“This can’t go on,” Clay announced in a low, hard voice. “We don’t know who is leading the pestilents right now, but it’s obvious that he’s found a potentially fatal weakness in our defenses. The first time felt like a test. This time, we came too damn close to losing a member of the brotherhood. Something has to change today. I’m assuming that you can’t do anything.”
“No,” Flo said sharply, but Grey didn’t get the feeling that she was angry at Clay for asking. It was more likely that she was angry that she couldn’t do more for them.
“Then I want to open the floor up to everyone. What are our options for protecting ourselves?”
Silence fell over the room, and Cort slipped his hand back into Grey’s, rubbing his thumb across the top in a reassuring caress.
“We leave,” Lucien suggested.
“Leave our home?” Wiley gasped.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Lucien sighed, but when he continued, there was more strength in his tone. “Dane has done an amazing job here, but it’s not like we’re hidden. The pestilents obviously know where we are. We leave. Find a place they don’t know about. Hide and get better with our powers until we’re ready to fight.”
“We’re protected here.” Baer’s words were mostly a growl.
“Only from the pestilents marching into the house. It didn’t stop the snakes.”
“Or two rounds of human attacks,” Grey murmured.
“Leaving makes us vulnerable to all of that plus the pestilents,” Baer countered.
“I see Lucien’s point,” Clay interjected. “Yes, we would be vulnerable to all of that, but they’d have to find us first. We could move and remain organized in a fashion that we could mobilize again quickly if we’re found again. A moving target is much harder to hit.”
“It’s a good idea, boys. There’s just one problem.” Flo murmured.
“The final Weaver,” Jo finished. “The spell we have drawing him to Savannah and this house can’t be altered. Even if you all leave, he will still come here.”
“We’d be abandoning him to the pestilents,” Dane whispered.
“Shit. That sucks,” Baer grumbled.
“Wait! Can we recast the spell? We’ve got spell books and we’re getting better with the magic. What if we change the spell?” Wiley suggested.
Cort leaned in close to Grey. “Aunt Flo is shaking her head and frowning,” he whispered, and Grey couldn’t help but smile at the man’s awareness of his inability to see the nonverbal response.
“Even with the Circle at full power, I doubt that you’d be able to cast that spell,” Jo replied gently.
“Since we’re talking magic,” Clay started. The chair creaked and Grey imagined Clay shifted his muscular frame in it. “Do you have any ideas, Wiley? Anything you’ve seen that might help us?”
“Well, there are actually two options for spells I’ve found. There is one that we can cast around the property. If I’m reading it right, it will put a sort of dome over the place. No one will be able to see the house, and there’s a sort of psychological element that people won’t want to cross into the area, but it won’t physically stop them.”
“It means no more deliveries to the house, but it sounds like a good option,” Dane said.
“The problem is when we leave. It breaks the spell. It would need to be reset every time. Every errand run. Every trip to the grocery. And setting the spell is no walk in the park. Some hard-to-get ingredients and the power of all the Weavers I can get. I’m hoping that Dane and I could fill in for the Weaver we don’t have yet.”
“Sounds like a good last-ditch effort, but not an everyday fix,” Grey said.
“Exactly. We get desperate, I think we should try it, but I’m not sure we’re that desperate yet.”
“You said there were two spells?” Cort prodded.
Wiley sighed. “It’s not a great option either, but it is easier, and we can cross it without breaking it. The spell is just a warning bell. Anyone who casts the spell around the house will hear a sort of warning alarm in their head anytime someone enters the property who wasn’t part of setting the spell in the first place.”
“But the spell won’t stop them from entering?” Lucien interjected.
“No, but it also means we won’t ever be surprised again.”
“Is it difficult to cast?” Clay said.
“No, but I think we need as many Weavers as we can get to do it. At least to be on the safe side.”
Silence settled over the room, and Grey strained to hear anything at all. There were no particular thoughts that stood out, just a feeling of unease rippling through the air.
“Any other suggestions?” Clay inquired, but no one spoke up. He grunted. “Then I believe we should go with the third option. At least we’ll have warning this time. We’ll distribute the weapons throughout the main rooms and bedrooms so that we’re ready regardless of the time of day. All the vehicles will be fueled up at all times, and we’ll keep bug-out bags prepped in case we need to leave quickly. Grey,” Clay paused and let out a soft sigh. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you being away from the main house.”