ourselves. Promise.”
“If you say so.” She takes her seat and lets out a slow breath before turning the final card. A naked figure leans over a pool of water. They hold a jug in each hand, pouring liquid into the pool and onto the ground. The script at the bottom of the card says The Star.
“What does that one mean?” It doesn’t look too bad, but something about it pricks at my subconscious.
“I don’t know. Normally it gives me really good vibes.” Gemma picks up the piece of amethyst and holds it tight. “It’s weird, but it doesn’t feel connected to your trip tomorrow. Is it possible you were thinking about something else?”
“Maybe?” I try to remember what was in my head while Gemma shuffled, besides kissing Morgan. There was the trip tomorrow, I know I managed to think about that at least a little, and I was worried about my mom’s old coven, and—
Understanding hits me with the force of a raging thunderstorm. Zoë. The drugged coven. The woman pouring something into a pool of water. My heart speeds in my chest, and I scramble away from the cards. It can’t be. They’re just cards. How could they possibly know anything about what happened to my family?
“Hannah, what’s wrong?” Morgan stops my backward retreat.
“I know how they did it.” I spin to face her. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but I can feel it. I know how the Hunters drugged the coven.”
Morgan glances past me at the spread of tarot cards. “How?”
“They put the drug in the water.” I pull out my phone and dial Archer. There could be a hundred other explanations, but this is the first one that makes any kind of sense, even if the inspiration doesn’t. The detective answers on the third ring. “We need to talk.”
7
THE CALL WITH ARCHER sets off a string of dominos. Archer promises to look into my theory about the drugged water, and within ten minutes, Mom is calling to bring me home.
She’s been in full-on Operation Never Leave Salem mode ever since.
“I don’t want you to go,” Mom says Saturday morning, for what must be the hundredth time. She’s standing in my doorway with her arms crossed firmly against her chest. “You’re safer here behind the barrier.”
“Elder Keating wants me to do this. You can’t force me to stay home.” Mom never stands up to Lady Ariana, but suddenly she’s willing to go against an Elder?
Mom’s lips press into a thin line. “I realize that, Han. But Elder Keating also said it was your choice. Which means if you back out—”
“I’m not backing out, Mom. It’s just a quick trip to New York. I’ll be back tomorrow.” I add an extra pair of socks to my bag and zip it tight. “Archer will be with me the whole time. Besides, if I don’t do this, the Council might not be able to destroy the drug before I have to testify in court.”
She already knows that we’ll be easy targets during the trial, yet she won’t stop hovering. “I don’t like this.” Mom perches at the edge of my bed and reaches for my hands. “Can’t someone else go? Cal seems like a persuasive guy.”
“Mom . . .”
“Fine.” She looks at the wall above my desk, where I’ve created a collage of pictures of Dad, photos I downloaded from social media and sent to the store to be printed on glossy paper. Her eyes are sparkling with tears when her gaze returns to mine. “At least promise that you’ll come back in one piece.”
Even though this isn’t a promise I can guarantee, I swallow down the lump in my throat and nod. “Of course. Now can I finish packing?”
Mom reaches for my bag and tugs open the zipper. “Do you have enough bottled water?”
“Yes,” I groan. Until we know whether my theory is right, we’re using bottled water for everything, including brushing our teeth. I grab my bag and slip out of my room. “It’s not like New York doesn’t have more if I run out.”
A car door slams. Then another. Mom follows me like a persistent shadow through the house. When I get to the living room, I check the front window. I expected Detective Archer to be here, but who’s the second—
“Sarah?” I drag my suitcase down the front steps. The early morning sun is already warm on the horizon, and I’m glad I decided to wear my hair up in a ponytail. “What are you doing here?”
My