Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) Read Free Page B

happens," I agreed.
    "I call shotgun."
    "And I call bull on witch business being civilised. Remember your election?" I reminded her. That was anything but an easy victory, and several months down the line, Étoile was about to create ructions again.
    "Fun times," sighed Étoile. Amidst the murders, and my arrest and trial, it had been anything but. "How was England? Did you have enough tea?" she teased.
    "Quiet, and yes, thank you. Anders' network is still looking for Auberon Morgan and the witch hunters, but so far, nothing. Wherever they are, they’ve managed to stay undiscovered and haven't returned to Hawkscroft."
    "We both know they probably left England after the fire."
    I nodded in agreement, then remembered Étoile couldn't see me. "They could be anywhere in Europe."
    "Or here."
    I paused at the matter of fact tone in Étoile's voice. The possibility that the witch hunters could be hiding on these shores was, of course, something I considered. Auberon Morgan was a wealthy man in his own right, although we long suspected that the witch hunter posse he led was supported by powerful people. We had yet to discover whom, however, or how far their influence spread. Whoever they were, they covered their tracks quite well. It was impossible to ignore that the witch hunters had long escaped prosecution, despite admitting responsibility for a string of brutal murders. Their public revelation regarding magic, murders, and witch hunting was still the subject of discussions now, though the initial hysteria had ceased. Conspiracy theories still abounded, and it was part of my job for the Witch Council to monitor the various web forums to learn who was fueling the fires. It was possible witch hunters were inciting the general populace, not only to accept magic, but also to use it against us. The Council had worried for some time what would happen if our world were exposed; and I couldn't help thinking we were on the brink. "Is there something I don't know?" I asked, just in case.
    "There was a reported sighting of Morgan crossing into Canada."
    I frowned. I didn't see that; and the system I set up should have emailed me that information. I was either really out of touch, or the system had a bug. "I would have seen that in the warning network we set up on the forum."
    "This came via an informant. I have some people checking into it." Étoile didn't sound unduly perturbed as relief flooded me. The system wasn't buggy after all. "It's probably nothing. Anyway, I'm glad you're back. When shall I send the next shipment? Or are you still on vacation?"
    "As soon as you like, I guess. All the last boxes are gone." When Étoile took up her post, she hired me to haul the Council's ancient filing system into this century. That meant wading through box after box of crumbling, dusty material, some of it centuries old, and uploading it onto a secure server before cross-referencing it. The idea was to make the Council's knowledge accessible to all witches, and not just a select few as it was previously. If anything could be said for Étoile, she was certainly democratic when it came to sharing. She didn't want to just run the Council, she wanted to revolutionise it, and I was proud to be part of her team.
    I didn't hide my other motives, which kept the monotony of uploading the material less of a chore. For the past few months, I had been searching for two very specific pieces of information. The first related to my father's family; as I knew little of the Mayweather branch of my heritage, and was keen to learn more. Perhaps it was a case of seeking balance over the disappointing knowledge that my mother was Auberon Morgan's younger sister, although even that carried the benefit of acquiring Daniel as a cousin. As far as I knew, Daniel and I were the sole surviving members of our family, aside from Auberon... and Auberon, most certainly, did not count. We might be related by blood, but he was no family of mine. I held a small hope that there was a