Triumph of Chaos (Red Magic) by Jen McConnel

head.
    Something had been bothering me for days, and I finally found the words to express it. Avoiding Lorna’s fragile gaze, I looked at Dr. Farren. “Are Roy and Samuel a threat to us?”
    She paused, considering the question. “To be truthful, I don’t know. Their attack was unexpected, but then again, so was our survival.”
    “Maybe they don’t know we got away,” Lorna offered softly.
    I glanced at her. “Why do you think they turned on you?”
    “Roy was mourning the loss of his son and blamed us for our inaction.” Dr. Farren’s voice was expressionless, but I still felt a twist of guilt at the mention of Marcus. “As for Samuel, I don’t know his reasons. His patron, Anubis, is the son of Set. In January, you and Marcus implied that Set might be working with Hecate.”
    I shook my head. “Marcus said that. He never mentioned it to me, so I have no idea where he got that.”
    “Even so, that might speak to their motives.”
    Justin looked at her steadily. “So what you’re really saying is their attack is bigger than your old Coven. This might affect all of us.”
    She nodded once. “I hope it does not. But you’re right: if they have allied themselves with Rochelle and the violent gods, they may still be our enemies.”
    We fell into a tense silence. I watched the flames as they leaped up the edges of the fire pit, listening to the snap of boiling pinesap.
    “Rochelle definitely wants the world to end.” A flash of memory assaulted me, and I grimaced. “She told me once that she doesn’t believe Nons have any right to share the world with Witches.”
    “So we can reasonably assume that she has no problem killing Nons.” Dr. Farren tapped her forehead with her finger. “Which is in keeping with the disasters that have been happening in Europe.”
    “What have they managed to do so far?” Justin asked.
    “There’s the nuclear disaster, to start.” Dr. Farren looked pointedly at me as she said it, and I had to force myself not to react. “There was also a bombing in London today.”
    “And an earthquake in Turkey, plus a volcanic eruption in Greece.”
    Justin whistled quietly. “So Rochelle controls Europe. What about the third Red Witch? Do we know anything?”
    I shrugged. “We’ll find out pretty quickly, I guess, depending on where in the world chaos starts popping up.”
    “How will we stand against a Red in her own territory?” Dr. Farren’s question brought me up short.
    “I don’t really know,” I admitted. “But when Rochelle tried to kill me in January, the only way I defeated her was with Izzy’s help. Different magics together are more powerful than even Red magic alone.”
    “And that is why you want to form this Coven?” Dr. Farren looked at me searchingly. “To stand against chaos?”
    “What other reason would I have?”
    “You are not, perhaps, seeking revenge?”
    I glared at her. “This isn’t about Rochelle. It’s about the world.” Gods, did everyone think I was just some spiteful brat? “When I became a Red, I didn’t know what I was getting into.” I took a deep breath. “I do now. I can either let chaos take over, or I can do as much as I can to control it. But there’s only so much I can do alone.”
    Izzy stopped humming abruptly. “We should ask the gods.”
    Everyone turned and looked at her. “Which gods?” I asked stupidly.
    She giggled lightly. “Why, our patrons, of course!”
    I felt a prickle of unease, but the others were nodding thoughtfully. “How do we do that?”
    “You simply invite us to your fire,” Baldur spoke from behind me, and when I turned around, I saw that he was flanked by two goddesses. I stared at their blue robes and radiant black hair. One of the goddesses had rainbow wings sprouting from her back, and she crossed the fire to stand behind Izzy.
    “A wise suggestion, daughter,” Isis whispered.
    The other goddess must be Nepthys , I thought; she looked just like her sister, only without wings. When