Page 22 of Mending Mayhem
Ember spread her arms. “That’s all we want to do. Now, let’s shove the dead Bugman through the rift and seal it before any more beasties get loose.”
My brother could have easily lifted the fae himself, but he kept up the pretense and merely assisted Ember and the others. Miles took one leg, Ember the other, and Adrian helped Chaos with our enemy’s shoulders.
They shoved the body through, and Ash assisted Olga with the mending spell. The veil closed, and Shade and Gray dropped the shadow, bringing the rest of the world into full color. Ember sheathed her weapon, and we walked four blocks to the coven headquarters.
“I’m going to head home and rest if that’s okay,” the witch to whom Ash had delivered the antidote said.
“Sleep it off and get ready to fight,” Adrian said. “We need all hands on deck.”
The injured witch turned down a side street as a three-story, brick building with Boston Society of Magic engraved in the marble above the door came into view.
“I will never get used to witches making their presence known on purpose.”
“Times have changed,” Ember said before clamping her mouth shut.
“They certainly have, or I would not be inviting you into our coven house.” Adrian pushed the door open, and we stepped into a small gift shop filled with trinkets, crystals, and bundles of sage.
The High Priest rested his hand against the jamb of another door and whispered a spell, deactivating whatever ward he’d placed on the threshold. “Our meeting room is this way.”
We entered the room, and Ember’s mouth tightened as she cut her gaze toward Ash and Chaos. Ash pressed her lips into a thin line, and my brother nodded. They had been here before, and judging by their expressions, no one in this dark coven knew.
“Nice digs.” Ember rested her hands on the back of a chair.
A long, rectangular table with at least fifteen chairs crowded around it took up most of the space. At the head of the table sat an ornate throne with dark magic carvings and gilded edges. Olga pulled out the throne, and Adrian sank into it.
“Take a seat.” He gestured to the plain wooden chairs. “Tell me what you know about the fae.”
Ember mouthed the word library to Ash before settling into a chair. Miles and Shade flanked her, and Olga and Gray sat across from them.
Ash remained standing, drumming her fingers on the back of her chair. “I’m the coven librarian, and our library is in shambles. Would it be possible for me to take a look at yours to get some organization ideas?”
“I can take you down.” Olga rose to her feet. “We haven’t finished cleaning up since the break-in, but I’m happy to show you around.”
Adrian cut her a steely gaze, and she shrank in on herself. “If that’s okay with you, Priest.”
“She did save Hector, sir.” Gray’s shoulders inched toward her ears, her body drifting slightly away from their Priest.
He straightened his spine. “Give Olga the recipe for your venom antidote, and you may look at the library. But do not open any books.”
“Got it.” Ash turned to Chaos. “Want to come with?”
“Of course.” They followed Olga down the stairs.
“He commands them through fear, but he has not earned their respect.” I contemplated this as Ember folded her hands on the table. It was no wonder so many had defected when Chrys offered to overthrow their leadership. The witches in Salem respected the Holland women and did their bidding out of loyalty to the coven rather than fear of punishment.
Interesting…
“We’ve encountered three types of fae,” Ember said. “The blood-sucking mosquitoes, which I’m sure you’ve been familiar with for years.”
Adrian steepled his fingers. “Yes, they always become bothersome this time of year.”
Ember leaned back, crossing her legs beneath the table. “The other two are scouts and soldiers. Their exoskeletons are the strongest armor we’ve ever encountered. They’re impervious to fire, but it still hurts like hell when you burn them. Or I assume it does because they screech like banshees when we try.”
“They deflect our air witch electricity as well,” he said.
“The only way to kill them is to pierce their hearts or behead them.”
Adrian blew a hard breath through his nose. “And how, pray tell, do you do that?”