Page 22 of Calling Quarters

“You should have admitted that we needed to step in. We're not even sure how you managed to keep the shield intact as long as you did,” Silas admitted.

Good. That meant they had no idea that I was able to draw power from the underworld and share it with the others.

“Are you saying you think you'd be more equipped to ward off the darkness? Do you have some sort of special powers we aren't aware of?” Rhyse's hands went up into the air incredulously. He was now sitting at the edge of his seat, nearly nose to nose with his father.

He shouldn't have accused them of such a crime. Keeping powers from future Quarters was a grave offense in our bylaws. They were required to share every ounce of information they had with us when they passed on the gift.

We knew they were keeping the Book of Shadows and any content that might help them reverse the shift in power hidden, but we didn't want them to know we were on to them. Not until we had concrete proof.

An accusation like that without the evidence to back it up would have us all burned immediately. I shot Rhyse a warning glare, internally screaming for him to stand down.

“Of course not. I'm saying it was irresponsible to put the rest of your coven in such danger when you knew you needed help. You're lucky enough to have us available to you as resources. Use. Us.”

When no one bothered responding, Silas cleared his throat. He folded his pale hands on the desk and leaned forward.

“We're not allowing another mishap like this. We'll discuss Samhain when it gets closer, but any Quarter business that involves magic will be handled by us until then. And we will begin training with you again as soon as possible. Clearly, you've still got much to learn.”

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately. They expected a strong reaction to his condescending words—that much was clear by the way the three behind us stood abruptly from their chairs, legs spread and arms widened in a defensive stance. Silas remained seated at his desk, his dark eyes boring into his son's in a challenge. I turned and found the same look in my father's eyes.

They hadn't just expected a reaction, theywantedone. They were desperate for any excuse to fully strip us of our magic and had resorted to setting us up.

But when I looked at Rhyse, he was locked in with Lux, who was silently pleading with him to stay quiet the same way I had before. Enzo was equally confused, waiting for someone else to make a move. After what felt like an eternity, Rhyse nodded once at Lux, and the anxiety swarming around the room dropped to the floor.

“Fine,” he said to his father, who couldn't seem to hide his bewilderment behind the usual passive stare that masked his face.

“Okay, then. You're free to go.” Silas stumbled over his words a bit. He finally stood from his chair to bid us goodbye. “Rest up. We'll be starting work on you boys first thing tomorrow.”

On the way out, Enzo tried whispering his concerns to us, but we quickly shut him down. We couldn't have this conversation yet.

Disaster ensues just one day into the coveted festival ceremony, leaving locals and tourists wondering: what the heck happened?

An eerie feeling. A loud boom. Screams of horror. Panic in the streets. These are just a few things festival patrons experienced as we kicked-off our eight-day celebration of the Autumnal Equinox.

The Beacon Grove community has now come together to clean up the aftermath of what appears to have been a breach in the Quarter shield. Locals are left in the dark as Mayor Mike Douglas and Watchtower coven High Priest, Silas Forbes, refuse to offer any insight to our staff here at The Beacon for how they plan to proceed with the rest of the event.

In last night's emergency town meeting, Rayner Whittle insisted the Quarter families were responsible for the disruption and has maintained his political stance against them. Mayor Douglas ended the meeting abruptly with no concrete plans.

"Whatever happened, it was a horrifying way to begin what was supposed to be one of our best years yet," Watchtower Tavern owner, Lisa Golden, commented. Golden says Mabon and Samhain are her most profitable times of the year, making up about twenty-five percent of her income.

But the Watchtower Tavern isn't the only local business suffering. Tabitha Granger at the Compass Hotel has confirmed that nearly fifty percent of her guests have checked out early.

Without the foot traffic from tourists, business owners are left wondering if the celebration will be cancelled altogether, and if so, how they'll manage to make ends meet.

The Beacon will continue to provide the most accurate and up to date news regarding this tragic event.

Chapter 14

Storie

When I awoke, I was alone in Blaire's room. The morning sun shone through the window beside her bed, brushing the walls in a tangerine-peach tint. I must have been out for at least a few hours, though it felt as if I'd only blinked and the sky had transitioned from the dead of night into morning.

Pots and pans clanged in the kitchen across the hallway. I heard hushed, irritated conversation in between the violent bangs. Whoever was making such a ruckus clearly wasn't happy.

“Oh, you're up!” Blaire entered the room with a smile and a glass of water. “I figured you could use this.”

“What time is it?” my morning voice croaked, and I realized how dry my throat had been. I took the glass from her hands gratefully.

“Eight o'clock. You've been out for a while.”

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