The corridor curved away from the pit, and the air warmed slightly with every step. The stone walls were smooth here, polished black, with silver veins running through them in patterns that uncomfortably reminded me of roots. Portraits lined the walls, but the faces inside them did not move. They watched, their eyes painted too carefully, their hands folded too neatly.
“Do they speak?” I asked. “The people inside the paintings?”
“They used to, but I grew tired of their constant chirping and bickering.”
I looked up to see her walking without even a pause. “You silenced portraits because they annoyed you?”
“I silence anything that annoys me.”
The corridor opened into a circular gallery with arched windows overlooking the compound grounds. Beyond the glass, the courtyards stretched under the heavy sky. But only quiet sounds were left from the battle. Broken weapons and scattered stones stretched along the land.
Farther out, near the gate, I saw movement, and my breath caught as I focused my eyes.
And that was when I saw them.
A line of figures leaving.
Witches.
Orcs.
Shifters.
Goblins darting between them.
And there, small in the distance, a flash of copper hair that had to be Bella, and a broad-shouldered figure beside her helping someone forward.
My mom.
I moved toward the window before I thought better of it.
The Priestess let me, and that worried me too.
“I’m a woman of my word,” she said quietly as if that alone should make me bow down to her. I pressed my palms to the cold glass, desperate to see Celeste, and that was when I spotted Keegan. He was walking backward, scanning the compound, and then I found her. She was between Keegan and Gideon. They were both protecting her.
I closed my eyes for a second and tried very hard not to cry.
The Priestess stood behind me, silent.
I hated that she gave me the moment because it made her feel human, but I knew better. I’d heard the stories of families long tossed aside.
And I couldn’t afford that. Right now, for some reason, there was something she wanted. The stone perhaps?
“See?” she repeated. “I kept my promise.”
“For now.”
“For now is all anyone ever has.”
My eyes opened.
Keegan paused near the outer gate and looked back toward the compound. Even from here, even through the glass and distance and darkness, I knew he was looking for me.
My hand curled against the window.
I wanted to call out.
I wanted to tell him I was okay, which would be another lie to add to the pile, but sometimes lies kept people moving.
