long as such an alliance doesn’t conflict with our core activities and principles.”
So, armed with the Coven’s approval, Eleanor was indeed taking a strong-yet-flexible stance. They would avoid war if possible, but not let Claire do anything she wished. Letting out a relieved sigh, Tiffany felt some of her own tension fade away.
Yet to many in the Hall, Eleanor’s words were highly incendiary. Instantly, a dozen older witches stood and began yelling at the Coven Leader, a few even shaking enraged fists. Emboldened once more, Barbara slid forward in her seat, radiating rage and wonder. For a moment it seemed as if utter bedlam might break out, the Coven openly bursting into distinct factions.
“I will have order!” Eleanor bellowed, a burst of green light emanating from her body. Washing over the entire Hall, it briefly stunned everyone into silence.
“They attacked our sisters, took away their earth stones!” Quickly regaining her senses, a woman in the front row refused to back down. “They killed Pam in Rasten!”
“We know they want to destroy us completely! To drive us out of Haven!” Another witch shrieked. “They want to enslave us!”
Almost groaning, Tiffany once more rubbed her forehead. Even she hadn’t realized how hysterical some of the Coven had become.
“We’ve taken losses, yes,” Eleanor admitted, holding up a restraining hand. “But so have they. I don’t think...”
“We need to crush them. Now!” yet another older witch yelled. “Before it’s too late!”
“But we haven’t even talked to them!” Now Rayna jumped to her feet. Badly injured when Claire had broken free, the witch’s arm was still in a sling, her face sporting a nasty gash. “That’s the problem! First we ignored them, then we attacked them! Don’t you see? Fear is getting us nowhere!”
“Who are you to talk, Rayna?” demanded yet another sorceress. “You were Pam’s deputy! You failed to protect her!”
With a sickening sensation, Tiffany realized that Barbara’s core allies weren’t going to meekly abandon their radical dissent. The Zarth coven was unlike anything they could ever imagine. By comparison, the mad warlock Lord Gensrow had been easier to accept. The idea of a cohesive, rival organization, utili
zing a radically different form of magic, was an existential distortion of the entire universe. To them, violent opposition was the only emotional response that made any sense.
So while having been demonstrably proven the minority faction, the Coven conservatives were responding with a far more vociferous opposition. If they weren’t counterbalanced soon, their influence might soon appear greater than it actually was.
“That’s enough!” Almost before she realized what she was doing, Tiffany leapt to her feet. “You can all see how hard Rayna fought! Which is more than I can say for most of you, sitting back here in Haven and criticizing everyone else!”
A ghastly silence pervaded the stately Gathering Hall. Clenching her jaw, Tiffany deliberately looked around at the entire Coven, meeting as many eyes as she could.
“Tiffany, shut up!” Pounding the Council table, Barbara angrily shook her head. “If you weren’t stupid enough to get yourself captured, we might have beaten the ruby coven already! In a panic, you made some kind of dumb deal...”
“That’s bullshit!” Now Marissa rose beside her. “Tiffany saved us! She destroyed the midate in Mobile, defeated Claire, and then rescued Hazel! It’s only because of Tiffany that we aren’t at war right now!”
“Ladies, please.” Holding up her hands, Eleanor suddenly seemed very tired. “I know emotions are running very high...”
“She’s a pervert!” bellowed yet another older voice. “By the stone, that’s the girl that has a boyfriend!”
“How dare you!” Enraged, Marissa smashed a fist into the pew before her. “You talk of boyfriends, when the future of the entire Coven is at stake?”
“We have traditions!”
“We have nothing, until we reach some permanent accord with Claire!” Tiffany nearly spat back. “And let me remind you all that Marissa and I have actively confronted both Lord Gensrow and the Zarth Coven! Have you? Or you? Or maybe you?” A bitter finger stabbed out at the older crowd. “The fact is that Caylee back there has more right to speak on this issue than you do!”
Once directly called out, most of their detractors fell into sulky silence. After a moment, however, Susan half-stood. “And we’re all to believe Tiffany somehow defeated the enemy leader after having her own stone taken away? Please.”
