Chapter 29

Wind tore the scream from my lips as we plummeted, so fast and uncontrolled, my arms and legs flailing, tangling with the witch's, her snarling face right up against mine as if she wanted that to be the last thing I saw when we hit the ground.

Think, think, think.

I fumbled for my magic, tried to unsnarl my dark power from blind panic, but the iron bands were tightly wedged beneath my coat, and I was so trapped by the wind and my own fear, I could only hiss a foul curse into Raven's gloating face.

I was not going to survive this.

Never going to see Zorander again.

Never telling Raz and Tavion goodbye.

The regrets came so fast they were blips across my brain, every muscle in my body braced for the explosion of pain when we slammed into the stones below.

Any second now. One…two…three…

The world tilted then heaved, my stomach leaping into my throat, and instead of plummeting, we were flying up, the sheer cliff nothing but a blur of gray. The only thing that was real—the only thing I saw clearly—was the scaly, taloned foot wrapped tightly around my arm, talons carefully positioned to not draw blood.

I blinked the tears out of my eyes and peered at the iridescent, golden-red scales on the undulating belly above me.

The witch hung beside me in Tristan's claws, blood flowing from her shoulder where he'd punctured clean through muscle. She kept fighting, nails shredding futilely at the wyvern's talons, trying to rip herself free, her furious gaze clashing with mine.

When we crested the parapet, Dane charged toward me, shouting, but I couldn't hear him above the roaring wind and my heart slamming against my ribcage.

Tristan set me down carefully, then Dane was there, dragging me away as Tristan dropped the witch hard enough for bones to crack like dry kindling wood.

"Stop, Dane, stop."

He obeyed, both of us panting as the golden wyvern wove its sinuous body around the injured witch like a burning lash of pure flame, talons crushing the burnished rock, spiked tail thrashing back and forth, head held low and baring teeth as long as knives.

"Please," the witch begged, barely able to push up to her elbows on the cracked stone. "Please, stop him."

Tristan looked over at me and blinked once, a low, keening growl coming out of his mouth along with a burst of golden flames, so hot they were edged with blue.

I straightened up, Dane's hand slipping from my wrist. "No," I said slowly. "I don't think I will." I dipped my head to Tristan. "Do with her as you see fit."

Then the wyvern painted the ancient stones of Stormfall black.

Dane and Razielassembled the coven in front of the fortress, cutting winter wind be damned.

Tristan was still in wyvern form, perched on the arches, and every time he paced back and forth more rock crumbled beneath his talons. I didn't know if he couldn't change back or didn't want to change, his chest and face still splashed with Raven's now-dried blood.

Raziel had us wrapped in a shield of magic, both to keep us warm and protect us from anyone else who decided I should be splattered across the valley. I was angry. Angrier than I should be, but fuck…I'd offered them a deal, and in exchange they'd tried to kill me.

Adele emerged from the crowd pulling a young witch forward, a girl with pale reddish-gold curls. The same girl who'd brought me back my clothes yesterday. "Tell my daughter what you told me." I stiffened at my mother's demanding, imperious tone, the poor girl—not much older than me—looking terrified.

"Raven does not speak for all of us, and we have no wish to see you dead," she said quietly. "My name is Belladonna, and some of us…most of us would like to accept your offer." The girl swallowed, trembling so badly I thought she might collapse.

Behind her, an older witch with a hardened face and straight black hair crept forward, her right arm hidden within her heavy cloak. From the position of her hand, she looked like she was reaching for a weapon.

I didn't bother calling out. Raz had already seen the threat.

So had Dane as he swept in to cut her off. The scuffle was over in seconds, the closest witches stepping back to give them a wide berth. When Dane pulled her up, there was a dark smear of blood across the would-be attacker's mouth.

"We protect our allies," I said loudly for the assembled crowd to hear, pointing at the spent arrow.

"And we protect those who stand with us," I told Belladonna quietly, searching her pale brown eyes. "I take it there are those who aren't taking kindly to outdated traditions not being followed to the fucking letter?"

Her lips quirked, her expression changing from fear to cautious curiosity. "You could say that. But now that you've defeated Vireena…now we wonder if things could, indeed, be different. Some of us would like to find out what change might bring."

"And the assassination attempt?" Raziel growled. "Who was behind that?"

Belladonna tipped her head higher. "Two witches in the prison coordinated the attack along with four others on the outside…Now there would only be three since Raven is dead, but…"

The arrow came out of nowhere, straight toward the girl's head.

A perfect shot…until it struck the shield Raziel had erected around the girl the second he'd seen the threat creeping up behind her. The arrow bounced harmlessly away, Belladonna's wide, frightened gaze meeting mine.

Dane, the older witch on her knees before him, scanned the front of Stormfall.

"The arrow came from there." Bella pointed to the turrets. "That window right there. They'll have to take the stairs down; you might intercept them if you hurry."

"I've got the archer," Tavion muttered and then was gone, shouldering through the crowd and vanishing into the building.

"There is a short list of who might have made that shot," Belladonna mused. "Most likely it was Nebula, Raven's sister." Her eyes scanned the crowd. "Especially since I don't see her here."

"Well, Bella, it's a shame a few bad apples would doom your entire coven to certain death, but there you are." I crossed to the young witch, Raz nervously hovering inches away. "Fear is a powerful thing when it's wielded by the corrupt, and I expect Vireena and her ilk knew how to use it."

"Believe me, they did." She hugged her arms around herself as she scanned the gathered witches. "Most of us only want to live, you know," she said quietly, more to herself than to me. "But under Vireena…we barely did that."

"Why is it," I mused, "the people in charge always seem to lose their way?"

"Covens were once governed by committees. We could elect a leader, along with a strong, wise council of elders, thirteen or some odd number. I would have to check the library and see what the old records lay out as guidelines."

Curiosity sparked, and before I could stop myself I asked, "You have a library here?"

"Stormfall has always housed our sacred library. This fortress was built a millennium ago, far enough north to keep our ancient records and texts out of enemy hands."

Gods, there was a library here. Not only that, a library with vastly different information—older information, from the sounds of it—than any I'd seen before.

"I thought this place was an outpost in case of war?" I peered at the battlements, the thick stone walls. "I've never seen a place that looks more ready to withstand a siege than this one. Even the Keep wasn't this sturdily built."

Bella pulled her cloak tighter. "Just so, but only to safeguard what's inside. We have many secrets, and we've made many enemies. But true strength doesn't come from might." Her eyes lifted to mine; her soft smile made hope well up inside me. "Our true strength is, and always has been, the wisdom we pass down from generation to generation."

"Isn't that the truth?" I asked softly, turning my head so she didn't see the emotion I couldn't hold back. Another dreamer. Up here, in the middle of nowhere, amongst all this violence and brutality…Perhaps we'd come to the right place.

Maybe…maybe we'd been brought here for another reason, other than gathering allies. Maybe betraying us was—unintentionally—the greatest favor Adele could have given us.

But…that was not why we were standing outside freezing our arses off. I squashed my flicker of excitement beneath my anger at being shoved off a wall to my death.

"Do you have the authority to speak for the coven?"

"No," Bella said with no hesitation. "But my mother does. She will meet with you to discuss terms and conditions. I would attend this meeting as well with your blessing."

She beckoned to the crowd, and the lines parted to let an older woman through, her beautiful face lined…no, not lined…scarred.

"My mother, Vesper, will speak for the coven." Bella bowed her head and stepped back. Even with the scars I spotted the resemblance immediately, though the older witch's red hair was tinged with bronze, straight not curly, and her eyes the color of golden ale.

Vesper walked proudly, as if her scars were a badge of honor. When she got close, Raziel moved to intercept. "Right there is good," he murmured, his hand on his sword pommel.

"We are all a little on edge after what happened with Raven," I apologized. "I'm sure you understand."

The woman nodded then glanced at Bella. "My mother says she understands completely. She would like to meet privately to discuss an alliance, along with other…matters."

"We would be happy to meet in private, but anything she has to say can be said here. We don't have any secrets from your coven."

Bella shook her head. "You don't understand. Vesper cannot speak."

I sucked in a breath, my face heating. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"How could you? You don't know what happened here." Vesper beckoned forward a knot of women, perhaps fifty in total, all different ages, all with the same scars on their faces, many with streaks of white in their hair. "My mother cannot speak. None of them can."

As one, the women opened their mouths…Their tongues were gone.

Horror rippled through me, leaving me ice-cold. To do this…My eyes burned, the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I scanned their faces and saw the hope shining in their eyes.

"They are the voiceless. Vireena did not tolerate disagreements, as she called them. Should anyone in the coven decide to complain or question her in any way, this was the punishment meted out by her inner circle. Often, the person doing the complaining was not the one punished, their mother, or their grandmother was. Sometimes their daughter or granddaughter. That's what kept us in line."

Bella met my horrified gaze and murmured, "You were right about fear. It is, indeed, a powerful set of shackles."

"Did anyone ever stand up to her?" I said softly, unable to take my eyes off the women, all holding their heads high, their eyes unflinchingly hard.

"Ten formal challengers, all killed. Over five hundred were murdered during her reign. We are half the number we were when she took the throne. Vireena wielded her power like a scythe, reducing our numbers—and our will to resist—down to nothing." Bella scanned the now-silent coven. "Her advisors were every bit as ruthless; thank the Three Mothers they are locked away."

Tavion emerged from the building dragging a struggling witch behind him, a quiver slung over her shoulder.

"There's the archer, but that leaves one more." I scanned the milling crowd and the stark landscape around us. "Raziel, take Tristan and?—"

The older witch raised a hand and the entire coven went silent. Vesper held some silent conversation with them before Bella turned back to me. "My mother requests you allow us to find him and bring him to you for judgment."

Ah, so it's a him. That would narrow down the search. "Yes, but if he's dangerous…Raziel could assist you."

"We will handle this ourselves. Find Solomon and bring him before our new priestess for sentencing," Bella ordered, and a handful of witches splintered off into three groups and vanished in opposite directions.

A flicker of pure savagery sparked in Bella's wild grin. "It was not our lack of skill that kept us powerless all these years, but fear for our families. They will find Solomon and he will pay."

Bella touched my arm. "They say you offered Raven a trade. The crown for a healer's skill. What is it you require from us?"

I didn't ask how she'd found out, only explained quickly. About Tavion, his mother, Lucius's unsuccessful quest for a cure. Raziel remained steady and ever watchful behind me.

She and Vesper traded another look, and I wondered if they were able to speak mind to mind, especially when her mother nodded. "I will see what I can find," Bella murmured. "We have a book containing our oldest spells. Healing used to be our greatest skill."

Someone in the crowd shouted out a warning and I tensed, Raziel's power surging around the four of us like a mighty wave, the reinforced shield groaning against the frigid cold as his magic expanded.

Someone raised their hand over the crowd, finger pointing to the west, joined by another, the coven milling around in confusion, the buzz of conversation growing louder.

"What is that?" I breathed, my heart skittering.

The smudge on the horizon was little more than a murky shadow through the blowing snow, too fuzzy to make out any details even with my Fae eyesight, but it was big. Moving fast. Too fast to be a cloud, and my heartrate raced faster.

"Not Reapers, thank the gods," Raziel murmured, Bella's head snapping around, her eyes wide. "They're in Caladrius, circling the skies above Tempeste," he explained softly enough no one but Vepser could hear.

Then a golden owl sailed gracefully past Tristan's gaping mouth, wings tipped to catch the sunlight as he made a long, taunting circle around the wyvern.

Tristan pulled back then snapped his head out, fast as a serpent's, teeth clacking on empty air as Simon rolled and dove, heading straight for me. Tristan's scales glistened as he uncoiled his powerful body and roared in protest as the owl landed on my outstretched arm.

"That was foolish, Simon." I resisted the urge to run my hand over his head and see if those feathers were as soft as they looked. "Tristan could have eaten you in one bite. And for gods' sake, don't shift unless you have to. It's seriously cold for nakedness, and these witches think we're a strange bunch as it is."

"I second that." Raziel scowled, but behind his stern expression, relief shone in his eyes.

They were back.

The owl hooted softly, then we all caught our breaths as the shadowy smudge turned into something I'd only read about in books.