31. Elianna

Chapter thirty-one

Elianna

The four of us stood before the stone arch. My eyes wandered leisurely around the unusual carvings that were etched into it—not necessarily a language, but symbols that didn’t resemble pictures of anything I recognized.

“May I see your dagger, Elianna?” Veli asked, knocking me out of my trance.

As she extended her hand toward me, I blinked and quickly withdrew my dagger from its sheath on my thigh. The sorceress carefully examined my reforged blade, her gaze tracing the intricate antler carving of Nyra and lingering on the wyvern wings that adorned its hilt.

Her taloned fingers wrapped around the grip, and she instantly moved to slice her palm, letting out a hiss at the contact. The scent of iron clogged my nostrils as violet-hued blood pooled in her hand.

“Gods, Veli,” Avery huffed. “A warning would have been nice.”

The witch turned to my sister. “You were aware we needed blood to enter and summon my sisters, so I’m not sure why this would come as a surprise.”

“She has a point,” Zaela said with a harsh chuckle, earning an eye roll from Avery.

Veli looked back at me then. “If I say run…you run . Do you understand, Elianna? This will not be a game you can talk yourself out of or a brawl you can fight your way through. This is magic. Ancient and all-knowing. You cannot win against it without owning it in return.”

Avery jumped in before I could answer. “She is to be their queen. They should listen to her just as you have…or just as you have attempted to in the least.”

Veli’s violet stare remained on me, unfaltering, as she answered my sister. “The creatures of the isles do not adhere to the rules of the rest of the realm, Princess.”

I sucked on my tongue as I took in her warning. “I understand.”

“Good. Now keep that one’s mouth shut, and there is a possibility that we may be able to walk out of here alive,” she hissed, gesturing to Avery, who let out a huff of annoyance.

Veli took a step closer to the archway and dragged her palm across the jagged edge’s surface, leaving a smear of her blood in its wake.

The moment her skin left it, the blood sank into the stone, vanishing before our eyes.

“Gods,” Zaela gasped.

The symbols etched into the archway held a faint glow, mimicking the golden hue of Veli’s eyes when she channeled her power .

“Follow me, and quickly, before the rip in the realm closes,” the witch urged as she stalked through the swirling haze that now lay before us.

I turned to face Avery and Zaela. “Stay behind me while we’re in there, okay?”

“Nice try, Lia.” Zae laughed as she stepped through the arch after Veli.

Avery and I followed her, and as we walked beneath the stone arch, I blinked repeatedly, astounded by the ethereal vision that replaced the forest in a mirage of magic.

A sacred garden of ruins materialized, and the air hummed with a palpable sense of raw power.

The clearing possessed beautifully carved stone structures that looked as if they had been decaying for centuries and were encircled by towering trees, their branches interlocking. The dense foliage above allowed only shafts of soft, diffused sunlight to peek through, casting a gentle glow on the weathered, moss-covered stones, paving the walkway that seamlessly blended with the forest floor.

Clusters of vibrant, bioluminescent mushrooms sprouted from the ground, illuminating the surrounding soil with a soft turquoise light. Fireflies fluttered all around us, their twinkling blending with the natural luminescence of the darkened garden.

As we cautiously maneuvered throughout the area, I noticed that some of the deteriorating structures bore the same engraved symbols as the archway.

“They are ancient runes carved by the goddess Elora herself,” Veli spoke softly from behind me, causing me to nearly jump. “They tell stories of forgotten rituals and magic, so the realm may never forget.” She let out a sigh. “But we are far past that.”

She stepped away from me and aimed toward the heart of the ruins, where a fountain hewn from granite awaited her, flowing with a brilliant teal liquid that cast its own glow.

“Veli,” Zaela breathed from across the space. “This place is…beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. Why would you ever leave?”

Honestly, I was curious myself. The atmosphere was serene, giving me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in ages.

“You are about to find out,” the witch answered. “The three of you come here and stand behind me, for I am to now summon my sisters.”

“Well, Veli, you already spilled your blood on the arch, and still no one has arrived,” I tsked as the three of us met her at the center.

“Well, Elianna , that was not where the blood was to call them.” Her gaze slowly shifted to the fountain before us. “For the blood is to be dripped into the fountain.”

She pricked one of her fingers with a taloned nail, allowing a tiny drop of her blood to pool onto her skin. Her reluctant gaze met mine once more, and for a fraction of a moment, I wondered if what we were doing was right, but it was far too late to second guess now.

Veli flicked the droplet of blood into the fountain and the once glowing blue instantly morphed into a deep scarlet. The ground once again rumbled violently beneath our feet. Avery grabbed hold of my arm, and my eyes flew to Zaela, who looked terrified. Veli threw her arms back, as if shielding us, and backed us all into a corner of the ruins.

Cackling laughter filled the air, echoing from all sides of us. Our necks craned and whipped in all directions, trying to get a glimpse of who had arrived, but it was no use. The sounds were everywhere, bouncing off the crumbling stone structures and filtering through the space. For a moment, it seemed that the wicked chuckles danced around only in my mind, sending a violent shiver down my spine.

“Lia, what have we done?” Zaela whispered.

I clenched my teeth as my eyes remained on the back of Veli’s silver hair while she continued to barricade us behind her outstretched arms.

As the last rays of sunlight that shone through the trees vanished, a mysterious mist wove its way through the ancient branches, creeping down toward the terrain.

Whirling on the wind, four shadowy forms glided into the gardens, resembling wisps of smoke. As the darkness dispersed, wicked figures remained in their wake.

The coven moved to corner us in unison, their cloaks billowing like ghostly spirits. Their faces were obscured by the hoods of their cloaks. With every step they took, their footfalls were hushed yet filled the air with a haunting echo—until they all halted before us.

The four of us remained silent, as Veli had demanded, while a single witch stepped forward from their half-circle. The figure’s piercing eyes of crimson were visible through the shadows of her hood. I sucked in a breath as the air thickened with an energy that overwhelmed my senses, leaving a metallic taste on my tongue .

“Well, well, well, do my eyes deceive me, sisters? Or has the traitor returned…?” A voice, dark and wicked, slithered out of the confines of the hood.

“Traitor?” I whispered.

“Veli, what does she mean?” Avery asked nervously.

She hushed us instantly.

“Ah, your companions are unaware of what you have done.” The hooded witch gestured to us by swirling her taloned hand that matched Veli’s. A sniff sounded through the air. “Both fae and mortal accompany you? Interesting. Last we were aware, there was a war happening among them, just as the gods intended all those centuries ago.”

“That’s why we’re here,” I spoke, and the red eyes beneath the cloak met mine.

“Elianna,” Veli hissed.

“Elianna?” the voice called, radiating a cruel curiosity.

I shoved past Veli’s arm and found myself face to hidden face with the mysterious witch.

“Yes, my name is Elianna Valderre, and we are here seeking your help to end the war that plagues our realm,” I admitted, hoping it wasn’t a mistake to say so soon.

“Valderre,” the witch hissed, as if trying to taste my name on her tongue. Her hand extended out to me. “Prove to us that you are who you speak of, and we shall listen to why you have trespassed on our land.”

“And how do you suppose I do that?”

A malicious smile shone brightly beneath the shadows of her hood. “Your blood will do. ”

“No,” Veli said sternly, but my eyes remained forward. “She is the heir to the Valderre line. You will take my word for it.”

“Aye, but your word means nothing to me, Veli. To none of your sisters since your treachery. If you have not yet noticed, the majority have chosen to not even show.”

Rage pulsated through the air.

“Are you their leader?” I asked, gesturing to the surrounding witches with my chin.

“I am indeed High Witch.” She lifted her hands and removed the hood of her cloak, and the other three behind her followed suit. “Or I had once been until a single witch worked to tear us apart.” Her gaze shot over my shoulder to Veli.

The witch’s pale skin illuminated beneath the glow of her crimson eyes, and her skin was that of a middle-aged mortal, not as youthful as Veli’s, but nowhere near a crone. The other witches behind her were a mix of a single, wicked crone and two other nearly identical females that were so stunning that they would have brought any male to their knees if it wasn’t for their eyes.

“State your name, High Witch,” I demanded. Her eyes roamed over me as she contemplated her answer. “You know mine. It’s only fair that I know yours as well.”

She smirked at me beneath furrowed brows and let out a small chuckle that sent another shiver through me. “Very well then, Elianna Valderre , if that is truly your name. I am Azenna Elora,” she stated proudly.

“And how much blood of mine do you need, Azenna? ”

“Lia!” Avery shrieked from behind me, but I ignored her .

“How. Much. Blood.”

The witch revealed her teeth in a menacing smile and held out her hand. “Only a drop.”

“You will not touch her, Azenna,” Veli intervened, stepping up to my side.

Before Veli had time to react, Azenna reached out, taking my hand in hers and pricked my finger, just as Veli had with her own. She then forcefully brought my hand to her lips and swiped her tongue atop the pooling blood right before she tilted my wrist over and let a single droplet fall to the terrain at our feet.

I ripped my hand back in disgust as the sound of rustling leaves filled the air while the branches above us began to dance. The glowing mushrooms at the trunk of their trees hummed in approval. The wind intensified, causing my hair to sway in several directions. However, as I frantically looked around, I noticed it only encircled me .

My eyes met Zaela’s as they bulged from her face. The rest of the space was eerily still as I was enclosed alone in a storm of breeze. The High Witch lifted her hand and the howling speeds of the wind ceased instantly.

“Holy gods,” Avery breathed.

“Yes, that certainly was the work of them.” Their leader’s eyes moved back to Veli. “It appears you have spoken true.”

“I do that quite frequently,” Veli grumbled, and if I hadn’t been so horrified at what had just occurred, I would have laughed.

“Was that the land responding to my blood, or was it a spell?” I asked .

“Did you witness a single witch here cast a spell, Elianna?”

“No, however, I am not fluent in the terms of magic.” I paused for a moment. “So it was the land, then?”

“Indeed.”

“It’s not the first time that’s happened,” I admitted.

“What do you mean?” Avery interrupted as she took a few steps closer to me.

I turned to her and then focused my gaze back on the coven before us. “When I escaped the dungeons, and flew—” I stopped myself after realizing I almost revealed we had a wyvern. “I traveled through the Sylis Forest after I fled and was met with danger that caused a bit of my blood to spill. Vines of a willow tree came alive and shot out at my attackers, stopping them from harming me.”

“Oh gods, Lia. Who attacked you?” Avery asked.

“Centaurs,” I answered. “But don’t you worry, we’re great friends now.” I gave her a wink.

“The soil in the Sylis Forest is similar to what is beneath our feet where we stand—it is ancient and all knowing. The locations remain unaltered by the hands of time and change, retaining their likeness to the era of when the gods traversed their trees.”

“Why would her blood matter?” Zaela asked.

“She is heir to the realm, foolish mortal. The Valderre bloodline has always been at the forefront of ruling Velyra, and there it shall always remain. That is, if the realm has anything to do with it,” Azenna answered. “That was by Mother Goddess Terra’s doing. ”

“And if the king was murdered in cold blood, and the current malevolent queen was working to crown a false heir, what would the realm do about it?”

“I suppose nothing if an act of violence to the true heir was not occurring in the ancient wood.”

“That makes little sense,” I interrupted. “I was attacked by a troll months prior to my run in with the centaurs. The forest did nothing to protect me then.”

Azenna lifted a single brow. “Exactly how often do you frolic through enchanted woodlands, Elianna?” When I rolled my eyes, she let out a vicious cackle. “Well, I suppose your father was still breathing when that occurred, for the realm had a proper ruler.”

I swallowed as I attempted to process the information she assumed, shocked that she guessed so easily. My eyes lifted to meet her stare once more. “Well then, Heir of the Realm to High Witch, I have come here to bargain for your cooperation.”

A grin crept over my face as she watched me intently.