The Moreau Witches Trilogy
Part One
The Legacy
by Julien Gregg
Copyright © 2025 by Julien Gregg
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email. The link is below.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Nine
The day of he funerals dawned bight. Quinn didn’t think he could go through with this. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Giselle. There was so much that she didn’t get to experience in her short life. Twenty years old and dead because one insane witch had wanted to kill Charlie. She had but she’d killed two other people with that one spell. Of course he’d killed her for it but it still hurt like nothing he’d felt in his life.
He dressed in his black suit and put his black shoes on his feet. Donetta was going to stay with the boys today and Lilly was going to go to the funerals. Revanche was already dressed for the funerals. He’d knocked on Quinn’s door twice already. Quinn got up and left his rooms and joined his brothers at the dining table downstairs.
His sons were happily eating like nothing had gone wrong in their world. He envied them that feeling. Instead his heart was tearing apart at the thought of what was to come as well as what had already happened. He looked at Revanche’s tear stained face and tried to smile. Pierre was looking at his cup of coffee. That he was crying was evident. He had loved all three of them in his way.
“We have to go in about a half hour,” said Revanche.
“I know,” Quinn sighed. “I don’t want to go.”
“Why not?” Revanche asked.
“Because if I go than I have to say goodbye to Giselle and I don’t think I can do that,” he said.
“You must, Quinn she went to be reborn,” Charlie’s ghost said to him.
“I know that,” he snapped. Then he sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bite.”
“Are you talking to Charlie?” Revanche asked.
“Yes,” said Quinn. “He’s standing right beside you.”
Then he noticed that his twin sons were cooing at Charlie’s ghost. Could it be that they could see him too? He hadn’t thought of what their powers would be yet. They weren’t supposed to get them until puberty but then everything about them was accelerated by that damned spell.
They got ready to go and Quinn dried his eyes. He drove his own truck to the cemetery and didn’t care who thought it was wrong. He drove to the cemetery thinking about the last time he’d been in this cemetery. It had been for his mother who had been killed by Maria. Would there come a time that he would go to a funeral for a person who wasn’t murdered by magic?
They each pulled into the parking lot of the cemetery and made their way to the entrance to the mausoleum. They were introduced to a dark haired woman who wore a white dress of all things. Her name was Elle Waterton. She told them that they had a busy day with four funerals to get through. They were told that a woman named Sabrina Jenkins would officiate.
Yes she was a high priestess and yes she'd done this before. No they weren't accepting new priests or priestesses as was explained on the phone. Quinn thought she was a bit rude but kept quiet. They took their seats in the font of the gathering of chairs.
There were so many people at this funeral that they didn't fit in the section of chairs. People were standing behind the chairs and out the door of the mausoleum. Quinn knew they were all family but some were professors from the college and friends she had made in her art classes. He felt touched that so many came to be there for Giselle's funeral.
There were white candles and white lilies on the altar table. There was a cauldron of dirt and a blue clay jar. There was also a length of knotted cord on the table. Quinn remembered this from his mother's funeral. He sat there with Revanche and Pierre and waited for this High Priestess that he did not know to start the funeral rite for his twin sister. The woman was blonde which he thought was all wrong. She wore a white dress with a golden belt at her waist. She stepped up to the altar and looked at the people gathered.
"We're all here to remember Giselle, born July tenth, died April fifth. She has gone to the Summerland and now awaits rebirth," she said as she began to untie the knots in the cord. "As life is a circle, Giselle's circle is now closed. There are some of us that remain who feel the loss and mourn her passing. As night is to day so death is to life. What remains is a memory of a life lived, and that which remains in the circle of life. We now say goodbye to Giselle's blessed spirit, for she awaits a new destiny."
She untied the final knot in the cord and wound it into the clay jar before placing the top back on the jar. Then the dark haired woman led them in a song.
"I am the memory that dwells in the heart of those that knew me. I am the shadow that dances on the edge of your vision," they sang. "I am the wild goose that flies south at Autumns call and I shall return at Summer rising. I am the stag on the wild hills way. I am just around the corner. Therefore, the wise weep not. But rejoice at the transformation of my Being. Do not weep for me for I have not gone. I am the wind that shakes the mighty Oak. I am the gentle rain that falls upon your face. I am the spring flower that pushes through the dark earth. I am the chuckling laughter of the mountain stream. Do not weep for me for I have not gone."
Then one by one they came up to the altar and took a seed from the dark haired woman and planted it in the cauldron of dirt. This went on until the last person had planted a seed. The dark haired woman watered the cauldron and sat it on the table. Each of them were given a lily when they had planted to seed. Now they all sat in their seats with white lilies. Quinn didn't know if this was the end of the rite or just a pause. Then he saw the blonde snuff out the candles. She thanked everyone for coming and said that the immediate family had her condolences. The rite was now ended.
Quinn stood and moved to stand just in front of the altar with Revanche and Pierre. They were the receiving line. People came and shook their hands, patted them on the back, and told them how sorry they were about Giselle's death.
They had to wait while everything was reset. Then they did the same thing for Charlie. It was the exact same service. Quinn zoned out while they went through everything again. It was even the same song. Thankfully he knew the words to the song now and could sing it without looking at the paper they gave him. He planted his seed and got another white lily when he was done planting the seed. They stood in the front of the line to receive condolences again and Quinn was amazed that most of the same people had stayed for Charlie’s funeral. That said a lot for the family.
After the round of hand shaking and pats on the back they stood outside while the whole thing was reset a third time and this time Quinn, Revanche, and Pierre sat in the seats behind the first row. They were not immediate family to Corbin Moreau. His parents were distraught and Quinn felt sorry for them. This whole day was Josephine’s fault. Oh how he wished she would resurrect so he could kill her again.
When they reset for the fourth funeral Quinn refused to attend. So did Revanche and Pierre. They drove back to the manor. Quinn had been thinking about something but he wasn’t ready to tell his brothers about it yet. He wanted to have his facts and figures when he talked to them.
He’d gone online and found a stretch of land that was almost exactly the size of Keller Village. He could have one, two, and three bedroom houses built on the land and the coven could move to anywhere as long as he still had this house. He’d read the rules of the Legacy through and through.
He wouldn’t use money from the Legacy to fund this new coven land of his either. He had the money from his father’s death as well as Bart’s wealth. He’d use that to buy the land and construct the houses and buildings. They could buy and sell goods in the closest town but they’d stay to themselves for the most part. He’d been thinking about this since Josephine had impregnated herself with his sperm and gotten her mother to help her to be pregnant with magic.
He’d take any in the family that wanted to go. It wasn’t like he was abandoning anyone. The Legacy would still be there and its home base would be Moonlight Bay just like it had been for generations. Nothing would change but a location of daily living. How could he sell it to them?
He had to think on that one. There were so many variables that he couldn’t just plow ahead. He had to talk to the family. He could start with the family right there in the manor. He looked at Revanche and saw that he was still crying. Pierre was playing with the boys. Now was his chance.
“I’ve been thinking of buying land in New York that is big enough to put like thirty houses on,” he said.
“Are you moving away?” Revanche asked.
“What I want is to move the coven away from Moonlight Bay,” he said. “The Legacy would still be home based here and I’d have to come back from time to time. I’d keep the manor as my home base in Moonlight Bay. I’ve read the rules of he Legacy forward and backward. I just have to have a home in Moonlight Bay. They’ve always said that the Heir or Heiress had to live in Moonlight Bay but that’s not what it says.”
“What does it say?” Pierre asked.
“It says that a residence must be owned by the heir or heiress,” he said. “I own this house and all that’s in it. That wouldn’t change. I just wouldn’t be living in it all of the time. I’d come back to do important things that can’t be done on a phone or computer, face to face meetings with the board or whatever. I’d just live in New York.”
“Where in New York?” Revanche asked.
“Western New York it’s near Buffalo along the coast of Lake Erie,” he said.
“Does it get cold there?” Pierre asked.
“Every year,” he said. “You’d both need winter clothing and winter coats.”
“I say do it,” Pierre said. “This place has too many sad memories. Camilla will go for it. You’ve got to talk to larger parts of the family. I think they’ll follow you anywhere you want to go.”
“I’ll speak to them soon,” he said. “I’ll just call a family meeting at the Keller Center.”
“That wold work,” Revanche said. “Bring food and drink. They’ll eat you alive unless you make it a social call.”
“What would you do for a gathering place?” Pierre asked.
“Well I’m thinking a school,” Quinn said. “We could teach the children all they need to know about the standard subjects and you could hold your classes at the school as well. There would be a place for circles that is away from prying eyes. I’ve seen the place already. There’s a power sync there that’s already activated. There’s a smaller coven not ten miles from where I want to put us.”
“Are you thinking of absorbing that coven?” Revanche asked.
“No,” he said. “But we’d finally be open to others joining our coven that aren’t Moreaus.”
“I’ve said we should have done that all along,” Pierre said. “Just talk to them the way you’re talking to us and they’ll probably follow you to New York. If you have the houses for them and they aren’t paying for them they’ll go.”
“I don’t expect them to pay for them,” Quinn said. “I’m going to line half the property with solar panels to power the whole village.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Pierre said. “Where are you getting the money for this?”
“I’m using the money left to me by our father’s estate,” Quinn said.
“That would work,” Pierre said. “Just sell it to them that the coven is moving and it’s paid for already. All they have to do is pay to have their things shipped and the Legacy can buy back any houses that they have to sell to do this. Where is Moreau Medical and Moreau Legal?”
“They’re in Rochester,” Quinn replied. “It’s a way away. We might look for space to build another site for both near the coven.”
“That’d be the Legacy,” Pierre said. “That’s a decision for the Heir.”
“Well then I want to put clinics and law offices in Buffalo,” Quinn said. “I’ll talk to the partners about that.”
“Just buy the land and start construction,” said Pierre. “If you can show them a house or building associated with coven land then they’ll be better equipped to give you an answer.”
“All right,” said Quinn. “Either way I’m leaving the bay.”
“I know,” said Pierre. “I can read your mind remember?”
“I remember,” Quinn said. “Sometimes I like for others in the room to know what I’m thinking too.”
“Right,” he said, smiling at him.
The next day he had a meeting with the partners for Moreau Legal and talked to them about what he planned to do. They sat and listened to all that he had to say but sat forward when he talked about opening a clinic and a law office building in Buffalo, New York. He said that was the closest bigger city to where he wanted to move the coven to. He said that the Legacy would buy back any house that had to be sold in order for the move to be feasible.
“When are you planning to do this?” Wynn asked.
“As soon as I can purchase the land and build the houses and buildings,” he said. “I’ll be using my own money to do this so I’m not taking from the Legacy to move to coven.”
“The Legacy can handle it if you want,” said Lorette.
“I don’t want the Legacy to own the land,” he said slowly. “I want it to belong to the coven.”
“We can do that, too,” said Wynn. “You don’t have to spend your own money on this move. Are people going to buy the houses on coven land?”
“No,” he said. “They’ll be given a house to live in. Now none of them will be as lavish as the houses here in Moonlight Bay but I can’t afford to build those for everyone. There isn’t enough room on this land for houses of that size along with buildings for the school and gathering places.”
“The Legacy can still do this,” said Lorette. “When are you thinking of doing this?”
“As soon as I buy the land and get the houses and buildings built,” Quinn replied.
“Well why don’t you do that and get back to us,” Wynn said. “The Legacy can foot the bill and you will own it because you are the heir.”
“Yes but I’m not planning to charge the coven members for the houses I give them,” he said. “The Legacy has never operated like this.”
“But the Legacy can operate like this,” Lorette said. “It’s all in the hands of the heir.”
“All right,” he said. “I’ll book a flight to New York and stay in Buffalo. I’ll pay for the land and hire a contractor to build the houses and buildings to my specifications.”
“We’ll track down figures and such for the clinic and legal offices in Buffalo,” said Wynn. “Never be afraid to ask us to open another business anywhere in the country, Quinn. The Moreau Legacy thrives on such businesses.”
“Thank you,” he said. “When I get this started I’ll call a family meeting to discuss moving the coven with the rest of the family.”
“Sounds good,” said Lorette.
He left the offices and went back to the manor. There he booked a flight for himself to New York. He talked with Revanche and Pierre about helping out with the boys while he was away. They agreed to do that and wished him a safe trip.
At eight that night he was on a plane on his way to New York to buy the land and find a contractor. He had the file on the houses and buildings that he’d used an architect program on his computer to build and render with codes and all that they’d need. In fact they were blue prints to each of the style of house and the two buildings. One was a school and the other was a center much like the Keller Center. He planned to call it Moondance Center.
He landed in Rochester twelve hours later. Instead of going to sleep he contacted Sheryl Riley to purchase the land. It was done with a wire transfer from he Legacy to the real estate office. Sheryl made a lot of money in the process in commission. He met with three contractors and got bids. He chose the one who had more facts and figures than the others. In the end he paid a hefty fee from the Legacy to build the houses and buildings. The contractor he chose was really happy with the job he’d been given. He promised to get the crew to work as soon as he could.
Then Lorette called and asked him to check out an old clinic building in Buffalo. She gave him the address and he drove over to the building. It looked like it was still in business. He took pictures inside and out and called her back. She said that the Legacy was buying the building and all of the equipment inside to start Moreau Medical Group. He liked the idea and told her he’d hired a contractor and the crew would break ground soon. She told him that was great and she couldn’t wait to come and see the place when they were done with a few houses.
He flew back to California and drove his truck back to the manor. This time he did sleep the whole night through. He got up with his boys the next morning and changed and clothed them. He took them down to the dining room and put them in their high chairs. There was no Legacy business to conduct today so he fed them and cleaned them up before he started to eat.
Then Revanche and Pierre came to the table and asked him how his trip went. He told them that he purchased the land and hired a contractor who would have a crew break ground soon. He said they probably already had because he promised them a bonus if they completed the project in a timely manor. They told him he was looking at six months to complete the entire project. He shook hands on that and got it in writing.
“So we’re moving away from the bay in six months?” Revanche asked.
“That’s the plan,” Quinn said. “I’m calling it the Moondance Compound.”
“Catchy title,” laughed Pierre.
“I thought you’d like it,” Quinn said. “I’m going to have to fly out there a few times to talk with the crew and Lorette already picked the clinic to open Moreau Medical Group. She’s still looking for a building or site for Moreau Legal.”
“Sounds like this project is off to a good start,” Pierre said. “I must say I thought I would live out my life here in Moonlight Bay but the memories are just too much right now. We might come back one day, right?”
“I don’t see it happening but I should never say never,” Quinn said.
“That’s the spirit,” laughed Revanche.
“Are you both sure you’re on board with this?” Quinn asked.
“Of course we are,” said Pierre. “Rev and I have talked it over. Our mothers died here. Our sister died here, and Charlie died here. We want out of here almost as much as you do. Trust me we’re on board.”
“Do you want to see the houses?” Quinn asked.
“Sure,” Pierre said.
Quinn got the blue prints with the tentative photos and spread them out on the dining room table. He showed them the one bedroom, two bedroom, and the three bedroom homes. Then he showed them the plans for the school and the center. They had many questions but liked them. They liked what they were seeing but they asked if all of the houses would look the same.
“They will,” Quinn said to this. “We can side them with different siding or paint them different colors but they will all have the same floor plan.”
“That’s fine because you’re giving out houses instead of trying to sell them,” said Pierre. “This way they get a house without shopping for this and that in the market. We ran into the same problem in Keller Village. They were buying a house or apartment that looked like the others in the village.”
“Well this is the only way I can build the houses,” Quinn said. “I’m not an architect I used a program on my computer to do this. Plus it’s faster this way. The contractor told me they could punch the houses out quickly. The school and center will be different though.”
“Whatever gets the project done faster,” said Pierre. “I’m assuming I’ll be in one of the two bedroom houses?”
“You and Camilla,” Quinn said.
“And Tom,” he said. “I’ve already talked to him about this and he said where I go he goes. He also wants to be initiated into the Moondance coven.”
“We can do that before we leave or once we get there,” Quinn said.
“It’ll be a bit before we leave and I’d like him to be a member of the coven before we leave,” Pierre said.
“Then put together an initiation and do it,” Quinn said with a smile.
“You’re not doing that?” Pierre asked.
“I told you that I would leave the classes, circles, and initiations to you,” Quinn said. “I don’t plan on changing it.”
“Okay then,” Pierre said. “We’ll do it Saturday instead of a circle.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Quinn. “Does he have to be voted in?”
“Yes, but I’ll get that taken care of before Saturday. I’ll call the council together and they can vote. They all know him.”
“All right,” Quinn said. “I’m on that council.”
“Yes, you’re the heir to the Legacy,” Pierre said.
“All right,” said Quinn “Just let me know when the meeting is to be.”
Then he spent some time with his boys. He got down on the floor with them and had a ball. He played with them and their toys for a little more than an hour before Lilly announced that lunch was about ready. Then he got them washed up and in their high chairs. He washed up and sat down at the table.
Lorette came in right around dinner time and Camilla came with her. She had been staying with Lorette and Franklin since the boat was tipped over by Josephine. Now she was home where she belonged at least until that home became New York. Lorette had news of her own.
“So we’ve found a building suitable for Moreau Legal,” she said. “I need your permission to purchase it though.”
“Okay so purchase it,” Quinn said, shaking his head.
“Hey, you’re the heir and the money has to come out of the Legacy,” she said.
“Is that why they kept asking me if all of the changes they wanted to do to the clinic building were all right with me?” Quinn asked. “I was tired of those questions around the second one.”
“That was why,” she laughed. “I won’t call you with every change I want to make to the building we’re going to use for Moreau Legal if you just tell me to go with it.”
“Just go with it,” Quinn said with a smile.
“Thank you,” she said. “Can I play with the boys for a while?”
“Sometimes I think that’s the only reason you come over here,” Quinn said as he got up off the floor and sat in the chair.
“Sometimes it is,” she said. “I couldn’t have any of my own so I live vicariously through you.”
“Take all the time you want,” Quinn said. There was really nothing else to say about that.
“So how did it go with the contractor?” she asked as she played peek a boo with the boys.
“It went great,” Quinn said. “He was real excited to learn that the houses were all the same. He said they’ll punch those out in no time.”
“Good,” she said. “They’ll have the building done to our specifications in a little more than a month.”
“The clinic will be ready to staff about that time too,” said Quinn.
“So we’ll be moving soon,” she said.
“It looks like it,” Quinn said.
“Well it will be a good thing with the coven all close together won’t it?” she asked. There was a touch of uncertainty in her voice.
“I think it will be fine,” Quinn said. “I even intend to invite those without magic.”
“Really?” she asked. “Do you think they’ll go?”
“If they’re treated fairly by the entire coven they will,” Quinn said.
“Well you’re the heir tell them to treat them fairly,” she said. “They’ll listen to you.”
“Ha,” Quinn said with a smile. “They’ll listen until I’m out of ear shot.”
“No, they’re do as you say,” she said. “They might gripe about it where you can’t hear but they’ll do what you say.”
“Well good,” Quinn said. “I guess I was used to Angelique and Josephine.”
“That’s not a good reference, Quinn,” she said. “Those two were crazy. Did you know that Angelique is now in Way of Life?”
“Good,” Quinn said. “I wasn’t inviting her to New York anyway.”
“I figured,” she said.
Quinn walked around the first floor of the manor making the flowers in the pots all over the first floor grow. He thought about what he was doing and thought that this was the flip side of his killing power. If he could make the flowers grow instead of wilt could he heal instead of killing?
It was an exhilarating thought. If he could heal instead of kill then maybe he could start to erase some of the darkness on his soul from the killing. It was such a great thought that he caused the flowers in the office to grow almost to the ceiling. He chastised himself for letting the power get away from himself.
He went back to the living room and found Lorette still on the floor playing with the twins. Pierre was discussing something, possibly the move with Camilla across the room. Revanche was sitting in front of the fireplace reading a magazine.
“I had a thought that caused me to make the flowers in the office grow to the ceiling,” he said to the room.
“What thought was that, Sweetie?” asked Lorette. He also had Revanche’s attention.
“Making the flowers grow is kind of like the flip side of my killing power,” he said. “I was also told that those in the family that had that power could also heal with it. I’d like to try and see if I can heal with my power instead of kill.”
“Quinn that is true,” said Lorette. “Those with your power could also heal. If you want to see if you can heal with your power talk to Bastien about it.”
“Bastien?” Quinn asked.
“Bastien Moreau,” she said. “He’s the chief of staff at Moreau Medical in Keller Village. If you talk to him about it he might let your practice on one of the terminal patients.”
“What happened to Amily?” he asked.
“She moved to Santa Barbara with her husband and is now Chief of Staff at Moreau Medical in Santa Barbara. Bastien took her place. So talk to him.”
“I’ll do that,” Quinn said. “Maybe I can actually heal.”
“I’m sure you can,” said Lorette. “Every witch that could maim or kill could heal with their power as well.”
“If the Goddess is willing, I’ll be able to heal someone,” Quinn said. “If I can then I can start to remove some of the darkness from my soul brought upon it by killing.”
“Oh, Sweetie,” she said, looking distressed. “You only kill when you have to.”
“But it’s still killing,” Quinn said in desperation. “You have no idea how much killing tears at my soul.”
“I can imagine,” Lorette said.
“I want to heal so badly,” he said. “I’ve killed six people with my power. Now the first was an accident. The second two were a bit more deliberate. Constance was desperation. Maria was desperation but Josephine was pure and utter retribution.”
“Honey, none of us blame you for killing Josephine,” Lorette said. “She deserved what you did to her. Believe me. She killed three people in a warped attempt to make you need her.”
“I know why she did it,” Quinn said. “I even know why I killed her. I have no shame for killing her, but I believe that each killing leaves a darkness on my soul.”
“Quinn, why do you feel that way?” Lorette asked.
“Because what I do goes against the Goddess who is all about life,” he said.
“Quinn, she’s also about death,” Lorette said. “You can’t have life without death.”
“All the same I’d like to see if I can heal,” Quinn said.
They put that plan into action just a few days later. Lorette went with him to Moreau Medical in Keller Village and talked with Bastien. Bastien Moreau was in his fifties with salt and pepper hair and icy blue eyes. His features were perfectly aligned. Quinn found him to be an attractive older man.
“I’m here to talk with you about healing a terminal patient,” Quinn said to the man when he met them in the conference room.
“I must admit that I was a bit afraid of why you’d come here, Quinn,” Bastien said in his deep baritone voice.
“Why would you be afraid of my coming here?” Quinn asked.
“You haven’t come since the hospital opened and I was scared that you were coming to tell me it was closing,” said Bastien.
“Heavens no,” Quinn said. “Though I will be calling a family meeting in the coming months that may change some things. I would never want to close a hospital like Moreau Medical.”
“Thank you,” Bastien said. “Now you wanted to try to heal a terminal patient?”
“Well I’d ask that you not tell them what I’m doing,” he said. “That way if it doesn’t work they’re not crushed by that reality. If it does work you can take credit for it by saying the medicine worked or whatever you need to say.”
“You kill with your power, correct?” Bastien asked.
“Yes, but the flip side of that is healing,” Quinn said. “I can make flowers grow or I can wilt them. If I can do that then why couldn’t I flip the killing power into healing?”
“That’s compelling,” Bastien said. “You’re the heir if you decide to try this I cannot stop you nor would I want to. I think it’s great that you’ve come to try to do this. As you said if we tell the patient nothing then we have nothing to lose but everything to gain. I’ll introduce you to a patient that is in need of healing.”
“Thank you,” Quinn said.
They walked out of the peach and teal conference room to the hallway that was all white tiled floor and peach walls. They went to the elevator and up to the seventh floor. This was the terminal ward.
“Quinn this is Henri Moreau,” Bastien said.
The boy, Henri was no older than twelve. He looked terribly sick. His diagnosis was Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His condition was terminal. The boy was upbeat and happy to meet the heir to the Legacy.
Quinn talked with him for a moment and placed his hands on the boy’s chest and stomach. He grew silent and looked inside the boy. It took a bit but he finally saw the cells that were killing the boy. He worked on them with his power gently at first and when that didn’t work he used a bit more force. He forced them to thin out and disappear.
It took a long time but he chased down each and every cell and made them thin out and disappear. He coaxed healthy cells to grow in their place. He smoothed out imperfections in the bones and righted other wrongs in the process. By the time he was done he was so tired that Lorette had to help him stand.
“I feel different,” the boy said.
“Henri, we’re going to run some tests to see what’s going on,” said Bastien. “You should thank Quinn for coming to see you.”
“Yes, thank you, Quinn,” Henri said with a big smile.
That smile made the exhaustion worth while. He hoped that he’d healed the boy completely. If ever there was a person more deserving of healing Quinn had never seen them. He sagged against Lorette but he was determined to stay until he heard the prognosis.
It took most of the day but it was clear from testing that Henri was cured. Quinn was elated by this news. He finally allowed Lorette to take him home. He went straight to bed when he got there and slept clear to the next morning. He had what felt like a hangover when he got up. His head hurt and his stomach clenched. He ate a huge breakfast and finally started to feel better. Healing took a lot out of him.
“Lorette tells us that you healed Henri Moreau yesterday,” Pierre said. Camilla and Revanche were looking at him like they’d never seen him before.
“I did,” he said with a smile. “I was wrecked afterward but it was so worth it. I’m going to try to heal another later today.”
“Do you think with the state you were in after yesterday that it’s a good idea to do two back to back like this?” asked Revanche.
“I have to try,” he said. “I loved healing Henri.”
“Quinn think about what this could be doing to your health,” said Pierre.
“I know it takes a lot out of me, but Pierre I felt so good after the healing,” Quinn argued.
“Quinn please don’t do this today,” said Revanche. “You were so far gone yesterday that you slept for eighteen hours. You just ate a breakfast so big that we could have all been fed by it. It took too much for you to do this every day.”
“I’ll wait,” Quinn said after he’d heard Revanche out. “I’ll wait a few days but I’m going to heal again. I’m going to heal on a regular basis. You don’t know with practice it could be better next time.”
“It could be but until you get the hang of it I’d say you should put at least a few days between each healing,” Pierre said.
In the end he waited a week. Lorette wouldn’t hear of taking him back to Moreau Medical until then and he couldn’t go alone or he’d collapse there in the hospital. This time he healed a complete stranger. She wasn’t even part of the Moreau family. He liked this because though members of the family would no doubt need healing, he wanted to branch outside of the family.
This woman had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Her ALS was advanced. Quinn spent the better part of he day working with her and getting her muscles back under her control. It wasn’t a cure because he couldn’t find the source of the disease but it was better than medication. She’d need regular healing and he wasn’t sure he could keep up with her disease. He told Bastien this and Lorette agreed.
This time he was tired but could move around on his own. He did sleep when he got home but this time it was a long nap. He ate a big meal when he woke up and felt much better. He went to bed a bit earlier than normal that night but he was back to his old self the very next day.
Then he healed another woman who had cancer. It took a bit more out of him but he tracked down the cancer cells and burned them away with his power. Then he coaxed healthy cells to grow in their place. He needed a bit of assistance getting to the SUV but he again took a long nap and had a large meal and felt better.
Each time he healed he got a bit better at it and the effect was less and less. Though he knew that the effect would always be a hit on his energy and hunger he knew that it wouldn’t kill him. He consented to heal three more before the family meeting that he’d called.
That meeting was held Saturday, June second at the Keller Center. He’d paid to have sandwiches and tea, coffee, and juice available for everyone. They ate and then he laid out his plan to move the coven to New York. They had many questions but he answered them clearly and concisely. In the end most of the family agreed to move to the compound in New York. Those that didn’t want to go asked who would be the high priest or priestess for the branch of the coven that stayed in Moonlight Bay.
Quinn named Joseph as High Priest of the Moondance Coven’s Moonlight Bay branch. The boy was skilled and had a very active power. Since his initiation that power had grown. They accepted him as their High Priest and that part of the meeting was concluded.
Then they asked about the houses. Quinn had pictures of all three houses finished. He told them that they were all the same floor plans and looked exactly alike. He’d told the contractor to paint and side them differently but the outside cosmetics were all that were different.
When he told them that he was giving them a house in New York and that the Legacy would buy back the house they were leaving in Moonlight Bay they were really happy to move.
Then he told them that Moondance would be accepting members outside the Moreau family. The first of these was Tom, Pierre’s boyfriend. He was initiated into the coven the following Saturday.
Members of the family had many questions after the meeting but he did his best to answer them. Usually he left the questioners in a better light than they’d started with. Twice he’d not been able to convince someone that they should move. He told them to stay and talk to Joseph.
Quinn was happy that Henri and his parents were moving to New York. He planned to keep an eye on Henri. He’d healed him and that seemed permanent but he planned to heal him again if it wasn’t.
He was starting to feel a bit better about himself now that he was healing instead of killing. He would have vowed he’d never kill again but he knew himself better than that. There would always be evil in the world and he would have to be there to stop it when all else failed.
Tom Dent made a good addition to the coven. His power was mind reading like Pierre’s but a funny twist of fate befell them. They couldn’t read each other’s minds and could not communicate silently.
Revanche had met a girl named April Vassar and her parents wanted to be initiated into the coven and move to New York with them. They were voted upon and initiated in a special circle two nights later. They began to pack up their stuff and Revanche helped them.
Then Quinn found himself alone with Camilla. She smiled at him when he came in and sat down. He was a little worried about what she really thought about is killing her mother. She had never had a cross word for him but she was her mother after all.
“Quinn I think it’s great that you’re healing people now,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said. “I like it much more than killing.”
“But sometimes you’ll have to kill,” she said. “People are still the same even though you’re healing some of them. There will always be that evil person that won’t stop unless you kill them.”
“I had similar thoughts,” he said.
“Like my mother,” she said, making him flinch. “I understand why you killed her. She was trying to kill you. I like that you tried to do it peacefully and just take her magic away from her but it didn’t end the way you wanted. I want you to know that I bear you no ill will because of my mother. I wasn’t a fan of hers either. She killed my father after all. And I found out that Pierre is not my full brother like I thought. She wrecked a lot of lives and I don’t know why.”
“She wanted my father,” Quinn told her. “She believed that she was in love with him. She cast a spell on him to get him to have sex with her. She got pregnant with Pierre from that union. Then he fell in love with my mother and Maria couldn’t deal with that. She was even more enraged when my mother seduced your father and then had Revanche. She cast a spell on my mother that made her catatonic.
“She cast the spell that killed my father and then my mother,” he went on. “She made my father marry the daughter of a witch hunter and take me with them when they left the bay. She put my sister in a foster home that couldn’t handle her once she got her powers. Then she cast the same spell on my sister that she cast on my mother and placed her in Way of Life. She just wasn’t counting on me becoming the heir to the Legacy.”
“That about sums up my mother’s evil deeds,” she said with a smile. “Pierre told me all that she had done. I really don’t have a problem with what you did. I’m surprised that you didn’t just kill her for what she’d done.”
“I don’t like to kill,” he said. “It tears at my soul.”
“I believe that,” she said. “But I agree with you that the only way to deal with Josephine was to kill her.”
“Unfortunately she was insane and used her power to kill,” he said. “She killed my husband, my sister, and my cousin all because she thought that if she killed everyone I was close to I’d have to be with her.”
“She tried to kill Pierre and Revanche as well,” she said.
“Yes,” he said. “She was crazy.”
“I for one am glad that she’s not in the world to use her power for evil anymore,” Camilla said.
“Thank you for telling me that you have no problem with me,” Quinn said.
“Thank you for telling me that it made you feel bad to kill my mother,” she said.
She and Quinn did a lot together after that. They worked on packing up some of the things that Quinn wanted to take with him to New York. They marked boxes for shipping. She and Pierre had boxes of their own. Revanche’s room was all packed up. If Quinn needed more proof that he was on board with the move he’d gotten it.
He flew to New York to meet with contractors both for his compound and the clinic and future home of Moreau Legal. He liked what he saw on the compound. The clinic was coming along nicely. Moreau Legal was taking a bit more time because some of the things in the building weren’t suitable for Moreaus. Whatever that meant. He was sure it as a stall tactic. But that was Lorette’s project. Not his.
He flew back to California and talked with those that wanted to move. He showed them the pictures of the finished houses that he’d taken. He told them to go to a particular website and order their furniture and gave them copies of the pictures so they’d know what to order. He even gave them square footage of each room.
The houses were a bit bigger than he’d imagined but that was great. There were going to be three hundred of them when they were done. The school building was already finished and he had a crew working on the Moondance Center. They had about one hundred houses done already. The contractor told him that they were basically cut and put together projects. They’d be done far before the deadline. He was happy about that.
Now he just had to get everyone ready for the move. Lilly and Donetta had packed what they wanted from the kitchen. Lilly and Kim would have their own house to live in and so would Donetta and Larry. The house that he was moving into was a three bedroom and not big enough for another couple to be living there. Of course they could still work for Quinn but they would be in charge of the kitchen at the center as well.
Then it was time to start moving. People had shipped boxes to the houses in New York. Quinn now had a master list of which house each family unit was moving into. He had his own boxes shipped to his house and the center. He’d ordered furniture and been told it had been delivered and set up. So all he had to do was move in and unpack his boxes.
Bastien and the doctors at Moreau Medical were all set for the move to the clinic. There were doctors who were staying and a new Chief of Staff was named for the hospital. Bastien would be in charge at Moreau Medical Group. His job wouldn’t change much. The setting and scale would be different but not much else.
Plane tickets were bought and everyone had their departure times. Steps were taken to close the manor down. A staff to keep it dusted and clean was hired and moved in to take care of the place. After all Quinn would have to return to Moonlight Bay from time to time do deal with the Legacy. Most of that could be done in Buffalo but the main Legacy firm was Moreau Legal in Keller Village.
Everything for the twins was packed and shipped save for seven outfits and certain toys they couldn’t live without. All of that had arrived at the house in New York. Quinn had alerts when boxes and packages were delivered to the house he would be living in in New York. All was set. All that he needed now was to get there. He’d sold his truck, and Revanche had sold his Jeep. They would just buy cars in New York.
Revanche stood with him on the lawn of the manor and looked at everything. He had been excited to move into the manor and now he was sad to leave it. Quinn felt the same way but this move had to be made to save his sanity. Of course Charlie’s ghost would go with them to New York. It was time to leave.
It was hectic when they arrived on the compound. They were all tired but excited to see their new houses in person. Quinn, Revanche and the twins went to their house and saw that everything was delivered. The furniture was plush royal blue with wood arms and legs. There was a couch, love seat, and a recliner with end tables at each end of the couch and love seat and one beside the recliner. Each had lamps on them.
The kitchen was eat-in and had a table, chairs, and the boys’ high chairs. There were boxes of dishes that were shipped from the manor with bakeware, pots and pans, silverware, and dish towels and rags. He unpacked all of that and broke down the boxes. Then he put his boys to bed in their room, happy that the baby beds had been put together. All he had to do was put sheets and blankets on them. He had do do the same in his bedroom but he was in bed shortly after he was done.
The next day Donetta came to make breakfast and keep the twins while Quinn was out making sure that everyone was happy. He also wanted to tour the school and the center. He was gone for most of the day. He had lunch at the center which was cooked by Lilly. He liked the center but it looked a lot like The Keller Center. He spent time making brand new shrubs and flowers grow at the center and then did that at his house.
By the time he came back to the house it was time for dinner. Donetta cooked that and then waited while they ate so that she could load the dishwasher. Then she hugged Quinn and Revanche and left for home.
“So this is what it’s going to be like to live in New York?” Revanche asked.
“Yes,” Quinn said. “In another month we’ll need winter coats and clothes. We’ll go buy automobiles tomorrow. I need and SUV with the boys.”
“I want and SUV as well,” Revanche said. “I don’t want a Jeep here in New York.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “The Legacy will buy our cars.”
“Great,” Revanche said. “You know I have my inheritance from Mom.”
“And you should keep it,” Quinn said. “Soon you’ll need a one bedroom house. There are twenty of them available. Not near as many from the family moved here as I thought would. That means that we have empty houses which is good with an ever changing family unit.”
“Yeah,” sighed Revanche. “At least the boys are happy.”
“They’re happy no matter where they are,” laughed Quinn.
“Who’s manning the gate?” Revanche asked.
“Larry and Kim,” Quinn said. “They’ll have breaks when they do maintenance for me or the center. John Moreau is the janitor at the school and teachers have been found to teach there. Pierre will hold he novice and advanced classes there as well. We have a field over the power sync for circles.”
“Awesome,” Revanche said with a smile. “Do you know who my teachers are?”
“You’ll have one teacher, and I think it’s Sella Moreau,” said Quinn.
“I don’t know her,” Revanche said.
“I don’t either,” Quinn said. “She’s related to us though.”
“Obviously, but I don’t know the entire family,” Revanche said.
“Neither do I, though I meet more and more of them as time goes on,” Quinn replied.
“Well you’re the heir,” Revanche laughed.
“A job you wouldn’t want then?” Quinn asked.
“Not on your life,” Revanche said seriously. “I’d love to be in front of all of that money but the rest of it would be hard for me.”
“Well you don’t have to worry about it,” Quinn said. “But when the boys grow older I’m going to test them with the ring.”
“I hope it doesn’t happen to either of them,” Revanche said. “They need to live a life that’s easier.”
“I hear that,” Quinn said with a smile.
That was it for him. He had questions to answer and people to sooth about this or that delivery that wasn’t there yet. He told them to contact the shipping company. That would be Moreau Shipping and Transport. Most of them got the answers they were looking for from them. Some shipments took a bit longer with so many of them on their roster.
He had to stop by Henri’s house and check on him. That was when he found that Henri’s mother had been shot. Henri’s father was sitting on the floor with the gun in his hand crying. Quinn didn’t understand what had happened.
“I shot her,” said Anton. “I shot her dead. Wish I had your power, Quinn. I could’ve killed her and no one would have known.”
“Why did you shoot her?” Quinn asked.
“Because she was taking Henri and moving back to Moonlight Bay to be with that man,” Anton said. “I gave her twenty years of my life and she was going to leave me for a man in the family that is half my age. Well I said no.”
“Anton we have to call the sheriff,” Quinn said. “I can’t cover this up.”
“You’ll take care of Henri won’t you?” Anton pleaded.
“Of course I’ll make sure he’s taken care of,” Quinn said.
“No, I mean you will take care of him,” he said emphatically. “You healed him. You keep an eye on him, so you can take care of him while I’m gone.”
They called the Sheriff and got it all sorted out. Anton was arrested and Lorette agreed to defend him. Henri was packed up and moved to Quinn’s. He’d have to sleep on the sofa for now. Quinn would figure out better accommodations for him later.
The arraignment was fast. Anton was charge with murder. They called it a crime of passion. Lorette went to work trying to get him a deal. She got one. Fifteen years but he’d have to serve every day of it. Anton was happy with it. His son would be twenty-seven when he got out, a man of course but a young one. Young enough to let him explain what had happened.
It was open and shut as things go. Anton was taken off to prison and Henri formally moved in with Quinn. He got him a bed and rearranged the boys’ room and put him in there with them. It was another mouth for Donetta and Lilly to feed but they didn’t care.
They had their first circle on the compound that Saturday. Pierre led it, and they asked for peace and protection for Anton. When it was over Lilly had little cakes and cookies with coffee, juice, and tea for everyone. They sat and visited with each other after the circle. Then the council convened to discuss a request from none other than Sheryl Riley, the realtor that had sold him the land and her twelve person coven wanted to join with Moondance and be absorbed. They voted on it and then had a massive initiation into Moondance for Sheryl and all of her coven. So Skydance was absorbed by Moondance Sheryl and six more moved to the compound over the month.
Before he knew it the weather turned and it was cold. They each spent time in department stores buying winter clothes and coats. They made the proprietors very happy with their sales. With so many going to the same stores the proprietors made a killing.
Properly outfitted for he next circle those from Skydance joined them and the circle got bigger. They asked for this and that and some of it had nothing to do with the coven. Quinn was happy that they’d joined the coven and happy to ask for guidance about other people and what they were doing. The only other coven close to them was on a compound much like this one and was called Starlight.
Moondance and Starlight were friendly and helped each other from time to time. After the first year at the compound some in Moondance had really good ties to Starlight and vice versa. Things were moving quite well for them.
Henri proved to be a delightful addition to the family. He loved the twins and got along famously with Revanche who would be turning eighteen in a month. He’d already said he didn’t want to move out if he didn’t have to. Henri was fine with the twins in his room and Quinn wasn’t ready to see the back of Revanche so he told him he could stay.
Things went on from there. The school did rather well, and Pierre loved teaching the novice and advanced classes there. Sheryl taught a class for the advanced students on Mondays and Pierre held his classes on Thursday. It worked out.
Quinn was happy on the compound. Sure he missed the warm temperatures from Southern California but there were no awful memories for him on the compound. He had a power sync that they were all tied to now, and the place was perfect for them.
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