Page 23 of Death Card

Marian’s unnerving symptoms are seared into my brain. I’ll never be able to unsee the bizarre color of her eyes as the illness devoured her from the inside.

Gramps wouldn’t assemble the entire coven on a weeknight for no good reason, so that means whoever died didn’t do so by natural causes. I’ve got the sense that we’re not done with the evil that sickened that little girl.

The parking lot is a quarter full by the time we arrive. The site manager of the rec center is a witch, so she keeps the building open after hours when we need to assemble all fifty members of the coven.

We head around to the side door leading to the gymnasium. Aunt Roberta’s waiting for us as soon as we step inside.

“Come with me,” she commands, gripping my elbow and dragging me past the bleachers and out into the lobby. Orion’s hot on our heels.

“What about the meeting?” I ask.

Aunt Roberta screeches to a halt and grips both my arms so tight it hurts. “The Council’s convened right now, and you need to be there. Zeke doesn’t want to scare the whole coven with all the details, but the Elders need to be apprised of the full situation.”

Orion hovers next to us. “You wanna give us the scoop, Auntie? What’s going on?”

Her expression is grim as she lowers her voice. “James Peterson died tonight. His skin glowed golden, and his eyes were…unnatural.” She shudders on the last word. “Before you got here, your grandfather told the other Elders about the LeBlanc girl.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat. Once again, my foresight was correct.

“Did anyone try to heal him?” I ask, thinking of the amount of power it took Gramps and me to remove the darkness from Marian’s body.

“His daughter tried her best.” Aunt Roberta shakes her head. “The poor thing’s nearly inconsolable. She was his only child.”

Andrea Peterson graduated a few years before Orion and I did. She and her dad rarely came to the parties at our house, but they attended the monthly meetings regularly. James had a green thumb bolstered by his skill in potions. He would grow the most beautiful flowers and enchant them with various properties like extended life and increased scent.

Gran always kept a bouquet of his white roses and powder-blue hydrangeas on our kitchen counter. They’d live for months without any tending.

Orion lets out a low whistle. “Damn, this ain’t good.”

“It surely ain’t,” Aunt Roberta agrees. She turns her attention back to me. “You cannot go in there and act meek. They will eat you alive if you do, and you need them on your side. If they don’t support your ascension, then no one will.”

“But Gramps said it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks,” I argue. “He said I’m the only one who can lead.”

Aunt Roberta sighs. “Our family has led this coven since the very beginning, thanks to our link to the first Queen, but we’ve grown since then. There are families within our numbers that have no link to the original coven of five.”

My heart pounds against my rib cage. “Are you saying that someone else will challenge my claim?”

Aunt Roberta purses her lips. “I’m saying that you need to be on your best behavior if you want to lead.” She turns on Orion. “And you! Shoo! Go back to the gym and don’t mention a word of this to your little friends!”

As she and Orion squabble, I contemplate what she said.

I’m not sure I evenwantto be Witch Queen. Besides, if my vision comes to pass, then I won’t be alive much longer. Maybe choosing someone else to lead would be the best decision for the coven.

A tiny voice in the back of my mind that sounds a whole lot like Gran shouts,Shut your mouth! You get in there and do your duty!

My inner voice knows exactly what Gran would say. She always told me that the ancestors walk life’s path at our side, and now I know what she meant. Even if I don’t want this title, Gran would be disappointed if I didn’t fight for it. I’ll never stop trying to live up to who Gran wanted me to be.

Everyone’s heads swivelin my direction as I enter the room with Aunt Roberta at my side. Goose bumps erupt along my arms as an icy chill settles over me. I can’t tell whether it’s the temperature of the room or the reception of the people within. There’s not a smile or warm look in sight.

I almost wish Orion were here to lighten the mood, but there’s no justifiable reason for him to attend a Council meeting.

Our Council of Elders consists of seven members, with representatives from each of the five original families, the Witch Queen, and an extra member to represent the newer families.

Levi, Bernadette, and Terrence sit on one side of the table, while Aunt Roberta takes a seat next to Miss Connie. Aunt Lorraine and Gramps stare each other down from opposite ends. There’s one open seat left next to Gramps. I settle into it and train my gaze on him.

He nods in my direction, but the corners of his mouth remain turned down.

Miss Connie is the first to speak, leaning forward to ask in French, “Ça va?”