Wings of Stone

by Jenna Wolfhart

“It’s nice to see you, too.” Marcus gave me a nod. “Rowena Mortensen. If you hadn’t disappeared in the middle of dinner, then you would have discovered that there was no reason for the fight. It quickly dispersed. Your Queen and I merely had a misunderstanding. That’s all.”

  “A misunderstanding,” I repeated, feeling far too confused to follow.

  “That’s right.” He smiled that dimpled smile of his. “It can easily happen when attempting to forge alliances, especially one with a coven as duplicitous as the shadows.”

  A flicker of irritation went through me. “As far as I can see, you’re the duplicitous one. Sneaking in here under the guise of a blood mage.”

  “And how do you know I’m not from the Blood Coven?” he asked.

  “Prove it, then,” I countered, narrowing my eyes. “Cast a spell.”

  “I would need some blood to do so.” His smile widened. “Fancy giving me some of yours?”

  “You’re disgusting.” I crossed my arms over my chest, which only resulted in a chuckle from him. “Absolutely disgusting.”

  “Rowena?” Tess called out as she stomped up the stairs in a pair of muddy wellies, joining us on the battlements with reddened cheeks and shivering in her leather jacket. “What in the name of the goddess are you doing up here? And talking to him? Have you completely lost your fucking mind?”

  “No one came to tell me what happened last night,” I said, as if that could explain everything.

  “And that’s why you’re all the way up here? On the battlements?” She jerked a finger at Marcus. “Talking to this…this…guy?”

  “I…” I stammered. There really wasn’t a good explanation, at least not one that she would accept. And it was beyond humiliating the way she was talking to me, as if I were a child who had wandered off from her parents. I could feel Marcus’s eyes on us, watching our exchange with intense curiosity. A part of me felt a spark of something strangely fiery, and the other part made me want to punch him in the face.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” With a sigh, she hooked her arm in mine and steered me toward the steps. Back toward the courtyard. Back toward the Stone Keep. And back toward endless, monotonous confinement.

  “It’s a shame you have to go, love,” he said in a deep voice just as my foot hit the top step. “How are you feeling, anyway? Better, I hope.”

  I paused, glancing over my shoulder. The sunlight was a backdrop to his hulking form, and it sparked around him in such a way that it almost looked as though he had wings. Another one of my hallucinations, no doubt. “I’m feeling fine.”

  I smiled. And once again, my smile was a lie.

  “Strange isn’t it?” he asked, arching his eyebrows. “How you feel well enough to climb all those steps. All one-hundred of them. And yet you’re too unwell to join your coven for their nightly dinners.”

  I pursed my lips, flicking my gaze across his strange expression. He was saying far more than his words might lead me to believe. “It was you, wasn’t it? The one who gave me that note last night.”

  “Note?” Tess’s voice went sharp. “What note?”

  “As much as I would love to take credit for whatever message has given you that spark in your eyes, I cannot.” His smile flashed, showing off two rows of strangely sharp and dangerous teeth. And then he waggled his eyebrows, dashing away whatever amicable feelings I’d momentarily felt toward him. “It wasn’t me, love. Though perhaps tonight it will be.”

  Chapter Six

  The flush in my cheeks remained even after we’d crossed the courtyards and made our way back into the Great Hall. Marcus was unlike anyone I’d ever met before, even beyond the fact that he was male. And I wasn’t entirely sure that I liked it. He was cocky, mocking, and overly charismatic. Almost like he was putting on a show.

  “What note?” Tess whispered as we squelched our way back to the Great Hall.

  I bit my bottom lip. If she knew that I hadn’t taken my medicine, she’d tip back my head and pour it down my throat. And then she’d report it to the Queen. Neither of those were things I wanted, mostly because I couldn’t ignore the fact that…well, I was fine. I hadn’t collapsed into a heap, and I certainly hadn’t experienced a thunderous coughing fit after I’d climbed all those steps.

  Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to take the medicine.

  And if I didn’t have to, I’d rather not. It always made me dizzy.

  “Just a strange note saying the battle was won.” I clenched my teeth around the lie—something I never did.

  She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why would Marcus slide a note under your door telling you the battle was won? There wasn’t even a battle to begin with. As soon as he showed us his—” She coughed and stopped short. “What I mean to say is that we quickly realized that he isn’t an enemy. So, I don’t know why he’d give you a strange note.”

  I shrugged. “He said he didn’t. I believe him.”

  When we reached the doorway to the Great Hall, I kicked the wellies off my feet and padded across the stone floor, Tess chattering by my side. I’d, unfortunately, gotten her a tad worked up about this note. She was desperate to know who had sent it and why.

  “Look,” I said, grabbing her elbow and turning her toward me. “It’s not a big deal. It was just a note. It must have been from Rebecca or the Queen. Nothing to worry about.”

  “I should go check with them to make sure,” she said with a frown. “If Marcus is trying to send you hidden messages, then we—”

  “It wasn’t Marcus,” I said. I was defending him, though I had no idea why.

  She propped her hands on her hips. “And how can you be so sure?”

  “Truthfully, I can’t,” I said. “But he seems more like the type to bang down a door than shove a note underneath it.”

  “Hmm.” Her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit—to anyone else, it wouldn’t be noticeable. But me? I could spot the tiniest shifts in her expression. I’d spent enough time by her side to know her better than I even knew myself. “I think you might be blinded by his looks.”

  I glared. “Not even a little bit. He’s an arrogant ass. Which, coincidentally, is why I believe him. If he wanted to give me a message, he’d shove it into my hands and then boast about it to anyone who would listen.”

  “You have a point,” she said as she turned toward the steps leading up to the Keep, “but I’m still going to discuss the matter with the Queen. Regardless of who sent it, this is something she should be aware of.”

  Great. I puffed out a sigh, mentally kicking myself for mentioning the note. As soon as the Queen found out, she would descend from her quarters and demand to see the paper. And then she would know I hadn’t taken my medicine. I should have kept it as a secret for myself.

  When we reached my floor, Tess paused, her eyes focused on the next flight of stairs. “You need me to walk you to your door or are you okay?”

  “Seriously?” I rolled my eyes and pointed at the mere ten feet to my door. “I think I can make it that far on my own, Tess.”

  “Good.” She gave me a quick glance, frowning at the makeup on my face and the curls in my hair. “You look like you haven’t slept all night. Go straight inside and get some rest, Rowena. The Queen won’t be happy if you get sick from your little adventure.”

  I gave her a mock salute and took slow steps toward my door, listening as she charged upstairs to the Queen’s quarters. As soon as I heard the murmur of voices and the slamming of a door, I jogged back to the steps.

  I gazed up. The Queen’s quarters were off-limits to most of the witches. Tess enjoyed twenty-four-seven access, because of me, and Rebecca held the same. A few others could call on her during what she liked to call “office hours” but most everyone else had to go through Rebecca.

  I’d only been up there twice and both times had been when I was only a child.

  Quietly, I eased my way up the steps, my breath held tight in my throat. Getting caught outside of bounds would…well, it wouldn’t land me in a dark
and dreary dungeon cell like it might with the others. But the Queen could most definitely make my life unpleasant—more unpleasant than it already was. She could do away with my daily walks. My dinners could be smaller and much less tasty. And she could take my books away.

  But, now that I was up here, I might as well soldier on.

  Three steps later, and I stood a mere inch from the door. My entire body went still as I trained my ears on the quiet voices inside.

  “…don’t care what he says. Marcus is dangerous,” Tess said in a quiet murmur. “I do not trust him. Or his interest in Rowena.”

  “Relax, Tess. You saw what he is.” A pause. “He would likely lay down his life for hers.”

  With a frown, I shifted on my feet. Why the hell would she think something like that?

  “Rowena mentioned that he put a note under her door, telling her the battle was won,” Tess continued as if the Queen hadn’t said a word. “Why would he do that unless he was trying to draw her out of her room? And it worked, too. I found her on the battlements with him just a few moments ago.”

  “You found her where?” The Queen’s voice morphed into brutal ice.

  Shit. I pressed a hand to the wall to hold myself steady. I had really hoped Tess wouldn’t tell her that.

  “Don’t worry.” Tess’s voice had an edge of panic to it now. She didn’t want to upset the Queen any more than I did. “She’s in her room now. Safe and sound.”

  “And she shall stay there until our guests have left. Perhaps even after.” A heavy sigh. “The castle is no longer safe for her.”

  My breath hitched. No longer safe?

  But why?

  “Don’t give me that look, Tess. You heard what our visitors had to say,” the Queen said. “Thanks to the idiotic witches in America, the truth about the existence of magic is now known to the entire world. Humans have formed themselves a little witch hunter army. And somehow, they’ve found out about Rowena. They know she’s here. Whoever put that note under her door was trying to draw her out, only it wasn’t Marcus. I fear we have a traitor amongst us.”

  Wait, what? My mind tripped over the Queen’s words. It was too much information for me to process at once.

  And what the hell did this have to do with me? I was only a human trapped in a cage.

  Holding my breath, I leaned slightly closer to the door, desperate to hear more.

  “If she’s in danger,” Tess began, her voice barely a whisper, “then maybe we should tell her the truth about her powers, tell her the truth about who she really is. Have her stop taking the elixir to dull it.”

  “No, absolutely not.” The Queen’s voice went razor sharp. “If Rowena discovers we’ve been lying to her all these years, telling her she’s a weak human when she’s not, then she would never forgive us. She’d be gone from Dreadford Castle in the blink of an eye.”

  I stumbled back, horror squeezing my gut. I couldn’t be hearing this right. They must be talking about another Rowena. Another weak human. Not me. I didn’t have powers. I wasn’t a…

  A…a witch.

  “Please forgive me for arguing with you, my Queen,” Tess continued, her voice slightly louder than it had been a moment before. “But maybe it’s better for her to leave the castle. If the witch hunters know she’s here, and if we have a traitor in our coven, then—”

  “Nonsense.” A sharp pause. “I will not hear you speak of it. Rowena’s presence is the only reason we’re able to live as we do. If she leaves, we’ll no longer be able to use her protective power. So, no. She will stay and continue to take her elixir just as she always has. We can’t afford to lose her now. No one can get to her as long as she’s in that room. If we have to add more guards, then so be it.”

  My heart thumped hard. Blood roared in my ears. Shaking my head, I backed away from the door, inched down the stairs, and hovered outside the entrance to my room. It all passed in a blur as a terrible horror churned in my gut. Mixed with confusion and betrayal.

  All this time, the witches had been lying to me. They’d hidden me away in their tower, forcing a medicine down my throat that was not intended to heal me. Not to help me. The elixir was only meant to dull my powers. Powers I never knew I had.

  They hadn’t kept me locked up for my benefit. They’d done it only for themselves.

  And, if what I’d heard was right, it would only get worse. The bars around my invisible cage would only grow tighter, stronger.

  I had to get out of here.

  Chapter Seven

  My life was a lie. A big fat lie.

  With a deep breath, I circled my room, my forehead throbbing from the frantic beat of my heart. If I was really going to leave, I needed to do it now. Most of the witches were asleep. The Queen and Tess were upstairs plotting against me. The only problem was, I’d probably need supplies, and I didn’t have a bag to shove them into.

  I flung open my wardrobe and grabbed a thick cardigan, tying the bottom ends together, along with the arms, creating a makeshift satchel. And then I tossed a bunch of random stuff inside. A couple more cardigans, some fresh pairs of socks, some underwear. And my romance novel.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I muttered to the stone gargoyle statue. “If I’m going to be on the run for who knows how long, then I at least need one form of entertainment.”

  I left the medicine bottles behind.

  At the door, I paused and took one last sweeping gaze across my quarters. My home for as long as I could remember. A strange feeling tugged at my heart—sadness, almost. If all went well, I would never again pace that well-worn path from my wardrobe to my bookshelves. I would never again gaze out those windows at the cloud-filled sky. I even felt a twinge of regret when my eyes drifted to the statues. Stone or not, they’d been my companions all these years.

  With a sad smile in their direction, I said goodbye to the only home I’d ever known.

  As I stood in the shadows of the courtyard, I eyed the drawbridge in the distance. There were two problems with my current situation. The towers that flanked each side of the raised bridge were occupied by bored-as-hell witches. They gazed in the opposite direction, out toward the rolling hills.

  In my rush to leave, I’d forgotten about them.

  Even if they weren’t at their stations, there was no way in hell I’d be able to get the drawbridge down and run across it without waking up the entire castle. The cranking of the chains was a loud and unmistakable noise that would get everyone to their feet within seconds.

  I had to find another way out of the castle.

  Twenty minutes later, I crouched on top of the battlements, halfway around the side of the castle. As long as the witches on guard kept their gazes forward, they wouldn’t spot me this far back.

  With a deep breath, I grabbed the metal handle and leaned halfway over the side, staring down at the ground below. And then I pushed myself back into a crouch. This place was old. Ancient. But the stones were still packed together tight. It would be difficult to get a foot-hold all the way down. Difficult, but maybe not impossible.

  The biggest problem was the moat.

  It was probably three hundred feet across. And I’d never been taught to swim.

  “Going somewhere?”

  I jumped, cursing under my breath when I turned to find Marcus watching me with a bemused expression. His eyes flicked to my makeshift sack, and then his lips pursed.

  “You,” I said, heart hammering. “What are you still doing up here?”

  “I’m standing guard.” He gestured at the two towers in the distance. “They don’t seem to be doing a very good job. They’ve missed you twice now.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I rose from my crouch and backed up an inch. “What are you going to do? Take me back to my room and lock me up like they’ve been doing for years?” I lifted my chin. “Well, I refuse. I’m not going back.”

  A strange delight sparked in his eyes. “Oh? And where are you going to go instead?” He jerked his thumb to the moat. “Down
there? Something tells me that you neither know how to abseil or swim. And you certainly don’t have the equipment for the former.”

  “I was just figuring out my plan. Before you so rudely interrupted me.” I crossed my arms. “So, how much are you involved in all this? Were you in on it from the start, too?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “In on what from the start, Rowena?”

  “This whole…” I spread my arms wide, “thing. Giving me an elixir every night so I wouldn’t know I’m a witch. Locking me up. Lying to me my entire life. Pretending to be my family. Pretending to care.”

  My voice cracked on the last word, and I glanced away.

  “Quite the opposite,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I didn’t know about your existence until rumors started spreading these past few weeks. About a powerful silver-haired girl. The witch hunters seem very intent on tracking you down. And, well, doing what hunters do.”

  Killing me.

  He continued. “Imagine my surprise when I arrive at Dreadford Castle to find that not only have your powers been dulled into nonexistence but that you’re under the impression you’re a sickly human. One who can only leave her room for an hour a day. One who can’t even dine with her so-called family.”

  The pain I’d been trying to hold inside threatened to break free at his words. All this time.

  All this time.

  But I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t fall to my knees. Not now.

  Not yet.

  “I overheard the Queen say they’ve been using my powers somehow. For themselves,” I said in a quiet voice.

  He gave a nod. “Doesn’t surprise me. It would explain why they’ve behaved the way they have. I know you view them as your family, but shadow witches are known to do twisted, dark things like this. It’s part of who they are.”

  I closed my eyes and jerked my chin away. “Do you know why the witch hunters want to kill me? I’m nothing. I’m no one. Why me?”

  A pause. “That, I don’t know, love.”

  For a moment, silence hung between us. I breathed in the crisp morning air and tried to soothe the ache that was growing around my heart. Marcus had been more forthcoming with me in the past ten minutes than my own family had been for my entire life. Every kind word they’d said, every smile from Tess. It had all been a lie.