it's too late." He returned his attention to his sister and saw her reading the piece of paper that she had been given.
"To order," Margaret called out and there was a gradual quietening. After a few moments all was still. An ominous tension settled over the room.
Rosemary spoke first. "The Green Coven vote for banishment."
A buzz of hushed voices filled the room, but now Anna of the Blue Coven stood to speak. "We in the Blue Coven vote for The Piercing."
There was a general hiss of irritation from some of the other Covens, notably the Greens.
Abigail uttered her declaration with obvious frustration at this. "We vote for Banishment."
But no sooner had she finished speaking, Isobel countered. "And the Red Coven vote for The Piercing." She eyed the white witch with undisguised contempt.
Finally only Margaret was left to decide the Black Coven's vote. "It seems there is deadlock," she said with a knowing smile. "But it is of little relevance."
The other witches seemed perplexed by this and Isobel's voice rang out. "You have the casting vote do you not, Margaret?"
Margaret gazed back at the witch in red. "I have the only vote."
"What do you mean by that?" Rosemary demanded to know.
Now the woman in the black cloak became grave, her eyes slits of gleaming light. "Would you deny me that right, truly? Diana was mine. Yes, that was her name, if it be forgotten too soon. I claim the right to choose punishment. I demand it by law."
"That is ridiculous," cried Abigail. "There is no such law."
Now there really was a great noise building in the chamber as every Coven quarrelled among themselves.
Isobel's voice bellowed out above the tumult. "We are sensitive to your loss, Margaret. But there is no such law and you know this. Why do you claim otherwise?"
Margaret seemed serene amidst the pandemonium. "She was mine," the old woman repeated.
"We all regret your loss. But it does not change anything." Anna challenged.
Suddenly Margaret bellowed, her voice strangely resonant. "By the ashes of my daughter I make this claim."
Now there was an immediate hush. "We are all Mothers," said Abigail, but her voice was lighter, more subdued.
Margaret gave the other woman a fragile smile. "That is true, Abigail. But would you not ask for the same right if your own was taken?"
Abigail did not answer, her face now pale. "It is not the law."
"We are the law," Margaret shot back at her. "Will you deny me this?"
This seemed to leave Abigail at a loss and she hesitated, unsure.
The others began to murmur amongst themselves. Margaret just waited solemnly for someone to speak.
"It should be so," Rosemary proclaimed for the Greens and both Abigail and Isobel glared at her with undisguised hostility.
Now Anna finished her consultation with her fellow Blue witches. "We also recognise this entitlement."
Isobel went back to more heated debate with the other women in the Red faction. Everyone looked on and waited.
Finally Isobel returned her attention to Margaret. "You ask much," she stated in a neutral tone, "and you set a precedent. But our Coven concedes it is your right."
There seemed little the others could say now and even Abigail was silenced. Although her expression was very strained.
Now the black witch turned her attention to Ellie. "But before we decide their fate, we want to allow the new Mother the opportunity to chose her House."
"What!?" said Abigail in an urgent voice, "That is not permitted. The judgement must come first."
Margaret gave her a patient, indulgent look. "Perhaps you should ask Ellie what she wants to do before you make such an assumption."
Abigail fixed her eyes on the girl. "Very well. What do you say Ellie, surely you want to wait until the decision has been made regarding your friends?" She waited for a response, confident it would be in agreement with her words.
Ellie stared back, her expression one of quiet uncertainty. "I...," she began softly, "want to choose now."
The woman in the white cloak could barely contain her surprise and gaped at the girl with stunned incredulity. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"
Ellie simply nodded and then glanced down at the parchment she held between her fingers. It read: Join the Black Coven and I will save your friends. She lowered her eyes, feeling trapped and powerless.
"So," said Margaret, her eyes intent on the girl, "choose your House."
With only the briefest of pauses, Ellie spoke in a clear, resonant voice. "I choose the Black Coven."
There was a startled silence for several long moments followed by a rising hum of excited sound as every witch began to comment on the new Mother's decision.
Margaret nodded with satisfaction at Ellie and allowed her gaze to take in the other Covens and in particular the countenance of Abigail who looked nothing short of crest fallen. "And finally," she announced, "we have decided the fate of these two men." There was a fixed, determined look on her face now. Zack and Luke had watched all of this with a sense of frustration and confusion, but now both waited with fearful anticipation to hear what was in store for them. "My personal loss cannot be measured." She hesitated, considering her words. "But it is our...my wish to offer mercy in this case."
"No," the voice of Isobel cried out. "This is an outrage!"
Margaret ignored her, something in her gaze that told of resolute intent. "Hard labour will be their sentence. They will work alongside the husbands to pay their debt."
There was a stunned hush among the assembly. "And what will stop them from killing another of us?" Anna contested, just as astounded by the turn of events as everyone else.
Margaret seemed prepared for this. "We will appoint chaperones to watch over them. A second offence would be punishable by certain death. No reprieve. This is my decision."
The other Mothers were obviously bewildered by this judgement, although Abigail expression revealed a knowing, shrewd understanding of the Back witch's pronouncement.
She saw now that The Black Coven had taken charge and taken advantage, securing Ellie as one of their number.
Margaret set her gaze upon the girl. "Welcome to our ranks. You will come to know this Coven as your true home. We will demand your loyalty. And you will give it without question and without hesitation. Is that understood?" Ellie was reeling. She felt as if once again her life had been hijacked and things were changing too fast for her to keep up with. "Is that understood?" the woman repeated with a warning edge.
Ellie regarded her solemnly. "Yes," she replied softly. "I understand."
"That is well," Margaret told her, moving to her side. "now come and meet your new sisters. Come and meet your family."
11
So I am a black witch. At least if I had joined the Whites I could have told myself I was one of the good guys. That is, if there are any good guys here. I really don't know what's going on. They all seem to be up to something. But I am on Team Black now so I guess I need to find out what they have planned for me. As for Zack and the others, at least they're safe. For the time being at least. But what happens next is anyone's guess. I just wish I honestly believed any good could come out of this, but I don't. All I see in my future is more trouble and more danger. Just another day in the new life of Ellie Landis.
It appeared that every Coven had a Guild meeting house and Ellie now found herself inside the one used by the Blacks. Margaret showed her around the extensive interior, its many spacious rooms decorated tastefully with numerous portraits of black clad women. There were also a number of statues, mostly busts, but there was one particularly eye catching full body sculpture, hewn from some kind of black marble in the central hallway. Ellie found her gaze drawn to it and paused to study the features of a striking looking middle-aged woman. "This is Rebecca," Margaret spoke softly with obvious pride and a little awe." "The original Head of the Black Coven. The Head of all witches in fact. That is, until she was
murdered. Now we are divided by petty differences and vile ambition."
"She was...murdered?" the girl asked cautiously.
Margaret's expression was quite frightening in its intensity. "Murdered yes. Betrayed. They were never identified. They skulked in the shadows like the vermin they were. They took the life of the one dearest to us all. Our Queen and true Mother."
Ellie found herself intrigued by the words of the old woman. "So the witches were all part of one Coven before? With Rebecca as your leader?"
Margaret nodded solemnly. "She was our Queen. She was the greatest of us all. And she would not have died easily, mark my words."
Ellie was more interested in other things. "So after that, the five Covens were formed? Is that what happened?"
Several women with black ribbons in their hair approached along the corridor and Margaret waited to let them pass before speaking.
The other witches lowered their gaze as they neared them, obviously out of respect for the elderly witch.
"It pains me to speak of it, but yes. In the aftermath of that hideous crime there was no one strong enough to lead. No one could replace Rebecca. It would have been unthinkable. And those that dared to put themselves forward could not command the respect of all. So it was agreed to divide into five separate Covens. But remember this, Rebecca was a Black witch, as were all our ancestors. The others have taken new colours, but they are not true to our heritage. Any witch who does not hold allegiance to Rebecca in their heart is a traitor. You should keep this in your mind at all times. Do not trust