Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven

by Bella Forrest

  I remembered the training session then, wondering if anyone else knew about the pills I’d seen him take. “Finch took pills. Do you know anything about them? I asked if they were vitamins, but he wasn’t straightforward.”

  “I don’t know.” Wade shook his head. “Nothing about him is straightforward. His ID was fake. His entire history was fake, and Adley didn’t think to verify any of it when he asked her to keep his secret.”

  “Love makes you do stupid things, I guess,” I said.

  “Well, that ‘love’ facilitated the killing of fifteen magicals and five humans. O’Halloran barely made it out alive. One hundred and five magicals are currently receiving medical care, including him, not to mention the sixty-seven humans still in the hospital. She’s going to Purgatory for a long time,” Wade replied.

  “Purgatory?”

  That sounded ominous.

  “It’s what we call the central magical prison. Most—we call them ‘misdemeanor magicals’—carry out their sentences in the covens’ underground prisons,” Wade explained. “However, the worst offenders go to Purgatory, which was given an interdimensional pocket of its own. It’s an international facility hidden deep in the Antarctic. Magicals from all over the world are taken there, some for life sentences, others on death row.”

  “Was my father there?”

  “I think so, yes,” he replied with a brief nod.

  “What about the coven, the cleanup? Tobe? The others?” I asked, overwhelmed by heart palpitations as the aftermath of the gargoyle massacre set in.

  “We fixed the broken window; the coven is sealed again. Tobe was cleared of all charges, and he’s been busy adding more protections to the Bestiary. You were right, Harley. That wasn’t Tobe in the video footage. It was Finch, posing as Tobe,” Wade said. “The rest of us have been doing ten-hour shifts on cleanup throughout the park and the city. Astrid is still modifying CCTV footage and police reports. Fortunately, Alton and the preceptors were quick to intervene, and we got the Los Angeles and San Francisco Covens to help, too. We’ll be okay, for the most part.”

  “For the most part,” I repeated, sadness filling my heart. Was I going to be okay, too, for the most part? I was never going to be the same again, for sure. My whole life I’d dreamed of one day finding my real family, my biological family. And what did I get?

  A killer for a father, a dead mother, a psychopath of an aunt, and a murderous half-brother, who was also my cousin.

  I shook my head in disbelief, then let out a long and heavy sigh. The pressure of eons was suddenly removed from my shoulders, as I understood the single, most important truth. Whoever and whatever my family was, they weren’t me. Yes, I was Harley Merlin. Yes, my father murdered my mother, with the help of her sister, for reasons unknown—again, jeez! And I had a half-brother who was probably going to get executed or spend the rest of his life in Purgatory. But I was Harley Merlin, and I had a name to build, a history to write, better and nobler than other Merlins before me. I had my own path to clear.

  For the time being, however, I had a lot of pain to get over. My entire body throbbed as I tried to sit up.

  “For the most part,” Wade reiterated. “We’re burying our dead tomorrow. The human world is mostly taken care of. Mass memory fixes, plus a news story about someone hacking military drones and letting them loose in San Diego. They’ll be chasing their tails on this one forever. The California Mage Council is downstairs, in the Main Assembly Hall. They’re holding a hearing on everything that happened here. It’s why I had to wake you up, actually.”

  “They want to talk to me?” I asked, rubbing my face. My fingers brushed over the bandage wrapped around my neck. It still hurt.

  “No, they don’t know you’re awake. But I need you to come down there with me,” he said. “Alton, Tobe, and the rest of us have been making our case, but they need to hear you, too. You’re the last of the Merlins, and now that we know Katherine Shipton is still alive and hell-bent on destroying our society, your input matters.”

  “Why? I’m just another victim,” I said, suddenly wary, my earlier courage trembling before the idea of Katherine Shipton—the big, bad, scary witch who’d helped kill my mom and many other innocent magicals. She tore my family apart.

  “No, you’re Harley Merlin, and if it weren’t for you, we would’ve suffered bigger, more horrific losses. You’re an integral part of the Rag Team, too. I can’t have you benched for this one. The fate of our coven depends on you.”

  “Oh, wow, no pressure or anything,” I said, then inched closer to the edge of the bed. It got chilly once I pushed the blanket away. My hospital gown was crisp white and too thin to keep me warm, given the low temperature in the infirmary. “It’s freezing in here.”

  “It’s to slow down your metabolism and let the healing potions do their job,” he replied.

  Wade pulled a wheelchair over for me, then wrapped me in a blanket and put his arms around me, helping me to my feet. His strength had this quiet way of soothing me. I felt safe in his embrace. We stood like that for what felt like forever, looking into each other’s eyes. There was that pleasant warmth again, the drizzled-honey sweetness and spine-tingling sensation that his grip caused beneath the surface.

  He lowered his head slightly. “I’m glad you’re okay, Harley. And I… I’m also glad that you’re here,” he breathed, and I started melting.

  My cheeks flushed, and the chills I’d experienced earlier were gone. My heart fluttered like an obese butterfly, and I had no idea what to do with all these feelings. I wasn’t even sure whether they were mine, or his. Or both?

  A long moment passed, and I had absolutely no reply. My brain was glitching. Embarrassment took over—all Wade’s, making my temperature spike and my stomach churn. “Anyway, let’s go, no time to waste.” He helped me sit in the wheelchair and pushed me through the double doors, into the hallway.

  “Dude, I’m thirsty. I’m hungry. I’m sore,” I said, crossing my arms and shaking away the feelings. Wade had yet to see the hangry side of me. “I’ve been out for two days. Has anyone thought to feed me, or anything?”

  “Of course,” he said, pushing me toward an elevator at the end of the corridor. When did they get elevators in this place? “You were intravenously fed and hydrated every six hours. Here.”

  He handed me a small bottle of water. I noticed the needle bruises on my hands, where the IVs had been, as I unscrewed the plastic cap. “Oh, God, this feels good,” I groaned, after several mouthfuls of water. “So, what do you want me to do with the Council, again?”

  “Just tell the truth,” Wade said.

  We slipped inside the elevator. The doors closed with a soft jingle. Several seconds later, they opened right into the Main Assembly Hall. There definitely wasn’t an elevator there before. “This is a… special elevator, isn’t it? Like, coven special.”

  “That is correct,” he said, then pushed me forward.

  The coven had gathered around the main podium, where a long, sturdy wooden table had been set, with two smaller ones perpendicular on each side. Behind the structure, the seven mirrors rippled quietly, as the California Mage Council emerged in their dark-blue-and-gold uniforms—all seven of them, this time.

  Alton and Tobe were seated on the left side, at the smaller table. Finch and Adley were on the right, heavily chained to the floor with what looked like special cuffs. A series of runes and symbols were etched into the metallic bands.

  All those directly involved in the investigation and cleanup operation had been seated in the front row, while the rest of the coven stood at the back. They cleared a path as soon as they saw us come through. My heart raced, once again being pummeled by so many emotions. There was so much grief and sorrow, my eyes instantly teared up. Keep it together.

  As we reached the podium, the Mage Council took their seats at the long table, with Imogene and Leonidas sitting in the middle. Their expressions were a mixture of sadness and frustration, a lot of which I could feel directly�
�except for Imogene. She was very much immune to my Empathy.

  I glanced around the hall, making brief eye contact with our Rag Team. Tatyana, Santana, Dylan, Raffe, and Astrid all gave me soft smiles and nods, which I was happy to return. The relief of seeing them all safe and in one piece was difficult to describe. I was just so thrilled to see them all there.

  Garrett, Poe, Rowena, Lincoln, Ruby, and Niklas were seated next to them. Shame and sadness oozed out of the group, since one of their own had been revealed as the evil mastermind behind all the gargoyle attacks. Garrett gave me a weak, sad smile, before shifting his focus back to Finch. He looked heartbroken and disappointed. Even though I couldn’t feel him, his expression was indubitably genuine.

  Alton and Tobe lit up when they saw me. Adley was pale, her lips trembling as grief and shame ate away at her. Finch, on the other hand, was annoyingly relaxed. His burns were healing slowly, but half of his face and his arms were still covered in bandages. His left eye and jaw were bruised and swollen, courtesy of my fists.

  The moment our eyes met, a sharp, familiar pain shot through my right knee, where he’d cut me with his Esprit. I gripped it tightly, massaging until the ache subsided.

  “Harley, I’m so happy to see you’re okay!” Imogene exclaimed, beaming at me. It made me feel good.

  “Harley Merlin,” Leonidas cut in, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you here? We didn’t summon you to this hearing.”

  Raffe’s anger was clear and boiling in my chest. I stole a glance at him and noticed that he didn’t make any efforts to hide his discontentment. Whatever was going on between him and his dad, it burned hot and full of rage. Frankly, I didn’t like his tone, either. Not after everything I’d discovered about my family, and especially not after everything I’d been through.

  And with an entire room of emotions constantly pummeling me, I had very little patience left. And literally nothing to lose if I went ahead and acted as my good ol’ self.

  “Wade thinks you all need to hear what I have to say,” I replied. “I just so happened to wake up. We figured it was a good time to pop down here and say hello.”

  “And what is it you have to say that we don’t already know?” Leonidas asked, the corner of his mouth twitching, despite his otherwise stern expression.

  “I don’t know, man,” I replied with a shrug. “What have you got so far? I’ll fill in the blanks for you.”

  “Try not to piss him off,” Wade whispered above me.

  “He’s asking for it,” I muttered.

  “Well, what we have so far is a pretty clear picture. The San Diego Coven allowed an evil mass murderer’s illegitimate and equally murderous son to infiltrate its ranks and sabotage the Bestiary, on which the entire magical world relies,” Leonidas said. “As expected, Alton Waterhouse failed to notify the Mage Council of the coven’s illicit activities and its attempts to cover up Finch Shipton’s deeds, and is now looking at too many lives lost. We are currently about to reach a decision regarding the San Diego Coven’s fate, as well as the Bestiary’s new location. Clearly, it can no longer stay here.”

  A couple of seconds passed, as I thought over Leonidas’s harsh assessment. “There’s a lot to unpack there, hold on,” I said. I went through my version of the events, from the very first night at the casino, every page of coven material that I’d read, every magical that I’d met and spoken to. I then remembered something from my induction package—at the very end of that folder was a list of the coven’s senior magicals, including the preceptors, the physician, the security detail, and Alton himself. Naturally, that included files on each, including Adley de la Barthe. To my surprise, an interesting fact came up. “Director Waterhouse, can you tell me how Adley de la Barthe came to the San Diego Coven?” I asked.

  At the sound of her name, Adley shot me a confused glance, still sniffing. I was angry at her, but I felt sorry for her, too. I could feel her grief, her remorse, and, most importantly, her broken heart. Judging by how detached Finch looked while sitting next to her, he didn’t give a damn about her feelings, even though she didn’t hold any of it back with her regretful sobs.

  A faint smile tugged at Alton’s lips. He’d figured out my angle. “Adley de la Barthe was referred to Halifax by the former director of the San Diego Coven, two years ago,” he said. “The Los Angeles Coven agreed to her transfer and provided her with wonderful recommendations.”

  “And when did Finch come to the San Diego Coven?” I asked.

  “Approximately around the same time,” Alton replied.

  Leonidas narrowed his eyes at me. “What exactly are you implying, Miss Merlin?”

  Imogene didn’t look too happy either, but given how quickly her shoulders dropped, she understood where I was going with this.

  “I’m not implying anything, Mage Levi,” I replied. “I’m merely stating a fact, which I believe both Adley and Finch will confirm, should they decide to cooperate with the coven. I assume the right to remain silent is a thing amongst magicals, too. Point is, the Los Angeles Coven sent over a supposedly cleared and trustworthy physician. They had no knowledge of Finch Anker’s real name, or his ties to Katherine Shipton—not to mention his affair with Adley. By your same harsh reasoning, if the San Diego Coven failed to identify the traitors, why didn’t the Los Angeles Coven spot them either? Was nobody aware of the relationship?”

  “I’m not following you,” Imogene replied, frowning slightly.

  “Whatever Finch has been planning, it’s been going on for years. Long before he came to the San Diego Coven. That much he confirmed himself. Adley was a tool, one he used to conceal his Shapeshifter ability,” I said. “Finch knew exactly what he was doing, and Adley played along, without asking too many questions because she was obviously head over heels for the guy. I don’t see why the San Diego Coven should be held accountable for Adley’s crooked ways. If you plan to punish us, you had better dish out the same for the LAC, who sent her here in the first place. Or, better yet, do the decent thing and simply admit that you were all duped. Instead of playing the blame game, we should be working together against the real threat.”

  “The real threat,” Leonidas repeated, his bitterness turning my stomach inside out.

  “Katherine Shipton,” I declared. “She is alive and hiding somewhere, orchestrating all this from afar, through proxies. Judging by how chilled out Finch seems to be, I get the feeling he wasn’t her only access port into a coven. More will come. The Bestiary was most likely a ruse. An attempt to destabilize magical society. The San Diego Coven was simply a great opportunity, because of the generally low morale and Mediocrity left behind by Halifax. Instead of bickering like old hags, you all should be thinking of ways to come together and work out a strategy, because what happened two days ago was only the beginning.”

  “How do you know? Was your entire orphan bit a charade? Are you in contact with Katherine Shipton? What else aren’t you telling us?” Leonidas retorted, officially angry.

  “Tone it the hell down!” I said, raising my voice. His anger was no match for mine at this point. “It’s freaking logical! And Finch said so himself! Stop deflecting back to me, because I had absolutely nothing to do with this mess. I tried to stop it, like everyone else—”

  “And stop it she did,” Alton interjected. “She nearly got herself killed to capture Finch, and, had she not employed that painful Orishas trick, our gargoyle problem would’ve been far, far worse. So, please, Leonidas, show some respect.”

  My chest swelled with pride. “Finch knows more than he’s telling us, too,” I continued, recapturing Leonidas’s attention. “I strongly recommend that you postpone any sentencing until we find and stop Katherine Shipton. If anything, he could be used as leverage for her surrender. Blood is thicker than water, after all.”

  “Yeah? How did that work out for you the other day, when I almost killed you, Little Sister?” Finch chuckled. “Don’t kid yourselves. I have nothing to say to you all. Nothing. My mother will bring about a new wor
ld. The weak will perish. The strong will thrive.”

  “Good grief, you sound like a door-to-door preacher from the bowels of the Midwest,” I groaned, rolling my eyes.

  “What do you know about Katherine Shipton?” Imogene asked me, covering Leonidas’s hand with hers to stop him from talking. I had a feeling Mage Levi had more snark to hand out, so I was thankful to see Imogene intervene.

  “Not much, other than what I briefly heard from Alton, and what Finch told me the other day, right before the gargoyle massacre. She had an affair with my father, gave birth to his son. My father then married my mother. Katherine came back and convinced or manipulated my father to kill… my mother,” I said, then choked up a little. I cleared my throat, unwilling to let Finch see how deeply it affected me. “Then she bailed on my father and went on to become a murderous bitch. Much to her surprise, however, I exist. She didn’t think I was born in the first place, so… ta-dah.”

  Imogene stifled a smile. Finch was seething—I’d insulted his precious mother, after all. I could see it all over his face. Everyone else was slightly amused, including Leonidas. “So, in your opinion, and coming back to the main issue here, you don’t think the San Diego Coven should be punished in any way for these Bestiary issues, Miss Merlin? You were warned, after all.”

  “It’s because we were warned that we didn’t tell you about the other incidents in the first place,” I replied bluntly. “Had the Mage Council focused on providing support, instead of being all judgy and handing out harsh penalties, we would’ve gladly asked for more help—but the result would’ve been the same. Nobody would’ve guessed it was Finch. Not until our tracer spell. And don’t even get me started on Adley. The LA Coven didn’t notice her shortcomings either. So, no. I don’t think we deserve penalties or any punishment.”