RoadBlock by Amelia Bishop

and hasn’t spoken to me since.”
    “I’m almost afraid to ask, but- what were you buying?”
    “Vodka, Astroglide, and double-A batteries.”
    Betony couldn’t stop her smile, “And what was the comment?”
    “Well she looked at my stuff and said ‘Big weekend planned?’ , kind of bitchy, you know? So I said ‘I’m spending the weekend alone, but if you wanna stop by I’ll put the batteries back.’ She wasn’t amused.”
    “No, I can imagine,” Betony chuckled, “Although, once again, I agree- you didn’t start it.”
    Dagger just shook his head. Wade was always rubbing people the wrong way, but underneath he was a really nice guy. Adelaide, on the other hand…she could be a cold bitch. Luckily, she’d always liked Dagger, but he’d seen her mean side come out against a few of his friends, so he tended to avoid her whenever possible.
    They pulled up to the coven center and parked in front of the office door. Betony nodded her approval of the building. It looked like an old church, with silvery aged cedar shingles, and a modest bell tower. The offices were set to the side, and to the casual observer it would look just like any other Christian Church, if not for the small wooden sign that read, “New England Pagan Alliance, Coven No. 72, Est. 1723”.
    The outer door was unlocked, so they walked in and knocked softly on Adelaide’s office door, which opened almost instantly. Adelaide stood before them, dressed casually in her everyday street clothes, and urged them to sit. Her office was more like a small suite, with an antique desk in one corner, a tiny woodstove in the other, and several comfortable chairs and loveseats arranged in a circle in the center. She had prepared tea, and was pouring out steaming mugs of it without asking anyone if they wanted it, or how they took it in any case. She was an imposing woman, tall, with short silver-white hair and a severe manner. Although she wore khaki Capri pants and a crisp white blouse, she carried herself as if she were garbed in her ceremonial robes, keeping her back stiff and her head high.
    Betony was impressed, but Calderon bristled. Another seer, even one with little power, was an adversary to him. It wouldn’t bother him in a casual situation, but he was here on business, and the fact that she might stand in his way irritated him. She greeted them all warmly though, even Wade, who showed his surprise and then seemed to relax, sitting and sipping his tea.
    “Betony and Calderon, I am so pleased to meet you, finally. I welcome you to our coven, and hope you will bless us with your skills and friendship for many years.”
    “Thank you, Adelaide, we are pleased to be here. You have a beautiful coven-stead, and a wonderful location! And although we have only met two of your witches, they are fine examples of your coven’s kindness and power.”
    “Yes Dagger is a wonderful asset to our coven, and Wade is quite powerful. Tell me, will you be at our next meeting?”
    “Um, yes, probably…but the reason we’re here today is not just to introduce ourselves. We need some information. About this… thing we’re meant to do. Can you tell us anything?”
    Calderon watched Adelaide and Betony through narrowed eyes. Adelaide was hiding something, and she wouldn’t tell them the whole truth. Her intentions were honorable, though. Beyond that he could tell nothing. He tried to relax his expression before she turned to him.
    “Tell me something first,” she swung her eyes to Cal, and as she did her smile turned colder, “you didn’t contact me right away. Why?”
    “My priority was getting Dagger and Wade on board.”
    “Did you intend to ask me about this? Or did you just decide to do it recently?”
    Calderon face colored and he huffed out a frustrated breath. “Just say what’s on your mind, please.”
    “The original plan was not to tell you the prophecy, to let you deal with situations as they occurred . Now that plan has seemed to change, and I