Page 21 of Wicche Hunt

“It was on the far right, looking at the counter. I think it was a lavender and lemon blend. I’m not positive, though,” I said. “The thing about visions is that sometimes they’re more symbolic. It might be a Darjeeling or a berry hibiscus, but I saw lavender lemon because that was what I wanted to drink in that moment. It might not even be tea. I think we tell her what we saw, but also alert her to someone coming in and causing a distraction in order to poison her products.”

Mom and Gran nodded slowly, taking that in. Mom got Serena on the phone and told her exactly that and to rebuild her wards. Calliope had worked with her on the original warding of the shop, meaning Calliope could take them down anytime she wanted. I stayed out of it. Serena hadn’t been my biggest fan before her mother had died and I’d identified her sister as the sorcerer who’d done it. Now? Well, there was a lot of understandable hostility aimed at me.

Once Mom was off the phone, she looked between the two of us. “What was that about John? What was upsetting him on the computer?”

I shook my head. I hadn’t seen the screen either.

Gran said, “It was a banking website.”

Mom swiped through the phone and called John, Serena and Calliope’s dad. As Mom explained the vision, he logged into his accounts, checked balances, and then reset his passwords. He said he’d be contacting the bank to add more security. It was the best we could do at the moment.

“So, she needs money,” Gran said. “We’ll need to send a message to everyone to change passwords and update security. If she can’t steal her parents’ money, she’ll try to steal someone else’s.”

“They should probably strengthen all their wards,” I said. “Who knows how long she’s been planning, stockpiling information, unwinding wards.”

“Yes,” Mom agreed. “I’ll send out the message today.” She picked up her phone again and texted.

“Wait until we’ve finished our meeting,” Gran said.

“No. I’m sending Andrew over to sit with Hester. I’ll be taking Arwyn this afternoon, but I want someone with her now.”

Gran and I nodded our agreement.

“Did either of you recognize the man who was pushed down the stairs?” I asked.

They looked at each other and then shook their heads.

“The house didn’t look familiar either,” Gran said.

“No,” Mom agreed.

“Maybe the one doing the pushing?” Gran asked.

“I couldn’t see him,” I said. “I don’t think he’s family, but it feels like he’s connected to a Corey. No idea how, though.”

“And that other one being shoved off a cliff,” Gran said. “I’ve never seen him before either.”

Mom took a sip and shook her head. “Nor have I.”

Shrugging, I said, “Me neither. And this is the problem with visions. Sometimes I have no idea what they mean until after the thing happens.” I rubbed my forehead. “It’s so frustrating.”

“Well,” Mom began, “we’ll think about it and maybe one of us will have an epiphany.”

“The fire scares me,” Gran said. “I didn’t see enough to identify the house. They already tried to burn down your gallery. Are they coming back to do it again? Is it one of our houses? Is the fire connected to that dark presence we saw trying to break into our homes?”

I closed my eyes, calling up the image. “I don’t think it’s me. The shape of the building isn’t right. The gallery is much longer than what we saw. I feel like I should know it, but I can’t place it.”

Mom stood. “We’ll think about that too.” She checked her watch. “The family knows we’re meeting. If anyone would like to petition our help, they’re to arrive in about fifteen minutes. I suggest we use the restroom or whatever we need to do to freshen up. I have no idea how many might come, but we’ll need to be ready and welcoming. We haven’t had a meeting like this in a very long time, so many people need our help.”

Yeah, I felt that punch. Mom was always good at hitting her targets.

She flicked her fingers and chairs that had been along the wall were now fanned out in front of the window. “We’ll let people congregate in the parlor while we see petitioners one by one in here.” She started to leave and then paused. “Darling, can you freshen our tea? I believe we’ll be seeing a great many people.”

I did and then I used the time to send a quick text to Declan.

Me: I had a vision about a building burning. It’s not my gallery again. I think, though, it might be your barn. It was hard to identify the shape, but I heard a growl, and the pack is causing trouble. Do you have sprinklers installed yet?

Declan: No, not yet. I’ll get the cameras mounted today and the motion sensors. Thank you.

---