Flamebound A Lone Star Witch No(98)

“Well, whoever created the bombs didn’t bother to hide the magic woven into them. It’s all over the fragments. They probably thought the bomb would destroy all traces of the spells that were used, but it didn’t. Particularly the one in the gardens. It was such a wide-open space—nothing for the bomb fragments to decimate themselves against—that WI managed to piece together a bunch of shards. Those shards, when combined, have given Jared a partial magical thumbprint.

“He’s running it through the database right now, waiting to see what pops up. It won’t be definitive—there isn’t enough to make an absolute call—but they have five partial matches already. Once the program is done running, they’ll have a list of suspects. And we’ll go from there.”

I think of my assumptions earlier, the conversation I had with Declan. And feel the prickles of unease get worse. Could the ACW really have been so incompetent? All my knowledge, every instinct I have, screams, “No way.” If they’re found culpable for this, then they are all dead—witches, wizards and warlocks aren’t exactly known for their ability to forgive.

Even if my parents don’t eviscerate them—which I have no doubt they will—the covens will never tolerate being governed by these Council members again. Even the Council structure itself would be in jeopardy if such a thing came out. This isn’t to say that one Councilor wouldn’t be this stupid. But more? Suddenly the conspiracy we’ve been looking for seems awfully shaky.

“Would any of the Councilors really be that stupid?” I ask Donovan. “Would one of them really be careless enough to leave a magical imprint?”

“They were stupid enough to hire Kyle,” he answers.

“Or so he claimed. There’s no actual proof of that.”

“Except for your torture and near-death experience?” His fists clench with a rage that clearly hasn’t abated in the last week and a half.

“What if this is just a setup?” I ask, voicing the suspicion that’s just taken hold inside me. “What if all this is just an elaborate ruse to pit us against the ACW?”

“You don’t really believe that.”

A few hours ago I didn’t. But here, now, in the bright lights of the kitchen, I’m not so sure. My arguments just aren’t standing up. “Think about it. We’re on hair triggers over here—even before the bombing. Declan is just looking for an excuse to go after them and I know you are, too. Hell, if I’m honest, so am I.

“But think about what would happen if we were wrong? If we act against the Council—even formally—and then get proven wrong, we’re finished. There’s no way they wouldn’t be compelled to make examples of us. No way we could save ourselves or any of our citizens that stand with us.

“Now look at it from their point of view. Someone is killing Councilors one by one. And who’s got a bigger grudge than we do, right now? Hell, it’s all I’ve been able to do to keep Declan from going after the lot of them. They know they’re guilty, know that we have reason to want them dead. So why wouldn’t they be waiting for an attack from us, some overt action that they can hold up as treason?”

Donovan still looks resistant—like Declan, it won’t be easy to get him to think past his hatred for the ACW—but at least he’s listening. So I continue. “If we’ve got a non-Council enemy, pitting us against them would be a pretty impressive strategy. There’s a good chance we’d end up destroying each other before we stop to figure out whether or not we should.”

“By that logic, the bombing could be retaliation for what they perceive as our actions against the Council.”

“You’re right. It could be a warning to back off before all hell breaks loose. But I have to tell you, that didn’t feel like a warning. It feels like a declaration of war.”





Thirty





“Shit, Xandra.”

“Tell me about it.”

“If it is the ACW and we don’t act, then we risk being perceived as weak.”

Donovan’s logic appeals to the growing darkness inside me, the part of me that wants to strike first and ask questions later. I’m trying to ignore that part. To do what’s right for my family and my coven. But it’s hard to do that when there are still so many questions. And so many answers that could be right or wrong.

“If it isn’t them, and we do act, then we risk a lot more than perception. We risk the lives of our entire family and all of our people. We can’t afford to do that. No one else needs to die senselessly.”