Bram and Lilith rehearsed this moment, and she had been at pains to have him understand the impact it would have. Certainly he is acutely conscious of the sudden alteration in the mood of the party. That a non-witch be invited to a social event of coven members is unusual but not without precedent. That the Head Witch should choose that occasion to break the vow of secrecy, to boldly expose her fellow witches, to show that she has spoken of the coven to one from the Outerworld, is shocking in the extreme.

“What is this?” Victoria is already trembling with outrage.

Lord Grimes hurries to Lilith’s side. “Morningstar…” he begins, and then realizes his own slip and corrects himself, “… Lilith. Have a care.”

She smiles at him and then addresses the guests. “Now that I have your attention, I would like all of you to meet Bram Cardale, the man I intend marrying. He is a non-witch, but he will be my partner through life, and I will not lie to him. I will not keep the greater half of myself a secret from him.”

“Faith in silence!” shouts one elderly male witch from the far side of the lawn. “That is our creed.”

Victoria is shaking her head solemnly. “I believe our Head Witch has lost her mind along with her heart.”

Others begin to voice their disapproval. Bram takes Lilith’s hand in his.

How much must this be costing her? To incur the displeasure of the whole coven. To hear them question her suitability for her position of leader. She is risking so much for me.

“Times have changed,” Lilith says. “If the Lazarus Coven is to survive, we must change with it. Perhaps we have kept ourselves apart from the Outerworld for too long.”

“But still”—Victoria is unconvinced—“to break your vows, Morningstar. And to thrust this … person upon us without consultation … it is not in keeping with our laws. We do not use secrecy to set ourselves above others but to protect the coven and the Great Secret.”

“And how can my husband-to-be help protect me if he does not know the truth? Already he has been subjected to the power of the Dark Spirit of Edmund Willoughby.”

Another witch speaks her mind. “You should have considered that before choosing a non-witch as your partner. It is you who have put him in harm’s way. And now you weaken the strength of the coven by your actions.”

Others voice their agreement, so that soon many are calling out their fears, criticizing Lilith, demanding that some sort of action be taken.

Quietly, Druscilla holds up her hand for silence. The senior witch commands great respect, so that despite passions running high, everyone is soon quiet once more.