“...have made some minor adjustments to the enchantment. The way she reacted was far too violent. We can’t have all the witches in the audience keel over in pain tomorrow night, now can we?”
The clinking of glass ensued. Celeste was rifling through her vanity. The spray bottle I had taken weighed heavily in my pocket despite being nearly empty. Would she notice its absence?
“And you’re sure no one will suspect you?” Dominic demanded.
“I’ve perfected this enchantment. It’ll be nearly undetectable to even the most skilled of witches,” Celeste said smugly. “Besides, even if someone does find out, there’s nothing they can do about it. With sickleweed potion alone, a witch’s magic disperses, never to be seen again. But with my reformulation and enchantment, I alone will be able to contain it. And I never intend to give it back.”
“Then what? Are you going to take all that magic for yourself?”
The clinking stopped as Celeste laughed. “Of course not. That’s impossible.”
“I don’t understand,” Dominic said. “Why are you doing this unless you want power?”
Light footsteps sounded. “Such a handsome face,” Celeste crooned. “Too bad you don’t have any brains to go with it.”
Dominic made a strangled noise. “Answer the question. The rioters are loyal to you, despite knowing what you are. You spent months building their trust, yet you have no qualms with the royals and no desire for power. What is your purpose, Celeste? You’ve shared everything with me except this.”
I held my breath.Celestewas the mysterious witch mistress.
“Is it not enough to know I have no intention of harming your plans?”
“No.”
Celeste scoffed. “Very well. It’s a personal matter,” she said. “I want all those lowlifes in Witch Village to pay. They treated my mother’s magic as a curse and mine as a menace. I want to drive them out of Olderea like they drove me out of the village, to take their magic and hold it in my hands. I have no intention of giving it back, of course. Witches are nothing without their magic. This is for justice, Dominic. For me. For my mother. Are you satisfied?”
“What are you going to do after you strip the witches of their magic? You’re not going to stay, are you?” The disgust in his voice was evident, though I doubted it was a reaction to her unscrupulous actions.
She scoffed. “Are you so prejudiced as to exterminate every witch from the kingdom? Even me?”
“Our partnership is temporary,” Dominic said stiffly. “If you are convicted, my father will give you safe passage out of Olderea. That is all. I owe you nothing.”
“Of course not.” I thought I detected a hint of disappointment in her voice. The clinking of bottles resumed. “Go then, to your unfinished business.”
Footsteps grew close. I turned to hide, but the door swung open.
36
