Free Sacred Circle by Rachel James Page B

strength.
    “Don’t go baiting Francis. He may be the only person that can aid you in collecting evidence from the clearing.”
    Brianna made a face.
    “The evidence has already gone underground, we all know that. Francis is purposely being a horse’s . . .” She felt Devlin’s hand along her upper arm, and brushed his fingers away. “I’m not going to insult Francis. I just want to remind him of the proper protocol when comforting a High Priest under the weather.”
    “I can’t wait to hear what you think that is,” Devlin muttered.
    Brianna rumpled her nose at him, turning her attention to Francis, whose scowl was almost as fierce as her own. His next words were terse.
    “You have no authority here, Brianna, and even though you have been clever enough to evoke the Dispensation Law, it’s only bought you one more day in our midst.” He held out his hand. “The Pentagram, if you please. It will need to be cleansed and purified before being returned to the Sacristy.”
    His pointed barb didn’t go unnoticed.
    “I have no desire to rule anyone, Francis,” Brianna remarked, ignoring his outstretched hand. “but you are mad if you think I came all this way to be shunned by the Elders.” She waved her hand towards the bed. “I am not going to let anyone sweep the illnesses occurring here under a rug.”
    “Are you insinuating that the Council had something to do with your mother’s collapse?” Francis asked. “And that we now intend to hide what happened to her?”
    That was what Brianna thought, but she didn’t have the courage to say it out loud, especially when she had no proof of any wrongdoing by the Council. Beside her, her father contained another hacking cough.
    “What has Brad recommended for Mother?” Brianna asked. “Has he tried a healing wash?”
    “No, I haven’t,” Brad replied, entering the room. “None of us have the purity to do it at the moment.” He crossed to the bed and lifted her father’s hand, measuring his pulse. Her father’s eyes re-opened and he flashed a weak smile at the doctor.
    “Look here, Brad,” Devlin stated, stepping forward. “Something is going on that you’re not telling us. I can feel it around your auras. What is going on?”
    “And you had better have a damn good reason for keeping it a secret.” Brianna threw in. “All this secrecy smacks of a cover-up.”
    “I couldn’t tell you everything when you called,” her father said. “In case, you didn’t come.”
    “We’re here, so spill the bad news,” Devlin muttered.
    Her father blew threw his cheeks, glancing at Devlin, rather than at her.
    “Sienna’s body is still in the circle in the clearing. We are unable to get past the energy barrier.”
    “What!” Brianna fumbled for her chair again, and dropped down. “She’s still inside the circle? You’ve left her inside the circle?” She covered her face with her hands. “How could you keep that vital piece of information from us?” She peeped through her fingers at her father. “How could you be so cruel? Do you realize how much time you’ve wasted by keeping this a secret? You’ve wasted days that we could’ve used to save Mother’s life.”
    “We tried to get her out, Brianna. The attempt failed.”
    Brianna’s temper flared.
    “You can’t manipulate spirit, Papa. I know that better than anyone.” She whirled on the doctor. “How long has she been unconscious, Brad?”
    “Four days, maybe five.”
    “Five!” Brianna covered her face with her hands again. “Five days down!” A weight settled on her shoulders and she glanced up at Devlin’s face. A stray tear escaped her right eye. “Have you ever heard such garbage? They left her in the circle. They’ve m-m-murdered her.” Her voice cracked on the words.
    “No one’s murdered anyone,” Devlin advised. “We’re going down to the clearing right now, and by God, we’re going to repair the problem.”
    Brianna’s tears dried instantly.
    “Have you lost your