11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Samara

T he headache was going to kill me. Ever since I gave Mathias that order, my head had been pounding harder and harder every time he resisted the compulsion. Was this what Regina was feeling all the time? No wonder she was acting like a bitch. If I had to endure a lifetime of this, I would be pissed at everyone too.

I leaned on one of the trees surrounding me and exhaled. Staying in that cabin with Mathias while he glared at me across the room was even more annoying than feeling the echoes of his rage through our bond. And he was so, so angry.

I knew he must be with how Regina had been caging him for years, but now he seemed even more so. At me mainly, but at something else too, something he was hiding behind the mental ward he had surrounded himself with. The ease with which he blocked me made me question if I was the one holding the leash or if he just made me think so. He had so much power, I couldn't fathom how I could make him do anything at all.

The tension in my head subsided a bit, and I sighed in relief. When he didn't fight me, the connection was bearable, so quiet and still that I could almost enjoy the strange feeling of… not being alone. I had spent a lot of time thinking about it after Regina had told me this would be my burden in the future, but she had been surprisingly tight-lipped about how the bond worked. I knew the spell was based on the mate bonds between shifters, but without the mating urges and with the power balance purposely broken for the bearer of the bond to yield.

What I couldn't understand was why he'd gotten so enraged. I get that he wasn't happy about being ordered around, but Regina had commanded him for decades and he never had such a strong reaction. Was it because I broke my word and refused to release him?

Nothing made sense anymore.

I pushed myself off the tree and kept going. As much as it pained me to walk, I needed to move my body because it seemed to be helping with my headache. And now that my mind was getting clearer, maybe I'd get lucky and figure out where we were. I had to get back sooner or later.

I considered translocating because I could feel part of my soul missing, which meant my tether must have survived. The problem was, I had no idea if the mansion was still standing and didn't want to risk ending up five feet under.

I passed through the ward Mathias had set up around the cabin and shuddered at the touch of his magic. When he didn't appear to stop me, I carried on. He hadn't specifically said I couldn't leave, but he hadn't disappeared either, even though I hadn't ordered him to stay. It was like neither of us dared to leave the other out of their sight for too long because we didn't know what they'd do. Knowing he couldn't hurt or kill anyone was a small relief, but relief nonetheless.

A loud crack of a branch had me reaching for my magic. With a tinge of pain and exhaustion spread through my bones, it came. I was healed, well mostly, so I could only hope whatever was out there was a bear or some other predator. I didn't want to face a real threat.

Another crack followed, and I tightened the hold on my power, looking tentatively around. I sent a pulse of magic through the forest, gasping in surprise when it whispered of a witch's presence. A figure appeared just as I was turning to flee, raising her hands. I cursed under my breath, preparing to defend myself, when I noticed the woman was holding her palms up and open like she was… surrendering.

My eyes widened when I recognized Paula, one of Regina's latest minions, with her sharp, perfectly straight hair and expensive pencil skirts that looked ridiculous in the middle of the forest. The last time I saw her, the poor woman had been killing herself in an attempt to please Regina and be allowed in her inner circle, not realizing the Head Witch was only using her. But just because she was another of Regina's victims didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.

"We found you," Paula sighed with relief, taking another step toward me. A root shot out of the earth, blocking her way, and she jumped back with a yelp. Her eyes darted to where my hand was touching the tree, and she raised her hands higher.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said in a soothing voice, a hesitant smile pulling on her lips. "We've been looking everywhere for you. We thought the worst might have happened."

"Why were you looking for me?"

She gave me an incredulous look, as if my question made no sense.

"Because Regina's dead," she said finally when I continued to wait for her answer. "This makes you the next Head Witch. Of course, we were going to look for you!" She licked her lips when I said nothing, her confidence wavering. "We didn't find your body at the mansion and when we did a locating spell, it didn't show that you're dead, so we kept searching. We only sensed your location a few minutes ago, and we immediately came." Her shoulders dropped low and she finally let her smile fall. "What happened to you? How did you end up… here?"

Her eyes darted to the evergreen trees while I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to decide what to say. Head Witch? I hadn't been sure if they knew I tried to kill Regina, but if they still considered me her heir, then they must have no idea. That was good because it meant I wouldn't have to worry about hundreds of witches trying to murder me in my sleep.

Before I could decide what to do, the sound of rushing steps made us both turn. Two more witches appeared among the trees, freezing in their tracks when they saw us. Both of them had the same relieved expressions, but as they drew near, they looked around in suspicion as if expecting an attack.

Then I remembered. Mathias.

I had to get them away from here, away from him, because if they saw him, he might do something. And no matter how many bad things they might have done to please Regina, they were still witches. They didn't deserve to suffer because their leader was playing with fire.

As if on cue, something slammed into my mental shields and I wobbled, falling to one knee while I pushed him back. The pain stole my breath and even as I muttered ‘Stay away!' , a pair of hands wrapped around my shoulders. I looked up, expecting to see Mathias holding me, but the sweet smell of witch magic and the gentleness of the touch told me it wasn't him.

Paula frowned, her grip tightening.

"We need to get her inside the ward," she told the others. "She is weak and hurt. The hunters might have reached this far already, we need to get back. Samara, can you translocate?"

"No," I said, allowing her to pull me to my feet. "I don't know where my tether is."

Paula nodded, and at her command, the other two drew closer. I took a firm hold of my magic, ready to lash out at the first sign of ill intent, but they seemed too focused on the older woman to even notice. Holding my breath, I willed my body to relax before they noticed my reaction, telling myself I was stronger and faster than them… but not Mathias.

"Hold on," Paula warned me as faint light engulfed her form and her magic spread to the others. They did the same, merging their power as they prepared to translocate. Working together like this could only mean we were out of their usual range.

I gave the woods one last look, trying to remember something distinctive so I could get back if necessary when their spell activated. My landing was unsteady at best, and as my knees moved to buckle, they all held me up. Once my vision cleared, I realized we were in the temple of the Hallowed Goddess, standing at the feet of her enormous statue while more and more witches knelt by the walls. Whispers and cries of surprise filled the room, then the whole space exploded into movement. Most wore black mourning clothes and veils, but when they met my eyes, they all stared back with hope and relief.

It was strange. When I was their Second, most looked at me with disdain or uncertainty at best. I wasn't a person, just a girl attached to a useless title because the older witches often questioned Regina's decision to make ‘a child' her successor. Yet, somehow, I could see none of it now. That should have made me happy or something, but all I felt was suspicion.

"You're alive, thank the Goddess!" they whispered one after another, bowing their heads in reverence. Paula squeezed my hand, and I realized I was unconsciously clinging to her. I released her and took a step back. The others instantly did the same while their waiting eyes watched my every breath, every twitch, every beat of sweat running down my forehead.

‘Fuck, what now?' I thought, panic blurring their faces. ‘What do I do now?'

I needed more information. I needed to find out how much they knew and what they were planning. I needed to know if Mariam…

"Where is Mariam?" I asked without thinking, looking around in horror when I realized I might have walked right back into the lion's den. If what Mathias told me was true, then going anywhere near that person could only mean death for me. Or worse.

"She disappeared," Paula replied, and a few people nodded in agreement. "Once the spell for the ward was complete, she just vanished. We haven't seen her since and we have no means of reaching her."

Relief flooded my body, and I did my best to hide my stumble when my knees wobbled. Not knowing where she was and what she was up to was bad, but if she wasn't here, then this was good. Great even! The Coven still considered me Regina's successor, so I could at least spare them from being dragged into whatever Mariam was plotting.

"Good," I whispered, and the ones closest to me shared a look of confusion.

"Good? Why is it good?" One of the older women frowned. "The hunters are slowly returning to the city, and the other supernaturals are just outside the ward, looking for ways to breach it. If they do, they'd all be after our heads, and without Regina…" She trailed off, giving me a quick once-over as if suddenly remembering I was the child they spoke against not long ago.

I needed to make the best of my situation before they stripped me of my power. If I could at least turn them against Mariam, then that might be enough to protect them. After all, I had been lying to them from the first day I was accepted into the Coven.

One more lie wouldn't hurt.

"Mariam is not our friend," I said, straightening my shoulders and pushing away from Paula's hand. "From the start, all she wanted was to use us. She wanted…" I bit on the inside of my lip, trying to pick my words carefully.

The best lies were always wrapped in just enough truth to make them believable. Mariam had been such a bubbly, friendly girl to all of them, they wouldn't believe she was an evil bitch that stole bodies to stay alive. I had to make them question what they thought they already knew. And Regina might have unwittingly given me just what I needed.

"She wanted to use our Coven," I continued after clearing my throat. "She wanted us to chase away the hunters and the other supernatural creatures because she wanted the power we have." Whispers filled the room, their suspicion and disbelief rising until the air was so thick with it that I could feel it rubbing unpleasantly against my skin.

I clung to Regina's teachings, to all those long, tedious lectures that I thought were just another form of torture. "This city,this land, it holds power that makes it unique. Power that can help a witch grow her reserves, heal faster, age slower. This is the reason the Fae grove was formed here. This is why so many other races flock to this place." I could see them listening, really listening, and that helped me steady my voice and put even more conviction in my words. "Mariam wanted that power for her own Coven. Keeping the Silver Flame burning is a hard task, but should they move it here and siphon that power, they wouldn't need to sacrifice witches to it. But this would mean we'd lose our power."

The whispers grew more frantic, and to my relief, some of them started nodding in agreement, their closed expressions relaxing. I sighed under my breath. This had been a theory Regina had once shared, the reason she had kept a friendly face with any visiting witches from the Coven of the Silver Flame. She tried not to make them her enemy to avoid them turning their gazes on our land. Maybe this was also one of the reasons she worked with Mariam and even acquired … me.

None of that mattered now. Not unless I turned them against Mariam.

"She tried to negotiate a deal with Regina to share this place, but that night… She betrayed us. She never planned to share the land, she wanted it all for them." I heard someone curse her name, while another murmured that they knew the Silver Flame was up to something. I took a deep breath, ready to deliver my final blow when a vicious jam in my brain almost made me scream. I blinked away the tears, ensuring my voice didn't waver when I spoke again. "That's why she killed Regina!"

Gasps of shock and murmured denials came from a few of the women, and then everyone was talking at once. I winced at their loud voices, the pain in my head only increasing as Mathias' insistent prodding grew bolder. He hadn't followed, which was a small mercy, but if he kept going like that, I'd have a hard time stringing a sentence. Goddamn bastard !

"That's not possible! Mariam was with us that night!" one of the women at the front said, moving right in front of me. My headache was blurring the lines of her face, but I could feel her suspicion infecting the others. Paula inched closer, her hand brushing my elbow as if she was ready to catch me if I fell. I couldn't tell if she was acting like this so she could get on my good side or if there was another reason, but right now, I didn't care.

"Of course, she wouldn't do it herself," I said, looking away from her before the nausea made bile rise in my throat. "Regina was more powerful! But what Mariam does best is turning us against each other." I dug my nails into my palms, using the pain to ground myself. Taking another deep breath through my nose, I continued while I could still talk. "Who had the idea of pinning the werewolves against the hunters? Her." I hissed the last word, making a few of them flinch. "Who had the idea of attacking the other supernaturals while they were still weak? Her. She wanted us at…" Puke filled my mouth and I quickly closed it, swallowing it down. My tears burned, but there was nothing I could do about that, only hope they thought my emotions were getting the better of me. "...odds so we wouldn't talk to each other! She fueled the hate… then used the enemy we created to strike us!"

I tried to concentrate on their faces again, but all I could see was colors and the pulse of magic. It wasn't theirs and it wasn't mine, but it connected them like a thin black thread that I hadn't noticed before.

‘Am I hallucinating?' was all I could think before someone murmured that I was talking nonsense and I had to focus on them again.

"It's true." I continued even though I could hear myself drawing the words. "That night, it was the shifters that…" There wasn't enough air in the room, they were all stealing it from me. "...attacked the house. All of them—merfolk, shifters, even… Gideon. You must have seen the damage. You know…" I stopped to take another breath, leaning harder against Paula's hand. "...there was a dragon there. Didn't you wonder why… we didn't run? Why we didn't call for your aid? Regina…" Bile rose in my mouth again, but this time I had to clasp my palm over it to stop it from bursting out. A few people murmured in concern, but I held a hand up. When I composed myself, I continued. "Regina was proud, but she wasn't… stupid. An attack on the Head Witch is… an attack on us all."

"So why didn't she?" another voice asked, and I didn't even try to find them this time. I could no longer focus my eyes, the pounding in my head was too distracting. So I focused on that black thread instead, watching it float and tighten around their necks every time one of them spoke.

"Because someone… messed up with our wards and… cut us off. Other species can't do that. Only a witch can…" I took a deep breath again, but felt no relief, just burning. "You should be asking yourselves… who among us had… the means and the devices to overpower even Regina's spells?"

Silence met my words this time, and I felt Paula catch my arm. I was going to collapse at any moment, and I needed to plant the seed of doubt as deep as I could. If I didn't…

"I'm only alive right now because Regina… saved me. She sent me away before…" I grasped for the name of the werewolf that had killed her, hoping my mind wasn't too far gone. "Isaac Lin…wood tore her head off. Her last words to me were…" Paula's hand slid around my waist and she held me even as I swayed. "‘Don't trust Mariam Castle. She is… behind it all.'" The silence that followed was deafening, and for a moment I wondered if maybe I had passed out. But then I felt Paula's squeeze, and I realized it wasn't over. I tried for one more push, knowing this was the end, one way or another. "So if you don't trust me… trust her. Because she died for me, for… all of you. So she could… protect us from the real threat among us."

I didn't wait for their reaction. Steeling myself with the last of my strength, I walked in the direction I thought was the door, sighing with relief when my hand brushed against the frame. I had barely stepped out of the room when my feet buckled and I helplessly flew forward. The tinge of magic filled the air and before I knew it, it was wrapping around me and saving me from no doubt a painful fall.

"Let's get you out of sight," a distorted voice spoke, and for a moment I thought it was Mathias, but then I recognized Paula's soft timbre. "You'll be fine, Samara. I've got you."