Morgan stands abruptly. “I’m sorry. I should go.” She’s more panicked than I’ve ever seen. I want to comfort her, but she’s already pushing in her chair and backing away from the table. “Can I tell my parents?” She directs her question at Archer, and the second he nods, she’s gone.
It all happens so fast, I don’t have time to argue. To ask her to stay.
When the door closes at the front of the house, Archer pulls out the chair at the end of the table for Elder Keating. “That was Miss Hughes. She’s part of the Blood Witch family we relocated to Salem this summer.”
“Oh, of course. I’d nearly forgotten, with everything else.” Keating turns to me, smiling slightly. “It’s good to see you’ve helped her settle into town.”
My cheeks flush, and it’s all I can do to nod.
“Have Agents Archer and Morrissey had time to explain the events of last night?” Keating looks at me like I’m the only person in the world. When I nod, she continues. “I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to protect your coven. We’re working on a barrier spell that will keep the Witch Hunters out of Salem. It will take time to complete, but I’m handling the preparations personally.”
“Thank you,” I say, but I can’t help but feel it’s not enough. There are witches all over the country. Sarah Gillow was part of a southern coven before she moved north for college and met Rachel. What about her family? What about Cal’s parents in Boston? My relatives in Washington have already lost their magic. There has to be more we can do to protect everyone else.
“Is something the matter?” Elder Keating asks, her gaze penetrating. It demands answers in a way her light tone does not. It’s both unnerving and inspiring, the way she commands attention with little more than the way she carries herself.
“I’m grateful, more than I can say, but . . . There has to be more we can do. Salem isn’t the only place that needs protection.”
The Elder Caster smiles, and I feel like I’ve passed some test. “That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”
“My help?” A surge of dangerous hope batters against my broken heart. This is it. This is my chance. “Tell me what you need. I’ll do anything.”
Elder Keating retrieves a thick file from her purse. She flips it open and pulls a photograph from the top. A four-story building with large glass windows stares back at me. “This is Hall Pharmaceuticals. It’s where the Hunters are producing their drug.”
“Is this where they had the raid last night?” I ask, pulling the photograph closer. I trace the lettering over the entrance. “Wait. Hall Pharmaceuticals . . . As in Benton Hall?” I trip over his name and reach for the black tourmaline hanging from my neck and squeeze tight. I need its calm now more than ever. I force myself to breathe slowly. I’m okay. Don’t let them see you crack. Don’t lose your chance.
“His grandfather owns the company, yes.” Elder Keating looks to Archer, and he picks up where she left off.
“We learned last night that breaking in isn’t going to work.” Archer glances at Cal, a brief moment of silence for the agents they lost. “But we have a plan that will allow us to walk in the front door without suspicion.”
“Except we can’t do it without a couple key recruits,” Cal cuts in. “Two, actually. A Blood Witch named Alice Ansley and a Caster named David O’Connell.”
“That’s where you come in,” Keating finishes. “We believe if you met with Alice and David, if you asked them to help us, they would agree.”
I trace the edge of the photograph again. Talking other witches into helping the Council isn’t exactly fighting on the front lines, but it’s a start. “Why me? Can’t you force them to help? You’re an Elder.”
“We do not force our witches to do anything, Hannah. Not even when things are this desperate. It has to be their choice.” She pulls another page from her folder and slides it over to me.
It’s an old photo of me, one where I’m grinning at the camera while Veronica plants a kiss on my cheek. Below the photo is an article about Benton’s upcoming trial.
Elder Keating rests her arms gracefully on the table. “You have been through a great ordeal, Hannah. You are the only witch who faced the Hunters, who felt the pain of losing your magic, and lived to tell the tale. Lived and got your magic back. There’s power in that. You can use that to convince Alice and David to help us.”
“No.” Mom finally speaks up, and it’s the first time she’s ever denied a witch who outranked her. “You can’t ask Hannah to do this. She’s only seventeen. And she’s not the only one who faced the Hunters. Veronica did, too.”
“Mom, it’s fine. I want to—”
“I’m not sending you across the country to recruit for the Council. You have school. You have to catch up on your lessons with Lady Ariana.” Her voice breaks, and she reaches for Dad’s ring. “I’m not going to lose you, too.”
“You won’t lose me, Mom.”
But we both know it’s an empty promise.
“I’m sorry, Marie,” Elder Keating cuts in, “but Hannah’s story is unique. Both girls got their magic back, but Hannah is the one who chose to go after the young Hunter on her own. She sacrificed her own safety to save her covenmate. There is no one else like her.” She pulls out a calendar and slides it toward Mom. “Our plan shouldn’t interfere with Hannah’s schooling. Both witches will be in New York. Alice Ansley will be in Brooklyn next Saturday, and David O’Connell is a postdoc at Cornell. Hannah can go to Ithaca the following weekend.”
“If he’s in Ithaca, send Veronica. She’s already there. She’s older!”
I reach for her hand and squeeze tight. “It’ll be okay, Mom. I want to help.”
Elder Keating flashes me the quickest hint of a smile, there only a heartbeat before it’s gone. “My decision on this matter is not up for debate. If Hannah wants to assist, you cannot stop her.” All three Council members look hopefully at me. “What do you say, Hannah? Will you help us?”
In their expectant expressions, I feel the hint of desperation. The gears in my mind start to spin. They need me.
Which means I might be able to bargain for more.
I glance at my mother, and guilt worms its way around my fresh hope. I know this will break her heart, but I can’t stay on the sidelines. I can’t play it safe. “I’ll do it. Under one condition.”
Elder Keating nods. “Name it, and it’s yours.”
I hold the Elder’s gaze so she can see how deeply I mean this. “I want to be part of the team that destroys the drug.”