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I was pushing my new hair off my shoulders when the air changed.
The pink hair was gone instantly as Nala's magic drained out of me, making me stumble. I was not weak by any means, but Master Briggs mastered the ability to manipulate threads of power in any way he desired. He snuffed out Nala's magic inside me in a moment.
“High Priestess,” he said, inclining his head as she did to him.
“High Priest,” she responded.
Nala and I both bowed our heads to him, holding out our palms for him to grasp, first mine, then Nala's. He gave me a warm smile as he returned to me. His hands held my face as he studied me.
“Reilyn,” he said with a sigh. He dropped his hand and stood back. “I have watched you with the High Priestess these past weeks. I believe you're finally ready. Your mission is waiting for you.”
I had been waiting for these exact words for weeks, yet my stomach erupted in a flurry of nerves. Butterflies took flight in me, and before I could get ahold of them, worried showed on my face. Who wouldn't be in my place? But Briggs Snow knew I was nervous.
But he also saw the determination set my face. I nodded a solemn, silent promise that I would go and succeed and return victorious for the Nightshade Coven.
“I’ll help you pack your belongings, Reilyn,” Opaline offered quietly. “Skies forbid you forget something.” Disguised as a concern, I knew she longed for a goodbye away from the Master. She had been my teacher, especially for the last twelve months after taking over my training from the Master- in the sanctuary. The place that homed a building set into the side of a mountain, where waterfalls tumbled, freefalling into the sea far below. Platforms of grass had served as our training grounds on various levels of the sanctuary building. Fresh water was always available, and provisions were secured from missions. We were sustainable here, self-sufficient, and I already missed it.
But it wasn’t my home. It was only meant to be temporary, a place to hide and train until I could carry out the mission and reclaim my rightful place.
For a minute, I looked at the sky, imagining the world again beyond the rocky mountain range. My previous mission had taken me to various parts of the world, and I wouldn’t see much more on this one, but it is what would happen after I succeeded that I thought of. When done, anyone anywhere could go where they wanted. Most of all, I, and the rest of the Nightshade Coven.
Master Briggs let us walk past. He had never been a man of many words, so a goodbye wasn’t expected, but I wanted something from him. A wistful smile, an embrace—anything. He just watched me leave with a last nod of his head.
“Come, Reilyn,” Opaline said. I followed her into the sanctuary, letting Briggs fade from my thoughts. He secured this mission and made it possible for me to go, and now I had to make him proud. Nala’s hand drifted next to mine, brushing against the back of my knuckles but not quite holding. I reached out to link my pinkie finger with hers as we returned to our shared bedroom.
There, Opaline gave me a travel bag to pack my belongings in. I smiled at her as she bustled about my room. Her eyes were glassy, but she turned away before I could say anything. “You know what you must do, Reilyn.”
“I do, High Priestess,” I told her, grabbing items from under my bed. A chunk of amethyst that Nala bought me for my twenty-second birthday six months ago comforted me with its sharp edges and twin piece tucked beneath Nala’s pillow. The last thing I had from my parents was a coin from them, which I slipped into my pocket. On it was an embossed crown, a reminder of what I stood to lose, have already lost, and couldn’t afford to do so again.
“Your success is imperative,” Opaline said, echoing my thoughts. “You must take back your crown. Your parents’ crown. They died at the hands of the tyrant who calls himself king. Is that what you want, Reilyn? To watch him destroy your parents’ legacy. Their kingdom?”
“No, High Priestess. I’m ready. You’ve trained me yourself for years for this.” My eyes narrowed with determination as I slid a dagger into my bag, strapping more onto my body. One for each thigh, two sheathed against my forearms, another at my hip. “Before sunrise tomorrow, King Araki will be dead. I swear to you.”
She clasped the back of my head, pressing her brow to mine, nodding before letting me go.
“Listen to me. You know you are the rightful heir. The crown has been yours since the day you were born, Reilyn Reid. Don’t let him keep it any longer. It is yours. All that is his rightfully—”
“Is his death,” I finished. “To repay him for what happened to my parents.”
“Yes.”
I clenched my fingers around the coin, feeling the crown sigil dig into my palm. I closed my eyes, bracing myself. I couldn’t let myself have one seed of doubt. If only Opaline knew how worried I was, deep down, even as confident as I was in my abilities, she would punish me. I knew what I was capable of—I knew that King Araki’s death would be swift, without mercy, and I vowed to destroy him the way he ruined my life. He’d pay for it with his own, the way my parents were forced to.
I turned to Nala, letting the coin fall to the bottom of my pocket. Now was the time for readiness, for strength, not falling apart at the memory of my parents’ ghosts watching over my shoulder, needing me to succeed.
“You will do the Nightshade Coven proud,” Nala affirmed. Then she gave me a wide smile. “Big sister.”
“Calling me your sister won’t secure you a crown, you know,” I laughed.
“No?” she teased. “Princess Nala has a ring to it, don’t you think?”
“It definitely would go down well with suitors.”
Nala laughed again, but tears shone in her eyes. She rushed to me, pulling me into a hug. I crushed her to me, breathing in her scent, the coarseness of her tunic’s collar, the softness of her curls, the warmth of her, how her presence had never once wavered since we met. Maybe I would find a way to give her a tiara, an excellent title to compliment her beauty and status as my best friend. A true sister indeed.
“I’ll be back before you notice I’m gone,” I assured her.
“Hardly!” she protested. “I wish I could go with you, Reilyn. I have magic that could help. I can be useful, too.”
