by D G Swank
“Let her examine me,” I said. “This is the person I was talking about.”
“The gods-damned Book of Sindal?”
The mist flashed and Zane jumped back, buffering his magical shield.
“You can’t antagonize him if you want him to lower his guard,” I said, gritting my teeth as I waited for my pain to subside.
“He’s not to be trusted.”
“He is. He’s been undercover. He’s trying to bring them down too.”
I hadn’t wanted to play all my cards with Zane, but I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to save his life.
He turned from me to the mist and back again. “You’ve been in contact with the Book of Sindal this whole time?” He sounded pissed again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The spirit released a raw wave of power, attacking his shield, and he rocked back as if he’d been dealt a physical blow. “Because she’s trying to protect it from swine like you.”
“I’ve been helping her!” he protested.
“Let me kill him and be done with it,” said the woman in the mist, bright light pulsing around her.
“No!” I shouted, sitting up and scooting off the edge of the bed.
“Celeste!” Zane sounded panicked as he tried to help me down, but I pushed him away, stepping in front of him. Something inside me screamed with pain, but I couldn’t back down. While Zane might think he needed to protect me, I was the one doing the protecting.
“I know you need me,” I said to the mist. “But if you kill him, I won’t help you. I’ll ignore you until the day I die.”
“Which might be very soon if you don’t lie down,” Zane said, gently grabbing my arms and trying to coax me back to the bed.
The spirit studied him, her features fading in and out as the mist shifted. “I can save you, Celeste, but you must come to me.”
So she kept saying.
Zane froze, his fingers digging into my arms.
“And what do I need to give you in return?” I asked.
“So cynical,” the mist said with a grin. “So smart.”
I gave her a tight smile in return. “What do you want from me?”
“You know what I want. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I need you to accept the Crown of Blood.”
“The Crown of Blood,” Zane said. “What’s that?”
“It is none of your concern,” the spirit sneered. “You are to have nothing to do with the crown.”
Zane started to protest, but I held up my hand to silence him. “We’ll finish this negotiation in person,” I said. “Where do I need to go?”
“He is not to come.”
“He,” Zane snapped, “is the only way she’s getting anywhere. She’s in no condition to drive unless she’s the passenger in the back of an ambulance.”
“Then why haven’t you taken her to a hospital?” the mist asked. “Why is she dying in a rented bed?”
His face lost color. “She’s not dying.” But he said it as if trying to convince himself.
“You warned her if she got up she might injure herself,” the spirit said. “You were right. She has.”
I could feel Zane’s magic flitting over me, then he stiffened. “You can save her?”
A smile spread across the floating face. “I can save her and so much more. I have offered her the world—she only has to take it.”
“We’ll take the saving part first,” Zane said. “Where do I bring her? And before you protest, if you know she’s dying, then you know she can’t drive herself.”
The spirit bobbed her head as she floated above the foot of the bed. “Fine,” she finally said. “I will give the directions to the future queen. Not you.” Her features disassembled as the mist drew apart and dissipated into nothing.
“Did she give you the directions?” Zane asked, gently lowering me to sit on the side of the bed.
“Not yet.” I looked up at him. “Am I really dying?”
He paused, then nodded, his face guarded. “You have a slow bleed. I keep trying to stop it, but once I get it healed, another pops up. This has been going on since last night.”
Another reminder that I was running out of time. And so was Lisa, because I knew deep in my gut that Donall would kill her if I didn’t show up for our wedding. I couldn’t let that happen. “Then fix it and help me out to the car. Maybe the mist is waiting on us.”
He shook his head, grumbling. “I don’t like this, Celeste. I don’t believe something as evil as the Book of Sindal can be used for good.”
“I used to think I could control it, but I know you’re right. We don’t have a choice. If I die, Lisa dies. Donall may not have said so, but he knows we’re smart enough to put it together.”
Groaning in frustration, he helped me off the bed and into the bathroom, then waited outside the door so I could pee. I studied my face as I washed my hands, shocked to see how bruised and battered I still looked. My eyes were purple and swollen. My lips were fat and split. Both cheeks were bruised and one had a fresh one-inch scar. I was certain that Donall had broken some bones in my face and Zane had tried to heal them.
I turned off the water and lifted my still-wet fingertips to my cheek, pressing lightly.
The door opened and Zane said, “I’m so sorry, Celeste.” His eyes were fierce and full of self-recrimination.
“You didn’t do this,” I said, studying my bloody shirt. I’d need to find a new one, or one of us would have to use glamour to hide it.
He moved behind me. “I…I told him you were weak and erratic. I lied to make you look bad.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his in the mirror. “You were trying to divert him.”
“I was also trying to save Lisa. Instead, I got you nearly beaten to death and you were the one who stood up for her. Do you have any idea how ashamed I am?”
I turned to look up at him, but I moved too quickly and wobbled.
Zane gently wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me to his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
Resting my cheek lightly on his chest, I said, “Who is more expendable to Donall right now? You or me?”
“Celeste…”
“Answer the question,” I insisted.
“He needs the orb.”
I looked up at him. “That’s right. He needs me the most. It had to be me.”
I could see he didn’t agree, but he didn’t protest.
“I won’t let him hurt you again,” he whispered, staring down at my lips.
Embarrassed by how I looked, I lowered my face.
He placed his fingers under my chin and gently lifted. “You’re beautiful, Celeste. Inside and out. Don’t look away because of your bruises.”
“How can you stand to look at me? I can barely handle it.”
He slowly shook his head. “I see your strength and your courage. I see your character for stepping up to save Lisa. I see your pride when you refused to cave to Donall.”
“I was stupid,” I said grudgingly. “I should have shelved my pride. It only made things worse. Donall had to show the Dark Set that impertinence wouldn’t be tolerated. Even when it’s the voice of reason.”
“I should have stopped him.”
“Could you have?” I asked. “Are you strong enough? Really. I know you’re much stronger than you let on.”
“Honestly? I’m not so sure I could.”
“But if we joined our magic,” I said. “Could we defeat him then?”
“Maybe, but you won’t be in any shape to face him any time soon.”
“The book will heal me.”
“There’s only so much magic can do. That has to apply to the book as well. While it might be able to heal your internal injuries, I suspect you’ll still be sore for a while.”
I could deal with sore, but I needed my strength.
“We should go,” I said. “We have no idea where my sisters are.”
“I thought we were going to the book.”
“And who do you think has it?”
; He nodded, then gently tugged me closer. “Just let me hold you. A few minutes won’t make much difference.”
He was right, a few minutes wouldn’t make much difference, and I had to admit it felt nice being cradled by Zane.
“I lied to you,” he said quietly. “When I told you that you were probably drawn to me because we were alike…and when I said I didn’t feel called to your magic.”
I buried my cheek deeper into his chest. “I know.”
He chuckled. “I was scared, Celeste. I was scared of the implications.”
“That we’re meant to be together?”
“That and more.”
“That our magics are counterparts?”
“Yes.”
“Are you worried I’d drag you down?”
He leaned his head back to capture my gaze, his eyes wide. “Drag you down? Celeste, you’re the one making leaps and bounds with your magic. I’m the one who will be dragging you down.”
“No,” I said. “We’re counterparts for a reason.” I placed my hands on his chest and called my magic to life. My injuries made it sluggish and I realized it was doing its own part to heal me, or at least make me semi-well.
“Celeste, what are you doing?”
“Joining our magic.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said, but he didn’t pull away.
“It’s an interesting idea,” I said, sending my magic toward him. I could feel it searching Zane’s body, looking for an entrance. Wanting to be with him.
He resisted for a few seconds, then he dropped his guard and my magic found his, wrapping around it and holding it tight.
His power pushed back, slipping into my body and mingling with my magic. I could feel the combined magics searching for my injuries and bolstering them up. They patched my spleen then shifted to my face, easing some of the bruising and swelling.
They stopped their quest, but I still felt Zane’s magic soothing me, giving me strength. I hadn’t realized that my legs had turned to rubber and he was holding me upright.
“Sorry,” I said, feeling so exhausted all I wanted to do was go to sleep.
“No, that was a good idea. We’ve bought you a little more time.” He hugged me close. “We should go.”
“I hope that the spirit of the book tells us where to go soon,” I muttered.
“Actually,” Zane said, “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” He glanced toward the mirror.
There on the now completely steamed-up mirror were two words.
Lexington, Kentucky
Chapter Twenty-Two
I’d worried about walking through the lobby looking like a domestic abuse victim, but Zane had stopped me from using glamour, insisting he’d do it for me instead. I hadn’t objected. I knew my body needed as much energy as possible to keep me alive.
The clerk at the front desk, a middle-aged woman wearing her hair in a huge beehive, gave us a lingering look that made me wonder if Zane’s glamours weren’t up to par. Finally, she said, “May I just say, you two are the most beautiful couple I have ever seen.”
“Oh, we’re not—” I started, but Zane wrapped a gentle arm around my back.
“Thank you,” he said, leading me out to the parking lot. He smiled at me as he opened the passenger door. “What? There’s nothing wrong with knowing how to take a compliment.”
He drove to a gas station and filled up the tank. “I’m going in to get us something to eat. Do you want to come?” he asked.
It surprised me that he’d bothered to ask. I shook my head. “I’d rather stay here.” The thought of moving drained me.
I’d thought he would object, but he took the keys and went inside. I spotted him coming to the window multiple times to make sure I was still there. Even so, the fact that he’d trusted me, especially given the stakes of all of this for him and Lisa, broke down another of my barriers.
I ate a little of the food he brought back—a slightly shriveled hamburger that had likely been in a warming drawer for hours—and my eyes started to flutter shut before he even left the parking lot. It would take hours to get to Lexington.
Zane reached over and swept some loose strands of hair away from my face. “Why don’t you recline your chair and get comfortable.” After a moment of silence, he added, “I need you to lower your magic so I can monitor you while you sleep.”
My defenses went up. What if we were attacked while I was unconscious? My magic would at least protect me until I woke up.
Zane sensed my fear. “You’re safe, Celeste. I’ll guard you.”
And because he’d trusted me, I decided to trust him. I lowered my magic and tried to relax, but I was anxious. I had a little over twenty-four hours to return to the compound for my wedding, and I would struggle to walk down the aisle, let alone neutralize every Dark Set mage in attendance.
The sun was setting when I awoke, and Zane was driving into the outskirts of Lexington. He cast a glance at me before I even stirred, not that I was surprised since I could feel his magic probing me.
“You need to eat again,” he said with a frown.
“I’m not sure food is going to fix this, Zane. Surgery, sure, but food…”
He ran his hand over the top of my head. “We might be able to get away with going to a hospital here, and I can try to use persuasion to convince the hospital staff to accept whatever story we feed them.”
“But surgery will take hours. We’ll never make it back to the compound in time.”
“I’m not worried about getting you back to the compound, Celeste,” he said in frustration. “I’m worried about leaving you vulnerable and alone when I go back for Lisa.”
“You know Donall’s going to have her under lock and key,” I said. “And after Brandon’s sneak attack on the abandoned hospital, Donall will make sure he’s not caught off guard again.”
“We’ll figure this out with Brandon. But first we need to find him. Now that we’re in Lexington, we need more direction.” He paused, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “How do you feel about trying to reach out to your sisters telepathically?”
“You know our coven bond is broken.”
“I know, but such a deep bond is bound to leave a trace. It may still be there, buried deep inside of you. Or you may not need it at all. The way we connect with the magic in the air and the water and the trees…you may be able to do that with your sisters. Their energy is still bound to yours in some way.”
“You mean instead of calling the spirit of the book.” It wasn’t a question, and I didn’t phrase it as one.
“I don’t trust it, Celeste. It wants you to take the Crown of Blood. Do you know what that entails?”
“No, but…”
“Exactly. Neither one of us knows,” he said forcefully. “That book is pure evil. It should be destr—”
“Stop!” I shouted. Then, in an undertone, I added, “Don’t say it out loud or she might consider you a threat.”
“She’s watching you?” he asked in alarm.
“I don’t know,” I said, “but she knows things, and she shows up almost immediately when I call. She travels in mist, and I’m not sure how diffuse it can become.”
“She appeared to you in the sanctuary, didn’t she?” he asked. “Before it was destroyed.”
“Yes. And I can only think of one reason she’d know to look for me there. She sees and hears everything.”
“She can’t hear us now,” he objected. “I’m hiding our magic.”
“You’ve glamoured the car?”
“I’ve glamoured our magic.”
I nodded—my sister Rowan could do surprising things with glamour too—feeling more relieved. If the spirit was tracking my magic, at least we’d made things more difficult for her. “I’ll try to find my sisters, but I suspect you’ll need to lower your shield for it to work.”
“Agreed, but I’ll only do it when you’re ready.”
“Any suggestions on how to go about this?” I asked.
“Okay,” I said, already feeling exhausted, and I hadn’t even tried anything yet.
Closing my eyes, I burrowed inside of myself, deeper and deeper, trying to summon up memories of my sisters. An unexpected memory popped to the surface, even more unexpected given its crystal clarity. I’d only been four at the time, and until tonight, I hadn’t thought about that day for years.
We were at the park, all of us together—Mother on the bench, and my sisters and I on the playground. It was a rare public appearance by the Whelan sisters.
Rowan and Phoebe were playing with each other like they always did, leaving their weird baby sister to her own devices. So I did what I usually did when I was little—I talked to the rocks and the plants and the water and the air. I realized I’d likely been reacting to the elemental magic around me, something I had lost my connection with over the years.
Xenya showed up and sat by Mother on the bench. I could see through her glamour. Rowan’s power had not yet been concealed from her, so she could too. This was another thing she had been made to forget. The two women whispered while my sisters chased each other up and down the slide, Rowan sneaking occasional curious glances at them. It struck me now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Mother had arranged our playdate as a cover for a private meeting. Perhaps she’d just found out that her husband, one of the three protectors for the book, was likely a secret member of the Dark Set. Perhaps this was where the secret Witches’ Council had begun.
I was still playing with my rocks when two older girls showed up and began to call me names and shove me. Although I looked to my mother for help, she ignored me and continued her conversation with Xenya as if nothing was happening. My sisters raced to my defense. Rowan, who was never one to back down from a fight, chased them off, while Phoebe comforted me.
They included me in their play after that, even though I could tell they’d rather not, but we weren’t there for much longer. As soon as Xenya left, our mother said it was time to go.
Later that night, Rowan confronted Mother in the kitchen, furious that she’d been in full view of my torment and had done nothing to stop it. Mother told her that the three of us would form our own coven someday, and we needed to learn to rely on one another. But when Rowan stomped off to her room, Mother called out softly, “Celeste.”