“Breaking mental shields,” Finnian added.
“Don’t forget mind control,” Landon stated, and I forgot he was even here. He had barely spoken a word since we arrived at the estate.
Each time one of them spoke, the others’ attention immediately shifted, and Elianna smirked in amusement at her siblings and their usual irritating banter.
“Well, that settles that, then,” I huffed out as I sat back in my seat, gesturing to the three of them.
“And you can use these in battle?” Elianna asked.
“I have no desire to ever utilize any material from this book again, aside from my shadows.” I sighed. “Dark magic has a cost, starting with our youth, and should never be freely wielded. What happened in Isla shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.”
“Your coven,” Zaela interjected. “You stated you are from where? The Elora Isles? Where is it located, and how do we get there?” Whenever she spoke to me, her voice had a slight tremor, revealing an unseen nervousness that she didn't display with anyone else.
A wicked smile crept up my face. “It is both near and far from anywhere in the realm, only traceable by those who know where it is. It lays hidden in a pocket of the Vayr Sea northeast of our continent.”
“So we can travel by ship,” Gage added.
“No males may enter there. It is forbidden,” I warned.
“We will be accompanying you,” Jace growled. “We cannot be sure you won’t just run off, leaving us behind torot. As our only source of power, it is crucial that you remain with us for the foreseeable future. In fact, how about before any of this, you take a knee before her now and pledge your allegiance?”
“If my loyalty has yet to be proven, then I do not know why I am still here, Commander. Now, since you refuse to heed my warnings, it appears you wish to put your mate in danger and have her wander into The Elora Isles.” I raised a brow.
His features softened as he glanced over at the future queen at his side.
“I live for danger.” She winked at him, and he let out an irritated growl in response. Elianna turned to me. “However, why are men forbidden?”
“They are not welcome there; they never have been, and the land itself would work to dispose of them if they were to get too close.”
“Define too close.”
“I would recommend they do not set foot on the earth,” I retorted.
“And what is the plan once we arrive at the isles? How do you summon the witches if the land has been abandoned?” Zaela asked.
The thought of being in the presence of my lost sisters sent a shiver through me—the hairs on my arms stood at attention, and my skin erupted into goosebumps.
“Once we arrive, not only will we be sensed, but my blood will call to them—a mere drop into the cursed soil will beckon them to return immediately.”
Elianna’s eyes widened, and she quickly averted her gaze from me. She pursed her lips while examining me. “So, that’s it then? We sail to your little islands that only you can trace, spill a few drops of your blood, and then your coven will return in that very moment?”
“Essentially,” I answered after a few seconds of silence.
“Let’s say this doesn’t go as planned,” she started. “Say they’re as cruel as you believe them to still be, and things go awry. How do we kill them?”
I lifted a brow in her direction. “I have told your siblings this as well, but witches are immortal, Elianna. All we require is the essence of a beating heart.”
“You and your riddles.” She let out a soft laugh and shot her child-like smirk at me. “So, stab them in the heart. Got it.”
“No, no, Heir of the Realm. A mere stab wouldn’t do. It would need to be removed or destroyed.”
Suddenly, the front door to the estate swung open, revealing the general who had escorted us away from the mountains earlier today.
“Gods, you’re still here?!” he boomed, eyes boring into his own commander.
“We were just finishing up here,” Jace answered.
“Well, thank the gods for that then, Cadoria. I have funneled every soul within a ten-mile radius into the streets, awaiting your return. And you’re here doing what exactly?”
