Soheila sighed. The sigh turned into a musical trill of wind that passed though the room, carrying with it the scent of cardamom and cloves and the warmth of a desert night. I saw Frank smile when the breeze reached him – we all smiled, I think, warmed by its touch in this cold, hostile room, even Loomis Pagan who looked like she hadn’t smiled in decades. But then Adelaide lifted a hand and the warm gust turned icy cold.

“You are not allowed to perform magic at this meeting,” she roared.

Soheila’s eyes widened but she spoke with controlled grace. “I was not performing magic. You asked me my full name and I gave it to you. My name belongs to the wind. I cannot help what effect it has on you.”

“It had no effect on me,” Adelaide snapped, a smug look on her face, “because I am warded against such tricks, but I imagine the effect is most seductive to unwarded humans … or to a witch unaware of your nature.” Adelaide turned to Frank. “Were you aware, Dr. Delmarco, that your colleague Soheila Lilly is a succubus?”

Frank shook his head, his eyes on Soheila. Her eyes were wide and glassy with pain.

Liz made a strangled noise. I glanced at her and saw that there were tears in her eyes. I looked at the other members of the board and saw that they were looking at Soheila intently.

“We are waiting for your answer, Dr. Delmarco.”

“No,” Frank said, “I wasn’t. But it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change who she is.”

“But it does.” Adelaide’s voice was almost soft now. “She merely had to say her true name to make you swoon. Who knows what effect her power has had on you, or how it has compromised your judgment?”

“I have never wielded my power over Frank,” Soheila cried. “Nor over any other man, not for decades. I have abstained from that sort of contact for over sixty years,” Soheila said lifting her chin.

“Ah,” Adelaide purred, “but you just said you don’t have control over your power. Merely saying your name is a prelude to seduction. It is what you are. The Grove cannot blame you for that, Dr. Lilly, but it can take steps to protect humanity from you.”

Beside me Liz made a noise that started as a sob but then turned into a snort of laughter. “Humanity!” she cried, rising to her feet. “This proceeding is a mockery of humanity. I call for a recess …”

“We all have to agree to call a recess,” Delbert Winters said. “And I, for one, would like to hear what Dr. Lilly has to say.”

Liz glared at Delbert. “This is my college. I won’t stand by and let my teachers be interrogated.”