Page 27 of Witch’s Heart

“I don’t know. I…I hope not. But if it does, if it turns me into a demon…” I didn’t finish.

“In the stable earlier, with Gianna—?” Elianna started.

“I lost control. She saw my eyes blacken, saw a brief glimpse of the darkness living inside me.”

Herrin gave a rough nod. He handed me a small wrapped bundle and I tore it open, biting into the hunk of cheese before taking a bite of bread, but only to give myself something to do beneath their intense gazes. I took this as a good sign that Herrin wasn’t going to harm me or abandon me.

“Guess that explains why Skye was so intent on catching you,” he mused.

“Is that why she was after us?” Elianna asked. “It hardly explains the explosions.”

Unlike Elianna, I didn’t need to seek clarification. Somehow, I already knew. Still, that didn’t prepare me for the weight of Herrin’s next words.

“The Citadel has fallen.” His voice was rough. “There are many witches who do not like the current way of doing things. Nearly half the council. Skye has seized control, killing Fiona in her rise to power. I tried to…” He exhaled. “They overwhelmed us. We were outnumbered and outmatched. She ordered me to leave, Mina, to get you out. I wanted to refuse but—“ He sucked in a breath. “I felt her death.”

I glanced down at his left hand. The markings that displayed a witch and wielder’s bond were gone. The sight made my stomach roil. All I could think about was losing Rixon like that.

Suddenly, everything that had happened between us seemed inconsequential. So what if he’d made a decision without consulting me? Hadn’t I done the same when I’d chosen to save his life using the soul of a demon? That had changed things irrevocably between us. And yet, he’d made a promise that no matter what happened to me, we’d face it together.

He hadn’t abandoned me, or given me the silent treatment. Gods, he hadn’t even gotten angry with me. And yet, look how I’d acted.

I quickly wrapped the remaining food in my hands, tucking it away for later. What little I’d eaten turned sour in my stomach. It felt like I’d never eat again.

“I’m sorry, Herrin.” I looked at him, hoping he could see just how much my heart was breaking. “If I hadn’t lost control with Gianna. If she hadn’t seen⁠—”

“Enough,” Herrin snapped. “I’ll not have Fiona’s last wishes poisoned by your guilt. Skye was going to make a move sooner or later. What’s done is done.”

“How many witches follow her?” Anne asked quietly. “Which ones from the council?”

“Does it matter?” Elianna asked.

“It does to me. Because…because…” Anne shrank in on herself.

“What?” I asked.

“I’ve been sending letters to Leilani for years,” she admitted, voice hoarse. “She wanted me and Lola to keep her abreast of all the activity taking place in the capital. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone that we were in correspondence. But she wanted to know strange things—about the king, especially. And when…when Mina and Rixon arrived, she asked even more questions.” Anne’s eyes glossed over. “Were they…were they planning this the whole time? Were they using us to…to gather the information to stage a coup?!”

Elianna reached for Anne’s trembling hand. “You couldn’t have known,” she said in a low voice.

“I…I promise I didn’t. I never would have—I don’t believe in killing witches to steal power. I⁠—”

“None of us blames you or believes you and Lola had anything to do with this,” said Herrin.

“Skye intended to supplant herself as witch queen. She saw Mina as a threat, given her position with the crown. She wants to pit the might of witches against it. Those who don’t follow her will be killed.”

“But there aren’t that many witches anymore.” Elianna frowned.

“She plans to make more,” I said, remembering what Fiona had said. I swallowed against the sour taste in my mouth.

“Make…make more?!” Elianna’s eyes widened.

“It’s possible, if you expose someone to something horrible enough,” said Herrin.

My thoughts solidified and I froze, glancing down at Ophelia’s journal. I wanted to flip it open and comb through it again, but we were short on time. Even now, our pursuers could be gaining ground.

Reading my mind, Herrin stood. “The rest of our discussion can wait. For now, the plan is to reach the capital and warn the king. We will rendezvous with the witches already there. Fiona has been warning those loyal to us that something like this could happen. They will know what to do.”

Under normal circumstances, we were still six days from the capital. If we pushed hard, we could make it in four or five. “What supplies did you bring?” I asked Herrin.