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Centuries?
I wasn’t sure if the Solar Sovereign was admitting to me that she couldn’t shift, but I wasn’t about to ask: she looked angry enough that she might bite my head off, and not in a figurative sense. I glanced back over at Esme, but she still wasn’t moving. I watched her sides, trying to make sure she was breathing when a familiarsnapfollowed by a cold burst of wind sent shivers down my spine.
“How far you’ve fallen since we last met,” Sabine said to me as I turned to look at her. There were those angry wounds across her previously picture-perfect face, and I knew at once Lyka had indeed taken his pound of flesh from her.If only you could have finished her off, Lyka, I thought wistfully.
I noticed belatedly that two other masked figures had also entered the room, standing several feet behind Zyanya and Sabine.
“Are the Aurora witches prepared?” Zyanya asked Sabine. Apparently, she couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge the other figures.
“They are,” Sabine confirmed before nodding at the other two figures.
The two began to move. The walls shifted after that, and I noticed they were opening windows. I had to look away, almost blinded by the intense light after sitting in the darkness for so long. I couldn’t make out the details of the room as my vision swam, and all I saw were moving shadows and shapes. I realized too late that the witches had surrounded me as well as Zyanya.
So, Zyanya’s a witch? Is she like me?The thought was revolting.No, she’s nothing like me.
The witches were clearly preparing a spell, and it seemed to be making the sunlight in the room even brighter. This was solar magic, the opposite side of the coin to astrological, but I knew almost nothing about it. I was, however, able to recognize a few elements of fire, and I would’ve bet money on Sabine using dark magic. That was clearly her specialty. Why give up something you’d worked so hard, and given up so much, to achieve?
What do I do? I need to—
My thought was cut off by the sound of someone screaming. I only realized a few moments later that it wasme. It felt like my chest had been set on fire. When I looked down, a glowing brand stared back at me from right above my left breast.
I was still gasping for air when Zyanya approached me, wiping her hands on her eggplant-purple pants. “You see, there are simply too many loopholes that people take when I only issue commands verbally, even when I gave an alpha command,” she said, again speaking to me like I was a child. “This death mark will ensure you are much more motivated to do as you’re told.” She smiled at me, and her eyes seemed to shimmer with gold. “Celeste, I order you to kill Fenris, Lunar Lord, before the end of the total solar eclipse, or the mark over your heart shall burn you to ash from the inside out.” She took a breath as her smile grew. “If you try to speak a word of this to anyone, you will burn. If you try to pledge your loyalty to the Lunar Lord over me, you will burn. If you try to communicate with anyone regarding your mark,you will burn. Have I made myself quite clear?”
Sabine looked positively thrilled while I bit back a growl. “What is the point of this?” I snapped. “Why free me in Alaska if you were just going to drag me back here to do this? I know that was you!”
Zyanya sniffed but looked a bit peeved. “That idiotic vampire thought himself far cleverer than he was and wanted to win my favor.” She licked her lips. “You saw how well that worked out for him. Besides, I wasn’t ready to make my move yet. I returned my pawn to Fenris’s side of the board, and you did just as I thought you would.”
“And what was that?” I demanded.
Zyanya just rolled her eyes. Sabine skittered over to where Esme sat slumped over, grabbing her by her hair and yanking her head back.
“It’s about time we killed this traitor,” she sang as if the idea brought her great joy. “There’s so little left of her psyche, anyway. Just let me have her.”
Zyanya waved a hand, apparently giving the other witch permission. Sabine beamed as she stepped back before dropping Esme’s hair to prepare a spell.
Anger surged through me again, and I tried to stand. Nothing happened. Frustrated and desperate, I called on every ounce of magic I had left while simply flinging power out around me. I didn’t even really know what I was doing, so much that I was doing something. I had to make them get away from Esme.
Zyanya snarled, throwing up a wall of fire to defend herself, but Sabine was flung backward, stumbling. Esme remained motionless. I didn’t see where the other two Aurora witches had gone or if they’d retreated once Zyanya’s binding spell was complete, but I didn’t care so long as they stayed away from Esme and me.
My power faded and my vision swam, narrowing to pinpricks as I swayed.
“You fucking bitch,” Sabine snarled, brushing her dress off as she rounded on me.
“Mistress!” a vaguely familiar voice called. A few moments later, the fae I’d seen in my dream darted by me and bowed deeply in front of Zyanya. “Your sources have informed me the Lunar Lord’s forces will arrive any moment.”
Zyanya sniffed and nodded, dismissing the fae with a wave of her hand. She paused to smile at me. “I will see you at the lunar eclipse, little bird,” she said. “I’m so looking forward to your display.”
Before I could answer, she looked at Sabine. “Take us away,” she commanded.
Sabine averted her eyes from me, hurrying to obey the Solar Sovereign at once. They were gone with the familiar rush of cold air. As I glanced around, I realized none of the Aurora witches remained. Only Esme and I were left in the room.
With Zyanya gone, I tried to move again, and with exhausted relief, I realized I’d finally regained control of my limbs. Forcing myself to my feet, I staggered over to Esme, almost collapsing next to her. As I ran my fingers over her skin, looking for a pulse, I studied her face. She looked almost ashen, like she’d aged twenty years in the past several weeks.
What do we do now?I thought, trying not to panic. I could feel my hands shaking as I searched for my aunt’s pulse.Fenris was right not to trust you. He’s going to be so—
I was so tired that I couldn’t finish the thought. Exhaustion threatened to take over, and I knew that as soon as Fenris found me here, I’d just be feeding into all his fears and paranoias. And more than that, he’d be right—he shouldn’t trust me at all, and I wouldn’t be able to tell him why. After all I’d done to get him to open up to me, I’d probably end up betraying him, just like Lyka.
One last thought floated across my mind as unconsciousness finally dragged me all the way down.
What have I done?
