Chapter 6

W hen the summer sun had come up too eagerly the next day, Emara had rolled from her bedchambers and got dressed to train and blow off some steam. It was the only thing keeping her sane. Artem Stryker put her through the wringer all day with cardio, weights, combat, and weaponry. By the time he was finished, she was achy all over and dripping with sweat. And to be fair, so was Artem. Emara wondered to herself how much of the training was for him; she had witnessed how much this business with Torin had affected him too. Artem had been silent on the way back to the Tower that night, and it had been so unlike him.

"Hey, Em." Sybil Lockhart slid her plate of food into the space on the table beside Emara's in the dining room.

"Oh, hey, Sybil." She smiled back at her. It was nice having a friend in the Tower who didn't belong to the Tower. The growing party of witches living under the Blacksteel roof made her feel like where she was wasn't…wrong. Between her maids, Lorta and Kaydence, and Sybil with hers, it felt like they had gathered a little community. Naya and Rhea also stayed within the Tower, and it was great to have them around, especially when their duties involved ancient magic and politics.

Sybil was still training in combat from time to time, but having such a gentle nature, she struggled, and most of the time she was just happy to sit back and watch on as Emara battled the hunters.

It was an easy friendship. From the minute Emara had put her hand in Sybil's at the ascension ceremony, they had formed an unexplainable bond. A sisterhood as organic and as natural as the summer flowers that bloomed all over the Tower gardens in soft violets, bright oranges, and baby blues.

The summer solstice seemed to have everyone in a good mood, regardless of the impending army of demons that threatened the kingdom. But it did nothing for Emara. Summer wasn't her thing. Was it wrong to long for gloomy nights and storms that both darkened and lit the sky with the magnificent power of lightning bolts? Was it weird to want to curl up in front of a fireplace with a book whilst the heavy winter rain hit the windowpane from outside and blurred her vision of the city below? Sybil thought it weird. She loved the summer solstice, which was just around the corner. But as Emara liked to remind her, seeds and roots needed rain to grow.

"You seem quiet today." Sybil picked up her half-gnawed carrot and twirled it like a wand. "Distracted."

Emara played with the meat on her plate. "I am. My mind is racing."

It had been a heavy few days.

Sybil scrunched her nose.

"What?" Emara asked, knowing that the earth witch had something to say. She wasn't good at hiding it on her face.

"I can tell you another time. It's okay…it can wait."

Emara dropped her fork. "No, it can't. If you know me by now, Sybil Lockhart, I would rather know."

The red-headed witch hesitated.

"Sybil." Emara's eyes widened.

"Okay, okay. I think I have found something."

"Found something?"

Sybil reached into the satchel strapped around her chest that seemed to have more books in it than the Huntswood library. "Here it is." She brought out a leather-bound grimoire that was hanging together by some sort of miracle. "This is the grimoire that Gideon gave to me for the winter solstice." Her cheeks seemed to beam at the mention of the Blacksteel's name. "What does this look like to you?"

Sybil handed over the old book full of witchcraft.

A gasp stopped in Emara's throat as her heart quickened. "Is that…"

"The Resurrection Stone?" Sybil finished for her. "Yes. And look on this page here." She pointed to another diagram that was old and scribbly. "I think this could be the Protection Stone."

Emara looked up and met Sybil's gaze. "Oh, my Gods."

"I know." She smiled. "It's the first thing I have found in months."

Emara quickly looked around herself, noting that the dining room was rather empty; but still, these walls had ears, and they were all for Viktir. She pushed the grimoire towards Sybil again. "Remember to be careful," she whispered. "The commander has spies everywhere, and we do not need him knowing that we are looking into finding the Gods' ancient Stones."

It wasn't just the Dark Army they were against in finding the stones that bound Veles to the underworld. She was fighting her father, Balan, and Viktir was an enemy too.

"My apologies. I just got too excited to show you." Sybil's moss-green eyes shone brightly, like she had found another purpose in life. "I really think I could be on to something, Emara."

Emara chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Who did you say wrote this stuff?"

Sybil grinned from ear to ear. "This is the best part. The journaling in this grimoire has been passed down through the centuries. It is predominantly witches from House Earth, but the entries involving the stones are from someone else entirely."

"Who?" Emara leaned forward.

"The Black Widow Witch herself." Sybil almost let out an excited squeal.

"As in the oracle who is half witch, half Fae?" Emara's eyes almost fell from her head. "The woman who is hundreds of years old but never ages?"

"Yes." The earth witch leaned forward. "This is massive, Emara. She has written it all in the ancient language, which I am still to translate, but I am convinced she will know where they are."

Emara took in a breath. "This is amazing, Sybil." She bit into her lip to stop the smile from spreading. "After the prime meeting, we will look into it further. You are an absolute diamond."

Sybil picked up another carrot as she placed the ancient grimoire back into her satchel that probably weighed more than her.

Emara let out a breath in the comfortable silence that settled in between them and picked up her fork again.

"Do you think the prime will question why you haven't sowed your oats to Gideon Blacksteel yet at the meeting tomorrow?" Sybil asked casually.

Emara's lungs collapsed in on themselves, and she dropped her fork. "Sybil, by the Gods."

"What?" She crunched down on the vegetable. "It could come up."

A nervous flutter ignited in her stomach. "I hope they listen to what I want to propose in regard to my trio instead of my treaty."

"With what you have planned, they'll listen for sure." Sybil let out a small giggle. "But I can't help but wonder, are you ever going to get over the fact that you are promised to Gideon?"

"Sybil, for the love of Rhiannon, you are really hitting me with the hard questions today." She laughed uncomfortably and used her fork to toy around with her food. It was much more complicated than that. So much had happened. But when Sybil's innocent laugh died down, Emara shook her head. "I don't think I can."

Sybil gave a small yet encouraging smile. "You will. He will treat you well. He's a good man."

Emara agreed, but it wasn't long before she placed down her fork again, unable to eat anything.

"What's wrong?" Sybil asked. "You have been picking at that stew for ages now and I have yet to see you actually eat anything."

Emara sighed and took a deep breath. They were finally alone in the dining area, so it felt safe to say, "It's just…I don't know."

"Talk to me." Sybil placed her silverware down and moved her empty plate away from her.

Emara rolled her lips before letting a breath fall heavily. "I have a lot of moves to make, and sometimes I just find it hard to get my head around everything. It wasn't too long ago that I found out about who I really am, and everything in this world just moves so fast. What if there is another side to me? A darker side?"

Sybil swallowed. "There is more light in you than anyone I know. You are a good person, Emara. Your darkness? It might be testing you, but you have five other elements that are strong too, and they are all of the light."

Sybil had a point.

She took a moment before she spoke again. "It hurts my heart to know that my mother would ever love someone like him—Balan. I mean, he's not just someone from the Dark Army, he's Vele's favourite disciple. He's got to be a monster."

Sybil's hand reached out and landed on Emara's. "Em, maybe you don't know the whole story. I can't for one minute believe your mother was in love with someone truly evil." She paused. "Do you?"

Emara couldn't answer that question.

Had he tricked her? Had she fallen in love before she knew of the darkness he came from, what he represented?

She raised her shoulders. "Maybe she was just a hopeless fool in love with the wrong person, or maybe it was all part of something bigger. I guess I will never know."

"I suppose you could always try to connect with spirits and ask your mother to come forward," Sybil suggested. "You have told me about all the little things that happen so naturally to you, and your gifts from House Spirit. Maybe you should try connecting."

Emara had considered it. "I don't know if I am fully ready for that." She took a sip of her favourite orange juice. "I mean, I have never even had a conversation with my mother, at least not one that I can remember. I wouldn't even know where to start. And spirits are always so cryptic. Besides, I am still trying to get to grips with all of the empress duties, paperwork, arranging my coven, trying to avoid marriage, and then there is actually mastering my own element—"

"You can never fully master the elements, Emara." Sybil smiled and sounded so like Naya in that moment.

Emara scoffed. "I know that to be true. I almost set the Commanding Office on fire yesterday."

"There is nothing like a powerful burst of nature." Sybil winked. "Especially when it is so very deserved." A devious smile grew on her cheeks.

Before Emara could respond to Sybil's charming appreciation for violence, the sound of the hunting siren blasted through the dining hall.

A demon spotting.

Sybil let out a squawk. "I will never get used to that awful sound, Gods above."

It was a good thing Emara was already dressed in hunting gear, because tonight she would help hunt the creatures that threatened their world. Her coven. Even if their blood trickled through her veins, she didn't have any second thoughts on ending them. Maybe it was a way of proving to herself that she was light and not of the darkness. If she fought them, maybe that would be a vindication of how she felt inside about her blood.

But there was just one problem about her joining the hunt tonight.

The hunters didn't know it yet.