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This makes sense. I’ve never questioned if our goddess was different because everything seemed to match up. Their celebrations are on the night of a full moon, just like that of the werewolves. The goddess gave me both werewolvesandwitches for mates, not to mention the fact that I’ve felt the goddess with me while I’ve been here, so if this was the domain of another goddess, surely that wouldn’t be possible.
“The goddesses of the past and future are the ones we pray to, asking them to keep us safe and rain terror on our enemies,” Eloise continues with her explanation. “Although, many witches don’t even bother to acknowledge them any longer.”
Kano shifts his weight from foot to foot and blows out a tense breath. I glance up at him and see he’s looking between the new witches and the queen, a grimace on his face. “If the crones are here, then something is about to happen,” he comments with dread. “Look at the queen, she’s terrified.”
Following his line of sight, I see that he’s right. The queen is sitting bolt upright in her throne, her hands gripping the padded arms so hard I can see the whites of her knuckles from here. Her eyes are wide and filled with dread. I’ve never seen her look so ashen before. She’s so startled or afraid of these three crones that she’s forgotten to hide her true emotions. That, more than anything, should warn me that whatever will happen next is going to change everything.
Finally reaching the foot of the dais, the crones stop and look up at the queen. None of them speak, nor do they genuflect in any way. No one seems surprised by this, not even the queen. Realising that all eyes are now on her, she quickly adjusts her posture and forces a smile upon her lips.
“Ladies, how nice to see you’ve left your tower,” she croons, trying to regain control of the room. “Have you come to join court?”
The three witches just continue to stare at the queen. Onlookers begin to murmur to each other, shifting around awkwardly, not knowing what’s happening and feeling uncomfortable in the presence of the crones.
“A time of war is coming.”
My breath catches in my throat, the sound of their voices combined making the hair on my arms stand up on end. The scent of magic is in the air as they speak their message from the goddesses, clearly linked together in a trance.
Silence follows their declaration, and no one dares move in case it somehow interferes with the crones’ vision. We do not wait long before they continue, their blended voices eerie and unsettling.
“Many will die, innocent blood will be shed unless the one promised takes her rightful place. A new star will rise, and old sins will be unveiled. Peril will fall upon any who tries to fight this destiny,” the three crones intone together, staring up at the queen with cloudy eyes. Then, the crones of past and future gasp and fall backwards, their skin decaying and falling into a pile of bones and fabric before our eyes.
Slowly, the remaining witch, the crone of the present, turns to look at me. “The time of truth is upon us. Embrace it or face the consequences.”
Her eyes are cloudy like that of her fallen sisters, so I shouldn’t be able to tell that she’s looking directly at me, especially seeing as I’m standing in a crowd. However, I feel her words in my soul and know without a doubt that this last part is aimed towards me. The warning hits me like a physical blow, and if it wasn’t for Atlas’s warm hand on my back, I probably would have stepped back, needing to put distance between myself and the woman.
I need not have worried about her saying anything further though, because she stumbles back a step, and with her goddess blessed mission complete, the crone gasps and falls into a pile of bones and decaying rags.
Horrified, I stare at their remains on the perfect marble floor. They just… fell apart. How is that possible? Atlas said they traded in their youth for this extra power, yet I hadn’t expected this. It’s almost as though the magic sucked every bit of energy from them, and they were just being kept alive for the purpose of giving us this message today. Madame Constance taught me that magic has a cost, and not to overextend myself. I guess I just witnessed what that cost can be.
“They are dead.” The words just slip out of my mouth as I attempt to get my head around what’s happening. It was all over so quickly, it was almost as though I dreamed it.
Sighing, Eloise takes a step closer and shakes her head. “Once they have served their purpose, they pass on to the next life. Our bodies aren’t able to contain the raw magic and energy of the goddesses.”
The dark presence within me is suspiciously quiet, and when I reach out, I find she is barely a whisper of dark smoke. Before I came into the hall, she was writhing within me, stoking my anger and ready for a fight, so why did she shrink away in the presence of the crones? There is so much happening here that I don’t understand, but if the words of the crones were true, then it might not be long before I find out.
Glancing around the hall, I see I’m not the only one who’s been left confused by what just happened. Many are frowning or having quiet conversations with each other, while others look worried. Ladies clutch their necklaces and seek solace from their male counterparts. The scent of fear fills the air, and it only seems to drive up the feeling of panic, so hysteria will soon follow.
Star backs up so she’s at my side, close enough for my fingers to brush against her fur, no longer snarling now that the crones have gone. She’s still on alert, low warning noises emitting from her throat, but she seems to sense that the main threat has disappeared. Glancing down at her, I frown before looking up and turning to Atlas.
“What in the underworld just happened?” I ask, only to shake my head, deciding that my need to get out of this hall and get fresh air is more pressing. “It doesn’t matter, I need to leave.”
Atlas frowns and opens his mouth, but whatever he was going to say is cut off by a clapping of hands which is magically enhanced so it cuts through the noise of the room. My eyes are drawn to one figure standing alone on her dais—the queen. It’s rare to see her standing in the presence of others, since she’s usually glued to her throne, her seat of power, unless she’s moving around, so seeing her standing up tells me that she’s terrified. Something about the crones’ words have rocked her, and now she’s desperate to pull back some of the control. While her smile is wide, and her body language gives almost nothing away, I can scent her fear.
“A prophecy from the goddesses. How blessed we are!” the queen calls out in a voice I’ve never heard from her before, her fake cheer making it high and tight. Grasping her hands together in front of her, she addresses the courtiers. “Court will be finishing early today so we can fully absorb what we just witnessed. We will resume as usual tomorrow.”
Ivar suddenly appears at the foot of the dais, offering her his hand to help her down, which she takes without hesitation. Her smile shifts into more of a grimace as she whispers something to her dark witch. Whatever he says in return causes her to drop her façade completely and stride from the room.
Kano curses, spotting what I did. Blowing out a breath, he runs his hands through his hair again. “She’s panicking. I have to go.”
His reluctance to go is obvious, and it stirs up uncomfortable feelings in my stomach, reminding me of our earlier conversation. The queen uses him for sex to relieve her frustrations, something he does out of duty, not love. Would she hurt him if she was angry or scared? Given what I’ve already seen the queen do and the fact that Kano seems so defeated by this, I think I already know the answer to that, and it makes me sick, knowing he’s walking into a situation that might be dangerous for him.
Bile burns the back of my throat, and I place my hand at the hollow of my neck as if to ease the sensation. “Will you be okay?” I ask, voice tight.
His gaze turns to me, scanning my face, and whatever he sees there makes him smile and reach out to cup my cheek. “I appreciate you asking that.” There’s a pause, and I think he’s going to say something else, but he just sighs quietly and drops his hand to my shoulder, squeezing it once. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Nodding at Atlas in the silent form of communication they seem to have, Kano stands up straight and rolls his shoulders back, stepping forward and weaving his way through the groups. Unsettled, I watch him walk away as I try to decide what’s making me feel uncomfortable about his answer. It doesn’t take me long to realise it, but he’s well out of eyesight once I’ve worked it out.
“He didn’t answer the question.” I’m not speaking to anyone in particular, but I feel Atlas’s eyes on me. His lack of response is enough of an answer to my unasked question. Is Kano going to be safe?
