“What message is that?” she snaps.
I smile. “That you’re approachable and open to new ideas. Right now, you look like you’d hex someone for sneezing near you.”
“I would,” she agrees as she narrows her gaze on me thoughtfully.
The guy with the hook for a hand swallows as he stands. “Everyone judges my missing hand, so I covered it with a hook. Better to be frightening than laughed at, but...” He yanks off the metal hook, revealing the end of his arm and his missing hand. Tears fill his eyes. “I hate it. I just want to be loved.”
“We love you.” One of the rainbow-colored witches jumps to her feet and kisses him on his stump. The guy blushes and sits with a gasp. My heart squeezes. These folks had all the acceptance right on their doorstep. They just didn’t notice it.
The witch waves. “I am Jen, and although we are the trifecta of terror, it looks like a unicorn farted on our faces. Nobody runs screaming in terror. Children ask to touch us, and pregnant women wonder if we are a sign of good health.”
I tap my chin thoughtfully. “I believe this makes you stand out from the crowd. Do you know how many green-skinned witches I’ve met in my lifetime? Each one blurs into another, nondescript villains without a purpose. Just think—you can wear any color, no matter the seasonal fashions.”
She glances at her fellow witches with a frown. “She has a point.”
“Also, does terrifying people bring you joy?”
Jen’s mouth flops open and then snaps closed. Her sisters join her sides. “We hate it,” they agree. “But the Idols demand it.”
I wave my hand. “Don’t fret about the Idols, as I’m keeping them busy with my chaos. Do what makes your heart happy.”
“I’ve always wanted to open an ice cream parlor,” Jen whispers.
I throw my hands in the air. “Then do so. I bet it will be the best ice cream in the realm.”
The wolf jerks to his feet. “I’m a vegetarian.”
Everyone gasps. Apparently, this is the biggest revelation of the diurnal. “I’m also in love with Granny.”
The older woman flushes. “It’s true,” she whispers.
“Your diet choices are your own. If you aren’t a fan of sausage, then that’s okay,” I declare. All the more for me. Theo snorts.Oops.“There’s a growing trend of vegetarian food in the realm. Perhaps you should head up your own line? Also, who we love, even when it is not conventional, as long as it’s consensual, is nobody else’s business.”
The intervention continues for a turn or two. By the end, the League of Failed Villains are nodding and murmuring to each other about group hugs and trust falls.
“That went well, don’t you think?” I ask my knights as we leave the village, now stocked with supplies and a basket of muffins Malady baked as a thank you.
“Define ‘well,’” Theo mutters, his smile betraying his words.
Malachi chuckles. “You, Daphne Stone, are a one-woman storm of delightful chaos.”
I curtsy, nearly tripping over a rock. “Why, thank you! Now, let’s get back to the castle before Gwyneth kills Charming.”
An echo of laughter drifts among the trees. My brows lower as I glare at the gloomy forest. Malice stalks us even now. I can sense it in my bones. Her envy. Her anger. Her intent to stealfrom me. I glance around at my knights. Not happening. I have found acceptance, just like the villains, and that is worth all the gold in the realm.
Chapter
Twelve
My near death experience has changed absolutely nothing. One expects a brush with the afterlife to alter something—some mark upon the universe, a cosmic congratulations for surviving.Go forth, multiply your fortunate seed, or at least gain some celestial wisdom.But nothing.
The blessed Hallowed scurry about their diurnal, glancing over at the knights, while I remain invisible.
“You should rest,” Malachi murmurs against my ear, guiding our horse into the stables.
I arch a brow. “I’m not tired. Perhaps you’re the one in need of rest?”
It’s true. I’ve been wired since my float in the healing pools. I’m unsure if it’s due to the water, or what Theo and I did in said water, but I should repeat it with one of the knights. Purely for comparison, of course.
