The coven members weren’t friends. He and Richard could barely stand one another, but in some ways they were closer than family. As he considered Henry’s whip-smart, icy gaze, Josiah wondered what would happen once the coven had finally accomplished what they had set out to do.

He could see some taking off, never to be heard from again, but other connections, like possibly his relationships with Maria and Anson, might last longer.

In any case, none of that mattered. They were united now, had been for decades, for the sole purpose of destroying one man.

After Richard lit the candles positioned at each point of the pentagram, Josiah raised his Power and extended it out to Maria on his left and to Richard on his right. The others did the same until their Powers merged with a snap and the circle was completed.

It was weaker than it would be if Steven were physically present. Even so, he could extend some energy through the FaceTime connection. As Josiah eyed their handiwork with a critical eye, he was satisfied that the merging was strong and solid.

As disparate as they were in personality and talent, his coven had learned to work well together. As long as they held their circle, no outside creature could see what they did, nor could anyone hear what they discussed, not even the world’s rare, dangerous Djinn.

In the unlikely event something had slipped past the electronic security systems, the driving maneuvers, the spells of aversion, and the spells cast on the ceiling, floor, and walls of the basement, this circle was their last, strongest layer of protection.

He pulled out the folded photocopy Molly had given him and tossed it into the middle of the pentagram. “Tell me what you see when you look at this,” he said to Maria. “Does it connect to our mission?”

“What is it?” Richard asked, eyeing the folded paper curiously.

Quietly, Josiah replied, “Hold on. I want to know if Maria gets any hits off it first.”

Maria’s sight tended to yield purer results when she didn’t hold preconceived ideas. Beside him, she tilted her head. Her large, lustrous eyes had taken on an extra sheen. They glittered like black diamonds, reflecting light.

She murmured, “What is the subterfuge that lies around this?”

She was that damn good. Smiling, he said, “There are a couple of layers of subterfuge. The person who gave it to me did so in secret.”

“And it contains a secret.”

“Yes.”

“A dangerous secret.” In that moment, she looked quite alien. Breathing deeply, she nodded. “This does connect to our mission, but it’s a winding thread that doubles back on itself. I can’t see the twists and turns. Some of it is technological, and some financial. All I can see for certain is that someone doesn’t want this found.”

Josiah rubbed his jaw. “No, I don’t think they do.”