Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

59. The Future Of Magic

The Savages had been gathered in the largest of the church's classrooms, all official-like. It had been four and a half tense days since news had broke of the riot in Pittsburg's magical district and Miss B finally had more information to share with them. The children were eager for solutions, eager to regain the safety and surety of their home, and so they were uncharacteristically well behaved as they sat in neat rows on benches, trading only the occasional whisper with their neighbors. Among the few who dared whisper were, of course, Jake and Beetles, who were sitting in the back, squished together on the edge of one bench.

"Do you think she'll let us go back outside?" One of the boys asked, only to be shushed by an older child. 

His impatience was a palpable thing, and it was shared by many of the others. They had been sequestered in the church for the past several days, hoping to avoid the inevitable inflamed tensions, the humans who would undoubtedly be shouting slurs and picking fights with magic users across the city. (It was always like that, in the aftermath of any riots like the Pittsburg one. Violence beget more violence. And while New York City had thankfully been spared of anything on such a scale as those massive mobs in other cities, it was only a matter of time before the isolated incidents of magic users being harmed turned into something bigger.) It was safest for the children to stay in their hidden home, at least until some other news dominated conversations and an uneasy truce once again took hold between humanity and the magical. (Unless the status quo finally broke. Unless the point of no return was crossed. Then... Well, no one wanted to think about what would happen then.) Still, that did not make it easy. The Savages did not want to be stuck inside, for one thing, and for another, if they were all hiding within the church walls, no one was bringing in the stolen items and money needed to keep everyone fed and clothed.

Kate turned thoughts of it all over and over in her brain, even as she watched the kids pack tightly together, waiting for their benefactor. She was pressed against the wall, on the bench behind Jake and Beetles. Emma was to her left, gripping her hand tight. Abigail was on Emma's other side, cross-legged and cunning-eyed. 

"There's Miss B," said Michael, who was on Kate's right, with Violet propped up on his lap. He was correct; the witch had walked purposefully into the room, past Scruggs, slumped in his armchair and looking decidedly put out by the whole thing, to stand before the blackboard. 

"Children," Henrietta began, and that single word, spoken in her stern voice, had all the Savages going silent. Kate glanced, briefly, to the side, where Rafe leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He saw her looking and offered her a tense smile, but even across the room, Kate could tell it didn't meet his eyes. He had been calm in the presence of the kids, comforting them at bedtime, listening to their complaints about being locked up, even organizing them as they filtered into this very space, but it was an act. When the children turned away, Rafe would drop his tranquil mask and allow the storm and shadow to fill his face. He and Kate hadn't had a proper chance to talk about all this, for they'd been so busy keeping their charges from turning stir-crazy, but she knew he had to be experiencing tumult. After all, he'd been so angry when he first found out what had taken place in Pittsburg, and that sort of righteous rage didn't die in the span of a few days...

"Myself and the coalition I keep in contact with, of witches and wizards living on the Eastern Seaboard, have received word," Henrietta declared, and Kate turned her attention back to the woman. "We, and many other groups like us, have for some time now been aware that the way things currently are is unsustainable. We have advocated to the highest level of governance in the magical world, the de-facto leaders of our kind, the Council of Loris, for changes to be made in the name of safety. Over the past months - or maybe even years - the Council has claimed to be working on something big that will provide our kind with protection. This latest act of violence against magical beings has prompted them to share their plan with a wider collective. Though the details have yet to be finalized, I now know the primary aspects of the plan and I will share them with you today."