I moved to center stage. “Look around you. These women are your sisters, your family. This isn’t about elementals. Or witches. Or even about keeping our powers and magic hidden from the Nelems. This is about our rights. Our right to live free. Our right to simply exist. We all share a common enemy, an enemy that wants us annihilated. Will you join me in restoring our world?”
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. I glanced at Stace, at Renee standing behind her, both nodding their approval. I looked to Bryan, who looked right back, admiration shining in his gaze. I regarded the coven and drew in a deep and satisfying breath.
The Order of the Sentry was born.
10
Bryan and I were asked to stay with the coven and given our own treehouse to establish the headquarters for Sentry. I never in a million years ever thought I’d be leading a revolution, yet here I was, doing exactly that.
I wished the guys were here. They’d love it. Rob would immediately try to take over as the leader of the group. Leo would point out something obvious. Clay would go around high-fiving everyone for breaking the law.
As Bryan and I sat at the table in the center of the treehouse, along with Renee, Stace, and two elder witches who’d brought their own covens here to hide from the Council, I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to build our numbers. We were almost one hundred strong now, but even with the level of power we had, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.
The Council had an entire army of dark elementals on their side. What did we have? Three elementals and a coven of witches. They’d slaughter us if we attempted to take a stand, which meant we needed to recruit more members.
But how?
“We’ve sent word out to sister covens in other regions.” Renee pointed at their locations on the map flattened on the table. “With Stace’s ability to teleport, we’re able to pop in and out undetected.”
“What about the elementals planted in the Nelem world?” Serenity, the elder witch with short white hair spiked at the top, looked around the table before resting her pale gaze on me. “There are watchers amongst the Nelems, are there not?”
I nodded, thinking of Ms. Wilkerson, and wrote it down. She might not stand against the Council, but I had to try. “That’s a great idea. What else?”
“I think we should start an underground radio station.” Bryan offered yet another reference to Harry Potter. The guy was obsessed. “Hear me out. We’re targeting entire groups, which may or may not work. What about all those not in a group? All the individuals out there with no other way to know what’s going on or that Sentry even exists? We have to find some way to reach them.”
He had a point. We needed a way to send a message out to the entire elemental world—the entire magical world—without the Council knowing.
I had no idea how we’d do it, but did know someone who had already done it, and back when there were no radios or cell phones. “We need to go bigger. Radio is too local. Cressida had to have gotten word out to the elemental world to let them know of the sanctuary she’d established for our kind. How did elementals from around the country find out about Clearwater Academy back then?”
We all looked at each other before every set of eyes settled on me. My connection to Cressida was no secret, not anymore, not after my own mother had outed me in front of the Council right before she shackled me with an elemutus.
“She only manifests herself to me at the ruins. It’s not like I can walk onto campus and wave at all the Council members patrolling the grounds. They’d mute me in a heartbeat.”
Renee shook her head as if the answer was obvious and I was a bleeping idiot for not seeing it. Annoyance and embarrassment burned my cheeks. “Do you have something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?”
“It surprises me how little you know about your powers. That’s all.”
I didn’t know whether them were fighting words or she was about to give me a lesson. “Perhaps you’d like to enlighten me.”
“Stand.”
“If this is another demonstration like when you attacked me with the blob, I’ll pass.”
“Nothing like that. Stand with me. I’ll show you.” She stood. Reluctantly, I did the same and approached when she waved me over. “Witches can’t teleport the way an elemental can, but we can telepath.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Teleporting is transferring yourself to another location. Telepathy is transferring your mind. You’re both an elemental and a witch, Katy. Therefore, you can do both. Since going onto the academy’s grounds isn’t possible without being seen, telepath your mind there to talk to Cressida.”
“I needed to stand for you to tell me that?”
“No. You needed to stand for me to do this.” She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug. I stiffened, not being a hugger and not expecting the embrace. “You’re doing an amazing thing. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before. I’m sorry I didn’t agree to stand with you when you came to me the first time. My stubbornness and ignorance could have hurt our cause if you hadn’t persisted. That’s what makes you a great leader, Katy. Persistence. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of Sentry.”
Our cause. She’d called it our cause. I smiled and hugged her back. “You’re welcome.”
“There’s another way,” Serenity pointed out, and grasped the pendant hanging on the long leather string around her neck. “This was
