“We're well aware of our predicament,” Quin assured, “and I'm glad you understand as well. If everyone fully comprehends the situation, we can move on to discussing what to do about it.”
“What's to discuss?” Rhiannon cut in, rising from her chair. “You have to hide. You have to stay away from that man at all costs.”
Layla cringed, and Quin tightened his hug. “We're not hiding, grandma.”
Several people gasped as Rhiannon stepped closer, her grace faltering. “What do you mean? You have to, Quinlan.”
“No, we don't, and we're not going to. The decision has been made, so this discussion is a waste of time.”
Tears gathered in his grandma’s mint-green eyes as her ferret crawled from her satchel and skittered to her neck. “He'll kill you,” she whispered, blindly grasping for Lann's hand, “both of you.”
“That's a risk we’re willing to take,” Quin replied, “but we're hoping to turn the tide.”
Every spine straightened as several people got to their feet.
“You intend to challenge him?” Belinos asked.
“No,” Rhiannon protested. “You can't.”
“Why can't they?” Banning argued. “I don't blame them for not wanting to hide.”
“I second that,” Drystan offered.
Selena threw him an incredulous look. “We're talking about their lives, Drystan.”
“Yeah,” Alana agreed, following her mom's lead.
“I know that, honey,” Drystan soothed, running a forefinger across his wife’s and daughter’s wrinkled foreheads. “But a life in hiding would be miserable. Fighting for freedom is a viable option.”
“Yeah,” Brayden added, following his dad's lead.
“It's not that simple,” Kearny noted.
Banning twisted in his chair to face his father. “You think they should hide?”
“I'm not saying that,” Kearny corrected, “but a suicide mission isn't what I’d consider a viable option.”
“Who says it has to be a suicide mission? Look at their power-bands. Agro wouldn't stand a chance.”
“Agro isn't the one to worry about,” Catigern interjected. “It's the vultures watching his back that make fighting an impossible option.”
“Absolutely,” several women agreed.
“Absowutewy,” Alana repeated.
Quin scanned Layla's aura and could tell she was feeling the pressure. “That's enough,” he insisted, but nobody paid attention. Nearly everyone had stood and was offering their opinions, their voices a steady stream of quick rebuttals. Quin was okay with this. It was pointless, sure, but his family could debate all day then hug and kiss one another goodnight. For them to disagree so avidly was nothing to get worked up about, but Layla didn't know this about her family. She'd never seen them debate, and since her face remained hidden, she wasn't seeing them now. She was merely hearing them, her head filling with fervent voices and conflicting point-of-views.
Her lungs quickened as her muscles tensed, and Quin ran a hand down her hair while getting Caitrin’s attention. “Either you put an end to this or I will...”
His threat trailed off as the dark blue in Layla's aura expanded, stretching like a dome to envelope the entire circle. The arguing abruptly ceased, and everyone’s mouths hung open as they stared at the bold and colorful ribbons spiraling through the sad swell – twenty-seven rivers of light, one for each coven member. The inky-blue haze reached beyond the chairs and halted, trembling in place for several seconds. Then it snapped back in, leaving a soft and melancholy hum floating on the air. The pets released dejected noises as they tucked their heads in, and the magicians stared at Layla in dumbfounded wonder while the wind carried the sorrowful tune into the forest.
Quin had never seen anything like it, and panic disrupted his pulse as he carefully pulled Layla's face from his chest. A solitary tear skated down her cheek, and he brushed it away with his thumb while sliding his fingers into her hair. “Did you mean to do that?”
Her forehead wrinkled as she took a choppy breath. “Do what?”
“Your aura, it just pulsed, covering this entire circle.”
“Did it? I’m sorry.”
He sighed and ran his thumb over her lips. “Don't be sorry.”
He was sure the aura’s odd reaction stemmed from her extreme sadness over the situation. She'd always felt emotions on a higher level than normal, and it seemed their bonding had increased her sensitivity. This deeply troubled him. If the strength of her emotions affected her aura so fiercely, he couldn't imagine what they did to her heart, particularly when she had her aura concealed.