“Are you sure about that, Miss Merlin?” Leonidas replied, once more raising an eyebrow. He didn’t come across as angry anymore. More like impressed. What the heck?
“Absolutely,” I said. “As soon as Finch was discovered, we moved to neutralize him, but he’d already—by the way, Wade, I suppose we know how the gargoyles got out the other day, right?”
“Yes. Finch had hidden disruptors all over the place,” Wade explained. “Some were discovered during multiple sweeps, but not all of them. Preceptor Bellmore helped us with the search, after we contained all the gargoyles.”
“So, yeah, as I was saying,” I continued. “The San Diego Coven did everything right. We investigated, we cleaned up. I’ll bet you folks didn’t even know about my apartment and the church incident until you got here.” I scoffed when Leonidas, Imogene, and the other Mages all nodded. “My point exactly. And even with what happened two days ago… Our communication channels were down, from what I remember. Everything happened so fast, so violently, and yet, less than an hour later, most of the gargoyles were captured or killed. And Wade tells me the city-wide cleanup operation is going well. We’ve lost people in this fight. We’ve suffered enough.”
Leonidas sighed, then leaned against the back of his chair. He glanced at his fellow Mages and motioned for Imogene to pass a verdict. She stood, clearing her throat as her gaze wandered across the hall.
“I must say, after all the testimonies and the evidence before us, I agree with Harley on this entire issue,” Imogene said. “I believe the San Diego Coven has been through enough, and that there were issues that were simply impossible to avoid. I’ve felt like that since before she was brought in to speak—despite no one asking her to do that.” She chuckled softly, then winked at Wade, and my stomach tightened in response. “I hope the rest of the Mage Council will agree with my requests, which are as follows: Adley de la Barthe is to be tried and convicted as per magical laws; until then, she will be held in this coven’s prison.”
I looked at Adley and felt her genuine relief. The idea of Purgatory filled her with dread. “Finch Shipton will be taken to Purgatory and will be held there until we find and capture Katherine Shipton and any other accomplices she might have,” Imogene continued. “After that, he, too, will be tried and convicted as per magical laws.” Finch didn’t seem disappointed. In fact, given the grin slitting his face, it was exactly what he wanted—and that really didn’t sit well with me. “While I do agree that the San Diego Coven did everything it could to prevent this, I also agree to some form of punishment. I recommend stripping twenty points off, for not notifying the Mage Council of the subsequent gargoyle attacks.”
Dismay kicked me in the ribs, followed by painful waves of discontentment. Nobody was happy with losing more points. We had it bad enough as it was. We needed that end-of-year bonus now, more than ever. Wow, I am really taking this “we” thing seriously. Okay, guess it’s sort of settled, but I’m holding on to my trial period, just in case.
“And last but not least, for their bravery, impressive skill, and speed in containing this tragedy,” Imogene added, “I think the San Diego Coven should be awarded up to a thousand points toward the end-of-year prize. Oh, and the Bestiary should stay, too. The Mage Council will provide an external security detail, though, to assist, in case someone else tries to pull a ‘Finch.’”
Gasps and cheers erupted from the assembly hall. Relief washed over me, and I couldn’t help but gasp, overwhelmed by how much these bonus points meant for the coven. Most importantly, it felt amazing to know that they were all cleared of any wrongdoing, and that their efforts were fully recognized by the California Mage Council.
I sank into my wheelchair, feeling my cheeks flush as a wave of kind thoughts flowed my way. It was my first time in a crowd where I was actually welcome. It was weird and wonderful, at the same time, making me smirk with pride. I’d done something good—scratch that, I’d done something great, and it felt awesome.
Wade’s hand squeezed my shoulder gently. I looked up and found him smiling at me, in a way that made my heart perform exquisite somersaults in my chest. This feels nice…
Leonidas and the other Mages stood, prompting the assembly hall to tone it down with all the cheering. Silence settled over us once more, and Leonidas nodded my way. “The Mage Council of California agrees with all the verdicts,” he said, then glanced at Alton. “I trust you’ll secure Ms. de la Barthe’s cell accordingly.”
“Absolutely,” Alton replied. “Preceptors Nomura and Bellmore have devised a tamper-proof mechanism.”
“Good. We’ll be on our way then,” Leonidas said, then snapped his fingers at Finch.
It was then that I realized that Leonidas Levi was a Telekinetic, like me—only infinitely more skilled. Finch shot to his feet, unable to control his body. He looked frustrated and helpless. A part of me enjoyed the sight. He threw me a sideways glance. “I’ll see you soon, Little Sister. Like you said, blood is thicker than water.” He smirked.
“In your dreams, a-hole,” I said, tempted to flip him off, for good measure. I held back, though, eerily respectful of the Mage Council, not wanting to get penalized for foul body language or something.
With one swift hand movement, Leonidas snapped Finch’s chain from the iron ring mounted on the floor, then threw him through one of the rippling mirrors like a rag doll. He then gave me a brief smile, slightly narrowing his eyes. “Keep your nose clean, Miss Merlin. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you.”
I shrugged in response. “Duly noted.”
Imogene graciously waved goodbye, then walked through one of the mirrors, followed by the rest of the Mage Council. Leonidas and Raffe exchanged brief glances, and I felt the promise of a talk coming up soon between them. Man, there’s still so much I don’t know about these people, and I nearly got myself killed for them. Sheesh.
As soon as the Mage Council and Finch disappeared into the seven mirrors, Alton turned to face the crowd, while Preceptor Nomura ordered two security magicals to take Adley away. They removed her charmed chains from the floor, then escorted her off the podium.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Adley mumbled as she passed by me.
“Doesn’t change what you did,” I replied. “Your duty was to the coven, not your lover. Even I know that, and I’ve been here less than a week. At least help us out in the future, even if you’re in prison. If you know anything about what Finch was doing, tell us.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but gave up and gave me a soft nod, then let herself get carried out by the security magicals. I could feel her shame and regret, but, with all the lives lost, it was damn near impossible not to be angry with her. She was in love with my murderous half-brother and—jeez, I have a screwed-up family. I think I was better off as an unsuspecting orphan.
“Harley, you should rest and stay away from the crowds for a while,” Alton said, approaching me with Tobe right behind him.
“Thank you, Harley,” Tobe said. “You helped clear my name. Thank you all.”
The rest of our Rag Team came over, while the crowd gradually dispersed. I didn’t even realize that Wade’s hand was still resting on my shoulder until he removed it, leaving a warm spot behind. Santana, Tatyana, and Astrid took turns hugging me, while Dylan and Raffe shook Tobe’s feathered hand.
“Harley believed in you,” Raffe told Tobe, then smiled at me, “and we believe in Harley.”
Santana was beaming like a midday sun. “You were amazing back there. I hope you’ll forgive me, I did put you at risk when I let the Orishas help you. They’re highly volatile when they deal with a non-Santeria magical, but it turned out okay. You’re strong, and they felt that.”
“Oh, it’s cool,” I replied. “I mean, my voice was the only thing that seemed to work in drawing those gargoyles back, so, yeah, risk worth taking, in the end. Besides, I only did one part of the job. Tatyana kicked major ass, from what I could see.”
“To be honest,” Tatyana chuc
kled, “I wasn’t sure I’d pull off such a big trap, but, thanks to Wade, Dylan, and Raffe, it all worked out.”
“How are you feeling?” Astrid asked me, adorably concerned for my wellbeing. “You took most of the brunt.”
“Yeah. I’m okay, I think. Just really sore. I couldn’t feel my leg back there. Whatever Finch’s Esprit can do, it played quite the trick on me when he cut me.”
“We don’t know much about his Esprit, at this point, but the Mage Council will definitely look into it,” Wade replied. “There was a neurotoxin in your system, probably something that the blade was laced with. Adley actually helped with that, before we figured out what she did and detained her. The new physician handled the rest.”
“That’s enough with all the gushing and congratulations.” Alton intervened, smiling gently. “Harley needs to rest. Can you take her back to her room, Wade?”
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of being alone with Wade again. I didn’t like to admit it, but he was really growing on me. His ego would probably explode if he ever found out, so I tried my best to stifle my smile.
“Shouldn’t she go back to the infirmary?” Wade replied with a frown. He was worried. Aww.
“Nah, I’m cool. I’m hungry, though. Really hungry. Like, an extra-large pizza with cheesy crust, two cheeseburgers, large fries, and rivers of Coke on the side hungry,” I said, my stomach protesting too much.
Alton crouched in front of me, so we could be on the same level, his hands covering mine in my lap. “Harley, with everything you’ve done for us, at a time when others would have run screaming, lunch is on the coven. Wade will get you whatever you need.”
“I’m not her servant,” Wade said.
“It takes a phone call, don’t be melodramatic,” I answered, without bothering to look at him. Instead, I kept my eyes on Alton, who gave me a soft smile.
“I know you still have three weeks on your probationary period before you decide what you’re going to do, as a magical,” he said slowly. “I just want you to know that no matter what your choice will be, you will always have a home and a family here. But if you decide to apply for a Neutral position, I will gladly sign your recommendation for the Mage Council, even though we’d rather have you here, with us.”
I teared up almost instantly as Alton squeezed my hands, then dropped a kiss on my forehead and got up, motioning for Wade to take me away. I smiled at our Rag Team and Tobe—their affection seemed to heal my broken heart.
Alton was right. I didn’t need Hiram and Hester Merlin alive to have a family. I didn’t even need that woman I’d seen through the dreamcatcher, maybe my father’s sister, an aunt or something. I had the Smiths back in the human world. And I had new friends here, who were ready to stick their necks out for me. Family isn’t something you’re necessarily born into.
My journey as a magical was only just beginning. There were some pretty annoying faults in this magical society, and the elitism and choking rules were a little too much to handle at times, but there was room for learning and improvement. Not just on my end, but on theirs, too.
The coven wasn’t perfect, but they were all trying to be better versions of themselves, even when they didn’t know which way to go or what to do in order to accomplish that. And I was right there with them, for the time being, aspiring toward the same goal.
A better version of me. Harley Smith was going to stay behind, quaintly attached to her life as a foster kid in a human world.
Harley Merlin, on the other hand, even though she’d been deemed a Mediocre and had yet to find her Esprit, was just getting started. And if this turbulent beginning filled with forbidden charms and bloodthirsty gargoyles was any indication, the ride was bound to get even bumpier in the future.
That’s cool. I’ll be ready.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I slept through most of the week. Everything that had happened since the first night with Wade at the casino had finally caught up with my body. The Rag Team took turns visiting, with hot coffee and Chinese takeout, mostly. They brought me up to speed on the cleanup operation and arranged private tutoring sessions with all the preceptors.
Wade went back to being his usual pompous jerk self, and I was okay with that. His snark was my emotional anchor—literally. I needed our banter to function properly and process every single detail of my existence, particularly the discoveries we’d made about my family.
The time would come when I’d sit down and comb through the archives, one page at a time, until I learned everything I could about my father, my mother, and, most importantly, Katherine Shipton. She was still alive and extremely dangerous. I had a bone to pick with that witch.
The sun poured through the windows. My last visitor, Astrid, had left the drapes pulled back last night. I’d fallen asleep staring at a starry sky. I sat up, stretching my arms, then scratched the back of my neck. The bandage was really annoying, so I decided to untie it and take it off. My throat wound was almost fully healed, anyway.
I got out of bed and checked myself in the mirror. There were still purplish bruises around my neck, and a stitched-up hole left behind by Santana’s button, plus some more bruises on my shoulders and arms. But, other than that, I looked like I was definitely going to live to see another day. That button was going to leave a scar, though.
My bright red hair was a wavy, slightly tangled mess. My sky-blue eyes now reminded me of Finch. I welcomed that, in a way, because it kept me focused on what came next: finding Katherine and throwing her in Purgatory, along with her son. After I scrunched her face up, of course, for what she did to my family.
I exhaled, then fished my father’s note from the back pocket of my jeans, and read it, over and over.
Harley, I am so sorry for doing this to you, but there is no other way. Stay safe. Stay smart. I love you. Dad.
What kind of a father would do what he did? He and Katherine burned my mother alive. I swallowed back tears, crumpled the note, and tossed it into the trashcan. It hit the lip and bounced back, then tumbled on the floor and vanished under my bed.
I didn’t need that façade of his, that bunch of lies from the man who’d killed my mother. There was a lot I didn’t know yet, though. And the one memory I had of him didn’t match what the newspapers or even Finch said, not at all. But he’d been tried and convicted.
He pleaded not guilty.
Was I letting my grief get the better of me? Was there, maybe, the inkling of a possibility that my dad had told the truth?
Remorseful to have tossed away a message that had kept me sane for so many years, I got down on the floor and retrieved the crumpled note from under the bed. Only then, upon seeing it again after days, did I remember the box that Alton had given me. I pulled it out and left my father’s note on the floor next to me.
I turned the box over a couple of times. The engravings were all symbols I’d seen before, though I couldn’t exactly say where. They just felt familiar. The box itself was the size of a regular book, with mother-of-pearl inlays in the form of delicate floral patterns on the sides and on the lid. The engravings followed the petal and leaf lines, like words lost in the image, tucked away and not for everyone to see.
The lock seemed peculiar, cast in sterling silver, with swirling lines leading into the keyhole. My mother’s name was elegantly engraved on the lid. Hester Merlin. I tried to force it open with a small Swiss Army knife I kept in my pocket, but it didn’t even budge.
Then I noticed the text inscribed on the bottom. I’d been so tired and distraught the last time I’d tried to open it that I hadn’t even seen the writing. It was clear, all in capital letters. Sanguis Crassior Aquae.
I knew that line. I’d read it before. Heck, I’d said it myself, just recently.
“Blood is thicker than water,” I murmured, absently passing my index finger over the keyhole.
A sharp prick startled me, and I gasped, sucking on the bloodied tip. Something had punctured my fingertip.
“Wait,” I m
umbled, tasting my own blood, then brought the box up to get a better look at the keyhole. “Yep, there you are.”
I could see the tiny steel tip of a needle, glazed in my blood. To my surprise, it shot back inside, and the sound of little, mechanical wheels turning emerged from within. Three loud clicks later, the lid popped open.
“Oh, whoa.”
The box was lined in black velvet, and there were three objects inside. I held my breath for a few seconds, my gaze darting between my pricked finger and the contents of the box. Holy crap.
With trembling hands, I took the first item out. It was a photograph—Hiram and Hester Merlin, long before they had me. They looked young and carefree, elegantly dressed against the backdrop of a sparkling ballroom. My father wore a three-piece suit, his black hair combed neatly on the sides, his sky-blue eyes beaming at the camera. Yup, there was definitely a part of him in me. I could see it so vividly there. The eyes, the freckles, the shape of his nose… all me.
My mother was gorgeous in her black evening gown, her bright red hair caught up in a stylish up-do, with pearl earrings and a smidge of red lipstick. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t really tell where I’d seen her before. The shape of her face was mine, as was the hair. Her playful smile echoed in me, too. Maybe that was where I’d seen Hester Merlin before. In the mirror.
They seemed happy and in love, holding each other and smiling as if there were nothing but good days ahead. Little did they know.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and put the photo back inside, moving on to the next object—a pack of game cards with a classic design, each meticulously hand-painted, nestled in a thick cardboard box. There was a message on the back. Knock ’em dead, turtle dove!
The cards were beautiful, reminiscent of the early 1920s. The queens were sensual princesses depicted in an Art Nouveau style. The kings were dapper and dashing, and the jacks were swanky musicians who winked at me, their beholder. “Knock ’em dead, turtle dove,” I repeated the message out loud, slightly amused. “I think my mom was a gambler. Hah.”
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven Page 36
