I ran a hand through my hair and cleared my throat before responding. “We will need to bring at least one healer along with us. There will be injuries, even casualties, and it would be safest to have someone there who knows how to treat wounds.” If I couldn’t convince them to postpone, and it seemed as though I couldn’t, I would have to take her with me and lock her in the dungeons while we sacked the castle.
Or rather, while I sabotaged the rebels’ plan and used it to make my own grab for power. I almost felt guilty, the rebels had been kind to me, but this wasn’t personal.
When the attack began, I would slip away as soon as possible and raise the alarm; it would be easy with me knowing exactly what they were planning. And having suggested mostof it myself. There would be some loss of life, that much was inevitable. Regrettable, but inevitable. A small sacrifice to secure my future as Prince John’s heir and ruler of the Royal Forests.
I would make sure Morgaine was spared, and as soon as the bond was broken she would face the same fate as her sister witches. It was no more than she deserved, and no less than she would do to me, given half the chance. I was sure of it.
The meeting room door burst open then, and Millie’s face appeared, her cheeks rosy and her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“A wagon has just arrived with new recruits. Come and help.”
We all stood and followed her out, heading down the corridor towards the great hall. The sound of excited chatter reached us as we neared, and I could see a large crowd had gathered. Morgaine was there, the sight of her making my blood boil. But the expression on her face was joyful, sending a twisting feeling into my gut. Until I followed her gaze and saw what had brought her such delight.
Her sister witches stood in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by excited rebels. Sal and Lavender.
Alive.
17
MORGAINE
The moment I saw Lavender and Sal standing there amongst the newly arrived rebels my heart swelled and I rushed towards them. I would have recognised their distinctive red curls and silver crop anywhere. They saw me coming, pushing my way through the crowd, and they both opened their arms to embrace me.
All of the emotions I’d been suppressing for the past several days sprang to the surface and I struggled to contain them. After becoming immortal and losing everyone I’d ever loved, one by one, I had told myself I would never let myself care about another person—witch or otherwise. But somehow, overall the last few years, I’d come to see these women as my sisters in more than just magic.
We held each other tightly for a few moments, the scent of earth and unwashed hair filling my nostrils. I breathed them in, my soul sisters. A sharp pain in my chest took my breath away as the memory of Rosemary’s broken body flashed before my eyes. I gasped, tears springing to my eyes.
“Where have you been?” I asked, pushing them both away and holding them at arm's length.
“Hiding,” Sal replied.
Lavender nodded. “We broke out of the dungeon and had to hide in the forest until we could track you and the sheriff.”
I shushed her, glancing quickly around, but everyone else was occupied with the handful of new rebels, leading them to tables and handing them bowls of soup. I didn’t see Stefano anywhere. I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Here, they call me Eleanor. And no one knows what I am.”
Sal’s expression was quizzical, but she nodded. “Alright, Eleanor it is.”
I took a deep breath. “And he’s here, too. The sheriff.” When they didn’t look taken aback, I sighed. “But you knew that already. You tracked him here?”
Lavender looked guilty. “We had to. It’s the only way we knew how to find you.”
“Find me?” I didn’t understand. I thought they’d be looking for Stefano, to take their revenge; not myself. Unless…My hand instinctively went to my chest where the mark hid beneath my black, high-necked dress.
“We saw the mark on his chest,” Sal said under her breath. “We knew you’d need us, if you’re to have any hope of removing it.”
My brows rose, but just at that moment, Millie appeared by my side. “Welcome to the Burrow, I’m Millie. You must be hungry? There’s plenty of vegetable soup, and a really special treat; bread pudding.” She grinned, dimples in both of her cheeks, and I could already see Lavender beaming in response.
I joined them at one of the long tables to continue our conversation, over bowls of soup, hunks of crusty bread, and dishes of warm, sweet pudding.
“How did you escape the dungeons?”
Lavender spooned vegetables broth into her mouth. “We picked the lock.”
“The handsome idiot gave us his dagger,” Sal said, around a mouthful of bread.
I shook my head, I remembered him saying something of the sort. For a witch hunter, the man really didn’t understand witches.
“We fled the castle under cover of night, and reached Papplewick by dawn. But by morning patrols had been doubled and there were guards knocking on every door. We couldn’t put the coven at risk, but they told us about the rebels, and how we could find them. We hoped you’d found them, when we tracked the sheriff here.” Lavender pushed her soup bowl aside and tucked into the creamy bread pudding. She closed her eyes and murmured with pleasure; from the way they were both eating I could only assume they’d been foraging for the last few days.
