Stepping away from him, I lifted my hand, and I could feel my magic fine…magic. Wait? Was my magic canceling each other out? My magic could overcome his magic, but it can’t overcome itself? Since I stopped him and the world, I needed to restart it before it could work?
I wasn’t exactly sure, but it felt right. Moving through the people, I moved back to the spot I was in before. Well, as close to it as possible. Glancing up at the sky, I lifted my hands again. “Start!”
I jumped slightly at the roar of noises as everything began.
“You can’t go—hey, kid!” the police officer said as Breyer collapsed in his arms. “Ow! Son! Hey! We need a medic!”
I was right! I watched in amazement as the police officer laid Breyer on the ground, calling for help.
“Dru!” Adelaide rushed up beside me, confused and looking between me and where everyone was checking over Breyer. “What happened?”
I couldn’t answer. I just glanced down at my hands. This was the first time I’d ever managed to do something at this scale before. I’d been able to freeze something like a glass of water before it hit the floor. Or even stop one particular person for a few seconds, but they were usually aware of it. But this—freezing everything, everyone, both witches and mortals, and even animals—was beyond anything I’d ever done.
“Dru?” Fiona stepped in front of me.
“We should go. The meeting will start soon,” I muttered, balling my hands into fists and then stretching them again as I walked down to my street.
Just this morning, I was calling it quaint and picturesque. Now it felt cold and dreary, even with the sun out. Anxiety, fear…anger had a way of spreading through a community faster than disease or even a spell. No one was running or playing outside. Every door, every garage, every window was sealed shut. Even Fiona, Rue, and Adelaide were uncharacteristically quiet. They probably wished they were closer to their own homes, with their own mirrors, when they got the call for this meeting. When they arrived, they saw me walking to the Allsbrook house myself and followed me. I didn’t know why I went. I was already told what had happened. But still, I had to see it with my own eyes, see how close to home this really was. And it was as close as it could get.
How would this affect the other witches? Those that didn’t live on Juniper Avenue? If it could happen down the street from the coven leader and the ninth circle leader, it could happen anywhere, and no one would feel safe.
Maybe Simone and Tate were right. We should have hunted the vampires down the moment they exposed themselves to us, I thought as I broke the magical spell to the house. Stepping in, I let the girls go in first and made sure to double-check the outside before closing and replacing the magic on the lock.
Entering the spare bedroom, I stepped in front of the large golden-framed mirror leaning against the corner.
“They are going to blame us,” Adelaide whispered before I touched the glass, hanging her head. “We just had a search last night, and we didn’t catch these vampires, not that I caught anything. Maybe if I had—”
“It’s not your fault,” I replied, placing my hand on her shoulder. “We did what we were supposed to do last night. And even if you feel like you did wrong, lay the blame on me.”
“Dru—”
“Taking the blame is also my job,” I replied with a forced smile to them all. “Now, let’s go.”
Touching the mirror, it once again said my name, and I allowed them all in first before I stepped through the glass.
When we stepped inside, it was the same cliff I had been on this morning, but you could barely see the grass as nearly four or five dozen witches were already there, waiting, talking frantically among themselves. But the moment they saw us—no, me—their voices dropped, and the look of disappointment shone like crystals in their eyes.
“Now you all come,” someone muttered.
“How did three Noble vampires get past all the defenses here? What were they doing?” another grumbled.
“The nine were confronted by the vampires but let them go not even an hour before they killed the Allsbrooks.”
“What? Why did they let them go?”
Ignoring all of them, the rest of my circle and I walked to the front-most part of the cliff. There, Simone, Jericho, Faye, Tate, and Tala were already waiting. I nodded to them all before taking my place ahead of them and turning to face the elders, the same ones I’d yelled at only hours ago. Of course, they were not that happy to see me, so I pretended not to notice, but that only made it worse.
“Just this morning, you complained about being tired, Druella,” Mr. Magus said loud enough for everyone to hear with his stupid accent. “Now, do you see why there is no time for rest? The beasts do not rest. Day and night are meaningless to them. Therefore, it should be meaningless to us, as well. If we are not putting everything on the line, we are putting nothing.”
Fiona stepped forward. “You are very right, Mr. Magus, so when are you going to join us out at night to hunt these beasts?”
Mr. Magus looked down at her with deep-seated annoyance.
“We would love to,” Mrs. Magus smiled gently as she usually did when so many of the coven was here. “However, that is not our role. It is yours, and it is essential. You are all gifted with great magic by the goddess, and that magic is to protect. All magic is to protect.”
“What exactly are all of your roles again?” Tate asked. “If all magic is to protect, and you also have magic, and everyone here has magic, why is it that we are the main ones to get insulted.”
“You are the nine of nine,” Mrs. Reyes stated as if we forgot as the only circle standing up at the edge of the cliff across from them. “To whom much is given, much is expected. What happened today was disgraceful.”