The door to Agnes's cottage flew open so hard that we all jumped. Gethin was in the doorway, filling it with his broad frame. His face was tight with urgency.

"Alun Davies has gone over my head to the village council," Gethin said. "He's demanding I arrest you, Evie."

My heart sank. I had been worried about Alun's threat earlier, and now it was a reality. Arrest me?

"On what grounds?" Elias demanded, standing up quickly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

Gethin locked eyes with me. "They're saying Evie is tampering with forces beyond her control, causing disturbances in the land," he said. "And with Thomas's death still a mystery."

"That's ridiculous," Fiona cut in. "Evie's just learning her powers. She couldn't..."

"I know," Gethin said. "I don't believe it. But the council is listening to him."

I felt Agnes's hand on my shoulder, a gentle pressure. Gideon spoke up next. "There must be evidence."

"That's the problem," Gethin said. "There isn't any evidence, just whispers and fear." He looked at me. "But fear can be powerful in a place like Llyncroft."

Elias frowned, rubbing his chin. Fiona was pacing.

"What are you going to do about this?" Agnes asked.

Gethin looked back at me. "I'm going to protect Evie," he said. "I've called for an emergency council meeting to discuss this accusation to clear her name. The council are abusing their powers by doing this."

I swallowed. Being arrested for something I hadn't done was terrifying. Looking around the room, I realised there were a handful of people I could rely on, because my life did depend on it.

"Thank you," I said.

He nodded, and it felt like a promise that he would let nothing happen to me.

"We need to leave now," he said, holding out his hand to me.

Gethin led me towards his SUV, feeling a flutter of nerves in my chest. Gideon, Elias, and Fiona climbed in behind us. It made for a tight squeeze, and I could feel the shared current of apprehension running through our small group. Agnes stayed behind. There was a potion she needed to finish, which was time sensitive, but she promised to be at the hearing.

The inside of the SUV was roomy, but I barely noticed as we all clambered in, lost in our thoughts about the upcoming council meeting. Gethin turned the key in the ignition, and we set off towards the council hall.

Llyncroft's council hall was a brick building which felt like it had grown out of the earth since it was so old. It was on a quiet street paved with cobblestones worn smooth by the passage of time. I felt small as we approached its heavy, solemn wooden doors.

We stepped into a large room panelled with dark oak, which absorbed the sunlight streaming through small windows near the vaulted ceiling. The walls were lined with portraits of past council members, their stern faces looking down on us, each of them reminding us they were the ones with power in this place. I could almost hear the whispered echoes of debates and decisions that had shaped the village over the centuries.

The vaulted ceiling soared above us, crisscrossed with thick wooden beams blackened with the passing of time. There was a sense of history about the place, along with the smell of beeswax polish mingled with the mustiness of old paper and wood.

Gethin led us over to a large oval table in the centre of the hall, which was surrounded by high-backed chairs that stood like silent sentinels waiting for their occupants. The table itself was marked and scored with its use over time. I could imagine a record of heated discussions and impassioned pleas for the good of Llyncroft buried into the fibre of the table.

I ran my fingers over its surface, feeling the grooves and imagining the weight of responsibility of the decisions made here. Where the lives of people like me were altered by a few dispassionate words spoken by people I feared enjoyed power rather than the truth.

I took a seat next to Elias. The others went to sit in a viewing gallery at one end of the table as we waited for Alun Davies and the village council members to arrive. Gethin's presence at the head of the table was reassuring, but his professional mask had slipped into place and I felt a distance between us. Even though there were people who cared about me in the room, I felt alone.

The doors to the chamber opened and Alun Davies entered, followed by 6 people I didn't recognise.

The council filed in, a parade of stern faces and frowns. Alun Davies, at the head, fixed me with a glare that could wilt flowers. My heart pounded in my chest, but I wouldn't let him see I was scared.

Gethin rose to greet them. "Thank you for coming at such short notice," he said.

The council members nodded and took their seats, looking grim. Alun remained standing, his hands behind his back as if to restrain himself.

"We have heard reports of strange happenings in the land," said one of the male council members, a middle-aged man who wore an expensive suit and had the air of a powerful financier. Lord Pritchard, Elias muttered. "The unnatural events..."

Alun cut in. "And of course, the death of Thomas Davies," he said, still glaring at me.

Lord Pritchard turned to Alun. "We will have decorum in this chamber. If you can not abide with that, Mr Davies, I will have to ask you to leave."

Elias's hand found my shoulder. I took a deep breath.

"We need to understand what's going on here," said another council member, a beautiful woman who moved gracefully. Clara Fairchild Elias whispered in my ear. "But until we have more evidence..."

They looked at each other as if they were communicating without words.

"The decision is that Evie Hartwell is to be contained," Lord Pritchard said. "Until we can decide on her guilt."

Contained? The word rang in my ears. I was terrified, but Elias's hand on my shoulder steadied me.

"We have to protect the village," Lord Pritchard continued. "Captain Wolfhart, you will take Miss Hartwell to a secure location so that we can complete a full investigation and evidence can be presented." I felt like he was closing in on me.

"Sir, I called this meeting..."

"Captain Wolfhart, if you do not follow the instructions of this council, you will be removed from your position. Do I make myself clear?"

Gethin bobbed his head once.

"But where?" said Fiona. "You can't just lock her up."

"As long as she is somewhere she cannot access the earth under constant watch, I will be happy," said Alun.

His threats from earlier struck me. If he knew exactly where I was, how was I going to leave? Was this his way of confining me, and making the kill easier?

I felt Elias tense beside me and caught sight of the worried expression on the faces of my friends as we took in the decision made without hearing any representation of my innocence. Even though Gethin had called this meeting, he had not been given an opportunity to speak before their decision was made.

Then Clara Fairchild gracefully spoke, cutting through the heavy silence of the chamber. "I think the lighthouse would be appropriate," she said.

The lighthouse? My mind raced. The cold, lonely structure by the sea? It was separate from the village, and its beacon was a lonely eye that swept the dark waters at night. I shuddered at the thought of being there.

"You can't be serious!" I said. "You can't mean to lock me up there?"

Clara looked at me with her blue eyes. "It's just a precaution," she said. "Until things settle."

Elias squeezed my shoulder and Gethin said. "Clara," he said. "Evie has done nothing wrong."

Clara looked at him. "I understand," she said. "But the safety of the village comes first. Regardless of the allegation Mr Davies has brought her, it is clear she has powers she can not control, and we need to put her somewhere, which will dampen the effect of her destruction of the village."

Safety? They assumed I was the one threatening it! I wanted to shout, to argue, to make them see sense. But I could see from the council's faces that they would not listen and years of living around controlling people had taught me that some moments were not the right time to challenge people in power.

Gethin leaned forward. "There must be another way," he said. He looked at each council member in turn, seeking an ally.

Alun moved closer to the table. "The lighthouse is secure," he said. "It's off the land. She can't cause any more disturbances there."

Disturbances? I felt sick. They were talking about me as if I was a force of nature to be contained.

Agnes was on her feet. "Evie is part of this community," she said. "She should be here with us."

But Clara raised a hand. "The decision is made," she said. "Take her away immediately, Captain Wolfhart."