“Death Card. I know.” Louise smiled and shook her hand and I spotted a faded V Mark. “How may I help you?”
Saffie took a deep breath. “We’re looking for a note left inside the Hierophant’s locket by Althea Putnam with instructions on how to enter the Seelie Realm. Did you see the note? And did you read it?”
Louise’s eyes widened. “I saw it. I most certainly did not read it. Althea was—”
“Innocent.” Tegan materialized beside Saffie.
“Innocent?” Louise hissed. “Who are you and why do you say such things?”
“I am Tegan Bishop. High Priestess.” She snapped her fingers and Em appeared on the other side of Saffie. “This is my twin sister, Emersyn Bishop. Empress.”
Louise gasped and put her hands to her chest and I just imagined her clutching her pearls. “Twins? You are the second set? Of Salem’s Prophecy?”
“Yes, we are. We fulfilled it and saved everyone, don’t worry.” Tegan smiled and winked. “But Althea and Aurelia were innocent. They were framed by Lilith. They tied themselves to the Gap and let The Coven use their magic to place the temporary seal and hide it. Without them we never would have won. I tell you this so that when you see them in the afterlife…be nice.”
I never thought I’d see a ghost pale…but I did.
Louise nodded her head rapidly. “Of-of course. Thank you for telling me. I…I saw them but I did not engage. I should have. Thank you.”
Tegan smiled. “Now, the note from Althea that we need?”
Louise grimaced. “I am truly sorry. I saw Althea and Seelie and thought that was information best left sealed. But I was the Hierophant immediately after their time, after Elizabeth. The wounds of Salem and The Gathering still haunted us—”
“We set those spirits free,” Tegan whispered, her gaze darting over to Tennessee then Bettina. “Those poor souls are at peace now.”
Louise, the blue ghost who was probably a bit of a mean girl, sighed. “I wish I could be of more service to you, as you have done for me.”
Saffie’s face fell. “It’s okay, Louise. Thank you. Be at peace now.”
Louise vanished.
“Are we gonna have to do that every time?” Emersyn grumbled. “I mean, I will, but damn.”
Tegan opened up the Book of Shadows. “Next Hierophant was Thomas Jacob.”
Oh, a dude. Cool. Obviously Bentley was a male Hierophant but I’d always gathered they weren’t as common. Not that I knew why.
I must have zoned out longer than I realized because all of a sudden there was a glowing blue dude with a pimp cane and a pirate hat standing in front of us. He spun in a circle, eyeing everything around him.
“Oh, hell, is that a dragon?” Thomas hollered and that right there told me this was a southern boy. No yankee could holler like that. This was an East Tennessean and that was the hill I was gon’ die on. “Look at that. Wings and scales and everything. Beautiful.”
Saffie arched one eyebrow. “Thomas Jacob?”
He spun around with a wide grin. “My apologies, ma’am. This is the first time I’ve been summoned. What year is it?”
Saffie blinked. “Umm…”
“2019,” Tegan answered.
Thomas hollered again and it kind of made me homesick. “Fantastic. Did Salem’s Prophecy get fulfilled yet? Because y’all two looking like twins.”
“We are,” Emersyn grumbled.
“We did.” Tegan grinned.
Thomas clapped and whistled. “Wait ‘til I tell my lady. Which reminds me, she won’t take well to me being gone long so how may I be of assistance to The Coven of 2019?”
Saffie narrowed her eyes at him. “There was a note left inside the Hierophant’s locket with instructions on how to get to the Seelie realm.”
“Althea’s note?”
Saffie’s eyes lit up. “YES. Did you see it?”
“Oh, I saw it.” He adjusted his blue glowing cravat. “But I did not read it.”
Emersyn sighed. “Why not?”
“Well, you see, my soulmate was the Star Card and she saw in one of my dreams that I was contemplating reading Ms. Althea’s note…” He shrugged. “Threats were made, decisions were weighed, and promises paid.”
Cooper chuckled from the wall.
Thomas grinned. “I don’t even have to look or ask to know that was your Star Card. They think it’s real funny to watch.”
I threw my hand over my mouth to try and hide my giggling.
Saffie shook her head. “Thank you, Thomas. You may return to your wife now.”
He grinned. “Wait until I tell her she’s the reason I couldn’t help The Coven. I owe y’all one.”
Saffie tried not to laugh but as she lifted her hand a chuckle slipped out.
Thomas winked and then faded into nothingness.
Emersyn pursed her lips. “I liked him.”
“Of course you did, you like country boys.” Tegan winked.
Deacon cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”
Emersyn smiled at her twin. “I’m working on his hillbilly.”
“I’ll help,” I said and snorted.
Emersyn pointed to me and nodded. “She gets it.”
Saffie sighed and scrubbed her face. “Okay, who is next?”
Tegan looked down at the book. “Elena Stuart.”
We were only on the third Hierophant but I could see Saffie’s patience was already running thin. Not that I blamed her. I just worried what shape she’d be in once we got farther along in the list. But before I could voice my concern, Saffie already had her golden glitter covering the pentacle and her fairyflies swirling.
The pillar of blue light shot straight to the stars.
The blue haze shot sideways and for a moment I worried we’d summoned a house, but it was just the woman’s dress. Her flower printed gown poofed way out with one of those awful petticoats under it so she looked like an upside down wine glass. She wore one of those frilly white caps and her sleeves were all ruffled.
Saffie shook herself and cleared her throat. “Elena Stuart?”
“Good evening, Saraphina, Tegan, and Emersyn.” She smiled and curtsied. Then she waved to the rest of the group. “Hello to The Coven and friends.”
Saffie scowled. “You know who we are? Have we met?”
Elena shook her head, still smiling. “My apologies. Louise Bryant was my grandmother, she told me what you asked of her…and about Althea and Aurelia.”
“Oh.” Saffie glanced to Tegan and then Emersyn, then back to Elena. “So you know what we’re seeking?”
“Althea’s note on traveling to Seelie?” When we all nodded she sighed. “I wish I had looked now. Unfortunately we were all still too scarred from what we thought the twins did. I assume you are summoning each Hierophant since Elizabeth?”
We all nodded again.
“I might recommend skipping ahead a bit?” She grimaced and clutched her stomach. “I died during the American Revolution, and at the time The Coven was too occupied with that war to be dealing with the fae.”
Saffie sighed.
“And I happen to know the Hierophant after me did not read it either.”