“I would say at least a hundred, ready to go at any given moment, perhaps more,” she answered.
“So, traveling by sea is out of the question for the entirety of the army, leaving us once again to travel all the way by foot.” Shaking my head in frustration, I desperately tried to come up with a new plan. “I’m not sure what else we can do. If they close in on us, we risk the innocents. If we march south, we exhaust our troops. We’re fucked either way.”
Finn, Landon, and Veli’s eyes moved back and forth between each of us as we spoke of trying to find the best course of action—and survival—for our soldiers.
Avery’s stare remained fixated on me from where she sat directly across the table. Her eyes were calculative, as if she was listening to every word spoken in the room, combing through each of them with a fine pick as she searched for an answer to one of our endless unknowns.
“I have an idea,” she stated, her eyes remaining on me.
A wicked smile leisurely tilted my lips. “Go on, dear sister.”
Her scheming stare moved to the sorceress on her right. “Magic.”
Veli let out a hiss as her face contorted into a vicious snarl. “Foolish, girl.”
“No,” I interrupted her before she could insult Avery further. “You have kept your secrets long enough, Veli.” My eyes made their way back to my sister. “Go on.”
Avery sucked in her bottom lip as if questioning if she should truly reveal her thoughts. Her honey-hued stare lifted back to mine. “On our journey here, Veli spoke of traveling by portal.”
A scoff left the witch, but I leaned forward over the table and lifted my finger in Veli’s direction to halt her.
Avery continued, “She is able to teleport her own body effortlessly. She said it’s calledwisping, but she spoke of a way to move a potential army.” She glanced over at Veli and mouthed the words,I’m sorry.
“No, you’re not. And you know nothing of what you speak,” Veli hissed, her violet stare illuminating the darkened room.
“There must be some form of truth to it, Veli. Could you truly move an army across the continent?” I asked.
The silence from my mate and the others added to the intensity as the three of us continued to exchange words.
“I could not do that, no,” she answered simply.
“But with others, she could,” Avery intervened, causing my brow to lift as I watched them each intently. “What we need is more witches.”
“Absolutely fucking not,” Veli barked, her lips curling back.
“It’s the only way!” my sister screeched just as intensely.
I spoke then. “I would love nothing more than to ignite Idina’s war in wyvern’s flame and watch it burn to ash ather feet. If what my sister states is true, then it is imperative that you reveal your knowledge of traveling by portal.”
Jace leaned back in his chair from beside me, his piercing eyes locked on the sorceress as he stated, “You will obey her orders.”
Veli huffed through her nostrils. “A single witch cannot open a portal wide enough, nor for a long enough period, for an entire army to travel through. It is a process that demands the contributions of multiple witches—their focus, energy, and power.” She crossed her arms over her chest and met my stare with one equally intense, the gold in her eyes flaring.
“And you stated all those weeks ago that the Elora Coven is no longer. Is that true?”
“The coven…ceased to exist as one many centuries ago. For a rogue witch sought to destroy the very thing that was destroying themselves.” Veli tapped a single taloned nail on the table before her. “Grief, loathing, and an insatiable hunger for power ripped the coven apart.”
“And all this occurred where?” I asked.
“The Elora Isles,” she answered. “Three small marsh guarded islands northeast of the continent, but the witches who once occupied it have dispersed across the realm in hiding. The Elora Isles always call to us—beckoning a persistent whisper in our ears, urging us to find our way home.”
“But you never returned.”
She shook her head and quickly averted her gaze from mine. “I can never return there.” Veli clicked her tongue. “And as you are aware, I hesitantly use strong bursts of my power. For magic calls to its kin.”
I pursed my lips, examining her for a moment. “Why did you leave your coven, Veli? Why did you move to Isla and disguise yourself as a healer?”
She was silent for a few moments. “After all that I had been forced to witness at the hand of my kin, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to bring the realm a little…healing.” The words were barely above a whisper, as if she was ashamed.
