by Rye Brewer
She settled into a chair, her serene expression doing little to conceal her fatigue. It was written in the soft sigh she let out when she sat down, the way she sank into the cushion behind her. I needed to keep that in mind. Fane would never forgive me otherwise.
“The only person I keep coming back to is Philippa,” I whispered, still uncertain whether or not we were fully alone. Just my luck, a guard would decide to do his job and would happen by as I was speaking. “But Genevieve said the person outside the cell was male. I can’t imagine anybody else who would want to take a risk like this.”
“It couldn’t have been Elazar,” she murmured, shaking her head. “He’s locked up on Shadowsbane.”
I remembered Fane saying that Sirene knew what he was doing, trying to get my mother back into her body, so she had to know that was where he was headed. I looked away, suddenly uncomfortable for her.
“Do you think Valerius would go to Shadowsbane to find this Elazar?”
He was the necromancer Fane had been referring to.
“I don’t know. It could be—if he wants to get back into his own body, he just might.”
“That still doesn’t explain who came in here to free him. He’s out there somewhere. It’s almost frightening, the thought of what he could do. Wandering around as Vance.”
“There aren’t many in our world, the non-human world, who don’t know what he did to Lucian,” she reminded me. “I highly doubt he’ll be welcomed into polite company.”
“Valerius has no interest in polite company,” I reminded her. “He’ll slink around, causing trouble, the way he did here. As much as I’ve wanted to thank him for doing something that needed to be done…”
“Perfectly understandable, given everything Lucian did to your family.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.
She continued, “Yes, of course. I know the history he had with your family—particularly your parents.”
“What of this Elazar? Do you know anything else about him?” If anything, it would be good to know who my father and Anissa would be dealing with on Shadowsbane.
She nodded with a knowing look on her face. “There aren’t many as old as I am who aren’t aware of Elazar and his history. Not to mention his sister’s.”
“Was she the one who helped him? His sister?”
“No—that was Samara, his mate. Though she wasn’t imprisoned, the way he was. Elewyn is possibly the most powerful elemental witch in existence—her power matches the level of her brother’s. They’re a formidable duo. From what I understand, she’s devoted to him. Has lived on Shadowsbane ever since his sentencing, so as to never be too far. All this time, she’s waited for his release.”
I snickered at the thought of Philippa making such a sacrifice for me. The image wouldn’t solidify in my mind. I had relied on her counsel more times than I could count and knew there was much more to her than she allowed the rest of us to see—out of habit? I couldn’t say. But the day she moved to a prison island to keep me company would be the day I laid an egg.
Perhaps this cynical mindset was what made me ask, “Are we sure her methods are entirely pure? For staying so close to him, I mean.”
“Ah. You believe she may be planning something.” When I nodded, she replied, “Do you believe it would take centuries for a powerful witch to bring her plot to fruition?”
“Depending on what she had in mind. But that’s neither here nor there. She has nothing to do with Valerius.”
It did make me think though. This Elewyn might prove herself to be a valuable asset to Fane. It was likely that he already knew this, that he had talked it all out with Sirene before leaving. Fane hadn’t survived as long as he had by making rash decisions.
“There’s no way for Valerius to get back into his body without their assistance,” Sirene reminded me as she rose to her feet. “We may need to wait until he announces himself before we can counter him.”
“It’s what he’ll announce himself with that disturbs me,” I murmured.
She surprised me then by linking her arm with mine. “Come. I need to prepare the enchantment. We must keep moving forward and do the best we can with what is in our power to control.”
Her words were a much-needed comfort in the midst of my turmoil—and it didn’t escape me that she kept using the word “we.”
I didn’t bother correcting her, since her presence was a comfort.
Chapter 3
Anissa
I couldn’t breathe easily again until the Witch Senate swept away, moving as one.
Their ghostly skin and white hair stood out against the dark sky and black robes as they bobbed away, down the stone road which led from the castle. Where they were going, I had no idea—nor did I have the desire to follow them. The greater the distance between us, the better.
Instead, I broke free of the stunned surprise which had kept me frozen in place and went to Sara. She trembled in my arms as we held each other. She wasn’t the only one.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered into her ear.
“I should ask you the same question.” She pulled back, arms still around me, frowning. Her eyes searched my face for an explanation.
There it was again, that extra something about her. A sharpness, an understanding that had never been there before. She wasn’t my frail sister anymore, the one I had to protect at all costs. Good, because for once, I had no idea how we were going to get out of the mess we’d landed in.
“It’s a long story—one which you’ll hear all about when we meet with the Senate.” I glanced over in Scott’s direction.
He was still encased in ice at least six inches thick on all sides, and still brooding. His eyes shot daggers in our direction. No sense in hiding his disgust, I supposed.
Sara noticed, too, and very deliberately let go of me to allow Stark’s arm to slide protectively around her shoulders. I would’ve felt bad for Scott if he hadn’t been the one to get us all into trouble.
“We’ll all be all right,” Sara whispered, looking up at him. “Won’t we?”
I looked at him, too. Who was this Stark? The one who was supposed to be training her, if I remembered Mom’s explanation correctly. Considering the way he held her and the looks he repeatedly shot Scott’s way, there was obviously much more between them. It had to be serious for her to have forgotten everything that had happened since we met the Bourkes—like the way she and Scott had been joined at the hip.
Stark didn’t look as confident as I would’ve hoped. “I don’t know. I have to be honest. I’ve seen what they can do. I know how seriously they take their laws. This may not end well.”
“Then why did you bring her here?” I snarled, forgetting any attempt to be cordial for my sister’s sake.
His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that it wouldn’t end well for us.”
Us.
Witches.
My stomach dropped. I looked to Sara for answers. She drew a deep breath, glancing at Stark one more time before explaining. “I’m here in order to train with a witch. Elewyn, the one who was clapping. She’s an extremely powerful elemental who can help me develop my abilities.”
Just when I was sure she couldn’t surprise me any further. “You’re training to become a stronger witch?” I whispered, horrified. This wasn’t at all what I’d expected. She couldn’t help being who or what she was—that had been done to her, and it seemed it couldn’t be reversed—but the idea hadn’t been to embrace it. “You were supposed to be learning how to handle your powers, even suppress them, not develop them.”
“Things have changed.” Her voice was heavy with meaning, and the way she glared at me told me there was much more behind her statement. She couldn’t say it out loud, either in present company, or to me in general.
I hoped it wasn’t the latter. We had always at least been able to share things with each other. I would hate to lose that.
“Just tell me this then, do you want to be a witch, full-on? For good? Live as one,
work as one, everything?”
When she nodded, I had to wonder how much I’d missed out on. Again, there was something about her that told me there was more to the story.
Had Stark influenced her, and she was afraid to admit it? I studied him, the way his arm tightened around her almost reflexively. Did he care for her, or was he trying to turn her into something like himself?
No. There was too much warmth in his eyes when he looked down at her. I compared that to the possessive, angry light in Scott’s when he’d asked about her back at Hallowthorn Landing. As if she were something he owned. Like she owed him something. Stark seemed to care. I only wished I knew what that caring would mean for her.
I drew closer, whispering. “What aren’t you telling me? Now isn’t the time to hold out.”
She shook her head just enough for me to register the movement.
Trust me, she said without saying a word.
I wanted to. I wanted to very badly. It wasn’t that simple. Not when there were a matter of hours before the Senate would pass judgment on our being there. What if they didn’t take kindly to the thought of a vampire-witch hybrid being on their island?
“All right,” I breathed, resigned, turning away with a deep sense of betrayal.
I told myself it was silly—there was no reason to take her silence personally—but she had never been so secretive with me before. I had made innumerable sacrifices for her sake and would make them again in a heartbeat, but she couldn’t be bothered to clue me into what she was doing. Even hiding Sara out and spiriting her away to ShadesRealm had been fraught with danger. And she wanted me to trust her.
A cold wind blew across the courtyard and into my bones, making me shiver. Was I home? Would Shadowsbane be my home now? Where I’d have no choice but to live for the rest of my life?
Jonah, I’m sorry I did this to us.
Granted, it wasn’t my fault the Senate became aware of our presence, but Jonah had warned me. And he was right.
Fane’s eyes met mine. He was still standing by Scott’s side, though the two of them wouldn’t look at each other. I went to him, feeling the eyes of the prisoners on me all the while. They knew I would be one of them soon, didn’t they? Did they feel sorry for me, or were they looking forward to sharing their misery?
“What are we going to do?” I whispered through chattering teeth.
“The only thing we can do,” he informed me with a grimace. “Appear before the Senate at the appointed time and explain our presence on the island.”
“We can’t very well do that, can we? What will we say? That we were planning on breaking someone out?”
His eyes darted back and forth, like he was expecting to find someone listening in.
I wouldn’t have said what I had if I thought there was a chance of being overheard.
“I’m not sure yet. There are still a few hours before we go in. Plenty of time to think things over.”
“Plenty of time for the Senate to decide what they’re going to do with us before we ever get the chance to defend ourselves,” I hissed. “They don’t care about the truth. I don’t have to know them to understand that. They want to punish us, make sure they set a precedent.”
“I never expected this. I’m sorry.” Fane looked utterly heartbroken. “Truly. I warned you it was dangerous, yes, but for things to take a turn like this… before we ever had the chance to do what we set out to do…”
I glared at Scott, who looked considerably more subdued than he had earlier. I wanted to melt the ice and strangle him, tear him to pieces, look him straight in the eyes as the life drained out of him because it was all his fault. All of it. A child, a bratty child who didn’t get what he wanted. A lifetime in prison wouldn’t be enough to make me stop hating him for what he’d put us through. Not to mention the way he’d tried to attack Sara.
I was alone, more or less.
Sara and Stark were in their own little world, one where she wanted to be a witch and forget all about the vampire she’d been born as. Scott was less than nothing to me now. Fane looked lost, like a man whose mission had been put on hold and left him with nowhere to go.
“What do we do?” I asked, looking back and forth, waiting for somebody to come up with something. “Do we just stand here and wait? Where can we go?”
“I’m sure you can wait inside.”
My head snapped around at an unfamiliar female voice.
Elewyn, the beautiful witch who had clapped after Stark encased Scott in ice. “Come. There are sitting rooms, fireplaces. Rest yourselves before the meeting. Don’t wait out here in the cold.”
She acted as though she owned the place. “You’re sure the Senate won’t take it as another crime?” I asked, and I couldn’t my sarcasm.
“I can speak on your behalf if they do, but I doubt they will.” Her lovely face showed no sign of insult, though her eyes seemed to harden somewhat. Or they may always have looked that hard. Maybe that was it.
“We’ll go down to our cottage,” Stark announced, as two guards came out to move Scott.
“Your cottage?” I spat. “You already have a place to stay?”
“Yes. We do.” Again, Sara glared at me, willing me to leave things to her.
I wished she could at least tell me why.
Elewyn cleared her throat. “Do you think it’s a good idea to leave the prison grounds?” she asked, and it was clear she wasn’t speaking to Sara. She only had eyes for Stark.
He frowned. “You make a good point. The last thing I want is a visit from them.” He led Sara by the hand, following us up the stairs and inside.
I caught Elewyn’s eye, and even in the middle of my confusion and anxiety, I had to wonder what she was up to.
The ring Jonah had given me was cold against my skin.
A reminder of what I might never live to see.
My wedding.
My happiness.
All that was left was waiting for midnight. The longest hours of my life.
Chapter 4
Elewyn
Hundreds of years. It had taken hundreds of years for something interesting to happen. Something I hadn’t caused, at any rate.
The moment I saw them on the stairs, I’d known something was afoot. It was only a matter of waiting for the inevitable. Granted, I hadn’t expected such a huge fracas. That was a gift, really. A big, splashy gift. The sort I liked best. And it was Stark who delivered it. All the better, really.
“You seem very familiar with this place,” said the white-haired vampire hybrid.
Anissa, I’d heard one of them call her.
She thought she was something, I could tell. It was written all over her posture, the way she spoke, the way her eyes swept the room when I was gracious enough to lead the newcomers inside. She had led a life, that was for certain—granted, nothing as colorful or checkered as mine, but not everyone was as fortunate as me.
“I am,” I replied, spreading my hands in a half-shrug. “My twin has been here for several centuries. This castle is very nearly my second home.”
“Prison,” she corrected.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a prison. It may have been a castle once, but we all know its real use now.”
I shrugged again, as though I didn’t want to send a thousand volts through her body until she foamed at the mouth and cooked from the inside out. “It’s not a prison for me, as I’m not a prisoner.”
“Lucky you,” she muttered, walking around, doing everything she could to make it look as though she wasn’t terrified.
She wasn’t doing a good job of it. I had always been able to see through people, so perhaps I had an unfair advantage. She examined the sparse, ancient furnishings with skepticism.
It was hardly a room furnished with comfort in mind. It was warm, however, thanks to the fire which blazed in a hearth the size of one of the cottages in the village.
Fane entered after she did. The legend himself.
A bit weathered, I’d say, but o
n the whole, a much more impressive specimen than I’d imagined. His witch privileges were the only thing keeping him on the island—otherwise, there was no way the Senate would’ve allowed him to wait around until midnight. They’d have passed sentence right there in the courtyard, regardless of whether every single prisoner in the place was watching. It wouldn’t have gone well for him, either.
Stark came in, holding the hand of that dark-haired hybrid he’d introduced me to earlier in the day. It took every ounce of my not-inconsiderable self-control to keep from snarling at her.
Who did she think she was?
She didn’t know him. Not the way I did.
She hadn’t seen him at his absolute worst and helped him through it. She hadn’t talked him down from the proverbial ledge countless times, through endless nights when he was certain he wanted to give up hope of ever being free. She saw his handsome face and allowed that to be enough for her. She knew nothing.
What was worse was the way he looked at her. This wishy-washy, weak little thing who only thought she was strong and worth my time because she’d discovered her powers. What a laugh.
She didn’t know what true power was. And yet, he looked at her as though she had hung the moon and stars. I wasn’t a jealous person by nature—I’d never known a reason to be—so the ache in my chest was foreign.
“If you’ll excuse me.” I didn’t know what they were doing with the filthy, nasty vampire who Stark had encased in ice, but I loved knowing he was still trapped in there.
It was no secret to me, the way Stark felt about bloodsuckers. If anything, it was surprising that he’d only gone that far with the one in ice. He could have done so much more to damage him. I couldn’t wait for the bloodsucker to be brought into the castle, however much it pleased me to see what a fool he’d made out of himself.
Instead, I hurried up to the second floor and followed a route I had followed many times before. The route which led me to my brother’s cell.
He sat perfectly erect on the edge of the cot which passed for a bed, hands folded. As though he were waiting for me. He was, naturally—he knew me well enough to know I’d make a beeline for him.