Étoile was, surprisingly the most sympathetic, but then I remembered that she understood what it was like to have a family member targeted and exploited. “We’ll help you, Daniel,” she said, patting him awkwardly on the head. “And no, you’re not homeless. Let’s think of this as more of a homecoming.”
He raised his head out of his hands to look up at her and I could feel the fizzling, nervous energy contained within him.
“Any more family members we need to know about?” Evan asked.
“That’s it from the Morgans,” said Daniel. “Just me and Auberon. And if he’s dead, then... just me.”
“And me,” I said. “You’re not alone.” And neither was I now; I had a relative.
“If there is a traitor, we need to find him or her fast,” interrupted Anders. “Let’s call everyone to the barn. We won’t all fit in the house. You can head out the kitchen door, the barn’s unlocked.”
Anders made his way past us, sticking his head in and out of rooms, passing on his instructions.
“Let’s go,” said Evan, herding us on. As we passed into the hallway, Bree joined us.
“Bree, this is Daniel, my cousin. You haven’t met properly yet,” I said to her.
Bree smiled at him. “Hello,” she said, her voice like a whisper.
“Daniel likes plants,” I told her. “He’s very good at growing things.” She smiled a little more brightly at Daniel and turned to walk alongside him, asking him about what he grew. If nothing else, at least I’d gotten Daniel a friend, another person to reassure him as we followed the line of people making their way to the barn.
“Uncle Auberon, eh?” said Evan, softly so no one else could hear us.
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered back. “All my life, I wondered if I had a family, and this is what I get?”
“I don’t get any sense of malice from Daniel.” Evan pulled me to one side, and I saw we were in what appeared to be a garden, bordered by a stone wall. A little further was the barn, the lights flickering on, briefly lighting up the courtyard and the fields beyond. Étoile walked past, frowning at us but I waved her on. “But keep your head together. If his father lives, and he appeals to him, it might be hard for Daniel to resist. People do all kinds of stupid things.”
“You really think Auberon would reach out to Daniel?”
“I think he’d do anything to destroy every last one of you, including Daniel. He’d mourn him, but he’d think he’d done the right thing. That’s his twisted reality. I don’t want you to be a casualty of that.”
“Ditto,” I said, because there wasn’t much else to say after that. “Let’s go hear what Anders has to say.”
Seventeen
People seemed to emerge from everywhere, far more than could have been in the house or garden. By the time Evan and I walked in, making our way behind the assembling crowd, to Étoile and Daniel, it struck me that there were close to fifty people and still more streaming in. The barn easily held us all; it seemed to be a storage facility for animal feed and farming equipment of some variety, everything stacked in orderly piles. I perched on a hay bale, my side aching and my legs heavy while I tried to stifle a yawn.
Some of Bree’s folk had arrived. None were quite as pale as she, but they had the same ethereal quality she possessed and some were barefoot, despite the cold. She moved away from us to stand with them.
I spotted Beau, searching the small crowd, before he saw us and waved him over. When he saw Annalise, he grasped her in a bear hug, completely oblivious to the people around us and kissed her full and hard on the lips. “I’m never letting you out of my sight,” he told her.
“No one ever greets me like that,” muttered Étoile, trying not to smile.
I nudged her in the ribs. “Don’t look at me. I’m not that into you, but Jay wouldn’t take any persuading.” I reminded her of the Wilding wolf she had been out with a few times and she smiled happily.
“Knew you liked him,” I teased.
“Yes, I do, and hush,” replied Étoile. “I’m not going to tell you a thing.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Friends,” Anders called and we all turned to him. He spun slowly in a circle, spreading his arms out, including everyone. “I thank you for your help in assisting us with retrieving our sister witch, Stella Mayweather. The Brotherhood lies in ruins.” A solitary cheer went up and there was some clapping. “That does not mean we have defeated them,” he continued, more ominously. “We must continue our fight for freedom from their persecution. It’s time for us to rise up!”
“He’d make a great politician,” whispered Étoile in my ear. It was my turn to shush her.
Anders turned again, silently this time, and the whispers that sprang up around the barn fell silent. His next words pealed out across the barn. “But we suspect there is a traitor in our midst. Someone has sold out to the Brotherhood. Someone has betrayed us.”
A low rumble travelled around the assembled crowd as they darted looks at us. I glanced up at Evan, stock still, staring them down, slightly reassured when he squeezed my hand. Anders’ people seemed slightly less welcoming now, though I might have imagined it. Maybe it wasn’t that they thought we were traitors, but that we were the accusers. They were right, we were the ones disturbing their relative peace and I knew exactly how it felt to find out that someone close to you was working against you. Though I hoped we were wrong, I knew we weren’t. I took my cue from Evan and Étoile and didn’t flinch or fidget. Instead, I stared straight back and refused to be intimidated.
“We ask that person to step forward.” Anders looked about him. Not a single person moved. He nodded, like he’d expected that. “Again, I ask that the person step forward so that they can explain themselves.” He waited a few seconds, then glanced towards me, then Étoile. She inclined her head and something imperceptible passed between them.
Drawing a canister from his pocket, Anders shook it briefly then walked in a tight circle, spraying a larger circle on the floor around him. As he walked around twice more, Étoile and I linked hands, waiting as the spell fell from Anders’ lips.
“They’re the traitors,” shouted a voice. “Or their daemon is!”
Anders repeated the spell, enunciating every word carefully and, this time, Étoile and I joined him, lending what power we could. After a moment, I heard Daniel, too.
I could feel the magic in the air; I could feel it searching. One more time, and the traitor would be pulled forward. We were close to finishing our second round when Evan leapt at us, pushing us to the ground. Overhead, the air parted as something sailed past to lodge in the wooden strut holding up the upper level of the barn. When I looked up, I grimaced. Wedged there was an axe. “Whoever it is, they are telekinetic,” Evan whispered. “Anders would know who amongst his coven has that sort of power.”
“And they’re in this room,” said Étoile. “You were right, Stella.”
“I wish I wasn’t.”
We scrambled to our feet. Most of the witches remained still, even though they didn’t look too happy about the turn of events. The nymphs looked startled and they huddled together, slightly away from all the witches. Anders was unmoving in the middle of us, his eyes searching the crowd. Then he started to glow. No, it wasn’t a glow; magic was pouring from him, filtering into the air. I could feel its power and purity. The barn doors slammed shut, bolts shot into place from the outside. Anders had us all trapped.
“Stella, I don’t think Anders is just any witch.”
I looked at Étoile sharply. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he’s not just coven master of this region, I think he’s the head of the UK. Possibly more by default than design, given that so many are dead,” she added. “But he’s powerful. I wasn’t sure before but I am now. Can you feel it?”
I nodded. Magic rolled in waves from him. “We’re teamed up with the head honcho without knowing it?” I asked and waited while Étoile nodded. “Yay for us!”
“Not so �
�yay’ right now. He’s angry. Let’s finish the spell.” We stayed low. Gage and Annalise moved over to us, then they and Evan surrounded us as we completed the chant. The magic reached out, rolling around us and reaching back for Anders. At first, it seemed like nothing was happening and I wondered if our magic conflicted with Anders. Or if his powerful spellcraft had weakened ours in some way. Or if I were simply too weak to boost the power that the spell needed.
A shuffling and a shout went up and I searched for where it came from, finally finding it. A fight had erupted on the far side of the barn. A couple of people were pushing and shoving and one of them went down, rolling into a ball to avoid being trampled. Climbing back up on the hay bale, I stood carefully, straining to get a better view. No, they weren’t fighting; they seemed to be defending themselves as a person was dragged through them by invisible hands. She was kicking and fighting and grabbing at people, trying to keep from being dragged to the circle Anders drew. Momentarily shocked, the people were trying to help her. Then, as they realised what was going on, they started hitting back, trying to free themselves from her grasping hands.
The woman fell to her knees, the power of the spell still yanking her to the circle, despite how hard she dug her nails into the floor and scrabbled for some kind of hold. The magic was too strong and it pulled her to the circle where she lay, panting. She pushed onto hands and knees, kneeling for a moment, then got to her feet. Pushing her hair back, she searched for Anders and it all seemed to click into place. There was only one person who knew all the details of the plan, of every step where we had been foiled. Then there was the phone call Auberon had curtly dismissed in front of me. It wasn’t something he missed, but a woman calling.
Rachel Kelly.
Anders stared back at her, his face completely blank but for a brief flicker of pain. He folded his arms, waiting for something.
“It’s a trick!” Rachel’s shout rang loud and clear across the barn. “They’ve tricked you. They’re tricking all of you!”
“You’re the traitor.” Anders’ words echoed in the sudden silence and I couldn’t tell if he were angry, disappointed, or sad. Probably all three.
“They’re working for the Brotherhood.” Rachel flung a hand towards us, pointing and the crowd seemed to break, leaving a clear path towards us. Suddenly aware of how vulnerable I was, I stood high up above the others. I bent over, placing my hands on Evan’s shoulders and he lifted me down, tucking me into his side as Rachel ranted. “This has been their plan all along. To lure you all out to the same location, then kill you all.”
The crowd murmured again, looking from each other, to us, and then to Rachel.
“Seriously,” whispered Étoile. “This is her defence?”
“There’s no one here but us, Rachel,” said Anders, silencing everyone again. It grew so quiet, it was like they were the only two in the room. Gradually, all attention turned to them and the silence became unnerving. “And they’re not traitors. Why? Why betray us?” He grasped her by the arms, looking down at her. “Tell us and we can help you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” She laughed, mocking him.
“But you are a traitor.”
“I’m an entrepreneur.”
“They killed my sister, and you’re working with them?” Anders was incredulous. “What the hell do they have over you that would make you help them?”
“I would never have hurt you. I only told them about the tunnel. They wouldn’t have hurt you, I promise. That was part of the deal.”
“Are you fucking stupid? They shot Stella. They would have killed all of us if they’d had the chance.”
“No, no, that wasn’t the deal.”
“What was the deal? Do they have someone of yours? Is it blackmail? What is it, Rachel? What prompted you make a deal with the devil?”
“Money. Enough to get me away from here forever. I hate this place.”
“Money?” Anders spat the word back at her, his face darkening.
“Everyone has a price, Anders.”
“Not I.”
Étoile pinched my arm and I looked at her quickly. “How much?” she said.
“Fifty pence?” I guessed, shushing her.
Anders stepped away from Rachel, striding several paces before wheeling around, staring at her like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She reached for him, her toe scuffing the circle as she stepped out of it.
“Why isn’t the circle holding her?” I asked.
“It’s not supposed to,” Étoile replied. We were still talking in whispers, careful not to draw attention away from Anders and Rachel. I had the feeling combustion was imminent and it would take very little to ignite the match. All we could hope for now was that Anders was very, very careful. After all, these were Rachel’s people as much as they were his, and we were just the unfortunate outsiders. “All it had to do was draw her out.”
“Then she can escape?” Looking about me, at the soft hum of the magic navigating the barn, I realised Anders had already thought of that. He trapped us all here until it ended, one way or the other. We only thought of the spell to lure her out, but he’d gone further. He left nothing to chance.
Étoile didn’t have time to reply, not that I needed her confirmation now, because Anders was speaking again, loud enough for everyone else to hear. “You have betrayed us. You put every single person in this room at risk. You cannot be trusted.” He stopped, waiting while everyone absorbed his words. “I vote to bind and banish Rachel. You will no longer have power. You will no longer be welcome in this coven or in our community. You will be dead to us.” He raised his hand, his palm flat towards us, unwavering. “All those in favour, raise your right hand.”
There was a long pause in which Rachel started to smile. Then it faded as one by one, the hands went up through the crowd, every face hostile, but this time it was directed squarely at her. Anders stared at her too, like he had never truly seen her before.
“You can’t bind me,” she hissed, fury bubbling from her. “You can’t make that decision.”
“You betrayed the coven,” Anders emphasised. The coven began to link hands, spreading in a circle around them both. “You sold us out. Turning you out with your magic would be like throwing a bomb up in the air and just standing there, waiting, while it lands. You’re dangerous.”
“You can’t turn me out. The Brotherhood will kill me.” Rachel reached for Anders’ hands, drawing him to her, but he shrugged her away, stepping back as her hands fell to her sides.
“But it’s okay to give them Stella?” he asked.
“She’s not even one of us,” Rachel hissed. “What is she to you? What are any of them to you? Come away with me, Anders, please. We’ve talked about this. Hawksley is a dead end. There’s no future for us here. I don’t know why you’ve waited so long.”
Anders stepped back, just another pace, enough to put distance between them. “Bind her,” he commanded. “Bind her magic.”
She flew at him, her fists flailing. Anders didn’t even have to touch her to push her back; the force of his magic was enough. She pleaded, then screamed as the coven worked together to bind her. They weren’t just trapping her magic inside, but suppressing it completely, binding it and leaving no way out. I’d bound a witch once, and saw what happened when another witch’s magic was restored after the binding was broken, but Anders’ coven left nothing to chance. They gave her no escape clause. Within minutes, her magic was gone, leaving her crumpled on the floor, screaming, then crying, finally, just a puddle of weak little sobs.
Anders took one last look at Rachel. “Get rid of her,” he told someone to his right. “I don’t want to see her in Hawksley ever again.” He walked away, the barn doors flying open in front of him. Behind him, a man and a woman hauled her up and walked quickly towards the doors. Rachel, at last, was silent. She looked stunned, too stunned to speak, like she could hardly believe what had just happened.
“I hope it was worth i
t,” muttered Étoile, turning her back.
“If this was pack, she wouldn’t have walked out alive,” said Gage, ignoring Annalise when she shushed him. “She should be grateful Anders showed her mercy.”
“I’m going to see if he’s okay,” I said, sliding out from under Evan’s arm, starting to make my way through the still crowd. Turning back, I said, “Give me five minutes, okay?” and waited just long enough to see Evan nod.
No one seemed to know what to do once Anders strode out and Rachel had been taken away. I had to make my way past the milling people to get outside. The sun was just beginning to rise far away over the fields and somewhere a rooster crowed. As I scanned the yard, trying to find Anders, a pair of headlights flicked on and a car pulled out. I could just make out Rachel in the back seat. She stared straight ahead, not even bothering to struggle as the car approached the gates then swung out onto the road. I didn’t wait to watch it go; instead, I turned back to the yard.
For the first time, I got to see Anders’ home properly and, although the light wasn’t great, it was chocolate box pretty farmhouse with small windows and a slate roof. Someone had planted bushes in beds all around the garden. Now they were dusted slightly with the early morning frost. A long gravel driveway swept around the side of the house and I could just see my rental car parked in the shade of the barn. A long road stretched past the house from both directions at the front. I couldn’t see Anders, so I walked further around the back, observing everything. The driveway ended in a big courtyard with fields beyond, stretching far into the half-light. It was rural and very peaceful. I couldn’t imagine an odder place for magic to exist.
Devious Magic (#3 Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series) Page 25
