Charlotte took the letter from Victoria and ripped it open. Heather walked over to stand next to Elizabeth as Victoria stood in front of her mentor. Charlotte skimmed over the letter, which read as such:

To Madame Dragyn,

We would like to begin saying that this letter has been sent out to multiple Madames and Masters, not just to you. We have received word that a religious extremist group as started attacking rural witches. We has you to be careful and take in as many as you are able to. We have to work together in this time of need.

If you do take in refugees from these areas, you will be compensated by the Council. In the meantime, naming ceremonies and certifications will be postponed until this situation is under control. Please plan accordingly. 

I understand that many of you have shops and stores, so please be careful. It seems that they have been the targets so far. It may be helpful to change signs and explain the situations to your patrons that do come in. It might be best to close down your shops until this has been dealt with.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience and we hope that you are safe. Please relay this message to your apprentices and students. 

Regards, Council Leader Madame Hyacinth 

Charlotte frowned as she handed the letter for Victoria to read aloud. She sat down on her armchair as her apprentice explained the contents. Victoria finished and set it down on the mantle.

"Are you going to close the shop?" Elizabeth asked after a moment of silence. Charlotte shook her head.

"I couldn't afford it if I did. I would understand if you would like to have some time off," she answered quietly.

"Unfortunately, I can't afford to take an indefinite time off either," Victoria sighed. Charlotte covered her face with her hands, realizing that she and her employees were in a terrible position. "Especially since I can't get my name yet."

"I should have told you to take the test sooner," Charlotte groaned.

"Well, it's not your fault that religious extremists are terrorizing the countryside," Victoria reminded. "We had no idea that they would suspend those services."

"That's true," Charlotte agreed as she glanced out the window. It was completely dark out, and she sighed. "If you want, you are more than welcome to stay the night. It is a little dangerous out there now."

"I think my sister and I will return home, if that's okay," Elizabeth answered.

"Yes, I think my husband might be a little worried about me," Heather laughed. Charlotte nodded.

"I had no idea that you were married," Charlotte smiled, feeling guilty for not inviting him. Heather laughed.

"Recently married, but he was tired from the journey and didn't want to go out anywhere. Otherwise, I would have brought him for dinner," Heather smiled, comforting Charlotte.

"Well, let me show you out at least. I would offer for you to stay longer, but I'm worried that the night become more dangerous as it goes on," Charlotte explained as she stood up.

"I was thinking the same thing. I'm sorry to hear that those fanatics are ravaging shops. I hope they don't reach your shop," Heather offers as Charlotte smiles.

"Thank you, and I agree," she replied. Charlotte didn't believe that the extremists would come this far into the city, but she wondered how close they would get.

"Do you think that the city of Strathmore will intervene at all?" Heather asked as she grabbed her coat.

"They might, but I am more concerned to see if the Abrarian government will do anything," Charlotte sighed.

As she and Victoria waved off the sisters, Charlotte wondered if the Abrarian government would side with the extremists, side with the Council, or if they'll remain neutral during this massacre. 

"So, I assume you'll be staying the night?" Charlotte guessed as Victoria sighed.

"If you don't mind. It's a little late for me to get back home. It would take longer for me to walk to my house than to the shop, so it seems easier to stay here for the night," Victoria rambled, a little uncomfortable about asking to stay the night. Charlotte smiled as she nodded. With a snap of her fingers, she conjured a blanket and pillow.

"Of course you can stay. Besides, it'll be safer to stay here tonight. I would have preferred to have Heather and Elizabeth stay as well, but I can't make them stay," Charlotte sighed. "But they'll be fine. It's only nine o'clock, and doesn't Elizabeth live relatively close?"

"As far as I know, she lives closer to the shop than I do," Victoria answered with a shrug. 

"Well, that should be fine then. They'll be fine."

"Yes, I think so as well."

"Are you sure you don't want some time off until further notice? I'm not sure if I can get you your full pay, but we could do some partial pay," Charlotte offered. Victoria shook her head.

"I don't need the time off. Besides, if I am being hunted, I would rather be somewhere with people I know rather than by myself," Victoria informed. 

"Fair enough," Charlotte agreed as she started to go upstairs. Then she stopped. "If you would like, I could move stuff out of my study and you can stay in there for the time being."

"I'm not sure I could inconvenience you like that."

"You just said that you would like to be with people you know rather than being alone. I agree with that, so it would make sense to move in. Besides, with this news, we might get less business than before. You wouldn't have to pay rent."

"You would let me live here for free?"

"Exactly, for safety reasons. I don't think we can be too careful, especially if people are killing others out there," Charlotte explained plainly. Victoria smiled and nodded.

"Makes sense to me."

"Wonderful. I'll go with you later to your place and teach you how to teleport larger items. I don't have an extra bed at this time, but you can use the couch tonight and get your bed tomorrow," Charlotte suggested, realizing that she didn't have any beds to offer.

"Sounds wonderful. I'll see you in the morning," Victoria smiled as Charlotte walked up stairs. 

Victoria placed the pillow on one side of the sofa before covering herself in the blanket. She wasn't really accustomed to sleeping in her work clothes, but she guessed it could be worse. With a yawn, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Charlotte walked into her study and sighed, looking around. She had bookcases lining the walls with two chairs and a desk. With a sigh, she teleported the desk into her bedroom and levitated the chairs before moving them to the corner. 

Unfortunately, Charlotte wasn't able to move the bookcases anywhere else, so she decided to keep them there. Hopefully Victoria didn't mind to be surrounded by books and empty vials.

She walked into her bedroom and moved her desk into the corner and sighed. The teleportation had also made her papers fly around the room, making it messier than it needed to be. She gathered them into a messy pile, threw them onto her desk, and decided to go to bed.