A Witch's Feast Read Online Free Page A

children’s clothes were left. Fiona had squeezed into a tiny pink T-shirt with a cartoon princess simpering on the front, and her friend wore a small gray sweatshirt, unzipped over a superhero shirt. Their own clothes had burned in the fire, and their computers were now melted globs of plastic under the ashy remains of the school.  
    In an unusual burst of community spirit, the Mather student body had banded together, pooling their money to buy basic necessities while they stayed in the shelter—underwear, toothbrushes, caffeinated soda.  
      From the front seat, Munroe turned to face the others, her chalice pendant glimmering over her tight black sweater. “Can I get everyone’s attention?” She placed a delicate white hand on her chest. “Well, I think I can speak for us all when I say I’m relieved to be out of Boston. I’m just glad we were able to get away from the witches. Sorry, my dad keeps telling me to call them terrorists. ” She used air quotes. “The members of Mather’s junior class have been granted clearances to stay in my family’s home, Winderbellow, until Boston is free from witches. Terrorists, whatever.” She waved her hand, and students behind Fiona clapped listlessly.  
    Munroe’s glossy lips curled into a beatific smile. “Anyway, all of your parents have signed permission forms for you to stay with us for as long as necessary. Maybe even for our entire senior year. And while we don’t ask for praise for saving everyone, we hope that some of you might   be interested in learning about the Sanguine Brotherhood.”  
    Fiona rolled her eyes at Mariana, who mouthed the words “No thanks” behind her hand. Neither of them had any interest in becoming a part of Munroe’s blood-drinking cult.
    “Some of you, like me, barely made it out of the school building alive.” Munroe’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows creased together. “We had to climb down the trellises and run through the streets. We almost died. But I promise you that we’ll all be safe within the gates of Winderbellow. There are guards all over the house, and we have our own ways of dealing with witches.” She arched an eyebrow at Mariana. “There are new laws in place since the attacks, and anyone suspected of witchcraft may be interrogated by whatever means necessary.”
    Fiona stiffened. Maybe Tobias is onto something with his charm offensive.  

CHAPTER SIX
Fiona

    The van bumped along a gravel path through imposing rows of ash trees, their leaves ablaze with sunlight. To the left, beyond the trees, lay a vast expanse of tobacco fields.
    As they rolled forward, an enormous redbrick mansion came into view, and Fiona’s eyes widened at its grandeur. The main building was the width of an entire city block, and a wing extended from either side. White gabled windows crowned the structure on the third floor. Munroe’s home was at least as big as Mather Academy had once been.  
    Fiona caught a glimpse of Alan’s wide-eyed reaction as they approached. She couldn’t imagine her friends staring with awe as they pulled up the yellowed vinyl siding on her South Boston triple-decker.  
    The van stopped in front of the rows of white zinnia that blossomed in front of the house. A red family crest hung above the door. Lux in tenebris lucet. It was the Purgator motto: Light shines through the darkness.  
    “Whoa,” whispered Mariana, staring through the windshield.  
    Alan turned to Fiona, mouthing the words, Holy shit.
    In the passenger seat, Munroe unbuckled her belt, smiling. “We’re here, everyone! My mom will be waiting for us, and someone will take your bags. Just leave them in the van.” She opened her door, her smooth hair bouncing behind her as she stepped out.  
    Fiona’s muscles ached. She stretched her arms above her head and watched as Tobias glided out of the van, silent as a cat. Rising, she shuffled after him, crossing the lawn to the multi-paned glass doors.  
    Before she slipped through the