Page 80 of Boss Witch

“First, we circulate the proof you found. We can’t spread it wide on the web, but there are witch equivalents. You can do the same on hunter sites—­I’m sure there are some. If we put magical bots on it, there’s no way they can scrub the truth fast enough to keep people from seeing it.” She cracked her knuckles. “This ismyhouse. I rule the world witch web.”

“That…could work.”

Her excitement grew when Gavin voiced support. “Once we get the word out, then we follow up with the witch’s council. They haven’t intervened because they thought hunters have no connection with us, right? Not subject to their authority. But huntersarewitches, so that means they’re guilty of viciously attacking their brethren for centuries.”

“The witch’s council must have their own enforcers,” Gavin said, seeming to realize what conclusion she’d reached.

“We don’t have too much trouble these days, but yeah.”

“Then let’s get started. We’ll need to take turns with your laptop—­”

Laughing, Clem shook her head. “Tech witch. Do you understand what I mean by ‘magical bots’? Write down the info for the hunter portals, and I’ll weave it into a dispersal spell and cast it on my laptop. A thousand AIs will whisper the truth all over our portions of the web. The information can’t be scrubbed or deleted through mundane means either.”

Clem basked in the impressed look Gavin aimed her way. “How utterly tremendous. Is that something I could learn?”

“Since you demonstrated proficiency with vivimancy as your first instinct, and you said hunters were mainly attuned to that and neuromancy, I suspect it’d be challenging.”

“Why?” he asked.

“All witches can access each type of magic, but the degree of success depends on their major attunement. Vivimancy and technomancy are oppositional on the spectrum… It’s why we cast well together, offering both sides of the magical coin. Magics that are more adjacent are easier to learn, though. Someone who has skill in divinations might also be good at enchantments. Think of it like a wheel where the different gifts abut.”

It felt strange to be educating a hunter—­no, aformerhunter—­on what it meant to be a witch. She could only imagine how Gavin felt, how she’d feel to learn every horrible thing she’d ever been taught was a lie—­

Actually, I do know how he feels because of Gram and her bullshit about Waterhouse witches mixing with mundanes.

“That makes sense. Degree of affinity dictates the level of adroitness in each area,” he said, seeming to work it out in his head.

“I can draw you a chart if you like. But save further questions for after. I need to get this spell in motion.”

Gavin nodded, and she hurriedly set up everything she needed next to the laptop. It felt so incredibly strange to be doing this in front of him, but there was no danger. Well, no danger from Gavin. The rest of the order still wanted to wrest away her power.

She lit the candles, opened her laptop, and got the athame she used for spell work. From the corner of her eye, she caught Gavin’s reflexive flinch, but she didn’t pause to reassure him. Clem felt sure he was braced for her to open a vein or stab him or something, but time was of the essence. They had no clue how long the other crew would be distracted.

Centering herself, she paid respect to the elements and gathered her power, shaping the spell in her head through symbols she etched into the air. In her mind’s eye, she crafted little arrows framed from light, encoded with all the firmness of her intention. Then, with a graceful swoop of the blade, she tapped the edge of her laptop, and power swirled as the spell released.

“That was beautiful.”

Clem opened her eyes. “Was it?”

“If even one hunter had seen what witches do, we wouldn’t need to circulate that hidden diary. We’d know we’re the villains of the piece.”

“Not all,” she said with a tinge of bitterness. “Even with overwhelming evidence, some people will never admit they’re the villains. They commit murder in the daytime and then claim they feared for their lives.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“It’s done regardless. The tide can’t be stopped.”

Since she had little physical control over the spell now that it had been released, she also sent a copy of the email to the witch’s council, wanting to make sure they understood what was happening. Clem also included her thoughts on how they ought to proceed, not that she had any influence. In fact, she didn’t even know who the current council members were. It was kept secret to eliminate the possibility of currying favor, and the representatives rotated annually, constantly shifting to keep any witch from building up too much political power. She’d heard the council members didn’t even know who the others were, as they used a combination of masks and illusion to maintain their anonymity.

“Now we wait,” Gavin said.

“That’s the toughest part.”

“My mouse familiar says his name isn’t Benson—­he prefers ‘Algernon.’ At some point, he was exposed to a sad story that made a major impression.”

“Flowers for Algernon? It has a mouse in it. I hope Algernon Benson fares better,” she said with a half smile.

“It’s really odd that I can understand him. He’s a tiny voice in my head now.”

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