He grinned at that, something lighting up his eyes as he shook his head and said to himself, “Yup.He’s in for it.”
I risked a furtive glance over my shoulder to check if Farrahwas still standing at the gate, but she was already stomping down Varanus Street in the opposite direction, heading toward Conventicles Crossing. Turning back, I asked, “How do you know Leland?”
“Lately? Casually.” He blew out a breath like he was disappointed about that. “I’m Case.” He handed me his transmitter, letting me read his message history with Leland, where Leland had asked him to keep an eye on me while he was at Odessa Hall today. “Wasn’t expecting that would take me to the Allwitch temple . . .” He snatched his transmitter back. “But it’s nice to finally meet you either way.”
I pushed my tongue into my cheek. “Jaxan sent me to do this. He told me . . .” What the hell. I had no idea what I was doing here, and I’d had a bad feeling about the Sword of Shifting since Jaxan asked me to get it, especially after Leland’s warning.Question everything Jaxan says. He’ll say anything to manipulate you.“He told me I needed to bring him the Sword of Shifting or he’d cut out Leland’s tongue.” He’d also told me he’d cut outmytongue, if I spoke about it . . . and maybe I never would have, if I hadn’t just committed a crime because of him.
“I doubt that,” Case laughed. “The Sword of Shifting’s been missing for three hundred years. If it ever does magically reappear, the Echelon won’t send an Unselected half witch with no spellcasting magic after it. He’ll get it himself. And the last thing anyone wants Leland to be is without a tongue. Truth-Telling? Kinda need to be able to talk for that.”
“I know,” I said, “I figured it was a setup. I just didn’t know I couldn’tlookat the temple without getting in trouble for it.” I chewed on my bottom lip as we walked. “Is Farrah going to report this to the Council?”
For the first time since Case had appeared in front of the gate to the Allwitch temple, he didn’t look amused.
I swallowed tightly, understanding he’d gone silent because heknew I was going to be punished, and that’s exactly why Jaxan had sent me here.
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
EMBER
The last Curse on Everden sterilized us all.
— Jaxan D’Oron, Echelon to the
School of Dark Magic
After I returned from the Allwitch temple, regret fell heavily on me. I stared out the front window, watching light-gray clouds tumble across a pale sky, before finally deciding to step outside for fresh air.
I dangled my legs over the side of the little bridge, resting my head on the bottom rung of the wooden handrail. For a few minutes, I visualized Gray in the stands at my high school graduation, and without realizing it, my legs started to swing over the water.
When the last of the sun faded behind the hill, the air grew too chilly to stay out any longer. I went back inside — and stopped short by the letterbox at the sight of two tall shadows standing in Helen’s kitchen. Small hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I surveyed the shrouded shapes that looked a lot like the dark magic spell, Shadowcover.
The shadows dissipated, revealing a curvy, dark-haired woman in her fifties and a second witch, more slender than the first, whocould have been the first witch’s sister, if siblings were possible here. The two middle-aged women had dark hair and smooth, pale skin. The first witch smiled sinisterly at me while the other hummed vacantly up at the ceiling.
Fully attired in black lace, billowy skirts, and long, bell sleeves falling to their knuckles, they were reminiscent of old storybook witches who baked children into pies and summoned spirits out of cauldrons. My legs were weak and trembling because it should have been impossible for them to get past the wards.
“Pleasant walk?” asked the first witch. She lifted an antique magnifying lens that hung on a long, silver chain around her neck to her eye as the second witch cowered behind her. After studying me through the lens for some time, she dropped it back to her blouse, and said, “Stop your shaking, child. I’m Sinora.” She waved a hand toward the other witch. “My sister, Sabrina. We’re your aunts. Your mother’s sisters.”
“Aunts?” I repeated. There were no aunts in Everden. No full siblings, apart from me and Ash . . . or so I’d thought.
“Well now,” said Sinora, the floor creaking as she strode around the kitchen, “let me guess. You didn’t find the Sword of Shifting. I suppose I could have told you as much.”
“You knew about that?” I asked, moving to run a hand through my hair, then remembering I was holding a flask.
“The Lens of Intentions showed it to me.” She tapped the glass of her lens then removed it from her neck and took a few steps forward to hand it to me. “It’s the artifact of enchantments. It shows you the intentions of anyone you point it at. Have a look if you like. You will see. I won’t hurt you.”
Lifting it to my eye, I peered at her. I was slightly suspicious, but if it did do what she said, if it wasn’t some trick, then she was telling the truth. She didn’t want to hurt me. Actually, she wanted the opposite. She wanted to help, as much as Helen would allow.
I scanned for familiar aspects of their appearances and found a few mild resemblances. Their skin tone was a shade darker than Ash and Helen’s, but it had the same porcelain quality to it. Their hair was closer to black than brown, but they both had the small, Blackburn mouth that Jaxan had so keenly pointed out I didn’t. There was also the fact they’d entered the house, passing through the Blackburn wards without my permission, and that certainly indicated a relation. And, I thought, starting to come around to the possibility the more I thought about it, if I did have aunts, was this not exactly how Helen would see fit to tell me?
“Thanks,” I said, giving her the lens back.
She flipped her hand in an unconcerned gesture, then retreated back to the kitchen, where she made herself at home, opening and closing cupboard doors and jostling stubborn kitchen drawers to get them to pull out.
Her sister, Sabrina, mostly hid behind her, only every now and then she’d peer around Sinora to look at me. Her hair was frizzier than her sister’s, the thick, dark curls spiraling down to her hips. Occasionally, her eyes looked wild and alarmed. Most of the time though, they roamed vacantly. She’d obviously deteriorated, which meant the witch who’d cast the Shadowcover when I’d stepped into the house, the Dark Witch, must have been Sinora.
“Our fathers are different,” Sinora said, and I realized I’d been staring. “Ours and your mother’s. Your mother’s a full blood, and we’re like you. Only halfs.”
