4. Next In Line

'Every woman is a queen, and we all have different things to offer.' -Queen Latifah 

Ember 

   I considered myself lucky that I had found Killian. So many of us now can't find our other half because of the war. They were either on the other side of the battlefield or already dead. More and more, we were having to find lovers that we claimed as ours instead of our true soulmates. I knew a few of the coven members that had done this. When they claimed their lover as their soulmate, it broke the ties to their true mate if they were still alive. It only happened to one person that I know.  

   It was now after lunch and I needed to go talk with Amarantha again. I walked to her office and knocked on the closed wooden door. I waited to hear her voice.

   “Come in,” she called out, and I heard the sound of a cup being placed down on her desk. 

   I opened the door and stepped inside with Bastet right behind me. I smiled warmly at her as she looked up at me from her chair behind her desk. 

   “Ah, Ember. What did you find out?” she asked. 

   I closed the door and walked over to have a seat. Instead of sitting beside me this time, Bastet sat in my lap and lay down. I placed my hand on him and stroked his soft fur while I spoke to Amarantha. 

   “The nominations for my replacement ranged from Sandy, River and Libitina,” I told her.   

   “Who nominated Libitina?” she asked in curiosity. 

   “Oberon,” I told her with raised eyebrows. 

   “Well, that’s bias of him,” she snorted.  

   “I thought so too.” 

   “Did you learn anything else?” she asked. 

   “There was a chaos witch that said that me leaving would mess everything up, but that could mean anything really.”

   “It could. I will keep an eye on their group though.”  

   I nodded my head and told her, “while I was talking with Oberon I just got this odd feeling from him, but I honestly don’t think it’s him that has betrayed us.”

   “Why do you say that?” 

   “I don’t think he has a reason to betray the coven.” 

   “A traitor might not need a reason,” she said firmly. 

   I nodded my head while thinking about it. It honestly hurt my heart that anyone would betray my people and put them in danger like this. Whoever it was, I hope I find them and put an end to this quickly.  

   “I will keep an eye on him and his group as well,” she told me. 

   “My last days here I will watch them also. I don’t like the thought of leaving everyone with a possible traitor here.”

   She nodded her head and switched the subject by asking, “With the nominations so scattered, what do you think we should do?” 

   “Einri didn’t nominate anyone because he said I was the best choice. Wislawa said that there won’t be just one.”

   “What did she mean by that?” Amarantha asked in confusion. 

   “She told me I would figure it out.” 

   “Divination witches. Always so helpful,” Amarantha said while shaking her head. 

   I nodded my head in agreement while thinking, then asked, “Has there ever been a split of power between more than just one high priest or priestess?”

   “I have seen it done before in other covens, but the history of our coven tells us that it has always been just one.”

   “Would the coven and you support the three of them taking over in my stead?” I asked bluntly. 

   “I don’t see why not. River would give the group strength, Sandy gives a different outlook on things and Melody is the calm in every storm.”

   I nodded my head and asked, “Do you need to have a meeting with the others before anything is decided?” 

   “No. I will send out a ballot to each of them to vote on the matter at hand.”

   I stayed there as she wrote a note and duplicated it for each group's leader, then sent it to them through a currier spell by saying ‘mitte’. We sat there and talked about River taking over if this didn’t work out between the three of them. Having a backup plan was in our best interest in case someone was unhappy. About twenty minutes went by and the ballots came back in. Amaranatha looked at the first three and nodded her head.

   “The garden witches, kitchen and divination witches have all voted in favor of this decision,” she told me. 

   “Now we just have to wait for the chaos and cosmic groups. What if only one group opposes the proposal?”

   “Then the leader of that group will be called in to speak with us so we can figure out what their issue might be and we can hash out a good resolution.”

   I nodded my head and we sat there for another ten minutes before the chaos witches sent in their approval. We were now sitting here waiting for the cosmic witches. Oberon was opposed to any other elemental taking over if it wasn’t me, but he gave no reason why other than I was perfect for this. At least Einri talked about it with me. I wonder if Oberon would vote no or go with this. 

   “Do you think Oberon will cause an issue?” I asked. 

   “No. Normally he doesn’t,” she said, but didn’t talk any further. 

   We sat there waiting, but not for long. His ballot came in and Amarantha read it. She smiled and nodded her head that we were good to go with the three of them. I smiled as she sent out slips of papers by currier spell once more to get Sandy, River and Melody to her office.   

   Soon, everyone had arrived in the office and I was standing behind Amarantha as she sat at her desk. Everyone else was seated in front of her desk with their familiars. Freya was loudly panting like she and River had run here. 

   “Ember and I have called the three of you here to see if you will accept what we have to offer you,” Amarantha began. 

   All three of them were attentive and nodded their heads. 

   “We have asked each group of the coven for nominations to take Ember’s place. No one could settle on just one but they wanted an elemental to still take over. Ember then proposed that the duties and responsibilities of the high priestess be divided between the three of you. We asked the groups and everyone voted yes. Will you three accept this responsibility?” 

   All three of them smiled and looked at each other, then me before they answered, “Yes!”

   I smiled at their enthusiasm. I knew that whoever was asked would take on the job and it made me happy to see that they were so happy about this.  

   “Perfect. Ember will share with you everything that you will need to know and do,” Amarantha told them.  

   “Thank you, high priestess,” Melody said as she stood up. 

   “Thank you,” Sandy and River both said together. 

   “The three of you are welcome,” she told them with a smile.  

   The four of us left her office and went to our room. We would need privacy for me to tell them everything that they needed to know. They sat on their beds and I walked around the room like I was teaching a class. 

   “The three of you know what it means to be the high priestess, priest in Rivers' case,” I said while looking at him. 

   “Yes. It means to lead the coven in special rituals, to help make alliances and friends outside of other covens and to teach others magic,” Melody said.

   I nodded my head. 

   “And it means keeping the coven safe and fed,” Sandy added. 

   I nodded again. 

   “It also means keeping us united,” River said.  

   I nodded and said, “Yes. It also means finding solutions to  problems, checking on everyone throughout each day and, if needed, finding traitors among us.” 

   “Is that why the barriers keep being breached?’ River asked. 

   “I think so. I don’t have any solid leads or proof that we actually have a traitor in the coven though.”

   “What do you have so far?” Sandy asked. 

   “One of the chaos witches said that my leaving was going to mess everything up but I have no idea what she was talking about.”

   “It could just be the coven leadership role,” Melody offered. 

   “It could be,” I said with a nod. 

   “Or that witch could be the traitor and you leaving messes up something that they have planned for you,” Sandy said.

   “I’ve thought about that too,” I told her. 

   “Anyone else?” River asked.

   “Oberon,” I said flatly.  

   “What about him?” River asked. 

   “He nominated Libitina as the next in line. He seemed a little off today and I got a vibe from him I normally don't get,” I told them. 

   They all nodded their heads while thinking about what I was sharing with them. They would need to find a solution and I would try to help them as much as I could before I left.  

   We sat there talking about my duties and how they should split it up between the three of them. We talked over who would gain from being a traitor in the coven. I hope they can figure this out without me, because I didn’t plan to stay here for too long.

   When it was dinner time, we all went to the dining hall. The four of us sat at the head table with Amarantha as usual. For dinner, we were given ale, brown bread with cheese and venison. Our familiars were all fed their usual meals like earlier.  

   We ate and talked together while I listened to the entire dining room. I got coven gossip this way, and most of the time, very useful information. Being a half-breed, I was at least gifted with incredible hearing. Only the other elementals knew that I could do this.  

   The kitchen witches were talking about the deer that the hunters had gotten us and that a wild boar would be great for the next festival. The garden witches were talking about needing to expand a part of the garden to continue to feed everyone. The divination witches were always the quietest, as they really didn’t have much to talk about. They really liked to keep their secrets and be as cryptic as possible to everyone.  

   The chaos witches were discussing the need for a ritual after today's battle. They wanted to draw on the magic that was used by the other witches from the Mystics’ army. They did it each time that we were attacked. I had no idea what it did for them though. Someone needed to ask. 

   At the table with the cosmic witches, they were discussing the coming of Mercury going into retrograde soon and an omen that they had seen. Apparently, there had been a shift in some alignment and they were worried that our world was about to be in more danger than before. Something about another abomination being born soon. I needed to keep that in mind.                     

   When dinner was over, we all retired to our rooms. There was hot bath water waiting for us in the clawfoot tubs in the bathroom. Sandy and Melody went first, then I was next. I would reheat the water if needed. I enjoyed sitting in the tub and steaming the room. River would take forever here in the bathroom, so the three of us girls always needed to go first. Though he got the best hot water going after me.   

   When I was done in the bathroom and had on my black nightgown, I climbed into bed. Bastet settled in his spot right away. He was tired after such a long day. His spot was right up against my chest as I slept on my side. He liked to cuddle with me and I slept better with him right there with me. 

   Everyone was soon blowing out their candles on the bedside tables. I didn’t have to blow mine out though. I just had to absorb the flame and it would be gone. The room was now quiet as everyone settled into their beds and drifted off to sleep.