Page 21 of The Spell Caster

“I heard they’re switching up all the pairings now that Northern Sea got added.” Datura changed the subject. “I saw Calamus Grey with a new guardian already.”

The two continued to gossip while the amphitheater filled. I didn’t see anyone I knew that well, but the crowd looked to be a mix of Northern Sea and Mountain witches. The evacuation must have been well underway.

There were far more Mountain witches. Our circle was—had been—the smallest in the eastern part of America, and the Mountain Circle was one of the larger ones, if not the largest. We were swallowed up by them.

A tall witch in the formal black robes of a councilor strode onto the stage below, and the witches began to settle. The councilor looked to be in his middle years, with neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair and beard. His face was lined with seriousness, and he walked with quick purpose, not pausing to greet the other councilors as he passed.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice naturally projecting through the amphitheater. The crowd quieted.

“I’m Cedar Grey, elected councilor of the Mountain Circle Arcaenum and speaker for the assembly today.” He folded his arms gracefully into his robes, moving restlessly as he addressed us. “The feast of Lughnasadh is supposed to be a joyous time to celebrate the first harvest. But this year, we find ourselves in a state of distress.”

Oliver whispered some reaction to Datura and then turned back to listen. Sativa was ignoring the speech, her thumbs flying over her phone. I imagined it look some effort to keep up with multiple lovers.

“Three days ago, the witches of the Northern Sea Circle suffered an unprecedented attack. Our ancient enemy discovered and menaced them in their very home, a Circle standing since the 1800s. The Northern Sea Circle battled bravely, and I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the three guardians who lost their lives defending their spell casters.”

I felt numb as the witches bowed their heads in silence. Three guardians? Guardians fought angels all the time without a scratch.

A cold fear settled in me. Costi had mentioned weapons.

Fate, it could have been us.

I wondered who the guardians were—the councilor didn’t mention their names. I scanned the crowd, trying to pick out Costi. He must have known them. My heart ached for him.

“Despite this tragic loss, fate was on the side of goodness that night. The Northern Sea caught the attack early enough to muster before the angels got to the Circle. They never made it past the line of defense, and the witches of the Circle remained safe, sheltered in their homes. Northern Sea was victorious.”

Councilor Grey nodded once and waited while thunderous applause swept the amphitheater. I breathed through the memory of the shrieking of angels and the feel of magic rushing through me.

“As of yet,” he continued once it was quiet, “it is unclear how the angels were able to discover the location of Northern Sea. We do not know yet whether this tragedy was brought on by a mistake… or a betrayal.”

A murmuring began in the crowd. I frowned at the implication—the same one the spell caster Aura’s guardian had been muttering about in the infirmary. None of our witches would be that careless. And I couldn’t even entertain the thought of a betrayal of that magnitude. Who would do such a thing? There were children in the Circle.

Councilor Grey held up his hand, and the chatter died down. “Know that the Arcaenum is taking this matter very seriously, and we will be leading a full investigation,” he promised. “In the meantime, we are dealing with the influx of over four hundred refugees from the Northern Sea Circle, a large percentage of their number.”

The rest of our witches must have scattered to other Circles, perhaps to extended family or friends.

“At this time, all witches have been evacuated from the settlement, aside from the monitoring teams. Angel scouts have been sighted several times, sweeping the area around the Northern Sea Circle.”

Gasps and worried sounds rose from the crowd.

“We do not,” said Councilor Grey over the din, “have any reason to believe angels tracked any of the escaping witches, or that they have discovered the location of the Mountain Circle. But we urge everyone to stay vigilant. In our lifetimes, we have had a reprieve, but we cannot forget that we are at war.” He punctuated his words, bringing his fist down into his palm.

“As for our new arrivals,” he continued, “spell casters, guardians, and circlewrights have already been vetted and assigned—our top priority has always been and continues to be the protection of this Circle. The rest of you are free to join in whatever endeavors you are called to. We have limited extra housing, so our second priority will be finding more long-term solutions and building new facilities.”

Grey paced in front of the crowd of witches, catching eyes.

“Northern Sea witches may have noticed that we do things a bit differently here. We are a large Circle, and we rely on organization to keep us running smoothly. If you wish to stay on with us, I suggest you adapt.”

I blinked, eyebrows raised. What in fate’s name did that mean?

“The Arcaenum recognizes that the Northern Sea had their own council, but given the circumstances, that council has been dissolved.”

My breath stuck in my throat as the Northern Sea witches erupted in confusion and outrage. “You can’t dissolve our council!” shouted someone behind me. “There was no consensus!”

“You can’t just take control. You’re creating a hierarchy!”

“Order, please!” Grey boomed. “Accusations of Inperium are extremely out of line.”

Mouths snapped closed in stunned silence. A chill went through me. Witches didn’t just throw that word around casually.

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