Lavinia hobbled over to me. She was the only other witch from the coven in attendance, and she wore a silver robe like Lady Alice’s. “Come here, vampire. Sit down,” she said, escorting me to the corner of the room. “Only witches can take part in this.”
I wordlessly took my seat as the witches crowded closer to Mary Jane, holding hands to form a ring around her. From them came one low, plaintive note.
The tuneless chant continued until the entire room reverberated. And then the noise abruptly stopped. Lavinia and Lady Alice stepped up to the altar and knelt down, bending their heads so low their foreheads touched the ground.
I glanced around uncomfortably, unsure of whether I too was supposed to bow. But I stayed seated, afraid that even a tiny move would disrupt the energy flowing through the room.
On the bench, Mary Jane’s eyes were open, but she didn’t blink. I wondered if she was in a trance as Lavinia opened her mouth and began chanting actual words, rather than sounds.
“Munimentum, vampiro, eternal…”
The phrase sounded like it was in Latin, a language I’d studied in school, but she was speaking far too quickly for me to understand. As the spell continued, I could see Mary Jane’s skin begin to glow as her veins pulsed. I held my breath, trying to send my own Power to the work being done in the middle of the room.
The collection of candles flickered brighter, and the smoke rising from the flames formed a faint blue ring that hovered around the witches.
“Eterna quite,” Lavinia said, then clapped three times. The room plunged into darkness as all the candles blew out, as though hit by an enormous gust of wind. And then, just as quickly, the candles relit as if by their own accord. Mary Jane sat up and blinked her eyes.
“Thank you.” She turned toward me and smiled. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but her skin seemed brighter and her eyes more luminous than ever. But would that be enough protection against Samuel, a monster who seemed to suck light away?
The witches parted, and Mary J
ane daintily stepped off the makeshift altar.
“I’m ready,” she said in a clear voice, gazing straight at me.
“Good.” I nodded. “Now we wait. When Samuel comes, everyone stays here except Mary Jane. If anything should go wrong, Damon will be downstairs to protect her.”
“It won’t go wrong. And all Stefan needs to do is kill Seaver. Let us worry about Samuel,” Lavinia said. “Don’t play the hero,” she added, glaring at me sharply.
“I trust Stefan,” Mary Jane said. “And I trust Alice.” She turned toward Lady Alice and embraced her.
“Thank you,” Lady Alice said, and I could see tears shimmering in her eyes as she pulled away.
“I’ll be fine,” Mary Jane assured her. “I feel strong, ready. That’s why I insist no one come downstairs, even if I scream. No one can deviate from the plan.”
“Are you sure?” Lady Alice fretted. “The praesidium spell can only be used on one member of a coven at a time, so that the recipient is receiving all the energy from the others. But I can perform an absconditus spell on myself. It would allow me to hide in plain sight, so I’d be right there with you. You wouldn’t be alone.”
“No.” Mary Jane shook her head. “You’ve done enough. And I want to be alone for this. I’m ready and protected. And Jemima will have all the others in the alley to attack if everything goes awry.”
“It won’t,” I said. I turned to follow her down the stairs when Lady Alice pulled me back by the crook of my elbow.
“A word?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for saving Mary Jane. I didn’t have a chance to say it before. I was too shocked at seeing Mary Jane after all those years, surrounded by vampires. But I know that you’re not the worst.”
Coming from Lady Alice, it was high praise.
“Thank you,” I said, uncomfortably avoiding her gaze. I glanced at the fire, hoping to see an image of the future, but all I could see were dancing orange and red flames. Maybe Lady Alice’s magic saw something I didn’t. Maybe I could be a good man, once Samuel was gone and London was no longer my prison.
The thought filled me with hope as I took my place, crouched at the top of the stairs. Mary Jane stood on the landing below, her eyes closed. She rocked back and forth on her heels and seemed as though she were concentrating deeply.
I closed my eyes briefly as well and tried to muster my Power, hoping I could send it to Mary Jane for strength.
All of a sudden, we heard the whinnying of horses, followed by the ominous thud of one boot, then another, hitting the pavement.
Samuel was here.