Gasping, I leaned down to clutch my knees and stared across at our broken world. The fighting had stopped. No more explosions shook the air, and rebels walked aimlessly through the sudden silent streets. One by one they pumped their fists into the air with a shout. And soon, the silence was replaced by the sound of victory.
The rebels had won. They’d set the Sun Coven free. But it had all come at a heavy cost, one my heart didn’t feel ready to face. From within the depths of the debris, I spotted Magister Salvatore’s bent body, and the broken remnants of the rest of the council and team of Enforcers. Not a single one of them had survived. My entire coven was gone.
Chapter 35
“We won,” Anastasia said as she stood from the rubble of the building. “Those motherfucking assholes are done.”
Bodies littered the ground, and I had to avert my gaze. As glad as I was that the fight was over, I didn’t feel quite as elated about the situation as Anastasia. We had suffered heavy losses. On both sides. Three covens and a band of rebels had come together in a life-altering clash. I didn’t know where we would go from here, and I couldn’t be certain this was the end.
The Bone Coven would now be in ruins. Who would lead them now? While they deserved far more and far better than what the Magister had given them, the mages of Boston now had no central power with which to look when there were supernatural issues.
Dorian must have felt the weight of our actions as much as I did. He sat on the curb, his head tucked down into his hands. He had curled in on himself, blocking out the harsh light of day, but I knew it had nothing to do with his reaction to the sun and far more to do with the loss of our coven. He’d been a loyal member for longer than I’d been alive, and this would be a blow to him in a way I probably couldn’t understand.
“Dorian,” I said quietly as I eased onto the curb beside him. “We didn’t have another choice. They launched the attack. If we hadn’t fought them, so many more mages would have died.”
“I know, Zoe,” he said, his voice tight. “But knowing we did the right thing doesn’t make the truth any easier to bear. Even though we won, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. It feels more like the demons have somehow conquered us all, turning us against each other instead of keeping our eyes on the true threat.”
“That may be true,” I said, “but we have the means to stop them now. All we have to do is get the blade and close the veil. And then I’ll travel the world for the rest of my days if that’s what it takes to destroy every last demon that Wagner has pulled through. Until they’re completely eradicated from this earth.”
“Well, I’m coming with you,” Laura said as she knelt before us.
Anastasia sighed and rolled her eyes, but then she nodded as well. “Yeah, alright. Me too. Can’t let you mortal beings run around without some vampire protection. No offense, Dorian, but I’m stronger than you, and I don’t have to worry about pesky sunlight on my skin.”
“None taken,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I certainly couldn’t imagine a years-long mission on the road without your unique personality along for the ride.”
Anastasia’s lips quirked. “You didn’t mean that as a compliment, but I’m taking it as one.”
“Of course you are,” he said, shaking his head and standing from the curb. “Alright, it sounds like we have a lot of planning to do.”
Now that another mission was on the cards, Dorian had abandoned his emotions and turned back into his usual terminator mode. Focused on the task at hand, eyes on the prize. I’d seen him do this enough times by now that I knew the steps by heart. It was easier for him to ignore those feelings that were churning deep inside of him. He’d push them away until he had a quiet moment alone, but that kind of moment wouldn’t come. Not for awhile.
Eventually, he would need to deal with his guilt and his pain, but for now it was easier to focus on something else. Hell, it was easier for me as well. Once the veil was closed and the demons were destroyed, then we could focus on our losses. We could find a way to rebuild, figure out a way to get our coven back and turn it into something that was better than it was before.
I didn’t know how and I didn’t know when, but together we could figure it out.
But first, I needed to get my hand on the Witch’s Blade.
When we returned to the blade room, the Elders were waiting for us. But instead of the victorious expressions I’d expected them to sport, their foreheads were creased with deep wrinkles and their lips were pulled down into frowns.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Don’t tell me the fighting isn’t over.”
“It’s over,” one of the Elders said after a heavy sigh. “In more ways than one. We fought so hard to protect this blade, hoping you would be the one to close the veil. But something terrible has happened. Somehow, it’s been stolen. The blade is gone.”
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About the Author
Jenna Wolfhart is a Buffy-wannabe who lives vicariously through the kick-ass heroines in urban fantasy. After completing a PhD in Librarianship, she became a full-time author and now spends her days typing the fantastical stories in her head. When she's not writing, she loves to stargaze, binge Netflix, and drink copious amounts of coffee.
Born and raised in America, Jenna now lives in England with her husband, her dog, and her four rats.
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Find her online at:
jennawolfhart.com
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Witch's Blade Page 19