I have a brother, I chant inside my head.What? Is that a problem for your curse or something?
I blink innocently at the woman, showing only the anger and terror I still feel. I bury the fact I’m lying as deep as Ican. For all I know, these witches can sense deception, so I can’t give them an ounce of uncertainty or guilt.
I have a brother, I repeat to myself.He’s Walter’s son too. He has Pruce blood too, and so long as he’s alive, your curse will be threatened. If you kill me, you’ll have no way of finding him.
“Brother,” the woman finally repeats. I don’t know if she thinks she’s being subtle, but she’s not. I can taste the panic radiating off her.
“Don’t you even think of touching him,” I say. “You already have me. So use me for whatever stupid magic you need, but don’t you dare think of hurting him.”
I bend my fingers, then straighten them. My magic may be weak, but if they don’t buy my lie, I’m ready to throw whatever I’ve got.
“She’s lying,” the man to my left says.
I pulse my fingers again. I don’t let myself react, too terrified I’ll give something away. If this man has some supernatural ability to catch lies, I’m screwed. But if not…
“Take her back,” the woman snaps. “Let me consult with the council.”
“Madam,” the other man starts.
“Not another word,” she snarls. She strides toward the ritual, waving her hand again. “Take. Her. Back.”
They do, and I’m shaking with too many emotions by the time I’m locked in my cell. I curl into the corner, facing away from them as they replace the trapping spell over my door. Soon enough, they leave.
I hear the men whispering about me, trading theories over whether I’m full of shit. I don’t engage. I just wait, trembling and hoping the woman doesn’t return before nightfall.
28
THE GREAT AND FEARSOME SEBASTIAN VULCE
SEBASTIAN
“Alive?” I ask. It’s not the first time I’ve asked Cora for an update, and it’s far from the last.
“Yes,” she says without looking at me. Her eyes are closed, but I’m pretty sure she’s not casting.
“Don’t placate me,” I snap. “Check. Make sure?—”
“I am not going to check,” Cora interrupts. She opens her eyes, her stare unwavering. “I don’t wish to defy you, Master, but I can’t waste energy on checking. She’s alive. For whatever reason, they’re keeping her alive. She’s in her cell, and according to Nicasi, the council hasn’t left their meeting room.”
I force myself to remain still, to not lash out like I’m desperate to. Not only because she’s right, but because I knew better than to ask to start with.
“They were clearly going to kill her,” Beatrice says from my opposite side. “What could have changed their mind? Did they realize they were missing an ingredient? Or that they wouldn’t be strong enough to complete it? Or…”
I tune Beatrice out. We’ve been sitting in this forest since leaving Grace last night. It was our best option in themoment, but I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for making the call. I’d had us retreat, and I sent Theo to get backup.
He’d found it from random sources. Nicasi and a few of his brothers from the Flight Realm. A couple of Beatrice’s acquaintances from the Float Realm. All of our servants who were desperate to be turned. If they survived this mission, they’d finally get their wish.
We’re spread throughout the coven’s settlement. The harpies took to the sky hours ago, and they watched over Grace whenever she was out of our sight. Just as we were readying to storm the ritual and make the most reckless rescue attempt imaginable, they’d taken her back to the prison. The ritual crowd had dispersed. The council had gone into a meeting and have yet to reappear.
“She must have convinced them,” Beatrice says. “Maybe offered herself as some sort of sex slave. She’s pretty. They’d probably agree?—”
“Stop,” I say.
“Yes, please do,” Cora agrees. “The last thing we need is for Sebastian to think they’re torturing Grace and go ballistic. Right now, the best thing we can do is stay calm and wait.”
So we do.
We sit in the treeline, clinging to the shadows as well as we can. Aside from an occasional update from Nicasi, we wait for nightfall in silence. The sun dips behind the horizon, turning the sky brilliant with hues of orange and purple and red. I count to one million and beg nature to move faster.
