I exchanged a look with Sienna; she was hesitant, but the flame and oath had told me all I needed to know about whether I could trust the truth of his words and his motives.
‘He’s away attending to something in another realm for me. We are going to the Wiccans to try to uncover some information that may be vital in the coming conflict with Morgad,’ I explained.
Jasper’s eyes narrowed slightly before he said, ‘I suppose you are also seeking some kind of information from me. I doubt that your rescuing me is solely out of the goodness of your heart. That’s one thing Cain made clear: you are good and just, but only with just cause. Only if it serves a greater purpose. And based on your questioning of my sister, I suppose you want to know if I have any additional insights.’
‘The Ancient Forest, yes. There are whispers of a dark magic infecting the land that Morgad is trying to release. We are going to the Wiccans to confirm what that magic is; what their wards are currently containing. Given that you are a Forest Fae of old blood, I believe you may also be able to shed some light on what might be contained within those wards. I’m sure you will be more forthcoming than your sister.’
‘I can’t, my Queen. I wish I could,’ he said as the flame thrummed louder, sparking under my skin.
‘You’re avoiding a truth,’ I said.
Jasper looked shocked for a moment before his mischievous grin came back a moment later. ‘That is such a peculiar gift. How fascinating… But I really can’t. My bloodline knows, but an old magic binds us from revealing the truth. It was a protection placed to safeguard this world from what lies within. I can say that the magic within those wards can never be released. If it were to happen, then life as we know it would cease to exist. It’s an infection of sorts, one with no cure. Everyone and everything would die, and anyone who thinks they can contain it is a fool. It was my ancestors who helped bind the magic along with the Wiccans all those generations ago. I am bound from saying what the magic is or how it can be unleashed, but I can explain how it was bound in the first place and how it could be bound again. Magic of this nature demands a heavy price and the ultimate sacrifice. The binder must be ready to relinquish everything. It is not a mere blood sacrifice or a debt that must be paid with your life; when I say everything, I mean you have to let go ofeverything. That is all the bindings on my blood will allow me to say,’ he explained.
After hearing that revelation, I sat there reflecting on all the half-truths I had learned. I kept circling back on that one word,everything.How that amounted to more than a life perplexed me. Eventually, the conversation shifted to stories of Cain and Jasper as children. Instead of being filled with humorous and embarrassing tales, these stories became sadder and more heartbreaking. But I finally realised that Jasper was not so crazy for swearing an oath to be loyal to me; instead, he had sworn an oath to his brother, whom he trusted implicitly and to whom he was connected by more than blood or magic or oaths. He had chosen to follow Cain and be loyal to him a long time ago, and being loyal to those Cain was loyal to was merely a minor step in solidifying that relationship.
The next morning saw us riding for another full day until we reached the base of the mountains, known as Runepeak. Where the Wiccans lived. Once we arrived, it was nightfall again, and since we were so close, we decided to press on ahead, leaving the horses below. From here, we would have to scale the rock face. There was no other pathway that could be followed in an effort to deter outsiders.
We climbed for three hours in the dark, with only themoonlight to guide us. My fingers began to bleed as the jagged rocks broke skin as I pulled myself up further and further. Sienna scaled these mountains throughout her childhood, which meant she inevitably had to slow down for us and instruct Jasper on where to place his hands and feet to make it easier for him. He was sweating; we all were, from the sheer effort this had taken.
Twenty-Two
Reaching the summit, the cold air whipped around us as we came out to a flat area surrounded by stones. They were carved into large rectangles that came together in a circle. Caves ran off in every other direction. The Wiccans lived within the mountain of Runepeak, not atop it to protect themselves from the harsh elements. I remembered this ring of stones well, and judging by Sienna’s stiff body and clenched fists, she was slipping into the same memories as I was. It was where the Elders punished us for speaking out of turn or not performing to their impossible standards. Sienna experienced the worst of it, given who she was expected to be, until she walked away from it all and followed me. I still experienced my fair share; they thought that if they pushed me to the breaking point, they could push my mother to fold on the alliance. But they hadn’t accounted for my mother having zero maternal instinct when it came to her twelve-year-old daughter. I spent an entire year there, enduring the disgusted looks of everyone and being treated far worse.
We stepped into the circle, and one by one, the Elders appeared, standing before us in a flash of white smoke. The power they held was unlike anything in any realm, it was one ofthe many reasons they had been hunted and feared for most of history. Sienna’s own mother, Guinevere, looked only a few years older than she did; she could easily be mistaken for a sister, with the same auburn hair, hazel eyes, and fair freckled skin. In reality, however, her mother was three hundred years old, as she had a direct link to the power of the Wiccans long since passed, as did all of the elders.
Beside Sienna’s mother stood Aurora, who had silver hair and piercing blue eyes. She was the youngest of all the Elders, but she was still two hundred years old. Valerie stood beside her with long, jet-black hair and even darker eyes. Ominous energy had always flowed from her. She was the quietest, but her eyes were the sharpest, always watching and waiting. Serafina stood beside her; she had long brown ringlets and deep brown eyes. She always pretended to be nice during my time here, but she was not to be trusted, just like the rest of them. At the centre of the Elders was Sage, the high priestess who was the oldest, most powerful, and most respected. Her long black hair fell to the floor. One eye was violet; the other was blue.
‘Sienna, why have you brought Skylar back here? We told you when you abandoned your duties here and your birthright you would never be allowed to step foot on these hallowed grounds again. Skylar, we had a deal—we would provide young Wiccans to aid in your cause when it came to needing healers and wards, but you were never to bother us. So why are you here, and especially with that Forest Fae scum behind you? Their kind is most unwelcome here,’ Sage crooned, arching a brow in an exceedingly condescending manner.
‘We need your help. Surely, you feel the pressure on the wards in the Ancient Forest. Something is happening and we need to know what we are up against; this will affect us all,’ Sienna said. She remained calm, but she could not escape the hint of desperation that bled into her voice.
I interjected, ‘We know there is some kind of dark magic in those lands you have placed wards around. We believe KingSebastian of Morgad seeks to unleash this magic to finally win this war, but we all know this man. He will not stop with my land; he will seek to use this power to claim everything until there is nothing left that is not within his control. We seek to understand what this magic is, how to render it powerless, or how to protect it from his grasp. I do not wish to wield it myself. I only wish to stop it.’
They all peered at me, assessing both me and my words.
Valerie spoke next, her beady black eyes piercing through me. ‘We cannot trust you not to use the power to serve yourself and your side in this war, the same as Morgad.’ Turning to the others, she addressed her fellow Elders, ‘We should tell her nothing.’
They all nodded in agreement, except for Sage, who still looked at me curiously, and Sienna’s mother, who had sent us the warning message to come.
‘We cannot risk dark magic falling into the wrong hands, and we would be fools to think it will never fall into anyone’s hands. Better the enemy we know than the one we do not. I say we tell her—this is just as much about protecting us. I believe we could trust her if she sold us the Three,’ Guinevere said. Sienna sucked in a breath. We had known there would be a trade, but Sienna had obviously not anticipated this, and whatever it was would not bode well for me.
‘The Three. That is an excellent idea,’ Sage said, clasping her hands together before a truly sinister smile curled her lips. ‘Do you know what the Three is my dear?’ I shook my head. ‘Care to explain it to your friend, Sienna?’ Sage sneered at the last word. I had no doubt she regretted using me as collateral all those years ago, as it had led to their losing one of their finest Wiccans, who was set to take over Sage’s position once she stepped down.
Sienna turned to me, nervousness in her eyes. It was not a look I had ever truly seen from her, except on a rare few occasions. ‘The Three is an exchange. It requires you to exchange three things for what it is that you want: one from your past, onefrom your present and one from your future. Once the trade is made, you will never get it back. Even if every last Elder were to die, you would never get it back,’ she breathed in a shaky voice.
‘It’s a deal. I came here for answers. I will leave with them, no matter the price.’ The rest of the Elders’ reservations seemed to suddenly shift to pure elation, but Sienna’s nervousness turned into fear that seemed to seep into me. Whatever price I was to pay would be steep. When Wiccans weren’t using their gifts to tend the land or heal the sick they only took pleasure in one thing, causing havoc and pain. Their nasty streak ran deep, as they had seen a lot of life that others hadn’t in their shorter lifespans.
‘What will you present to us from your past?’ Aurora asked excitedly.
I pulled the black box from my pack and opened it to reveal my sister’s necklace. ‘It was Jahnah’s; she wore it when that swine, Sebastian, killed her,’ I said, placing the box on the ground in front of them. The necklace vanished in a puff of white smoke; the Elders were truly powerful, unlike any other Wiccan I had ever seen. I had almost forgotten it from my time here.
‘That is a nice trinket, but we need more. Give us a memory. Your fondest memory of your sister,’ Valerie pressed. Rage filled me. I knew the price would be heavy, but to steal my memories was abhorrent. Sienna stepped towards me before Serafina hissed at her in warning. This was my battle to fight alone. Swallowing, I thought on my favourite moments with my sister as a child.
‘Speak the memory you will give to us,’ Aurora pressed.
‘As a child, I suffered from nightmares. Monsters plagued my dreams, and I would wake up screaming every night. I was left alone to suffer through the nights. My father and mother would never come, but my sister would. Jahnah would sneak into my room after hearing my cries, and she would tell me stories. She would always make us the main characters of these adventures. She would sit there and tell me story after story until I eventuallyfell asleep again, feeling safe with her beside me.’ As I slowly finished the story, it felt as though the words were fading from the tip of my tongue—my mind going blank. I felt confused, and as I tried to remember what I had just said, I couldn’t recall it. I know it had something to do with my sister, but as I thought back on her I felt less connected to her. Like the relationship I had shared with her had never gone as deep as I thought it had. Pulling me from my thoughts Sage spoke.
‘Good, now we need something from your present. Something from your life as it is now that you will let go of and give to us.’ I stood there unsure what to even make of those words, what could I possibly give. ‘Perhaps a secret… perhaps one about yourZauvek?’ Sage asked.
