Callous Heart

MERIEL paid close attention as her mother addressed the group from the head of the table. Late autumn's wan light filtered in through the windows, casting shadows on the far wall of the meeting room. The expensive-looking clock and the generic black-and-white framed pictures made the room look more like a legal office than the headquarters of a witches' clan. A dull and opinion-free zone. Meriel thought it was absurd for someone as opinionated as Edwina Owen to act as if they had no opinion on the matter. In all likelihood, this was a deliberate decision. Still, she could not choose the wall colour or the furniture arrangement. In any case, not right now.

She spent her days with the same fifteen people she'd known for as long as she could remember, sitting in a chair that was just marginally comfortable, at a table that was purposely made to be threatening. That days like this made her long for law school all over again was a cruel irony. No sane person would turn down a chance to study law. She did well in law school, but it was before she had the experience that she currently has. Next in line, if you will. Such a pretty young lady. Dynastic monarchy of the magical arts. Blah. There, she had been no more than a high achiever among peers who were all as smart as she was and, in many cases, smarter. When she first arrived, she had a difficult time settling in. It was an adventure to go through that kind of rough travel.

Despite her busy schedule, she took this decision seriously because it might affect her future. Meriel didn't have time to do this, and her best friend and Clan Owen's investigator, Nell, was still on her honeymoon and wouldn't be back for a few more days.

Gage, Nell's former second in command, would be a great stand-in in this case. But, Edwina Owen believed that Meriel, as the next chief of Clan Owen, should step in whenever she was unable to fulfil her duties. It was like learning to work in the mailroom or with the photocopiers; it was training in the general management of the clan.

Nevertheless, at least she wouldn't be a shut-in, spending the night in front of the TV while binge-eating spring rolls and reading legal briefs. Whatever happened, at least she wouldn't be stuck inside all night. Delicious spring rolls...

There was a gap in the noise, and she knew her mother was waiting for an answer. No more daydreaming about how good fried foods were; it was time to pay attention.

As her mother talked to her, she sat up straight and met her gaze. I can view the document in question. Before Nell left, she filled me in. I'm heading to the club tonight to see what's up for me. She was adamant about maintaining her mother's focus on her. Edwina Owen, the matriarch of the Owen clan, is not someone you want to show any signs of weakness around. Meriel was well aware that some predators ate their young. Indeed, she had shared her concerns with her mum. Her mother had said that she should never give her daughter an excuse to behave badly. The mother of our heroine Meriel is not the most lovable person in the world.

Please don't forget to bring Gage along. Certainly not a request of any kind. In reality, just a fraction of what Edwina said was ever correct. The majority of the time she was right, and that time was now. Having security guards at her side was nothing new for Meriel. While she wasn't completely powerless, she was glad to have the opportunity to learn from a seasoned expert's guidance while working side by side.

Gage uttered these statements as he stood near the front door. Saying, "I'll be picking up Meriel this evening at ten," he went on to explain his plans.

Meriel suppressed a grin as she saw Edwina's ecstatic reaction to the universe's compliance with her command.

“Excellent. In the morning, I'd appreciate a status report on the problem. Edwina brushed her off with a wave of her hand and went on. In response to her invitation, Meriel hurried out of the room.

As she passed Gage in the corridor on her way to her office, he said, "She terrifies me." She wasn't staring at his privates, and she didn't take special note of the way the denim was faded only where it should have been. That is the wrong way to go about things. Heh.

Meriel, who did not have any ill will towards her coworker, tried to act professionally for about five seconds before she rolled her eyes. “Whatever. She gets her needs met when you're scared, so it's good for her when you are. balances the ledger by the end of the game. Some men find that appealing. I'm thinking of my dad as an example; yet, I'm not sure why I even brought that up since, ugh. To dismiss the notion, she shook her head gently. That's Gage's behind, for sure. She smiled at the prospect of something more desirable. What the heck, I'll see you tonight? " How well will you protect my privacy and property?

The man beamed a broad grin. I have no doubt that you can keep your great possessions safe on your own. Still, you can count on me to show up with bells on. I won't be there ringing bells, though, because that would be an annoying distraction. Before he sauntered out, she stole one more glance at his genitalia. She wasn't exactly a saint by the end of the day. Like any other work of art, it was a masterpiece in the making and should be celebrated as such. It was an obligation she felt deeply as a citizen of the United States. And, additional things

She quickly and efficiently navigated her way through the office and out the other side of the building. The whole 31st floor of a skyscraper in Seattle's downtown was home to Clan Owen's administrative offices. With a secretarial staff, an attorney's office, an accountant's office, and even a sales force, their operations were not drastically different from those of any other business. Yet, only witches were employed by them.

During the course of the last twelve generations, women have consistently occupied the position of clan leader for the Owen family. When the first Owen witches arrived in California that year (1847), they caused quite a stir. Their first financial footing in the area came from dry-goods stores and illegal booze activities, but they had gone a long way since then. They had now reached a point where they could put money into respectable enterprises. The clan had developed into a multimillion dollar enterprise and an unstoppable power in the witching world by this point.

Being the oldest child of Clan Owen's chief, Meriel was groomed for the role of leader from birth. She was trained to become the kind of witch, the kind of woman, who could preserve the clan's unity and assure the group's continuous success and dominance for future generations.

When her children were harmed, Edwina was not the type of mother to kiss the wounds and bake cookies. Meriel's mother instilled in her daughter from an early age the value of being strong and shrewd. Meriel believed that she lacked the motivation to match her intelligence.

And one day she'd be able to do all she'd always done with ease: make treats, comfort the sick, and run the household.

She closed her door, shutting herself and everyone else out of the office, and proceeded to her assistant's desk to collect the mail and messages.

She took a short break from her work to admire the stunning scene of the Sound's shimmering water and the scattered vessels.

She kicked off her shoes, sighed with relief, and opened the folder on her desk, which included background material on the individual with whom she would be conversing later that evening.

This guy had just recently moved to Seattle, but he opened a club right in the middle of Owen's territory. They didn't see him for a while because it appeared as if he was running the club exclusively for human customers.

She did not know when he first allowed others into the club, but she did learn two weeks ago that he had been using magick from the Clan Owen font to power some wards. She had no idea when he had allowed other clubgoers to enter that area.

The fact that it had been concealed for so long particularly bothered her.

Two, despite her irritation, she was impressed.

To Meriel, it was clear that no matter who he was, it would be a mistake to take him lightly. She may not have been a full council member yet, but that didn't make her an idiot.

Yet she still had a lot of inquiries.

When there was a knock at the door, she turned to say something, but her mother had already entered the room. not walked in, pushed in, snuck in, or done anything similar to that Instead, Edwina came in and swiftly drained the room of most of its oxygen.

A intriguing phone call just came in, the speaker stated.

Meriel never once suggested that her mother take a seat throughout their conversation. If left to her own devices, Edwina would follow her inclinations and do what she wanted. She retrieved a notebook and pen from her purse, then turned her attention skyward in preparation to take notes.

"There have been a few significant occurrences in New Mexico in recent times. Outside of Albuquerque, three members of a local coven have gone missing this week.

She had practised law long enough to know that asking fewer leading questions and listening more attentively during an interview produced better results. As she had no idea what was going on, she waited for her mother to fill her in.

We haven't heard back from any of the women in eight months. They assume she has died at this point. The most recent missing adult guy was reported missing two weekends ago; the others have all been missing for over a year.

"

Were all of them partaking in the coven's rituals and activities? But... Substance abuse? Do you have issues at home or in the workplace?

Meriel's mother gave a slight nod, as if to reassure herself that her daughter was not completely stupid.

The three of them do not constitute an especially active group. Even if they lack a typeface, one of the women has influential parents. That's why it probably made it to me in the first place. The assumption here is that nobody would have been concerned about the other two people because they were not under anyone's supervision.

Meriel felt her stomach turn at the mere notion of it. And the fact that her mother didn't seem to be as offended as she was, made the wounds bleed even more. It's possible this is nothing to worry about, but it might also be a major problem. Meriel realised that her plan of not bothering to learn anything in depth was not working, so she shifted gears.

I mean, what is wrong with these people? Is this story related to others like it that we've heard recently?

Her mother treated her daughter's inquiries like they were irrelevant and continued talking nonetheless. I know that you enjoy talking freely with other witches, even those who do not identify with a specific coven. You will serve as the clan's primary contact for this purpose. Please work with Gage till Nell gets back on Monday. She got to her feet and retrieved a file folder from her desk for Meriel. "It accounts for every last detail." Again, she had to pause her speech to collect her thoughts and recover her breath. To be honest, I can't say for sure that this is cause for alarm. Meriel, people vanish. There's just too much we don't know about any of them for us to get worked up about them.

The effort she made to keep her face from sneering while she spoke was truly heroic. Meriel reigned in her enthusiasm, promising herself that when it was her turn to be the show's leader, she would do things differently.

She picked up the folder and flipped through it, ogling her mother's elegant and precise handwriting the whole time. Even though Edwina thought the call was pointless, she documented it thoroughly. Meriel would go talk to Gage about it once her mum left so she could hear his thoughts on it.

They would have been better able to look out for the welfare of their people if they had been part of a clan. It's conceivable none of this actually happened. Self-injury occurs frequently in human culture and takes many forms. You understand this just as well as I do.

She knew that if she spoke, it would be harmful, and she didn't feel like doing that. Because I didn't feel like adding to my day's misery, I didn't deal with it. In other words, on her mum.

One stubborn brow wrinkled. “Go on. Say it. If you're going to step in and replace me, you'd better have some nerve.

Her mother teased her with magic, and she responded with magic that was challenging to control but not impossible. There was no way to win under Edwina's rules. That's why she made up her mind to ignore their regulations. I refuse to join you in this game. Furthermore, you and I are both aware that this is beyond reasonable doubt. Thank you for enlightening me to this fact. I am taking over from here on out." She was also certain that the New Mexico witches, whether they had been kidnapped, killed, or something else else, would be pleased not to be forced to feel responsible for what had happened.

Edwina's concentration deepened, and in turn, Meriel gave her a blank expression. She put forth a lot of work to make sure her face never showed any emotion. We thought it was excellent. It was the only way to win over her mother, who wouldn't let up until she got an explanation. You can rest assured, though, that Meriel will eventually give it to her.

To which I reply, "Thank you." Meriel looked at her mum intently as she repeated the phrase.

Edwina sighed and started walking towards the door. "Kindly keep me updated." ...and they departed.

Meriel glanced at her notes briefly before approaching Gage.