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I blinked at him "Excuse me?"

Casimir pursed his lips "Oh, this is aard I’m sorry, Daisy But coven business is a private ht hand dropped to dauda-dagr’s hilt Funny how the gesture had become instinctual in such a short time "Not this time I don’tabout a supernatural threat in Pemkowet That makes it my business"

We had a polite staredown For ato call my bluff--and it was a bluff, since I didn’t really have any options if he refused to admit me--but he relented

"You have a point," he said "Do I have your oath that you’ll treat everything you see or hear as confidential?"

"As long as it doesn’t interfere with h?"

"It will have to do" He gestured "Coined the Fabulous Casimir’s place would be than the sparsely appointed altar roos with gilded fra in rows three-deep on the walls, knickknacks on every surface, old-fashioned stuffed furniture with scrolling wood trim, an Oriental carpet on the floor And seated around the perimeter of the room, the other six members of Pemkowet’s coven

The only two people I’d more or less expected to see here were Mark and Sheila Reston, ned the tattoo parlor across froottattoos of the Wiccan rede--which, by the way, is "An it harm none, do what ye will"--around your neck, that’s pretty iveaway

The othersnot so raduated a year ahead of me and worked at the deli counter at Tafts Grocery I didn’t know her well, but I definitely didn’t see that co

There was nice Mrs Meyers from the historical society, her expression placid, her lap full of yarn, and her knitting needles clicking away industriously

There was taciturn Warren Rogers, ned a nursery and a landscaping business and had done soe for her hter, Naomi, a kickass proone

And there--holy crap--was my mom’s friend Sandra Sweddon, recently referred to bybusybody"

Okay, maybe I should have known that one After all, I did know she collected crystals But frankly, I hadn’t even suspected it

Casi introductions "Wonderful," he said once acquaintances were made or in my case, renewed in a very different context "If everyone’s ready, I’ll give a quick invocation and then we’ll begin"

A -handled lighter from a drawer, Casimir lit the first of two candles on the coffee table, a silver pillar "Hail, fair Lady, queen of night, enfold us in your grace," he said, and then lit the second, a gold pillar "Hail, great Lord, ruler of day, protect us in this place" He set the lighter down "So mote it be"

"Sofroraine, I could feel a faint charge in the air after Casi like the vastness of Hel’s presence, but a change Interesting

"We invoke the Lady and Lord in their archetypal forms," Casimir said to Sinclair "Of course, everyone is welcome to address whatever particular facet of the deity speaks to them Are you dedicated?"

I didn’t understand the question, but Sinclair gave a brief nod "You ht say so I was raised to honor Ye I ain "All right! Everyone, please help yourselves to the lovely cheese tray Ki for the occasion Mr Pal on cheese and crackers, I sat and listened while Sinclair related his story At the coven’s prodding, he went into more detail about his own youthful studies in obeah, which involved using his ability to see auras to diagnose ail the herb lore to prescribe cures

"And you didn’t think that orth pursuing?" Warren Rogers asked in a neutral tone He was a guy who knew a thing or two about herbs "The healer’s path?"

"Not at the cost" Sinclair aze squarely "The further I went down that path, the further my sister went down the other"

The other uess this whole path of balance thing was a cornerstone of most occult practices

With a few assists from me, Sinclair finished up with a description of Emmeline’s visit and her ultimatum, followed by a short discourse on the nature of duppies, during which the coven attempted to determine whether obeah’s concept of an earthly soul that was somehow distinct from a heavenly soul corresponded to the notion of an etheric body that was distinct from the physical and spiritual bodies

Okay, I tuned out for a while during that part But at least the cheese was good

At around twenty to eight, Casi Sinclair from his sister’s threat

"Obviously, we should start with a ritual cleansing," Kim McKinney said "I’d be happy to oversee it"