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ill.”
    “Good heavens! What from? Have you determined the cause?”
    “Our best guess is a busted ritual.”
    A shadow of alarm touched Brianna’s face, and a warning voice whispered in her head again.
Déja vu, Brianna, déja vu.
To her dismay, her voice broke slightly.
    “And m-mother?”
    “She’s gravely ill. I don’t think she’s going to make it. That’s why I’m calling.”
    Brianna bit her lip to control a sob.
    “Can she be moved to a critical care unit in Tucson for treatment?”
    “No. She collapsed while performing a ritual, and until we determine what occurred prior to her collapse, we can’t let outsiders get involved. We attempted to intercede on her behalf, and well, I don’t need to tell you what can happen when an intercession fails.”
    Brianna’s eyes bordered with tears again.
    “You must call 9-1-1 immediately. Mother needs to be airlifted as soon as possible. I can meet you in Tucson some time tomorrow afternoon.” She glanced at her calendar. “I can catch the red-eye flight out tonight.”
    A weary sigh emanated in her ear.
    “That won’t do, Brianna. I’m suffering from the energy sickness, along with the members. I am unable to travel at the moment.”
    Brianna heard a raspy cough and winced.
    “You must let me come home, Papa. I can help.”
    “I wish you could, but when you left, all ties to the coven were broken.”
    An unexpected surge of anger had Brianna lashing out.
    “That was fifteen years ago. It has no bearing on this incident. I have read the Book of Shadows, and I know what’s written in terms of who succeeds whom in a crisis. There’s no doubt in my mind, I have to come home and assess the situation.”
    Her father’s cough came through the line again.
    “It took a long time to put the Dark Time behind us, Brianna. Please don’t make a mockery of our laws by going against them again. I only called you . . . in case this is goodbye.”
    Silence descended on the other end of the line, and Brianna suppressed a sob.
    “Papa . . .”
    The line went dead, and Brianna’s hand shot to her mouth. He had hung up on her. Her hand suddenly fell away. It was clear the Dark Time had descended again without warning, and this time, her mother’s essence had taken the hit. She replaced the receiver slowly, wishing she could replay her father’s words in slow motion. Her mother had been performing a ritual when it tanked. No, her mother didn’t make mistakes like that. Then what?
A clever attempt at murder?
Her inner voice threw up. She shunned the thought, but then thought better of it. Why would the Elders attempt to alter a ritual if they didn’t suspect foul play?
    She banished that thought, too. She wasn’t going to start suspecting that a sinner had entered the clearing and attacked her mother. Her mother’s collapse had been an accident caused by spirit, and her father had let the Council try to reverse the outcome—with disastrous results. What had made him do such a foolish thing? She wouldn’t know until she asked him in person. Or saw her mother.
    Snatching up the phone again, she punched in Janet’s extension.
    “Ready for the next dose of Nyquil?” Janet teased.
    “No, I need you to call the airport and book the earliest flight to Tucson for me. And book a rental car.”
    “Will do.” The line went dead and Brianna replaced the receiver.
    “Do you want me to fly home with you?”
    Brianna glanced up, suddenly remembering she wasn’t alone in the room. She covered her mouth with shaking fingers.
    “Thank you, Tommy, but no. You’ve got to stay here and find a buyer for my company. It’s more important than ever now. I’ll sign the power of attorney over to you before I leave.”
    He leaned forward in his chair.
    “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
    Her voice drifted to a whisper.
    “I’ll conjure a protection spell for the pilot and passengers before we take off,” she replied.
    “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.