Page 142 of Castings & Curses

Jessica set the box on the head table. “Does anyone want to inspect the box to ensure no tampering?” She baited the Helwigs, and Sage gave her a mental high five.

Zelda elbowed her sister. “Yes.”

Imelda hoofed it to the table, her all-black outfit mimicking her older sister’s austere clothing. She wore a large antique moonstone pendant, a permanent fixture around her neck. Sage had never seen her without. The pendant matched a moonstone ring Zelda wore on her left hand, signifying her marriage to her coven. Strands of silver shot through Imelda’s lustrous long, black hair. She inspected every side of the box and gave Zelda a thumbs-up. “The Helwig clan has no issues with the vote container. Who received the keys?” The witch scanned one corner of the room to the others.

The Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area High Priestesses stood, and Zelda joined them. Imelda smirked and returned to her seat.

Sage rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she wished she could slither out of these Council meetings and hide under a rock until everyone hit the road. The idea of a magical broomstick sounded awesome.As if.

The three witches opened the box and inspected the sealed envelope inside. With deliberate motions, Ben used his pocketknife to slice it open and slipped out the printed vote results. He handed it to Jessica, and the trio of witches lunged for it.

Magic climbed in the air, perceptible to Sage, who had an uncanny knack for sensing magic that escaped other witches. She sprang up, her metal chair folding in on itself and clattering to the wood flooring. “Stop!” Her glare primed to blast a hole in Zelda’s forehead.One could only wish.“Zelda. Drop the freaking magic. You know magic’s not allowed in here.”

A bright red flush stole over Zelda's face, her indignation palpable. “You’re insane, girl. You’re sensing all the witches in the room. Too much for you to handle, huh?”

“Nope. You turned up the knob. Now hit the kill switch.” She snatched the gavel and pounded it on the table, the sound reverberating up to the high-beamed ceiling. “Did you spell the letter, trying to destroy it before Jessica reads it? Did you glamour it? Afraid I’m gonna win? You know my name’s written all over the results. No one wants you ruling.” She’d stepped over the line articulating the thoughts of three-quarters of the room. The witch hag had pushed Sage’s last button. Knowing that Zelda wanted Rafael shot her patience to the moon.All’s fair in love and war. Whoa! Where’d the wordlovestem from?

Warlocks edged closer to their witches. Magic in all the elements flared up in the room as witches prepped their defensive magic. The pungent odor of fertile loam and brimstone overpowered the ineffectual lavender drifting through the air.

Jessica tapped the mic several times, the loud booming and resulting electronic screech quelling a near insurrection. “Shut down the magic and return to your seats. Or we call this meeting off.”

“Then what? Sage rules because she’s a Wilde?” Zelda sneered.

“Read the vote.” Sage stamped her boot on the wooden floor, vibrating several planks. “If you don’t agree with the results, tough shit. I’m shitting in the same woods, and you don’t see me threatening anyone.”

The witches returned to their seats, tense and grumbling. Warlocks stood stalwart and nervous at their prior positions. Residual witch-air billowed through Sage’s own witch-air, scattering it. Invisible witch-fire converted the space into an inferno and sweat formed beneath her breasts. A pungent earthy aroma permeated the room, and Sage expected weeds to pop out of the woodwork if she blinked. Remaining vigilant, she opened her senses to detect another magic outburst.

Jessica’s hands trembled as she unfurled the paper with the results. “By order of the Western Witch’s Council, Sage Wilde is hereby voted in as western regional High Priestess by a majority vote, until she forfeits, loses her magic permanently, is permanently incapacitated, passes to the other side, or receives aunanimousregional vote to remove her from office.” Jessica handed the paper to the High Priestess on her left. “It is written, so mote it be pursuant to the Book of Shadows, modern edition number three.”

The room erupted, a chaotic combination of applause, cheers, and loud dissent from the Helwigs and their minions. Once again, magic seeped into the air, creating a visible mushroom cloud of doom at ceiling height.

Zelda rushed forward, rammed Ben out of the way, and clutched the mic. “You will all rue this day. This chit will never meet your expectations. The government will crack down on all witches and enact laws to hamper our every move. Sage Wilde will destroy the witchworld.” The room fell silent to her angry bellows. “I demand a new vote in three months’ time, per the rules.”

Misty, the Bay Area High Priestess, and a staunch Wilde ally addressed the crowd. “Sage won the vote fair and square. They outvoted you, Zelda. Take it like a lady. Three-quarters of the region don’t want a Helwig leader. We all know the history of the Helwigs who dragged us into the Witches and Warlocks war, on the warlock’s side, I might add. So zip it and pop a squat.”

Sage perched a hip on the table, grim and stone-faced. She’d expected Zelda to screech out a tangent. Fire roiled in her chest, and she wanted to blast the Wicked Witch of the West to smithereens.

Jessica grabbed the mic from Zelda’s hand, wincing from the heat Zelda projected on the handle. “If you force another vote, you’ll challenge me on the ticket.”

Sage gasped and gained her feet. She cupped her hand over the mic. “Aunt Jessica,” she whispered. “You abdicated. You said you don’t have it in you to rule, and you wanted young blood to carry on our traditions for a longer time.”

“Let me finish,” Jessica murmured. Sage removed her hand from the mic, and Jessica continued, “Although young, Sage has the smarts, the power, the business and finance degrees to run this region for a good long time. She’s the most powerful witch we’ve seen in decades, if not longer. By the witch’s decree, the role is my rightful place in Jana’s stead. You’ll waste time and money forcing another vote.”

Rebel, High Priestess of the Silicon Valley coven and Wilde ally, stood next to Misty. “The vote stands. Sage is our regional High Priestess.” Every other witch repeated the words until Sage heard her name chanted over and over. Several of Zelda’s best bitches even chanted Sage’s name.

The Helwigs’ biggest hater from a Southern California coven, whom Sage had a difficult time naming, shouted, “Accept the role, Sage. We need your young blood to carry us into our next chapter. You were born for this. Your mother prepared you for this. No one can take it from you, least not Zelda or Imelda Helwig.”

The outpouring of encouragement and acknowledgment stunned Sage. She scrambled up on the table and shouted, “I accept!” Hating the role with everything in her, but wanting to please her deceased parents from the grave, she blew out the candle she’d picked up and accepted her inheritance. “So mote it be.”

CHAPTER6

Smoke spiraledup from embers raining down upon Sage, and a gust of wind disbursed the fire magic. Zelda released her bobcat familiar, and it dashed toward Sage, stopping short of leaping on the table, teeth bared and tail swishing.

Sage yelped and her pulse quickened. The candle dropped from her hand and clunked onto the floor. Arrows shot from her eyes at Zelda. The bobcat emitted a high-pitched scream, like a hysterical woman, mimicking Zelda. Silence fell upon the room, and Ricky helped Sage clamber off the table. Her temper flared, overpowering her fear. Aether ascended inside her, and her vision grew blurry as agony gathered behind her eyes.

“How dare you threaten me?” Sage didn’t miss a beat. “As regional High Priestess, I banish the entire Helwig coven from the solstice event. Now retrieve your familiar before I unleash my ninja fairies on it.” Her aether ebbed and flowed, said ninjas raring to go medieval. Sage felt the telltale silver circling her darkening irises. Mirror unnecessary. She ducked her head to hide her shifting eyes from the crowd. “Get me out,” she whispered to Ricky. “Now, please.”

The wildcat hissed at Sage before Zelda summoned it. It scuttled up her arm, morphing into tattoo form.

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