I gasped. ‘Seriously, Anya, what’s with this new vocabulary?’
A sense of pride filled me; without a doubt, the emotion didn’t originate from me, which meant my beast enjoyed the fact that her new speech patterns mortified me.
‘My new friend taught me this one. I’m evolving,’she said.
Gods have mercy. ‘Next time I see you, I’m bringing a dictionary. I’ll read it to you.’
‘Then I’ll scorch it and show you what real fire magic looks like in action.’
I argued, ‘Actually, I had some action.’
That intrigued her. ‘Do tell.’
‘When Alec told me about Willow, I kind of lost it. My witchcraft wanted out… I sent half the small things in his room flying. Covered him in potting soil, too. It almost felt… freeing.’
Long pause. ‘I mean… that’s a start.’
It wasn’t the first time she thought I was lame. At this point, it no longer bothered me. ‘Anyway, what are you doing now?’
‘We’re looking for caves.’
Interesting. ‘Why?’
‘As much as I enjoy sleeping under the stars, I like having a roof over my head too,’ she explained, and I felt stupid.
‘Right, let me know when you find something nice. If you don’t, I can connect to the land and see if it shows me any nice spots.’
Anya seemed cheerful. ‘It’s okay; I want to see what the Isle has to offer anyway.’
‘Have fun.’
Running myself a scorching bath, I filled it with all sorts of oils to soak my tired body. I had slept for over twelve hours, yet my muscles demanded more. Unfortunately, it was all I could afford given recent circumstances.
Finding the Crones wouldn’t be easy. How do you seek someone who had gone to so much trouble to not be found?
Besides, they bespelled the box to only open for the person they deemed worthy offinding them. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to find me instead, especially since the matter of blood witches was time-sensitive?
No. It would make my life too easy.
Soon I would become a champion at jumping over hurdles fate kept rolling beneath my feet. Like a clown, I was expected to juggle my responsibilities and stay upright.
The joke's on them because I’d been lying spread-eagle, letting them glide over me this whole time. Perhaps there were flaws in my approach, but until recently, I couldn’t exactly fight back and antagonise my tormentors.
An inferno heated my blood at the thought of Willow. There was nothing good in that girl, just like our mother. She was an entitled, selfish royal convinced that her higher rank made her special. I didn't want her here, not in my space. Not in my safe space. She would pollute it with her wickedness.
And she was already here. Defenceless.
Lately, revenge has begun to feel more appealing. Although it wasn’t really directed toward my bitchy sister. Sure, she hurt me, and one day I hoped the universe would punish her for breaking me, but it was our mother I needed to focus on.
The heinous witch didn’t cause the carnage in the Ortensian court for no reason. The number of dwellers and staff dead couldn’t be a coincidence.
Did she drain them?
As much as I hated her evil spawn, we needed to know if she’d been drained. Speaking to Willow was the last thing I wanted to do.
But it seemed I had no choice.
Chapter Eight
