rix_scaedu

Piece four in this series.

The coven had gathered around the table in Jane Bailey's back sunroom. Originally the space had been a verandah, but a previous owner of the house had filled in the spaces above the half wall and between the columns with horizontal louvres made of textured glass and added an exterior door. Jane had added a security screen door so that she could leave the glass paneled door open and enjoy the scents and sounds from her garden without having every biting insect and inquisitive lizard wander in to share the pleasant room with her.

There were six women at the table and although they called themselves a coven, there were others who wouldn't. They had no formal name, no formal structure, and much of the time they just got together for coffee and cake. Peggy Willis had once said disapprovingly of them that their group was no more than friends that sometimes did magic together, to which Jane had replied that if that was what they needed, then what was the problem? Today's cakes were chocolate, except for the vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam and cream, and both coffee and tea were on the table.

As she stirred her coffee, Penny Albright asked, "So, what does everyone think about the candidates for the Grand Master of the Diaspora Circle?" Now that Richard Ashgrove was dead, the position of Grand Master of the Most Far and Further Diaspora Circle needed to be filled and almost everyone in that far flung and diverse network of magic practitioners was thinking about who should replace him.

"Not like the candidates have to be declared yet," pointed out Di Grainger. "It wouldn't be seemly. Richard's funeral isn't until tomorrow." She drank some of her milky tea. "Doesn't mean that people aren't making it clear that they're throwing their hats into the ring."

"David Wallace called me out of the blue last night," remarked Mary Sterland. "I wouldn't say that he was throwing his hat into the ring, more running up his flag to see if anyone saluted."

Jane laughed and then said seriously, "I don't know that I'd choose David, but I don't think he'd do a bad job. He wouldn't be Richard, of course, but you wouldn't expect him to be."

"The thing is," the oldest woman at the table, Felicity Drummond, said slowly, "I don't think we realise how much Richard affected our practice. He was head of the Diaspora Circle for longer than some of you have been alive. I can barely remember what our magic was like before he stepped into the position, but it was different. I remember some simple spells being much harder than they are now, and I don't mean that they're easier now because I have more facility with them. I mean that the magic changed the way it went into those spells. We probably should have views and feelings on who the next Grand Master should or shouldn't be."

"Gala Pryce would be a good pick," put in Kristina Smith. "Despite her parents and their ideas, not because of them. Edward Mann would be another good choice. Not his brother Thomas though."

"I can't argue with that," replied Felicity, "although he did say last week when we were both in Coulter's, when it started to be clear that Richard was fading, that a decade ago he would have been eager to step into Richard's shoes but now, with the health problems he and his wife have had, plus the problems with their second girl and having to look after her children, he just doesn't feel up to it."

"I'm sorry for their problems," said Jane, "but I feel that's a problem dodged for the rest of us. Elwyn Spencer is another one who probably thinks that it's finally her turn, and I think the Brisbane and Northern Rivers membership would support her. She’s certainly capable, sensible, and she's good at managing committees - again, she'd not be Richard, but she'd bring a lot to the job."

"We all have to accept that things are going to be different from now on," pointed out Di. "The Comptons are probably going to form up behind one of the older siblings - Guy or Eloise would be my guess. I really can't see anyone else from around Canberra trying to run if they do that. Melbourne and Hobart?"

"Will depend on whether Ellis Simpson and his wife are still together and/or talking to each other," said Felicity. "They're very polarising figures in those parts." She shook her head, "I can never think of that woman's given name."

"That's because she's put an avoidance spell on it," replied Penny. "Nothing to do with your memory. She either really doesn't want to be gossiped about or she's avoiding being cursed. That being the case, I can't imagine that she'll be wanting to be Grand Master."

Felicity laughed. "You'd be surprised. One of Richard's opponents last time we did this had their entire identity avoided." She drank some of her tea. "Strangely, that was a major reason most people didn't vote for them. They Who Shall Not Be Named couldn't understand it." She sighed. "The membership's rather sparse in Adelaide, and I don't know of any likely contenders over there. You've been there, Kristina. What do you think?"

"That was for that business when Gwen Rose went missing," affirmed Kristina. "There's a feeling that most of the local practitioners don't want to associate with the Diaspora Circle because their ancestors came out as free settlers and the Diaspora Circle comes from the "convict states." I think that part of it is because by the time the two groups met each other, their practice had moved in very different directions. A practical reason for them not to join is that it doesn't benefit them."

"Fair," commented Jane as she offered around the plate of brownies. "What do we know about Perth and the North?"

Penny finished eating her mouthful of brownie and said, "Kylie Jones said that she and her coven are worried about some English bloke who arrived in town a few months ago. He's applied for membership of the Diaspora Circle but hasn't attended any meetings yet. Supposedly moved to Perth for a corporate job, but he seems to have a lot of time on his hands for glad handing every magical practitioner that he can find. Which makes non-attendance at meetings odd. Atholl Perkins has similar concerns. He said that the man has a secretary, a driver and a bodyguard that have got minion written all over them. Nice suits, matching magical protections, all that sort of thing."

Jane snorted. "Bodyguard? Who does he think he is?"

"De facto leader of the magical community by right, from what Atholl says," replied Penny. "At least acts as if he's got pots of money and he's posh." She paused as if a thought had just hit her and added, "Four is a peculiar number for a circle or a coven, but if he's got a butler or a valet, that would make five of them and that's quite respectable."

"Could be a cook or a housekeeper," added Jane. "Is he making the usual immigrant mistakes?"

"Kylie says she's just waiting for Mrs Watts to complain that he's been poking into places where he doesn't belong. He's just the sort of person, she says, who'll head straight for what he thinks is a genius loci and then get a nasty shock when it hits out at him." Penny and the others quietly contemplated the foolishness of those who thought that equivalent meant exactly the same.

On the other side of the continent, the subject of Penny's comments was listening to a report from his secretary. "Yes, the position of Grand Master of the Most Far and Further Diaspora Circle is open and up for election. Any member in good standing of the Circle can put their name up for the consideration of all the members in good standing."

The secretary had paused for breath, and his employer and leader commented, "Election? How...quaint. I'm sure we can make sure I win. Please, go on."

"The problem is, sir, you're not a member in good standing. You've never attended a meeting of a chapter. All those meetings you've been having with the locals don't count. Yes. you've put names to faces and we've started finding out where we can get a hold on each of them, but you have to start attending chapter meetings to qualify for any involvement in this ballot."

"I'm sure we can do something about those records." His employer waved his hand enigmatically.

"The main records are on the eastern seaboard," replied his secretary. "I did some surreptitious testing," his employer nodded approvingly, "and they've taken steps to stop changes in the chapter records being automatically transferred to the central record, and vice versa. I'm afraid that we'll actually have to attend some meetings. The good news is that we do still have time."

"How much time?" His employer did his best to loom from where he sat. It was a good effort.

"Nominations will open the day after the late Grand Master's funeral, which is tomorrow. Nominations remain open, under the Circle's covenant, for thirteen days. Once the nominations are complete, then the ballot papers will be printed, and one will be sent to each member eligible to vote. The completed ballots will be returned, counted, and then the new Grand Master will be announced and invested." The secretary looked at his notes. "They seem to allow an extraordinary time for the votes to be tallied but it is a continent-wide organisation."

"With so many possibilities in their systems for manipulation. You'd think they would be...wiser." His employer smiled a satisfied smile.

"One thing, sir, I know that you realised that the Grand Master must be able to draw on the combined and accumulated magic of the Circle," the secretary paused for his employer's reaction.

"Yes. That is the only attraction this rather provincial organisation of underpowered practitioners holds for me." It was a satisfied and rather smug smile now.

"Did you see in the covenants, where it says that all members of the circle can call on its pooled power?" The secretary held out a copy of the covenants, a paragraph circled with orange highlighter. His employer took it, and the secretary went on. "Section thirteen grants all members of the Circle the ability and right to call upon the pooled power of the Circle, and then, in the second part of that section, binds all members to not use the pooled power of the Circle for malign or malignant acts, or any other act that deprives a person of their free will. It also binds them to submit to Circle monitoring and admonition on the subject."

"Are you saying that any of them can use my power, and they think they can tell me what I can do?" The man behind the desk was getting angry but not losing control.

"They did require you to sign the document twice to acknowledge that you have read and understood it," pointed out the secretary.

His employer made a dismissive gesture. "They can't enforce that. I signed that document under protections."

"Sir, they may be underpowered, but they aren't stupid. A signature protected against binding may be an invalid signature - that alone would prevent you from being a member of that Circle." The secretary paused, and courage in hand, asked, "How much do you want to be their Grand Master?"