by Kimber White
“You might be right,” I answered. “Sure does manage to bring out the worst in some people.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the internet had also been the sole reason I was able to keep this business afloat. Seventy percent of our sales were from the online store now. I sold Delia’s homemade candles and knitted blankets as well as a healthy amount of New Age charms. Durness still had a reputation. The legend and mystique of the coven drove the local economy. Plus, a while back we got a huge boost as one of northern California’s best-kept secrets on the Gold Rush trail. Yet another reason why Delia Bradbury might not want to curse the internet anytime soon.
She put her feather dust mop away and took her perch on the high-backed chair behind the main counter. From there, she could people watch all day long and drink her tea. Every once in a while, I’d catch her casting minor spells as she knit her latest masterpiece. As long as she didn’t do it when we had customers in the store, it was harmless. It kept her skills sharp. Fifty years ago, Delia Bradbury had been the head of the coven’s Council of Five. Now, she was the town gossip and my responsibility.
The bell clanged above the door. I felt a surge of magic in the air and nearly dropped the porcelain figurine I’d been holding. I’d just been thinking of the Five. I hadn’t expected four of them to march in.
Benny Bishop stormed through the shop, his eyes scanning for me. Delia looked up from her knitting, arching one gray, bushy eyebrow. Benny was next in line to lead the Five as second oldest. That honor went to Miles Marvin. He followed close behind, white hair flying. Timothy Jakes held the door open for the next member, Paula Landry. She was the self-appointed coven matriarch. She closed the door behind her, locked it, and put up the closed sign. Oh. So it was going to be that kind of meeting.
Benny’s eyes scanned the store and settled on me. He lifted two fingers and made a sharp, quick gesture toward the back. I glanced at Delia. She gave me a silent nod. Better not to make a fuss. I put down the inventory I’d been counting and followed the four of them into the storeroom. I kept a long folding table back there and some chairs. Each member of the council found seats. Benny, Miles, Timothy, and Paula. That just left me, rounding out the Five as the youngest member in the coven’s two thousand year history. Right now, it felt like an unlucky honor.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Miles shot a fierce glance at Benny. The two of them were like oil and water. Miles was a hothead. Benny never lost his cool. Their constant bickering sometimes made council meetings unbearable.
“Don’t blame me,” Miles said. “I can’t be everywhere all the time.”
“You work for the county, Miles,” Benny said. “It’s your job to catch this stuff before it happens. It’s the entire reason we put you there.”
“What’s going on?” I asked again. Paula gave me an eyeroll that told me these two had been at it like this for a while.
“The end times,” Timothy said. At sixty years old, Timothy looked every bit the doddering history teacher he was, right down to the tan corduroy jacket with elbow patches. He taught at the high school.
“Well, as long as we’re not being overly dramatic,” I said.
“I don’t know,” Paula said. “For once, I might agree with him.”
My heart lurched. Paula was the least prone to hysterics on the council. She usually mediated disputes among the members and within the coven itself. She was a wind mage, mostly cool and serene.
Miles reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick packet of folded paper. He threw them on the table, daring me to read them. I picked them up. It was a purchase contract. My eyes glazed over at the legalese.
“What is this?” I finally asked.
“We’ve been betrayed,” Benny said. “The county hung us out to dry.”
“Again, what is this?” I asked, squinting at the small print. It was a land sale; I could make that much out.
“One thousand acres in the heart of Durness Forest,” Paula explained. My heart tripped as all this started to make sense.
“It’s been sold?” I asked, flipping through the papers. It didn’t help clarify anything. The purchaser was listed as a corporation, Firebrand Limited Partnership.
“It’s been sold,” Paula answered, keeping her voice calm. “One thousand acres, straight through the middle of the forest. Including the waterfall and where the stream forks.”
This was bad. Catastrophic. Those lands had been used by the Circean covens for centuries. Millenia. The magic was thick there. It was one of the last pristine, natural tracts of land in the state. Except, we didn’t own it. The county owned part of it. The state owned part of it. A few loyal coven members owned other parts. Now, it looked like they’d all sold out.
“They can’t sell it,” I said. “Don’t we have right of first refusal or something?”
“Money talks,” Miles said. “Some developer made them an offer we could never match and they couldn’t refuse. It’s right in front of you.”
I looked at the contract again and my mouth dropped open. There were more zeroes next to the purchase price than I could process. Miles was right. Whatever legal rights we had, the bank accounts of the people in this room could never compete. I dropped the papers on the table as if they’d caught fire. The urge to cast that exact spell poured through me. I folded my hands in my lap to control it. Mercifully, this time, I did.
“So now what?” I asked. “We just sit back and let this happen? Who are these people? What are their intentions?”
“We don’t know,” Paula said. “This was a blindside. We may have legal grounds to challenge this, but it’s thin. I don’t know anything about this buyer. I talked to the county clerk. She said we shouldn’t worry, but I don’t trust that. I want a meeting. I want to look these people in the eye so I can understand their intentions myself.”
I swallowed hard, hoping she didn’t mean what I thought she meant. Mind reading was a dark art. It was a line we never crossed. Still, I understood the emotion behind it. I’d thought Timothy was being melodramatic when he opened this meeting saying we’d reached the end times. If someone was about to bulldoze coven lands to put up a strip mall or something, he might very likely be right.
“It’s not completely hopeless,” Timothy said. “At least, not yet. They don’t close on this deal until the end of the week. Paula’s contact said the buyers seemed interested in maintaining the town’s goodwill. I don’t know what that means, but it’s something.”
“And just how are they going to do that?” I asked.
“I’ve already asked for a meeting with the county leadership. Apparently, the representatives of this Firebrand Company had already suggested it. They’re amenable.”
“We talk to a lawyer,” I said. “See what Jonas says. If the county was supposed to notify us before a sale went through, they didn’t. It could buy us some time at least. When is this meeting?”
Paula and Miles exchanged a look. “Tonight,” they said in unison.
I did a double take. “Tonight? What the actual hell is going on? None of this makes any sense. You all have between thirty to fifty years on me in this town. But, even I know things aren’t supposed to move this fast.”
“You’re not wrong,” Miles said. “The trouble is, we don’t have an official position with the town leadership. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the coven doesn’t even exist.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “We’re citizens of this town. We’re stakeholders. I’m not suggesting we do anything that violates our beliefs, but Paula’s right. Let’s at least meet with these people. If we stick together and form a united front, that ought to count for something.”
It was settled. The Five would show up at this town meeting together tonight. My head spun at the prospect. We never did this. We never appeared in public together all in one place. It was an unspoken rule. Hell, except for the people at this table and a select few others, including Delia as the only other
living past member, no one in the coven at large knew for sure who served as one of the Five at any one time. It was a risk, but one I felt sure we had to take.
So, we were in rare, unanimous agreement. Benny and Miles showed themselves out the back of the store. Paula hung around and talked to Delia. Timothy went out the front door.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. It made no sense. Why would the county sell coven lands out from under us like that? They knew how powerful we were. It felt like magic afoot. Dark magic. Sweat broke out along my spine as I tried to busy myself taking inventory again. I had to figure out a way to keep my fire in check at this meeting. If I slipped even a little, the rest of the Council might suspect how much trouble I’d been having. If they did, they might be forced to take action. God. The timing of all of this could not be worse.
Somehow, I made it through the day. Delia steered clear of me, somehow sensing the turmoil I felt. She just seemed to know things when it came to me. As my godmother she was also the closest thing I had to family left.
At six o’clock sharp, I closed down the store and grabbed my bag from a hook near the cash register.
“You take it easy,” Delia said. She was still sitting in her chair knitting. She hadn’t left it once all day. “And don’t lose your temper.”
I turned to her. “I...I won’t. Thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.”
With that, I started the four block walk to the tiny little government center in downtown Durness. It was just a two-room building. One contained a small office where the clerk sat. The other room was a conference room they rented out for all sorts of occasions.
The others were already there when I arrived. Benny and Miles took seats next to each other at the conference table. Timothy sat a little further down and Paula paced, waiting for me to show up. She smiled when I did. Two members of the county government showed up for their side. There was Marlene, the county clerk, and Bob Stiles, one of the trustees. They shot nervous glances at each other as they watched me take my seat.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Marlene said.
“Seems to me lack of notice is the entire problem here,” I said. This was wrong. All wrong. The air grew thick and hot. Oh, yes, there was some type of magic at play. I felt beads of sweat on my upper lip. My vision wavered. This was bad. Very bad.
“I think as soon as you hear from the interested party, you’ll see we’ve acted in everyone’s best interests,” Bob said. “The buyer’s representative must be running a little late.”
“Of course he is,” I muttered. Making us wait was a pure power move and it didn’t bode well. The trouble was, I was having a hell of a time putting a lid on my own power. I saw fire and sparks behind my eyes. The pull was strong.
“Gemma,” Paula said, leaning over to peer in my face. “Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
It was happening again. Just like in the forest the other night. Energy crackled through my bones. God. I wanted to blast fire through the wall. In another second, I knew I might. I had to get the hell out of here, and fast.
“Ah,” Marlene said. “Mr. Brandhart. Thanks so much for taking this meeting. I’m sure you can answer all the questions these people have. Mr. Bishop, Mr. Jakes, Mr. Marvin, Mrs. Landry, Ms. Hayes. Allow me to introduce you to Firebrand L.P.’s representative. This is Finn Brandhart.”
Finn Brandhart stepped into the room and my heart splintered. Those piercing blue eyes. That white-blond hair and chiseled physique. His hands. His lips. His strong arms circling me. Desire. Want. Need.
He was the man I met in the forest the other night. The man I’d nearly killed with out-of-control fire. It swirled within me now, straining to break free.
Finn Brandhart turned to face me. His eyes glinted blue fire as he smiled and reached for my hand.
Chapter Five
Finn
My vision clouded in a blue haze. My dragon was right there, ready to claw his way out. And yet, when Gemma took my offered hand to shake it, cold calm settled through me. I wanted her. I wanted to throw an arm around her and unfurl my wings. I would crash through the ceiling and take to the sky with her. Any other time, I would have. But, something about this woman managed to stoke my fire but settle my dragon all at the same time.
Oh, she had a powerful magic, all right.
I could feel hers swirling behind her eyes, almost shifter-like. Except, she wasn’t. She wasn’t purely human either. I stood face to face with a witch who didn’t seem able to control the fire surging through her. Her lips parted. Her little tongue darted out as she licked them. God help me. I would kiss her. A tremor ran through me, but somehow, I managed a smile and she let go of my hand.
“Why the rush? Why the secrecy?” An older gentleman stood to Gemma’s left. He had tufts of white hair and a deep scowl. Gemma seemed part of this group, but also...other. There was the one who’d just spoken. He quickly introduced himself as Miles Marvin. I then met Timothy Jakes, Bernard Bishop, Paula Landry, then there was Gemma herself.
“Gemma Hayes,” she said quietly. Whatever else was going on, she didn’t want the others to know we’d already met.
“Mr. Brandhart,” councilman Stiles said, “These folks represent the...uh...the business sector of Durness. Perhaps we could cut right to the chase. I think it would help if you could lay out your intentions like you did for us. So there are no misunderstandings and we can nip any rumors in the bud right away. Durness is a small town and misinformation can spread like wildfire. I’d like to avoid that.”
“Of course,” I said. Holy hell, Avelina’s plan was working better than even she could have predicted. Gideon had made a backdoor deal with the county to purchase a huge tract of land straight through the wilderness outside of town. My mother knew it was coven lands. She wanted to flush them out and bring them to the table. And here they were. I could sense magic coming off each and every one of them.
Gemma’s was strongest, but she lacked control. One by one, I could sense the source for each. Miles Marvin ran hot, like Gemma, but not nearly as intense. He was a fire mage for sure. Benny Bishop had a cool air about him, a water mage. Timothy had a darkness to his eyes as if he could see things on a deeper level than the other. Earth magic, perhaps. The other woman, Paula. She looked about twice Gemma’s age but younger than the men. I couldn’t quite put my finger on her power. Probably wind though. If I was in the presence of the Five, it would make sense. But, Gemma couldn’t be one of them. She was far too young. Unless my mother was wrong about what she knew about Circean covens.
“I’m not here to put up a high rise, or change the character of the town,” I said. “I hope we can work together to come up with a workable plan. That’s what my family wants as well.”
“Your family,” Paula said. “Brandhart. I’ve read about you. You’ve got all the money in the world. So what could you possibly want with this little strip of land in the middle of nowhere?”
I smiled. “And I’ll make you a promise right now. You’ll all have a seat at the table as we finalize plans for the property.”
“What does that mean?” Gemma asked, her eyes swirling with fury. Instinct told me it had less to do with the land proposal than it did with me being here. I wanted to get her alone. It mattered that she understood me. At the same time, this wasn’t the plan. We wanted the coven unsettled. Angry. The land was merely a bargaining chip to get them to help us source the dragonstone I’d brought. Now that I was here, I hated the plan. At the same time, I knew my mother was right. They had no reason to help us, and witches and shifters don’t mix. Usually.
“It means that your input is important to us. And we have mutual interests. We want to enhance your community, not diminish it.”
“Our community is doing just fine,” Miles said. He rose from the table and stormed out.
Bernard Bishop got up next. “I’ve heard what I need to hear,” he said and followed his friend.
“I’ve barely said anything,” I said.
/> “I think that’s the point.” Paula Landry looked at me with cool eyes. She gave an almost imperceptible nod to Jakes and then Gemma.
Bob and Marlene looked thunderstruck. For my part, this meeting had gone exactly as I’d hoped, except for Gemma. But, when Paula pulled at her sleeve, Gemma turned and left with her and Timothy Jakes.
“I’m so sorry,” Marlene said. “I think if we just give them some time…”
I put a hand up. “It’s all right. My family expected some resistance to change. I think in time, they’ll come to see we’re not the boogeymen they think. I appreciate your calling this meeting. We still close in a few days.”
“Right,” Bob said. He reached for me, shaking my hand. “There are just a lot of old-fashioned folk in this town. Progress is a good thing. They’ll see. And when the tax revenue…”
He droned on. I said polite things, then made my excuses. I couldn’t bear to be surrounded by four walls and a roof for much longer. This was so far away from anything I liked to do. Board meetings. Business deals. I left all that to my brothers. Again, I asked myself: why in God’s name had our mother sent me here for this?
“Thank you,” I said, though I wasn’t even sure Stiles had said anything I should be grateful for. “I really need to get going though. I’m due on a conference call.” A lie. But, it sounded like something Gideon would say.
“Of course!” Bob Stiles shook my hand again. He practically salivated at the idea of our closing on this land deal. He had an election campaign coming up. Durness was just one tiny part of the county. I knew he didn’t really give two shits what Miles Marvin and the rest of the witches thought about my intentions. It was one other point my mother had been right about.
I got the hell out of that conference room as fast as I could. It was nearly dusk. A bright orange sky blazed. With the mountain in the distance, the horizon reminded me a bit of Knoydart, our ancestral home in Scotland. Our lair was a hidden volcano, cloaked by magic from the rest of the world.