Harley
“It is with deepest regret that I’m standing down from my position, but, for personal reasons, it’s necessary,” Alton went on. He looked at the Rag Team—those words were for us. An apology of sorts. “I will continue to remain in the coven during this transitional period, in which I’ll help support Leonidas in the daily running of the SDC. I’ll do the same for the future, permanent director, whoever they may be. As yet, we don’t have anyone in the running, but rest assured, we’re looking for the ideal candidate.” He glanced back at Leonidas, who wore a smug smile on his face.
Oh, you’ve been waiting a long time to get your hands on this place, haven’t you?
“I assure you that you’ll be in the best of hands,” Alton continued brightly. “Leonidas Levi has experience running covens, and I know he will do all he can to uphold our tradition of working hard to keep magicals safe and thriving everywhere. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your director, and I thank you for embracing me with warmth and generosity. I’ll be sorry to leave you all.”
If this was his attempt to butter us up, it’d failed miserably.
Beside me, Raffe stood in stony silence, red pulsing beneath his skin. His eyes flashed, his hands balling into fists. Though sensing emotions from Raffe was always confusing, the fierce rage twisting inside him told me the djinn and Raffe were in agreement on this.
“Calm down, mi amor,” Santana urged, touching his face and forcing him to look at her. “This isn’t the time or place. I need you to ease up on the anger. Otherwise, we’ll have people screaming. Don’t give your dad the satisfaction—either of you.” Having a boyfriend with a djinn inside him came with extra responsibilities, and keeping said djinn from ripping Daddy’s throat out seemed to be one of them.
Levi stepped up to the lectern, practically shoving Alton back toward Tobe. He looked like a stuffed peacock, his chest puffed out, his face so smug I wanted to bring down the chandelier again and wipe that smirk off his lips.
“It is my pleasure to take on the role of interim director.” His voice boomed across the hall. “The San Diego Coven has been languishing in a lack of discipline and talent for many years, with little sign of improvement, perpetuated by a casual acceptance of Mediocrity. There has never been any sense of ambition or perseverance here, even though you have one of the finest examples of a Mediocre overcoming their label within your ranks—Hiro Nomura. Indeed, it will be the greatest challenge of my life to attempt to turn this coven around and ensure you find your place amongst the upper echelons of national institutions.
“Moreover, the California Mage Council has been bombarded with tales of the SDC’s perpetual inability to abide by the rules and cooperate with higher authorities, especially in these trying times. This coven’s recklessness and continual endangerment of others cannot be allowed to continue. We must become a unit, instead of splintered cells who do as they please and fear nothing for the consequences of their actions.”
Levi looked directly at us, and a spike of searing resentment jumped through my nerves. How freaking dare you!
I’d have loved nothing more than to join Raffe and snap Levi’s neck.
Imogene stood and closed the gap between herself and Levi, the room falling silent as she moved. “That is not strictly correct, Leonidas,” she said. “The SDC has a great many young talents, whose abilities are being well nurtured here. Harley Merlin, Wade Crowley, Santana Catemaco, and the rest of their team, to name but a few. Your son is also amongst the great talents that reside here.”
Levi opened his mouth to speak, but Imogene bulldozed on.
“Then there’s Hattie Hawthorne, who is one of the most senior magicals here—as a former magical champion in her retirement, you cannot deny her prowess. We have Gregoire and Delphine LaSalle also, who were former Angels. You know the skillset required to become one of those, Leonidas. And, as you have said, the SDC has the likes of Hiro Nomura to teach and guide all those who seek further education. It would be unfair to say that this coven lacks talent or discipline, nor is it particularly steeped in Mediocrity. Although, I do loathe that term.”
Levi looked about ready to burst. Imogene had well and truly stolen his thunder. I noticed that Nomura was unmoved by the accolades; he sat off to the side in stony silence.
“The leadership is still to blame,” Levi declared, narrowing his eyes at the Rag Team. Repentance wasn’t in his vocabulary. “The leadership here has poisoned the youth, utilizing their so-called talents in a way that consistently exacerbates the situation. Of course, I have the utmost respect for the likes of Ms. Hawthorne, the LaSalles, and Hiro Nomura, and many other senior members of the coven. The younger generation has yet to earn that, in my opinion.”
“Perhaps this is not the time, Leonidas,” Imogene murmured, with a hard stare.
“Nonsense, this is the perfect time. It was the SDC’s incompetence that resulted in the loss of Quetzalcoatl, and the aftermath of that travesty.” He didn’t need to elaborate. We knew he was talking about the first ritual, and Katherine’s completion of it. “Alton was directly responsible for what happened.”
My eyes widened. Does he know about the deal?
“He was unfit to handle and protect the Bestiary in the first place. It should never have been granted to this coven, not with Alton at the helm. Tobe requires better leadership, and deserves as much,” Levi railed on. I breathed a sigh of relief—he didn’t know about Alton’s part in Quetzi’s escape. “Fortunately, I have the answer to all of these shortcomings. There is much work to be done.”
Whispers susurrated around the hall, everyone speculating about what that sweeping statement might mean.
Nothing good, that’s for damn sure.
“If you have questions about the upcoming changes, please address them to Alton. I will have much to do in the coming days, and I can’t deal with every minor issue. I have a Bestiary to protect and laws to enforce, all of which will ensure that you become better magicals. The SDC has languished too long, and I will change that.”
Alton walked toward Levi with a grim expression, his eyes glinting with anger. Evidently seeing that his moment was about to be taken away, Levi turned back to the audience.
“We must not forget that it was this same incompetency that resulted in the death of Preceptor Jacintha Parks. Had this coven’s director been more ruthless, her murder would never have been allowed to happen,” he said. Alton looked like he might be the one who’d kill Levi, right then and there. I didn’t blame him. He couldn’t get a word in edgewise, not with Levi hogging the mic like a true dictator.
“To ensure that this temporary era begins the right way, I would like to introduce you to the new preceptor of Alchemy and Magical Chemistry, Rita Bonnello,” Levi continued. “She has moved here from the Rome Coven.”
He gestured to a woman in the front row, who dutifully rose and lifted her hand in an elegant wave. She was an all-Italian brunette, with olive skin and a killer sense of style that screamed sophistication—sleek lines and expensive-looking black fabrics, all tailored to fit her perfectly.
Levi cleared his throat. “Last, but not least, the Annual Magical Assembly is taking place in Washington, DC, in a few days’ time. I will be attending on behalf of the SDC, and I hope to have good news to report. Much can be achieved in a short time if we’re all on the same page. The president of the United Covens has heard of the SDC’s troubles, and he has asked that I brief him, personally, after his usual address.”
I shook my head. Levi was basically positioning himself as the single most valuable link between our bunch of magical misfits and the leader of the free magical world. I’d have bet money on Levi being the one who’d insisted on briefing the president personally, not the other way around. He was a lap dog when it came to the bigwigs in authority—anyone could see that.
“Are you done?” Raffe shouted, his outburst drawing the stares of everyone in the hall.
Levi shot his son an icy look. “Yes, for now, that should be all. You are dismissed.”
With the speech over, an air of impending doom hung over the inhabitants of the coven. Judging by the wave of disappointment and misery that ebbed and flowed around me, no one was happy about Levi being the new boss. Even Imogene seemed to be on the fence. I wished I could get her to take that bracelet off, so I could really find out what she was thinking, but it was written pretty clearly on her face. Her expressions were nervous and doubtful.
Not like the rest of those cackling hyenas. I glanced at the other members of the Mage Council, who seemed thrilled. They might as well have been slapping each other on the back. In one fell swoop, Levi had given the California Mage Council infinitely more control over the SDC. Something they’d likely wanted for a while now.
“I’m going to go and ask Levi about New Orleans,” I said, heaving myself up off the windowsill.
Wade frowned. “Right now?”
“Seems like as good a time as any. He’s probably buzzing that he got to roast Alton like that, in front of everyone. It might make him more cooperative.”
I took off before anyone could stop me, arriving at the edge of the platform as Levi was descending. He paused to exchange pleasantries with the preceptors, including the new Italian addition. “I’m very much looking forward to working with you all,” he said, with that same smug grin.
Nomura was barely paying attention, his foul mood gathering like a storm. I felt a sudden stab of annoyance brimming out of him. He left a moment later with a cursory, “I must attend to something, Leonidas. Please, excuse me.”
Weird. Alton’s departure was really hitting Nomura hard. Harder than I’d expected.
“Councilor… uh, Director Levi,” I said, approaching him. “I was wondering if I could have a quick word? It’s pretty urgent, and I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
He sneered. “Did you not hear what I said about trivial issues? Address your concerns to Alton, not me.”
“This isn’t a minor issue, Director,” I replied. “We’d like your permission to visit New Orleans. We’ve got reason to believe Marie Laveau has the answers we need about the rituals. I know you want to stop the second ritual as much as the rest of us. Also, we believe she might have something that I need to help with my Suppressor. As you know, it cracked, and the energy that’s flowing out will poison me if I don’t get help quickly.” I didn’t mention the Sanguine spell specifically, since nobody knew Alton had gifted it to me. To protect our mission and our investigation, it was best if Levi wasn’t told everything. “So, if you would just let me go to—”
A tight laugh barked from Levi’s throat. “Absolutely not!”
“But, Director, I really think that—”
“My answer is final!” he snapped. “I planned to speak with you later about this, but since you’re here—I’d advise you to stay in your own lane. All of you.”
Wade stepped up beside me. “Her request was a simple one, Director. One that could be of benefit to everyone.” “Yeah, maybe you should listen,” Raffe added. Santana held on to his arm, attempting to keep the djinn at bay. “Ms. Merlin is unstable and a danger to you all, though you are much too blind to see it,” Levi shot back. “From here on out, she is not allowed off of coven premises. She will receive her surgery, as planned, in several months’ time. This talk of poisoning is nonsense; it is merely an excuse to get away from the coven, and I won’t allow it.”
I stiffened, hardly believing the words I was hearing. “You can’t be serious!”
“Oh, I am very serious. If you focused more on obeying the rules, instead of getting into trouble, then you wouldn’t be in this mess,” Levi said. “Whenever something unfortunate happens, your name pops up—a Merlin through and through.”
I scowled at him. He was basically blaming me for Quetzi’s death, for Katherine completing the first ritual— everything. I could hear it in his bitter tone. “You can’t keep me locked up in here!” I stared at Alton, wanting some kind of backup. He flashed me an apologetic look.
“Levi’s word is law now.” Alton descended from the platform. He probably hadn’t heard what preceded Levi’s jibes, but it didn’t take a genius to guess.
“Director Levi, this isn’t right. She’s not lying about the poisoning,” Wade said. “And you can’t lock her up like a prisoner. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Levi smiled. “Yet.”
“She had no more part in this than any of the others.” Alton found some semblance of guts, spurred on by Wade. “You shouldn’t allow your own prejudices to bleed into your directorship here. That’s not how you gain the respect of your peers and your residents.”
Levi’s lip curled. “I don’t need you to tell me how to run a coven, Alton.”
“My apologies,” Alton replied, his shoulders slumping.
I looked closely at the former director for the first time in a long while. He looked exhausted and broken. As angry as I was with Alton for agreeing to put Levi in the temporary post—although I got the feeling he hadn’t had much say in it—I felt sorry for him. He was losing everything because of the deal he’d made to save Astrid’s life. None of us would breathe a word of it. If we did, he’d be shipped off to Purgatory. Plus, there was no way any of us were giving Levi another reason to sneer at the SDC.
One thing was certain: if Levi wouldn’t let me go to New Orleans with his blessing, I’d have to find another way. The mirrors were out of the question anyway, at least for now.
“And we did manage to rescue Isadora,” Jacob, wearing his Tarver mask, chimed in. Levi didn’t know his real identity, and we planned to keep it that way.
Levi shot Jacob a withering look. “Meet me in my office in five minutes, all of you. Isadora, you come too.”
The others reluctantly headed out of the Assembly Hall. I moved to go with them, dreading another crap-storm from Levi, but he stood in my way. “Not you, Harley. You’re not required at this meeting.”
“If it concerns the Rag Team, it concerns me,” I replied. My knees were still shaky, but I wasn’t going to be pushed around by this punk.
“Not this time it doesn’t. Tarver, Louella, you aren’t needed, either.” Levi ushered the rest of the Rag Team out. They cast reluctant glances back at me, but what could they do? If they didn’t obey, they’d get a one-way ticket out of here. Levi was on a warpath, and we were obstacles in his way.
I watched them go. I still felt sick to my stomach, and this was only making matters worse. How could he boot me out like that? My focus turned toward Alton, who offered me a small smile. Tobe had joined him at the bottom of the platform steps, with no evident bad blood between them. As wise as the Beast Master was, maybe he didn’t know what Alton had done. But I did. Despite his good intentions, this was all his fault. Levi was the director now, and who knew how far those ripples would spread?
“Is this how you hoped things would play out?” I asked, sarcasm dripping from my tongue. I looked at the now- closed doors of the Assembly Hall, my exasperation reaching a fever pitch. The rest of the crowd had dispersed, leaving the room all but empty.
“I’m sure the others will fill you in when they get back. Levi is a showman—he’s merely trying to make a point. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry yourself over,” Alton replied. He had the decency to look embarrassed. If it wasn’t for Astrid, and me wanting to protect her feelings, I’d have laid into Alton right about then.
I held his gaze. “That’s not the point, Alton. This—all of this—is on you.”
Unable to handle another moment in his presence without screaming out the truth, I walked away. Jacob and Louella flanked me, both equally put out at being left behind by Levi. I sensed their disappointment as keenly as my own.
“What was that about?” I heard Tobe ask from behind me.
Alton sighed. “It’s nothing… It doesn’t matter anymore.” It matters, Alton. Don’t you dare forget that.