Chapter 693: Frazzled
I hadn't noticed how frazzled Mom looked when she sat with the rest of the Council while they lectured me on my unweddedness. But now I focused on her and not my own troubles, I saw the slight darkness under her eyes. How she looked more tired than usual.
Mom returned my hug before latching onto Meira. I caught a flicker of motion to my right, glanced over and spotted Maurice watching with a pinched and bitter expression. Looked like our little family lunch was on his list of unnecessary events.
"Council Leader," he said in his whiny voice, round belly rising and falling as he spoke with his nose in the air. "You realize we have much to do between now and this evening?"
I have no idea where Mom found her patience. Instead of dropkicking his rotund little body out the nearest window like I would have, she smiled and nodded to him, waving him aside. She led Meira and me through the doorway he attempted to block as he spluttered at her for forcing him to move.
"I need to eat," she said over her shoulder, tone light. "We all need to eat, Maurice."
My demon acted before I could stop her, snapping my teeth together in his face.
"Yum," she said through me in her graveled voice.
Maurice flinched and backed away before spinning and trotting off.
Snicker.
A huge stack of paperwork greeted us as Mom magicked it to a nearby chair with a smile of apology.
"I'm sorry, girls," she said. "This conclave has taken on a life of its own." Her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "It's been a balancing act to not only bring everyone together, but keep our search for Brotherhood taint under wraps. You know witches and ruffled feathers. If any of them found out we were planning to search their power without their knowledge..." Her fingers wound together, the only sign of her growing nerves. "And I'm certain, as you are, Syd, Liander Belaisle is quite aware of the main goal of our little get-together."
Little. Yeah, because the logistics behind gathering all the Councils together was the definition of "little".
"Can we help?" She'd insisted I stay out of it from the beginning. I rushed to pour Mom a glass of wine, trying not to allow myself to worry too much about the Brotherhood. Belaisle was always ahead of me anyway, so I was sure she was right. But what else could we do but be as proactive as possible at this point?
Mom accepted the offered glass with a soft kiss on my cheek.
"Not at all," she said, sinking with a happy sigh into the chair at the head of the table, Meira and I on either side. Both of us leaned forward and focused on Mom, our energy meeting in the middle, offering her support as we offered it up.
Mom laughed and batted us away with a flicker of magic. "Silly girls," she said with a fond smile for us both. "I'm fine."
She really shouldn't have been surprised we worried, not after what she'd been through. The fact she'd almost lost herself to the Brotherhood thanks to the theft of her family necklace still bothered me. Yes, more guilt. And while I knew she was a grown witch and more than capable of taking care of herself, I also knew if it hadn't been for the pentagram pendant she'd given me, embedded with her magic, now around her neck, I wouldn't be sitting here having lunch with her.
I'd probably still be in a cell.
"The first of the families will arrive tonight," Mom said, shaking out her napkin as flares of magic delivered lunch. I sniffed in appreciation as my bowl filled with soup. Curry sweet potato, my favorite. I dug in as Mom went on. "I just hope the site is ready in time."
Meira slurped her own appetizer. "I'm sure it will be," she said. "Are the coven leaders still giving you a hard time over the location?"
Mom shrugged, eyes twinkling as she winked at me. "I haven't given them an opportunity lately," she said. "The biggest naysayers have been loaded down with the most work."
Nice way to shut up someone. I resolved to remember to use her trick when the opportunity arose.
Still, I almost agreed with some of the protesters. I was about to have the world's most powerful witches in my back yard. The reminder rose to smother the hurt and worry of the last few hours.
"And the old coven site is secure?" I picked at a hang nail even as I admitted to myself my mother was a genius. Still, as brilliant as her idea was, it made me queasy. "I'm happy to add magic to the wards."
Mom shook her head over another sip of wine. "The Council's power is more than enough," she said. "Along with the Enforcers. Pender has seen to it himself." Mom's Enforcer Leader was nothing if not thorough, still blaming himself for Mom's trouble with the Brotherhood. "And since the site used to house the Hayle family power, the elements there are still more than easy to manipulate to our purposes."
Considering the Sidhe Gate also kept normals in Wilding Springs from even noticing magic, it really was an excellent choice of venue for the once a century meeting of witches.
Still.
Yikes.
"I'll give you a tour after lunch," Mom said.
And she did, much to my surprise. Usually something catastrophic-at least according to Maurice-would arise before we even finished eating and he'd hustle Mom away to put out what amounted to a tiny fire. Sometimes I thought he believed he owned my mother.
Pissed me off.
This time, he kept his distance, not even protesting when Mom rose and took our hands. I pondered the best time to dump Tallah's little meetings with sorcerers and the arrival of the wild magicks back into my life on my mother. She had so much to handle right now, just spending the majority of a nice meal with her was much more appealing.
Deciding I'd talk to her once we reached the conclave site, I opened the veil and slipped us through. Ahbi greeted Mom with a spark of power before we stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight.
Mom waved at her face, tiny beads of moisture rising on her upper lip, Meira grinning. I didn't notice the heat or humidity, thanks to my changing physiology and missed the warmth of the August day like a knife stab.
All that, and the rising urgency I felt to share what I'd learned, faded as I looked around with my mouth hanging open. Giant white pavilions dotted the landscape, filling not only the clearing where we'd once held our family rites, but stretching out through the tree line, expanding the site to five times its old size. Enforcers whizzed by carrying various bundles while witches hurried between the impressive tents, heads down, chattering details to each other.
The sizzle of magic greeted us as we passed over the line of wards and into the main site. Mom's distress at the heat faded and even I felt the cool wave of air as we passed. How civilized of Mom to offer the gathering temperature controlled comfort. I counted pavilions as we went, all circling a large main one towering over head.
"Africa," Mom said, gesturing to her right. "Asia." Another just beyond it. "South America." On the other side of the center pavilion. "Australia and New Zealand." Beside South America. "Europe." My chest compressed as I thought of Council Leader Margaret Applegate and her thrall to the Brotherhood. "India. And North America." I looked up at the big tent that was to be my home for a few nights and sighed.
"Mom," Meira said. "What are those for?"
I noticed smaller tents dispersed between larger ones just before Meira pointed them out. The still impressive pavilion sat between Asia and South America, reduced size intended for a smaller number of occupants.
Storage? Dining tents?
"Come see." Mom led us there, stopping next to the first one. "I thought it only fair." She gestured to the flag hanging from a pair of poles stuck in the ground and felt my eyes widen.
"Demonicon." Meira laughed and clapped before hugging Mom. It was the first time in a long time I remembered, despite what she looked like on the outside, my sister was still a fourteen year old girl. Yes, she'd matured beyond her years in many ways, but the sweet young woman she hid behind her power and presence showed up occasionally.
Made me smile.
"I'm sorry to split up you two," she said. "I originally wanted to put your tents together. But this way I have the two of you in strategic placement around the site."
Was okay with me.
"And this one." Mom showed us the Sidhe banner, tent crouched between South America and Australia. She turned to me with a smile. "Liam has already extended our invitation to Queen Aoilainn and King Odhran."
Had he, now?
The next, tucked in the shadows of Australia and Europe, bore the banner of the Wilhelm family. "Frank and Sunny have agreed to come," Mom said. "Though I'm afraid there's no word from Queen Pannera." The Sthol flag sagged in the dropping breeze as if in answer to Mom's words."
The second to last tent had the head of a wolf howling at a full moon. "You invited the werewolves?" Why was I so surprised?
"They are a nation themselves, now," Mom said, arm slipping around my shoulders. "And they, of all magickind, have the most experience with sorcery."
Did they. I'd only just freed them this past January of centuries of servitude to the Black Souls and their corrupt leader, Yure Danko. I was happy the Czar was dead, but still thought about his second in command, Vasyl Krajnik, and wondered how Liander Belaisle greeted the sorcerer after he'd failed in his task to recruit the werewolves.
At least, I assumed that was Belaisle's aim.
Who knew what the Brotherhood leader was really thinking?
As much as I figured it would give me an advantage, the thought of understanding his twisted mind made me want to throw up.
"You do realize this is going to raise a stink the likes the witching community has never seen?" Meira grinned at Mom.
"Epic," I said, finding her amusement contagious.
Mom's smile turned wicked. "Should be a show," she said.
And Sassafras wondered where I got it.
"And the Steam Union?" Just bringing them up raised the image of yummynom Piers Southway's face in my mind. I fought the blush warming my cheeks as Mom spoke.
"Yes," she said. "I've just spoken with Eva. I believe they are sending a small contingent and hope she herself can attend." Gestured at the tent between Africa and Asia.
I understood her motivations. "We need to make sure everyone is here."
She nodded. "To foster good relations between the supernatural races," Mom said, tone light and practiced. Until her eyes narrowed, voice dropping. "And so we know everyone is clean."
Of the Brotherhood.
Good luck with that.
I didn't get a chance to talk to her about Tallah. The wild magicks. Demetrius. Because the inevitable finally happened, a witch rushing up to Mom and dragging her off. Promising myself-after a firm ass kicking-I'd fill Mom in as soon as she was free, I drifted through the tents while Meira wandered into her pavilion with a saucy grin.
As I rounded a corner, still a little in awe of the set up, I caught a flash of movement and peeked between two tents.
Caught Quaid standing with his back to me. But he wasn't alone.
The buxom blonde Enforcer trainee who stood next to him had no idea how close she came to death that day. Payten hovered beside him, her face in the light, her generous rack pushed against his arm.
Her fingers twined in his hand as she laughed.
Oh.
My.
Swearword.
I turned and stumbled away, unable to draw a breath, choking on my anguish even as something inside me snapped and fire poured over the chill of my hurt.
Bastard.
Just try that again.
The next time he showed up in my back yard, I was burying his arrogant ass next to the Wild Hunt and leaving him there to suffer for all eternity.
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