Page 59 of Rites of Passage

Armand cleared his throat discreetly.

“Sorry.” Mae grimaced at Raven. “Come on in.”

“Thanks.” The witch closed the door behind her. She studied Mae for a moment, as if deciding something. Resolution filled her eyes. “I’m Raven.”

She came forward and shook Mae’s hand, the bottle-green vine snake coiled around her shoulders hissing out a hello.

“I’m Mae.”

A stilted silence followed.

“Look, I’m sorry about what happened out there. Those three are stubborn as mules, but they mean well.” Raven frowned. “Still, that attack was totally unwarranted.”

Mae could sense the witch’s genuineness. The fact that Violet and Miles had spoken highly of her meant she should trust her.

“Are you sure?”

Raven blinked. “Am I sure about what?”

“That they mean well?”

Mae’s quiet words hung like a guillotine’s blade in the hush that ensued.

“I know their actions haven’t put them in a favorable light,” Bryony said hesitantly. “But I doubt they’re our enemies.”

“Sometimes, the enemy is the last person you expect it to be,” Barbara muttered.

Mae could tell from the older witch’s brooding expression that she spoke from bitter experience.

She met Raven’s strained gaze steadily. “Something is about to go down in Philadelphia. And your High Council either genuinely has no idea what’s going on, or it’s aware and doesn’t care.”

Raven flinched. “What do you mean?”

“This city is teeming with demons. I can’t tell how many are ghouls, like the ones we fought in New York before we came here. The only way to know for sure would be to witness their aura in person.” Mae looked at the men by her side. “Right now, only Nikolai, Vlad, and I can detect those. So, excuse me if I think your High Council is acting suspicious considering the circumstances.” Her voice hardened. “Right now, they seem intent on not listening to us.”

Raven put up a hand. “Hold up. Ghouls?!” She scowled. “That’s the first I’ve heard of any of this!”

The color had drained from April’s face. “Teeming with demons?”

Regina looked around, confused. “What the devil is going on?”

“I think you should start at the beginning,” Vlad advised Mae.

Mae swiftly recounted the events of the last few days. Nikolai pitched in and told everyone about Agnes’s exorcism. Bryony reported on what Mae had discovered inside the body of the dead sorcerer and the private research facility currently examiningIce Fortress. She also reluctantly told them about Barquiel and his association with the Sorcerer King.

Barbara’s shrewd gaze swept over Mae, Nikolai, and Vlad. “So, the only ones who can see the ghouls’ auras are the three of them?”

“Yes,” Bryony said. “We’re not quite sure why.”

Mae avoided Brimstone’s wily stare. She had a feeling Barbara suspected the truth behind the matter too.

She kinda reminds me of Mrs. Son-Ha that way.

Raven sat down heavily in a chair, her face pale. “Jesus, Bryony. Why didn’t you report this to us sooner? Especially about Barquiel!”

A guilty light shone in Bryony’s eyes. “I was intending to, at tomorrow’s meeting. I felt it would help Mae’s case if I made it known then.”

A trace of sympathy colored Raven’s expression as she eyed Mae. “Your best friend got possessed by an Archduke of Hell?”

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