7|The Coven

"Unbelievable!" Sonja glared at the members of her coven with pure disbelief written in her eyes. They'd all sensed Luca's arrival, hence their impromptu gathering. But for an hour, they'd talked about almost everything under the sun, and none of it was important.

"What is it, dear?" asked Luann, her older sister and the coven's high priestess.

"This is what he wants, to see us fight, squabble, and doubt each other."

Before Sonja had even finished her piece, they were all at it again, screaming and waving their fists, threatening to do bodily harm to each other with their magic. The reason for their heated war of words was Carmella Long failing to produce her piece of the magical keystone the coven had used to eternally bind the members of Luca's clan to the Delacroix's cellar twenty years ago.

The keystone in question had eight pieces, and when arranged and placed together, they took on the shape of an eight-point star, known as the Star of Chaos or The Divine Fire Wheel.

There were many legends and fables surrounding the Star of Chaos. But, in the magical world, specifically in the Shadowbrooke coven, the keystone symbolised order over chaos, as well as justice and sacrifice for a greater good. 

With one piece missing piece, the keystone was useless. But with all the pieces together, it spelt trouble for the perceived threat.

The screaming match carried on for at least another ten minutes, with accusations of carelessness being passed around and magical wands brandished as makeshift weapons.

Luann, having had enough of their squabbling, cast a mood-elevating spell. It wasn't going to bring everlasting peace on earth, but it would improve everyone's mood in the room. Within moments, a deep calm washed over the witches gathered at the table.

"Now that I have your attention, shall we move things along?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her, her long burgundy gown making a swooshing sound as she sashayed around the room with her head held high, her regal presence commanding respect.

They managed to speak rationally for the next hour and agree on a few things. They all knew Luca and April would return someday, and their arrival would spell war. But Luca's success at breaking out the forsaken depended on a few things: getting his hands on the Star of Chaos, the words to the unbinding spell and magical reagents, the most important being a virgin's blood—not just any virgin, but Cadence's. Her blood, when she was just a baby, bound the vampires, and only her blood could undo the spell, provided she was still a virgin. Of course, they'd all banked on the fact that Luca wouldn't return so soon, and by the time he did, Cadence would be married and no longer an innocent maiden. So they'd all falsely believed Julian and the rest of his clan were banished for eternity.

"Tell me Cadence is not a virgin!" Carmella yelped in her seat. 

Her words drew a dark scowl from Sonja. She retorted, refusing to explain further, "Of course she is!"

"For Pete's sake, what is she waiting for? I thought she and the Kingston boy were friendly," Dana added, throwing her hands up in frustration. 

"They are exactly that. Just friends, nothing more!" Sonja hit back at her. She was usually a tame woman, calm by nature. But Luca's reappearance had yanked her chain in ways she hadn't foreseen.

"Well, tell your girl to hurry up already!" Stella suggested, and Sonja lost her shit. She threw a glacial orb at her and her cronies. But before it could reach its targets, Luann threw a small fiery ball in the same direction. Lightning flashed, and fire crackled in the room as the two energies collided and burst into tiny fragments on the table.

"Simmer down!" The high priestess warned everyone.

A tense silence ensued as they fidgeted in their seats, contemplating their predicament. Carmella's piece of the star going missing added more pressure to an already unstable situation.

When everyone had calmed down again, they all agreed that finding the missing piece was high on their 'to-do list'. Stella volunteered to locate it as soon as she returned home. Scrying for missing objects and people was her familial ability.

"About Cadence—" Stella said, but Sonja refused to entertain her.

"No. I'm done using my daughter. We did it once, and it ended badly for her father. I'm not going to ask her to spread her legs just so we can all sleep easy at night. It doesn't work that way!" She firmly put her foot down. 

"But—"

"There has to be another way. Find the missing piece, and let's destroy the star." Sonja came up with a compromise. 

They mulled over her suggestion. It could work, they all decided the longer they thought about it. Luca couldn't break the seal without the star, the same way he couldn't lift the bind without Cadence's blood.

"Oh, Luca knows about the necklace," Sonja said.

Her announcement was met with shocked gasps and worried frowns as they tentatively touched their talismans, unconsciously making sure they were still around their necks.

"How?" Luann asked.

"I went to his house to try and reason with him. I was emotional, the necklace flashed, and he saw it. He yanked it from me and—" Her words trailed off at the memory of her chilling encounter with the vampire.

"He saw you transform!" Dana completed her recollection as she sagged on the table, her head hitting the oak surface with a dull thud.

They sat frozen in place for some time, each silently wondering how everything could go wrong all at once. There was no telling what Luca would do when he figured out the wolves had a hand in bringing down his clan.

"I have to tell Romulus," Luann spoke, and the group nodded mutely, still touching their necklaces.

The gathering broke up shortly after that. Sonja didn't stick around to trade magic spells like she normally did. She dashed for the door, eager to get home, chat with Cadence, and lay all her cards on the table.

She hated leaving her alone, especially with Luca across the creek. Alluring and deceptive by nature, vampires were indeed an unpredictable lot. It would be so easy for Cadence to believe any words dripping from Luca's seductive lips. He was charming by nature, and the fact that he was easy on the eyes, too, didn't help matters.

She had just opened her car door and threw her witch's hat in the front passenger seat when she sensed someone behind her. Her gut clenched, and her pulse skyrocketed as she pushed her door shut and turned around slowly, bracing herself for her assailant.

She burst into relieved laughter when she saw it was only Stella.

"I wanted to catch you before you left. In there, what we said was uncalled for. You're right about Cadence. She shouldn't have to sacrifice her innocence," Stella apologised, and Sonja hugged her. They were okay. She understood that Luca's sudden reappearance had rattled everyone's cages, and they were all saying and doing things they normally wouldn't.

They parted ways, promising to call each other over the week with an update on the search for the missing star piece. 

The drive back home was unusually long. Sonja had to drive slowly, because the roads were slippery from the rain earlier. She also didn't realise how low she was on petrol until she'd already passed the only petrol station in town. 

Her car stalled a few times as she drove up the long winding road, and she panicked when it came to a complete stop at the top of the hill. She cried and slammed her fists on the steering wheel, cursing wildly. For a witch, she had an extensive library of swear words—as extensive as her spells.

A flash of movement in her side mirror sent her pulse soaring, and her instincts told her to lock the doors. But her reflexes weren't quick enough. Before she could even blink, they were already out of the shadows surrounding her car. There were five of them, one on each side, two at the back and one in front.

"Hand over the star, Sonja!"

The five hunters yanked at the doors, trying to pry them open and reach for her. But they couldn't get to her. The protective shield around her was impenetrable. It would have been the end of her if it wasn't for the protection spell she had cast with Cadence before she left home.

She was in a jam. There was no way she could outrun them. No way they'd leave her alone, either. She reached for the bag with the star piece under her seat and clutched it tightly to herself as she closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten, forcing herself to calm down. She wouldn't be able to teleport if she was an emotional wreck. She had to be relaxed if she wanted to make it out alive.

"Pass me through another dimension that connects this place without convention. Take me to a point I've selected. Let only the air be affected." Sonja chanted the words to the teleportation spell while imagining herself in her living room, safe and sound.