“As I said, once you return to the Temple—”
“Her Holiness expects me to hunt this guy down? Some psychotic warlord from a realm I’ve never been to?”
She arched an eyebrow, as if in warning. “Her Holiness granted you untold strength and power in your time of need, for which you so eagerly pledged your service.”
Tension simmered in the air as she glared at me, making my skin hot and itchy.
“I know. It’s just…” I took a breath, trying to regroup. Whowasthis girl, anyway? Where were the other novitiates? Melantha’s soldiers? “Forgive me, but when Her Holiness summoned me, I was under the impression I’d be meeting with her elite guard.”
“Elite? Hardly.” A bitter laugh rang out through the small chamber. “No honor among them. No fortitude. I’m sorry, but the Guard of the Dark Moon is no more.”
A prickle of unease tingled at the back of my mind. What the hell did “no more” mean?
Fired? Furloughed? Executed?
Crushed to death by falling pillars?
None of this made any sense.
I paced before the altar, my sudden movement snuffing out a few of the votives. “The guards are gone, so now it’s onmeto assassinate some creepy warlord?”
“Not assassinate, no. If Keradoc dies before we perform the spell, the blood will be useless.” She grabbed a taper candle and touched it to one of the votives, reigniting the flame. “You must retrieve the blood without harming him—without so much asalertinghim—or all will be for naught.”
“Are you serious? You just said he’s a warlord!”
“And you’re a formidable blood witch, are you not? One with access to spells and magick you’re only just beginning to tap into.”
“I’m good at what I do, sure. But dark fae warlords? I’m not… Look, you seem… knowledgeable. Clearly, you’re fond of the boy.” I smiled, fighting to keep the desperation from my voice. “Maybe you should go instead? I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things until you get back.” I took the taper from her hand and lit the remaining votives. “See? Already getting the hang of it.”
She pinched one of the flames between her thumb and forefinger, the frustration in her eyes finally boiling over. “One candle remains unlit to honor the darkness that exists in all of us, without which we can never know the light.”
“Right.” I raised my hands in surrender. “I should’ve known that, but I didn’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m not the witch for the job. I’ll do anything else she asks of me, but—”
“Thisis the quest the Goddess has set out for you,” she snapped. The girl was unraveling, her eyes blazing, her voice nearly trembling. “Are you reneging on your sacred vow?”
“No, of course not. I just think we should look at all the options. I’m sure if we put our heads together, we can—”
“Howdareyou question the will of the Goddess!” she bellowed, the force of it making the ground rumble. Her eyes turned a fiery red, two hot embers smoldering in a shadow-dark face. Flames crackled suddenly at her feet, the inferno rising higher and higher until she was completely engulfed.
The mud walls cracked and bubbled around us, and I watched in mute horror as her robes burned away to reveal a body as black as the night sky, pale white serpents slithering around her thighs and torso. Her limbs elongated before my eyes, twisting like those of an ancient tree, hands and feet curling into monstrous talons. Two massive black wings burst from her back and smashed through the walls of the antechamber, each feather dripping with blood.
The altar remained untouched, the boy undisturbed.
I stumbled backward, my heart slamming against my ribs.
The novitiate.
All along, it was her. Melantha.
And this was her true form. Dark and magnificent. Hideous and terrifying.
I dropped to my knees, half-tripping, half awed, and bowed my head. “Forgive me, Your Holiness. I was wrong to question you.”
Sharp claws pierced the underside of my chin, forcing me to look up and meet her fearsome gaze. I blinked through the pain, ignoring the warm blood trickling down my neck.
“Daughter of Darkwinter,” she said, her voice echoing across the night like a death knell. “If you value the lives of the sisters you fought so bravely to protect in Blackmoon Bay, youwillachieve this task. By blood and by blade, as you have promised.”
By blood and by blade.
