Page 6 of Death Card

I don’t quite understand what he means, but Gramps has dealt with our coven’s Council for way longer than I have. If he thinks it’s a bad idea to tell them, then I’ll go along with whatever he says.

While the Witch Queen has the final say in all matters of the coven, the Council of Elders is meant to provide guidance. The rest of the coven look up to the Elders and treat them with the same reverence as the Queen. Gramps is probably afraid that the Council will want to share the events of last night with the coven, but we don’t have any answers yet for the questions they’re likely to ask.

No matter how this election for city council shakes up, he’s already a politician through and through.

“You ain’t gotta worry about me saying anything,” Orion says. “I don’t know enough to tell anyone.”

“Maybe you would if you were more present.” Gramps shakes his head and walks past us. “Finish your goodbyes to your grandmother. I’ll be in the car.”

As I look back up at the wall of names, I can’t help but wish Gran were here. The Witch Queen would know what to do about the evil that’s arrived at our door. But she would also know how to soothe my fears in a way only your grandmother can.

Like Gramps, I press my palm to the stone. There’s no electricity, no aura, no anything. Her magic has disappeared along with her. She’s gone.

Orion touches my shoulder. “You okay, sis?”

A tear slips down my cheek before I swipe it away. “Yeah, I’m good. Give me a minute.”

He hesitates like he wants to say something, but the momentpasses. He nods and heads back down the hallway after Gramps. When they’ve both turned the corner, I press my palm to my mother’s name and close my eyes.

Are you there, Mom?

Speaking to the ancestors takes skill and practice. It’s a sacred act, so Gran only ever spoke to them in private. The only time I witnessed it was when she thought she was alone.

I was eight years old and had just crept up the stairs to the third-floor loft. Gran was kneeling at the edge of the bed with her back to me. There was a shimmer in the air next to her and a low buzz that crackled in my ears. Her voice was barely audible, so the only word I could make out wasMama.

Ever since that day, I’ve tried reaching out to my own mother, but she’s never answered me. I don’t even know what I would say to her if she did.

Actually, that’s not true. I know exactly what I would say to her.

I love you. I wish you were here.

But I’m alone, like every other time I’ve reached out before. My mother won’t answer. Or maybe I’m not strong enough to reach her.

I leave the mausoleum to join Gramps and Orion in the car. We leave behind the cemetery and our grief for today. At the house, the coven awaits.

3

No one speaksduring the drive back to the house. We’re all deep in our own heads, mulling over our separate thoughts. As I fiddle with the buttons on my dress, I can’t help but think about last night and how unsettling it was.

We’ve been called on to heal members of the coven before, especially when Gran was alive. There were certain sicknesses that even her magic couldn’t touch, like cancer, but for the most part she could bring someone back from the brink of death.

Gran would allow me to watch as she worked her healing magic. The key was removing the impurities from the person’s body, but the problem with cancer is that it’s your own wayward cells that are attacking you. There’s no way for the magic to distinguish which parts of you are helping and which parts are hurting. In the end, it’s all you.

When Gran got sick, I knew we wouldn’t have much time left with her. The cancer progressed rapidly and aggressively. There was nothing we could do but watch her become a shell of herself.

In the year since she died, Gramps has done most of the solo healing work for the coven. Minor injuries like deep cuts and broken bones, he can fix. For more serious cases, multiple witches have to work together. There are a couple other members of thecoven who can be called upon to assist. Last night was the first time I’ve ever had to do it.

Looking back, a tiny sense of pride runs through me. I helped save Marian—without Orion’s help. I’m not sure if I could do it again, but hopefully I won’t have to.

Our tiny street is crammed with more cars than usual. Even though there’s a streetcar stop about half a mile down the street, it seems like quite a few people drove. At least they were respectful enough to leave Gramps’s usual parking spot open.

He squeezes the midnight-blue Cadillac into the space and turns the key. Without the rumbling of the engine, we can hear the music drifting out from the backyard. A white-and-blue banner is strung up along the fence withEzekiel Broussard for City Councilprinted on the front.

Gramps shakes his head as soon as he spots it. “That’s your aunt’s work, I’m sure,” he grumbles. I catch a glimpse of a smile as he turns away.

It was Aunt Roberta’s idea to host this dinner for everyone at the house; it serves dual purposes, as a remembrance celebration for Gran and a fundraiser for Gramps’s campaign for New Orleans City Council.

Aunt Roberta is not only Gran’s younger sister but also her best friend. With no children of her own, she practically helped raise us. Orion and I spent many days after school at her house while Gramps tended to his occult shop on Royal Street or Gran worked her job at the bank.