A café full of witches spells trouble…
As a witch, Nina welcomes fellow witches to her café. But after more than a year, the café has never become a strictly witch place. Until today. Something strange lingers in the air, even as the witches talk and drink their coffees like regular customers. Yet no witch conference in the area or news through the witchy channels explains so many in one place at one time.
And at the café, coincidences rarely happen.
So when Agnes Waters walks in commanding the attention of all the gathered witches, Nina knows something is amiss. Trouble that endangers her business? Or a solution to a problem she didn’t know exists?
Only one way to find out.
THE WITCHES AT THE CAFE is available to read for free until the 1st of July, when another story will be posted. For readers who would prefer to read on a device of preference, or who would like their own personal eBook of this story, you can find it here.
***
The Witches at the Café
A Café Story
The gathering wasn’t really a reunion, but it sort of felt like one. Witches gathered together around scattered tables in the café, sipping teas and coffees, in the midst of quiet conversation. Nothing crazy or too noisy. The occasional laugh that was loud enough to be considered a cackle. Nina liked a good cackle herself. And she was glad the gathered group were enjoying themselves and comfortable enough to laugh.
But she was very curious why almost two dozen witches had chosen today to show up at her café all at once.
Being a witch herself, Nina realized that this might seem an odd question from the outside. But her café was for everyone. Not just a witch place. And, she supposed somewhat oddly, she only had a few regulars who were witches. Most of her regulars were other things. A few were human. A few were…not. Occasionally, a witch came in to visit the café and attached bookstore, got what they came for, and left, never to be seen again. There was the demon witch who’d come to the café a few times. But she was friends with another regular so that made sense.
And occasionally a witch came in to see Agnes. Nina was very curious about that. Especially since it had been happening more and more over the last few months. Always one or two witches at a time. Rarely the same witches. And Agnes never talked about it with Nina.
To be fair, Agnes Waters didn’t reveal an awful lot about herself. She was one of the not humans. But after more than a year of Agnes sitting at her usual table in the middle of the café multiple days a week to sip tea and read her erotic books, Nina was still not any closer to understanding exactly what Agnes was.
The goddess Diana, who sat near the bookstore entrance and read hunting and fashion magazines while drinking her coffees—mostly cappuccinos—probably knew what Agnes was. The two seemed to have an understanding of sorts. They occasionally acknowledged each other with a nod. Rarely, if ever, actually spoke to each other. But seemed content to be in each other’s presence. Diana, being an actual goddess, surely knew what Agnes was and had encountered something like her before. But no one was talking.
That was fine. After eight decades, Nina understood the unspoken rules of the otherworldly community. No one asked directly about other people. You figured it out, good for you. You had questions, you kept them to yourself. If someone wanted to talk, they did. But that was it. That was the way Nina ran her little café so that everyone here could be comfortable.
Mostly, she even stuck to that unspoken rule. Occasionally… Well. This was her business and she did have to ensure it was safe. When she did break the rule, she usually did it to protect her café and its customers. And that mostly had to do with Virgil.
But that was a different story.
These weren’t wizards. Or vampires. This was definitely a collection of witches. Witches that were not Nina’s circle of friends. Most of her witch friends were scattered around the world and they spoke primarily on video chats these days—technology had been a wonderful boon for keeping up with her scattered friends. Much more fun that just writing letters. Even emails weren’t the same as the regular video chats. On the last group chat, no one had mentioned coming her way, though they all wanted to. And definitely no one had mentioned a witches’ conference—unofficial or official—that planned to use Nina’s café for their meeting.
She leaned on the counter, trying not to frown at all the people. Boo sat on his stool next to the register, licking a fluffy gray paw, his thick tail swishing down the back of the stool. He was alert and on guard too. Though, honestly, the gathering didn’t seem to be a threat. They were just hanging out. Not even all talking to each other. They had to know they were all witches. Nina knew. They had to know she was a witch and probably knew Boo was her familiar.
Not a single one of them had mentioned it, though. Or hinted at why they were all here. At the same time. Out of nowhere. Some of them seemingly strangers to each other.
The usual human regulars weren’t in today. Frank was teaching. Jamar had a studio session. Amir was in between semesters so not deep in study. The Bag Bats, a book club that focused on bat books, weren’t scheduled to be in until Thursday evening. And Nina’s assistant, who was also a relatively ordinary human, Akira, was working in the bookstore instead of the café today. She only really came in on the weekends when the café was extra busy. Nina was probably making enough money now to afford to hire one more person. But she was hesitant to bring in someone who wouldn’t understand the…vibe of the place. So she’d been stalling.
Of her non-mundane human regulars, only Diana was in, sitting in her usual spot, ignoring all the witches. Agnes hadn’t been in for a couple of days. The Protector wasn’t around. The magical thief, the weaver, and the vampire who regularly stopped in had not today. And Rhys… Rhys Witherby, Nina’s sort-of-kind-of-maybe boyfriend was working today. He was a lawyer when he wasn’t doing wizard, vampire hunter things, and he had a big case on at the moment. So she didn’t anticipate seeing him until the weekend.
For some reason, having the café mostly empty of regulars, especially the mundane human regulars, felt like a good thing. The witches weren’t causing harm. There wasn’t even a build up of magic like some of them were getting ready to cast spells. They were just sitting around having drinks, eating some of the pastries Nina prided her café on, and chatting. All very casual. The only thing they were missing was lanyards with their names and witchy specialties and they really would feel like a group from a conference hanging out at the coffee shop in between sessions.
Boo leaned in close to her and she scooted closer to him so his fur was brushing against her skin. He rarely spoke when the café was full. He had to at least pretend to be a regular cat, even in front of people who knew he was a familiar.
But she supposed these were unusual circumstances, because he whispered, “This isn’t a coincidence. It can’t be.”
“Nope. Can’t be.”
“Any clues?”
“Not a one.”
“No gossip in the witchy network you didn’t tell me about?”
She gave him a scowl. “I tell you everything. And no. No gossip in the witchy network. This is not an anticipated state of affairs.”
She was seriously considering doing the café owner thing and casually asking questions as she went around seeing if anyone needed a refill, but the witches would see right through that. Still, her curiosity was really getting the better of her.
And if Agnes hadn’t walked into the café at just that moment, moving between tables and casually asking questions would have been Nina’s next move. But with Agnes’s appearance, Nina hesitated.
Not least because all the witches looked toward Agnes as one, turning to face her as if she was the person they’d all been waiting for.
Agnes gave them all a nod and a smile, clapped her hands together, and said, “Perfect. You’re all here. Thank you for coming. We’ll get down to business in just a moment. I need a tea.”
Business? What kind of business did Agnes have with a coffee shop full of witches?
***
The moment Agnes stepped up to the counter to order her usual “excellent” cup of tea, Nina wanted to pelt her with questions. She did not. She resisted the urge. But she was tempted. She smiled and greeted the older woman with as much neutral friendliness as she could muster in the circumstances, and tried very very hard to keep her questions to herself.
Which lasted right up until she slid Agnes’s white ceramic cup of chamomile, honey, and vanilla tea across the counter to her.
“Okay, what’s going on?” She winced inwardly because that really was a bit blunt.
Fortunately, Agnes seemed to like blunt. “I promise they aren’t here to cause trouble. I needed a safe, neutral space to gather them together, and I figured this was best. The shielding and protective wards you have on the place make it really ideal for our purposes.”
“Which are…?” Nina frowned. “Is this like some sort of witches’ conference that I don’t know about?” She knew Agnes knew she was a witch. And she also knew that Agnes was not a witch. So finding Agnes was the instigator of this gathering of witches was a surprise.
Agnes smiled, her face crinkling with amusement. She was “older” in appearance, with soft gray hair, pale skin, and fine lines around her mouth and eyes, but Nina had always assumed that was just the guise Agnes wore since Nina got the impression she was significantly older than almost anyone else who entered the café. As old as Diana at least. And beings who lived for millennia didn’t tend to age in the usual sense. Certainly not in a way that showed externally. Not if they wanted to blend in with the human population. They usually presented an average age and appearance. Sometimes an older appearance just to blend in better.
Nina assumed that was Agnes’s goal. To blend in. And she did a fine job of it. People would have to look twice to see Agnes for anything but an ordinary older woman with interesting reading material.
“Not a conference, per se,” Agnes said. “But we needed neutral space for…a discussion.” The older woman’s eyes narrowed and she said, “I think this is something you should know too.” Glancing around at the few scattered mundane humans still inside the café, she added, “But I think we’ll need some privacy. The ordinary humans will not understand what we’re talking about.”
“I can’t shut down the café in the middle of a business day, Agnes.”
“Oh that shouldn’t be a problem. Once everyone else leaves, we can start.” She took her tea cup to her usual table which was unoccupied and managed to be at the very center of all the gathered witches.
A moment later, the few mundane humans who’d been in the café started to leave. Nothing obvious. Not a mass exodus. Just a person here. A couple there. All very natural and outwardly normal. Coffees finished. Pastries gone. Things paid for. Tables bussed.
But no new people came in as individuals left.
Now, Nina didn’t always have a direct turnover, of course. Who did? People left. People came in. All pretty random. And sometimes the place cleared out before the next handful of customers came in.
But this wasn’t that and Nina knew it. Everyone who wasn’t a witch—or a familiar or a goddess or whatever the hell Agnes was—left and not a single new person came in. Not through the café’s front door. Not through the bookstore.
The entire process took maybe fifteen minutes. During which Diana flipped through her magazines. Agnes sipped her tea and read the book she’d brought in carried inside a large purse she only sometimes had with her. Nina couldn’t see the cover but assumed it was in line with Agnes’s normal preferred reading. The rest of the witches carried on talking in their small groups, though they were overall quieter now. The music Nina had playing in the background for the people who didn’t like listening to other people eat and drink was more audible as the café got quieter.
Finally, after about five minutes of no one walking in after the last ordinary person had left, Agnes set aside her tea mug, tucked a bookmark into her book, and dropped it into her handbag, and then clapped her hands together.
Nina felt the spell activate. Not a normal ward or shielding spell. This was a sort of discouragement spell. The opposite of a lure. Anyone interested in coming into the café would change their minds, wander off. Return later. It wasn’t something that would permanently put people off ever coming into the café, which Nina appreciated. But she had feelings about Agnes messing with her place of business in the middle of the day.
Luckily it was a Wednesday just after lunch and before the afternoon rush. Typically, a down time for the café.
Nina came around the counter, wondering if Agnes had picked that time on purpose. Boo jumped off his stool and walked at her side, brushing her leg when she stopped at the edge of the gathering. She didn’t take a seat, so was the only one standing, but she did stay at the back of the group so as not to disturb.
Agnes gave her a regal sort of head nod then surveyed the gathered witches. “We’ll be able to speak freely for about fifteen minutes,” she said, her voice even and not raised but still easy for everyone to hear. “I didn’t want to give us too much time to argue. You’ll need to make a collective decision, and it will have to be sorted out quickly or we’ll lose our window.” She glanced at Nina. “I can’t disrupt Nina’s business for any longer.”
Well. Nina appreciated that acknowledgement.
One of the witches at a table close to Diana’s side of the room glanced around at the others before addressing Agnes. “I’m not sure what decision we need to make,” he said.
He was a slender Black man, dressed in jeans and a black hoodie with a rainbow unicorn on the back. Short black hair cut close to his head, his lines sharp, dark brown eyes, a meticulously trimmed goatee. Hard to judge his age. Maybe around forty human years. So young for a witch.
“The witch hunters are getting very close to discovering your town, Spencer,” Agnes said. “They’re quite determined. And they’ve gotten this close before I could…intervene. Since I didn’t know of your town’s existence until just recently.” Agnes’s mouth pinched on that last admission as if it annoyed her.
“But we’re well warded,” another witch said. This was a much older woman, a woman who appeared even older than Agnes though she couldn’t possibly be. Her hair was a short steel gray that matched her eyes, her light brown skin was lovingly creased. Dressed in loose bellbottoms with flowers embroidered on the thighs and a poet shirt that hung loosely on her slender shoulders. She wasn’t hunched but she had a cane leaning against the table next to her. “We’ve been protecting our town from everyone for three centuries. I think we can keep it hidden.”
“I admire your abilities and your success, Mary,” Agnes said, her voice gentle. “An awesome bit of magic, to be sure. But no one can hide forever. Unfortunately, there comes a time with the…haters, as the young people call them, find their way to you. And it becomes necessary to defend yourself.”
“Defend ourselves from what, exactly?” another woman asked. She was youngish in appearance, roughly mid-thirties, though Nina knew she was closer to her sixth decade. Only a couple of decades younger than Nina. She had thick brown hair that hung in waves around her pretty round face, with those cheekbones that people called…what was it? Apple cheeks? Nina would have to look it up. Anyway, prominent cheeks that gave her a generally friendly appearance.
“The witch hunters, dear,” Agnes said, a sharper note moving into her tone. “Try to keep up.”
The woman scowled. “I realize the witch hunters,” she said, sharply. “I mean, what do they think they can do to us in modern times. The burnings and hangings and trials are a thing of a more barbaric past.”
“And you think that barbarism has just vanished?” another man said. He was thick and pale, his brown eyes haunted. His light brown hair cut in a shaggy style that ensured his hair covered his forehead fully. “You’ve spent your whole life in our town, Darcy. The world outside hasn’t advanced as much as you might think.”
“Exactly right,” Agnes said. “Though I hate to admit it. These things never completely go away. The pendulum swings. Sometimes more good people and less violence. Sometimes more bad people and more violence. Especially bad when the bad people think they’re the good people.”
“Those are the worst,” Diana muttered from across the café. She hadn’t looked up from her magazines and from the outside hadn’t seemed to be paying attention to the meeting. Obviously, she was listening, though.
Agnes gave a sharp nod of agreement. “Quite. And those are the particular brand of bad people you’re dealing with right now. The ones shot through with righteous zeal. The ones who think they’re doing the work of their deity rather than just, well, being assholes.”
Nina didn’t laugh. It wasn’t a laughing moment. But every time Agnes cursed, Nina sort of wanted to. She wasn’t sure why. The woman read erotic fiction right out in public and Nina couldn’t begin to tell how old she was. Maybe it was the outwardly prim appearance that made it always seem a little shocking when Agnes cussed.
She agreed with Agnes, though. Zealots were assholes.
That there were witch hunters working again and she hadn’t known about it bothered her, though. She did try to keep up on these kinds of things because she was a witch and a public business owner. She hadn’t even heard about the increase in witch hunter activity from any of her friends. She’d have to warn them after the conclusion of this meeting.
Right now, she was fascinated by this “town” where witches obviously lived and kept most people from knowing it existed. She imagined that made it quite a safe place for them all to live. And that it had existed unnoticed for so long was a testament to the spells used to guard the town.
But if the witch hunters knew it existed, finding it was only a matter of time.
“We can’t just up and move the entire town, Agnes,” Spencer said. “We’ve spent centuries in that spot. We know the land. The surroundings. The people from the nearest towns. Moving will open us up to more difficulty, in a strange location without the…high ground as they say.”
“He’s right,” another young witch said. They looked about fifteen, but Nina got the sense of older. Not old like her old, but older than a teenager. Their purple hair was cut super short and their subtle makeup was immaculate against their perfect light brown complexion. Dressed in a long black skirt and a purple flannel shirt, they sat closest to Agnes’s table, and when Agnes looked at them, she looked at them fondly.
“I understand, Tre, I do. But the only other choice is to hold your ground and fend off the witch hunters. A process that might well draw attention to your town from the mundane world, beyond the witch hunters themselves.”
“We could become a tourist destination,” Tre suggested.
This made Spencer roll his eyes, and the older woman who spoken about the strong wards nod.
The haunted-eyed witch who’d snapped at Darcy about the world still being barbaric said, “Absolutely not. Can you even imagine?”
From the looks of the various people around the café, some of them could.
“How do you deal with it?” A small, high voice from one side of the room, near the back of the café.
It took Nina a moment to realize the small voice was asking her a question. She focused on the woman. Her voice and her face were mismatched. That soft voice came from a woman that was taller than most of the men in the room and wide through the shoulders, her long blond hair pulled back in a loose tail, her elfin features without makeup. She was dressed in a pretty blue sundress with a light lavender cardigan over it, and she sat ramrod straight in her seat.
“How do I deal with what, exactly?” Nina asked.
“Running a business around mundane people? Living among them?”
“Oh. Well. I mean. I just always have. I work at not giving ordinary people anything to notice. And when strange things happen, well, there are illusion spells for that. To be honest, most humans will create their own ordinary stories to explain extraordinary things because their brains can’t handle the reality. They’re very good at it. Strange things happen in here all the time.”
That earned a not-so-subtle snort-laugh from Diana and a loud purr from Boo. Nina rolled her eyes at her familiar and ignored Diana.
“But those strange things haven’t driven off my customers or ended my business.” She shrugged. “You do have to be very careful, of course. You’re always on guard. I imagine living in a town where you’re all…out so to speak, means you’re not used to hiding what you are all the time. Being public requires that. But it’s fine. We all do it.”
“All?” the soft-spoken woman asked. “There are a lot of witches and…others living in this outside world.”
The last wasn’t a question so much as a realization. But Nina nodded yes anyway.
“How are they dealing with the witch hunters?” Spencer asked.
Nina exchanged a look with Agnes. “None of my friends have mentioned having issues with them. Yet. But I trust Agnes’s information. It’s something I’ll be talking with them all about tonight.”
“I learned from someone who has something to lose if the town is discovered,” Agnes said. “And I’ve been doing my research since. They are very active, and well-funded. There’s an element of religious fervor involved.”
“Shit,” Tre said with a scowl.
Agnes gave Tre a commiserating nod. “They have only kidnapped and ‘accused’ a small handful of people so far, most of whom were not witches. Though one was a telekinetic.”
“Have they…” Darcy let her voice trail off, but they were all thinking the same thing.
Even Nina braced for the answer.
“They have killed two of the people they’ve kidnapped. But they are intent on weeding out all witches, and they are not afraid to kill them. In fact, they got away with both murders so they’re more brazen now.”
Well that was bad.
“It would be better if they never found your town,” Agnes said. “And much of the evidence of its existence is hidden. One document in particular has been placed into the hands of someone with much to lose if the town is discovered. That bit of evidence is safe. But in my research, I’ve discovered that this new incarnation of witch hunters has still found hints of the town’s existence. Unfortunately. There is more out there about you than I was led to believe.”
Her mouth flattened and that sign of annoyance struck Nina as bad for someone. She was glad not to be the someone on Agnes’s bad side.
A young man who’d been quiet up to that moment raised his hand. The gesture was quite endearing considering everyone else had just spoken up when they had something to say. He was tall and thin, maybe even a little too thin—Nina had the urge to bring him a croissant—with dark hair and eyes. His face bones were sharp but wide. His shoulders wide, but maybe a little hunched—though that could just be his posture. He was dressed in incredibly neutral jeans and gray t-shirt and until the moment he raised his hand, Nina hadn’t noticed him.
He sat at a table with three other people. Nina had noted all three. But her gaze had skimmed over the young man.
Hm.
When Agnes gave him a nod, he said, “They haven’t found us yet. But we know about them.” He swallowed visibly. “We could go after them. Take the offensive and…destroy them before they can find the town.”
A ripple went through the witches in the room. Uncomfortable. Uneasy.
But not an immediate rejection of the idea.
Nina understood that reaction in her bones. Going after the witch hunters on the offensive was dangerous. Not just the possibility of discovery. But when a witch started using their magic to destroy others, even valid threats, that process could be…addictive. And sometimes, taking the offense against “threats” meant destroying innocent people because they might be a threat one day. It was a dangerous, slippery slope. One witches had fallen down before in history. Defending oneself against a threat was one thing. But attacking first was…
Complicated.
Nina and Agnes exchanged a look. Nina obviously wasn’t the only one who recognized the slope.
But before Agnes could answer, Mary spoke up. “I’ve seen that before, Devin,” she told the young man. The older woman adjusted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. “Reason my people moved to our town, helped start it. The threats were everywhere and they defended themselves, but some… Some went the other way. Didn’t help. Made things worse in some cases. Heard stories from my granny of one witch releasing demons onto this plane in her quest for revenge. Her entire coven had to combine powers to stop her. They killed her.” Mary shook her head. “My great great grandmother was one of that coven.”
Her gaze skimmed the crowd. Most were looking either at Mary or at some point in the middle distance, their thoughts turned inward. Nina had heard the story of the demon witch in Massachusetts who’d loosed demons on this realm. Not all witches knew of her existence. Not all witches knew demon witches existed. Those who did, understood the lesson in that tale.
Anger and a quest for revenge, that rage at injustice, those were valid but dangerous emotions for a witch. Even when justified.
“Our town was created to give us peace,” Spencer said into the ringing silence. “So that none of us or our kin would be pushed to that rage again. So we could safely be ourselves in the open, without hiding.” He glanced at Nina.
She gave a small nod. The idea was a tempting one. To be able to live without worrying about keeping her identity secret from the mundane people around her. To talk with Boo without having to hide or wait until they were in private. Being herself at all times without having to pretend at being mundane.
Would she have requested to live in this town had she known of it? Probably not. There was too much in the wider world she wanted to be part of. But she understood the impulse.
“What other choice do we have, though?” the young man, Devin, said. “I don’t want to hurt people, but I don’t want you all to get hurt either? We have a window here. They know we exist but not where we are. Thanks to Agnes, we know who they are.” He looked to Agnes for confirmation.
She rolled her lips into her mouth before saying, “I know some of them. The problem is there being more of them than I’ve found. Going out on the offensive leaves more clues to the location of the town out in the world. For the ones who survive your offensive to find.”
Devin nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.
Agnes mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, “Too much like your father.” But because she spoke so quietly, Nina might have heard wrong.
“So our choices,” Mary said, “are to move the entire town—which, by the way, might draw more attention than staying put.”
Agnes didn’t respond to that out loud but she did dip her head in an acknowledgement of the fact.
“We could go on the offensive,” Mary continued, “and try to destroy the witch hunters.”
“Which will definitely draw more attention,” Spencer said quietly.
“Or we can strengthen our protections and stay where we are,” Mary finished.
“Prepare for if or when they find us,” Darcy added. “We’re not just witches in our town. If we bring everyone together, we can defend it.”
“And still avoid attention from the surrounding communities?” Tre asked. They raised their brows and looked around. “You know, we could bring in the nearest towns to help.”
“Like the tourism idea,” Mary said, “that would open us up more to mundane humans. The entire point is to avoid that.”
Tre sighed. “Our isolation has helped us for centuries. But… That time might be running out. We might need to find allies among our mundane neighbors if we want to survive in relative peace.”
“They haven’t even found us yet,” Darcy said, sounding annoyed. “We have more than enough time to strengthen our wards and protection spells.”
“There are things we can’t ward against,” Mary pointed out.
“Like the deliveries we get,” Tre added. “Those are brought in by mundane humans from the outside. Someone could slip in disguised as a delivery person. Become a cat among the pigeons as they say.”
An old saying that someone who looked fifteen wouldn’t use. Nina was sure Tre was a lot older than they looked now.
“It must be a consensus,” Agnes said. She looked around the group. “We all know what happens when one among a group disagrees and doesn’t abide by a decision. You’re vulnerable to that. So we must all agree. And if the decision is to strengthen wards and hope for the best, you will need something significantly stronger than you have now. Something that will take a collective to create.”
“I think we have to do that and prepare for a possible incursion,” Spencer said. “We aren’t moving.” He looked around the gathered witches and they all nodded. That decision was made, even though Nina could tell Agnes would have preferred to move them to a new isolated location. “And going on the offensive risks more than it solves.”
Devin nodded at Spencer, though he still looked uncertain. The way Agnes watched the young man closely made Nina wonder what it was about him and his suggestion that had Agnes on guard.
“Are you talking about…what? Forming an army?” Darcy said. “We’ve purposefully never done anything like that.”
“A militia, yes,” Spencer said, though he winced at the idea. “And I realize that is…not optimal. But the world is on its way to us and we have to prepare.”
“The wards will help,” Mary added. “But as Agnes has warned us, they won’t help forever. We need to be prepared.”
There was a murmur that went up around the café. An acknowledgement that things were going to have to change for the gathered witches and their town if they were going to fend off the encroaching witch hunters.
Nina watched, feeling a little helpless. She didn’t have any magical—or non-magical for that matter—answers for them. She knew she was going to spread the word to her friends, and ensure everyone was talking about these witch hunters…
And maybe with eyes and ears working outside the town, they could better warn the town ahead of any attack. Give them time to prepare. Agnes was one person. She couldn’t see everything everywhere—at least Nina didn’t think so—but if they organized a network of witches around the world watching for the hunters…
“I have a suggestion,” Nina said, looking at Agnes. “Something that might help. At least with ensuring advanced warning before an attack.”
She outlined her idea for the group. “I have witch friends that have scattered around the world. They have witch friends. Between us all, we can organize a network to inform everyone, spread the word. Faster than one person. And faster than you’d know from inside the town.”
Nina watched them all exchanging looks, narrowed eyes, raised brows, a few nods and pursed lips.
Tre said, “We could set up a private server. Private communication system. Monitor for activity.”
“Keep an eye on them before they even find us,” Spencer said, nodding. “I like this idea.”
“And we could keep the communities around us safer that way,” Devin added.
This comment got a considering look from Agnes, but she didn’t otherwise say anything.
“This…could work,” Mary said. She and Spencer exchanged a look.
Nina got the feeling a lot of weight was placed on Spencer and Mary’s opinions because all the other witches in the room waited quietly and watched the two as the two stared at each other.
Then Mary said, “You think your friends will agree to this?”
“And,” Darcy said, “how can we be sure none of them will reveal our location to the hunters. Even on accident. A network that large…”
Yeah, Nina had worried a bit about that. Witches weren’t a monolith. Different strokes for different folks and all that. But, “If the information comes through me, and I send it on, we can filter it for the important details. Keep you location safe. And ensure the point of contact is limited.”
“You’d be willing to do that?” Tre asked. “I can set up the private server and communications. It’ll be easier and more secure if there’s only one point of contact.”
“But aren’t you worried about someone bringing attention to you?” Darcy asked.
“Me?” Nina grinned. “If it brings more people into my café, I don’t mind. And I know how to protect myself in this world. I already have a network of witches I communicate with, so there’s nothing there to latch on as suspicious.” She nodded. “I think it could work. There might be some initial growing pains as we get the system set up, but I think we can organize it quickly enough to keep you safe. And in the meantime, increasing warding and protection spells and preparing the entire town just in case… I think we can keep you all and the town safe. From this threat anyway.”
The group broke out into murmured conversation, each of the twenty witches talking to those next to them, getting up to discuss things with others. Tre moved closer to Spencer to talk, and Mary was surrounded by some of the other witches. Nina noticed from the corner of her eye that Devin was nodding at everything those around him said, but didn’t offer much comment.
As the discussion continued, Agnes rose and joined Nina. “That was a very kind offer to make.”
Nina shrugged. “Bit of self-preservation involved, too. I am a witch after all.” She winked at Agnes. It was probably the first time she’d said as much out loud, but they’d had that understanding from very nearly the beginning. “And this will help my friends. A win-win as they say.”
“Lot of responsibility for you.”
“Not so much. A few emails. Collating some date. I can do that during the downtimes here.”
“You have downtimes here?” Agnes put a hand to her chest, looking absolutely shocked, which made Nina laugh out loud.
“Occasionally.”
“And your new relationship?”
Nina felt her cheeks heating and was as embarrassed by her embarrassment as she was Agnes’s reference to her relatively new relationship with Rhys. “Will be just fine with all this. He has plenty of things he does without me, too.”
Agnes nodded. “Well. It’s good for you both to have outside hobbies. Keeps the relationship fresh.”
If you considered vampire hunting and monitoring witch hunters a hobby, then she supposed that was true enough.
“I’ll help,” Agnes said quietly. “With the data collection. The transmission of information. I’ll help.”
Nina raised her brows at Agnes.
Agnes sniffed and didn’t look directly at Nina when she said, “I have my reasons, too.”
“Fair.” And if Agnes decided to tell her more, Nina would be only too happy to listen.
The conversation among the others seemed to finally come to a consensus and they all returned to their seats.
“All right,” Mary said. “We think the best option will be to keep an eye on the hunters, set up this communication network, and fortify the town against attack. No one is ready to bring our town to the attention of the outside world, but we do need to protect it as best we can. And we will do that. Where we are.”
Agnes nodded. “Then it’s decided. Nina and I will work with Tre to set up the communication network. And I will be checking in with you all regularly.” Agnes’s gaze moved to Devin but then away again before Nina could be sure she hadn’t just imagined that look. “And we shall do our best.”
The group broke up not long after, with the witches slowly leaving in small groups, some going into the bookstore and some just leaving. Mundane humans also filtered back into the café, in a normal pattern for that time of day in the middle of the week.
Nina returned to work with Boo sitting on his stool beside the register. At the end of the day, Nina looked up to see Agnes still sitting in her usual seat. Diana had left earlier without a word about the witches’ meeting one way or the other. Nina wondered if the goddess would do anything to help this town or if she was just curious about what was going on and no one—even Agnes—could get her to leave when she didn’t want to leave.
At closing time, Nina turned the sign in her door, but didn’t immediately lock up since Agnes had lingered behind to speak with her. She sat across from Agnes, who had set her book aside and was waiting patiently. Boo joined them, jumping into Nina’s lap so she could pet him while she spoke with Agnes.
“I didn’t expect you to take such a significant role in all this,” Agnes said, without preamble. “I thank you. But that wasn’t my intention when I had this meeting here.”
Nina waved that away. “As I said, self-preservation. Witch hunters are bad for all witches.”
“Indeed.” Agnes nodded. “Well. You have my gratitude. Your offer was, I think, the deciding factor for them. I feared we’d never get to a consensus.”
“I just hope they’ll be safe in the end.” She tilted her head to study Agnes. “That young man, Devin…”
“Mm.” Agnes sighed. “That is a story. The son of someone I do not like. But there’s hope for the son.” Agnes cut a look to Nina. “He’s not precisely what he seems.”
“I figured.”
“He’s a good man. Better than his father. I’d like to see him stay that way. And not being pushed by witch hunters is important to that goal.”
Nina nodded.
“I don’t offer this often,” Agnes said, “but should you ever need a favor, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“That’s not necessary.” Nina glanced around. “I have a feeling you’ve helped more than once in this place over the last year anyway.”
Agnes waved a hand. “That’s keeping the peace for my sake, not yours.” She grinned a little and Nina chuckled. “This is one of my favorite places, though. So if you do ever need anything. Well. I’m here.”
Nina was tempted to ask more. To dig into what Agnes was, exactly, and what she could and couldn’t do. Instead, she said, “Thank you.”
Agnes stood and slipped her book into her purse. “Until tomorrow then.”
“I’ll have the kettle on.”
Agnes winked, then walked out.
Nina petted Boo as she listened to the bookstore owner next door going through her end of the day routine, thinking about what she’d promised to do. Knowing she’d made the right choice.
“I’d better get a new laptop,” she said aloud. “Specific to this new task.”
“Business has been good,” Boo said around a quiet purr. “We can afford it.”
She smiled and scratched her familiar around his ears.
“And I’m very curious about these witch hunters now,” he said.
Yes. So was Nina.
Time to make some calls.
***
Thanks for reading THE WITCHES AT THE CAFE. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like your own personal eBook copy of this story, you can find it for sale here. You can also peruse the previous Café stories that are individually available for sale here.
This story is linked to one of Agnes's earlier stories: AGNES ONCE AGAIN AT THE CAFE, if you missed that one and would like the backstory. There's also a reference in this story and the previous Agnes story to a witch historian. You can learn about her in DEMONIC DATES.
Be sure to look out for the next STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME THREE coming in July with all the stories from the first 6 months of 2026, especially if you prefer to read in print. The new, and the old, collections are available in eBook, Print, Large print, and Hardback editions.
Don’t forget to check back on July 1st for the next Free story from The Café!
THE WITCHES AT THE CAFE Copyright © 2026 Kat Simons
All Rights Reserved. No part of this story may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This story is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.