“If that’s what it takes,” I replied. “But winning isn’t the be-all and end-all. Destroying Bahmet is.” I made sure to say that part a little louder, hoping the demon lord was listening in. “Making sure Tomin suffers for his treatment of witches.”And his son. “Ensuring that not another person is lost to this hateful, churning wheel that has been the constant punishment of mortals with differences.”
I caught the moment something twigged in Kai’s mind, like a light bulb had just been turned on. He looked over my shoulder, scrutinising the expanse of silence and death. “All these gravestones… I think that’s exactly what they represent. Death… obviously. But I mean the people lost to the accusation of being witches. Except we all know the history, don’t we… There were many innocent humans who were wrongly accused during thewitch trials, many who faced hanging, burning, drowning… all because they were seen as different.”
Kai wasn’t wrong. It was part of the reason humans hated those they called witches. They stopped relying on their local healers, people with access to magic that aided the growth of crops, or the ease of childbirth. Because suddenly being accused as the very people who helped them, was a death sentence. There were more powerless mortals who died during the witch trials, than actual witches.
“Kai, you brilliant, beautiful ginger man!”
I could’ve grasped his face and kissed him.
“Excuse me?” His finger itched at his head.
“I could kiss you!”
“Please don’t.”
“You actually might be onto something,” I said, following his stare.
“Find the witch, locate the key, and escape with your life.”Kai’s focus sharpened as he repeated Bahmet’s rules. “That’s what the demon said. Maybe it is just that simple. We look for the gravesite of a real witch, find the key… and then get out.”
“It sounds like the best lead we’ve got,” I replied, finally understanding the sheer gravity of the task. There were hundreds, if not thousands of gravestones. Maybe more. The grave-site was so large there was no seeing where it began or ended. Let alone the fact we couldn’t see any of the other competitors.
“Question is, where do we start?” Kai asked.
It was certainly a good question, and one I had an answer to that would appease us both. “We start here, and move on whilst simultaneously finding our allies. If we get the answer on the way, great. If not, we gather our coven along the way, and work together.”
Kai’s resolve hardened, his focus sharp as a blade. “It could take us weeks.”
We didn’t have weeks. Without water to drink, we had a maximum of three days to pass this trial. Even if the third day without sustenance would render us basically useless.
“How about we look at this with a glass half full kind of vibe, yes?” I encouraged, even though I didn’t particularly feel very optimistic.
I trusted Romy’s ability to protect herself against a witch who’d already proven herself loyal to us, and faced punishment for it.
It was Arwyn I worried for.
He was stuck with his father, the man who had tormented him, changed him, and used him, and I couldn’t waste a moment to tear him from Tomin’s grasp. At least he was physically safe from his father, but that said nothing for his mental state.
“I say fuck the glass entirely then,” Kai said.
I shrugged. “Then we better get started.”
Kai was physically trembling, nerves getting the better of him. “Can’t you do something…” he whispered, cautious that anything or anyone could be listening. “You’ve got that part of Bahmet in you, surely you can use it to speed this up?”
I placed a hand on my hip, using sarcasm as my shield once again. “Are you asking me to cheat?”
“I’m asking you to get us out of here,” Kai reiterated. “And quickly.”
I shook my head, focusing on the gravestone nearest to me for any signs that would determine if the person buried was a true witch, or a falsely accused one. “You heard Bahmet, no magic.”
“But it isn’t magic, right?” Kai added. “In fact, it is the complete opposite. Hence why our Gifts have been taken away.How we couldn’t use our Gift or old magic without weakening the other. Whatever Bahmet controls is like anti-magic. Like?—”
“Death.”
Tension was rising in Kai, something he might not have noticed. But I did. “Yes, something like that. So, try.”
“I can’t risk it.”
“Try.”
