Page 23 of Witch’s Heart

“Oh, please. Soon enough, what will I have to be jealous of?”

“You are a disgrace to the council,” I hissed. “Putting your personal feelings above reason.”

“Right. And how far did Aleksander Kozma shove his cock down your throat before you submitted to his rule?” she asked, scoffing. I blinked, shock morphing into fury as she continued, “If I am a disgrace to the council, at least I am not a disgrace of a witch.”

Her carefully aimed words cleaved me open for an entirely different reason.

“How dare you?!” I spat, lunging. My body changed before I could stop it, my arm reaching for her throat, to crush her windpipe. My mind tunneled down to a single thought, a single desire—the need to kill a fellow witch.

“I knew it,” Gianna snarled, her triumph warring with sudden fear⁠—

The door to the stable flew open and I froze. Cold swallowed up the heat of my emotions as I regained control of myself. For a brief flash, the thing inside me had almost done the unspeakable. What was worse, I would have let it.

“What’s going on here?” Elianna said, entering arm in arm with Anne. The torchlight framed them against the dark backdrop of night. Elianna’s eyes ping-ponged between the two of us, noting our rigid posture. I exhaled, relieved that she was here.

“Just wait until the council hears.” There was a measure of glee in Gianna’s voice, as if we hadn’t just been interrupted. She pulled her gaze from me and said, “Aramina is dangerous. Take it from me, you should both keep your distance. Anne, I would have expected better.”

Anne simply looked between us, uncertain. Coming to my defense, Elianna said, “Aramina is the best witch this Citadel has. Clearly, having a seat on the council means little when your ability to see reason is impaired.”

“Oh, I see things absolutely clearly, now.” Gianna let that sink in, then turned and strode away.

“What is she talking about?” Elianna looked confused more than suspicious.

“I… She riled me up, is all.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, trying not to panic.

“Was she harassing you about tomorrow?” Anne asked, appalled.

“A bit.” My legs felt weak, like I would collapse if I didn’t start moving. Perhaps it was time to speak with Fiona. I’d hoped—naively—that I could keep my condition hidden. I’d feared that telling her everything would jeopardize her support.

“I think... I think it’s best if I retire and get some sleep.”

“We’ll walk you back.”

“No, I⁠—”

“It isn’t up for discussion,” said Elianna, sounding more firm than I’d ever heard her. “You don’t look well and I’m worried about you. We’ll take you back to your room.”

“All right.” I could speak with Fiona first thing in the morning. The council meeting wasn’t until late afternoon. That would give her time to make up her mind about me. I’d just have to stew all night with anxiety.

“Come along,” Anne said, reaching for my arm. They each took one, guiding me out of the stable. We reached my room, them ushering me inside. “Can we get you anything? Something to eat, perhaps⁠—”

Anne’s question was cut short as a loud boom shook the walls. We froze, staring at each other. Another explosion sounded, and the walls shook again, tiny bits of dust breaking from the ceiling.

“What’s…?” Anne dropped my arm, looking up.

Distant shouts reached our ears, muffled.

“Could it be demons?” Anne asked, blinking at us. “Someone must have lost control of a summoning star or something.”

Another boom sounded, shaking the fortress again, and then again. We rushed for the door right as it flew open and Viktor rushed in, Ronan on his heels. “Thank fuck,” Viktor gasped, going straight to Elianna, taking hold of her shoulders to examine her.

“What’s going on?” Anne asked, gluing herself to Ronan’s side.

“We don’t know,” Viktor said. “We heard the commotion and came looking for⁠—”

His words were cut off by an ear-splitting scream. Gods! It sounded like a war was breaking out. But maybe…

My blood ran cold. Gianna’s words came back to me, only, I had thought she was referring to the council meeting.