Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I hid in my cottage for the rest of the day, ashamed to show my face. I was acting like a coward, I admit it. But every time I thought about Ruhan’s face my body flamed with heat. And his words . I shuddered at the memory.
Did he actually mean it, or was he just saying that to make me feel better?
I groaned and busied my hands, the routine motions settling me slightly.
The scent of gingerbread surrounded me, sugary sweet and calming as I measured out the ingredients and stirred them together. It had been too long since I’d made gingerbread and gingerbread cookies, no longer needing them to cover my magic scent. But I’d needed the familiarity.
But familiarity was a double edged sword.
I groaned as the memory of feeling Ruhan beneath my hands sprang to the forefront of my mind, and I pushed the memory away grimly. I focused solely on the dough beneath my hands, the feeling as I plied it into shapes to be baked.
Someone knocked at my door, startling me from my focus, and Fiach yelled out, “Go away!”
I chuckled, rather agreeing with him. I was in no mood for visitors.
“Katharina?” A soft, feminine voice slipped through the door, and I jerked in recognition. “Katharina, please. I need to talk to you.”
With a jerk of the door, I stood staring at my friend, Ida. “How did you…?”
“I’ve been looking for you for days,” she responded, rushing into my little house and taking off her cloak in a single motion. “I found your - friend - Matteo and forced him to take me to you.”
I looked through the doorway to see a concerned Matteo peering in. “Thank you, Matteo,” I nodded to him.
He returned the gesture, satisfied that I was safe, and waved goodbye.
I closed the door once he started walking back and turned to my friend. “What - why?” I was so shocked that words were failing me.
“You need to come back to Bur?l.”
I jerked back in astonishment.
“People are starting to go missing, and they are blaming you. I thought it would die down, but now Annaliese is missing, and everyone is saying you’re the cause - in retaliation for what happened,” she finished in a whisper.
I stared at her in horror. “Why would anyone think that? You know it’s not true! I could never do that.”
“They say it’s because of your magic, that it’s consumed and twisted into something dark, something evil. That you’ve followed the path of the dark Fae because of … that night. It’s not unheard of,” she added, as if it were perfectly logical. As if she… almost believed it.
My heart sunk into the pits of my stomach as I stared at her. Slowly my eyes narrowed as my thoughts settled. “Is that what you think happened? Do you think I am now tempted by evil?”
A big gust of air escaped Ida’s lips. “I think all this will die down if you just go talk to them and show them that you’re not hiding, that you’re not what they say you are.”
“And what do they say I am?”
Ida glanced away, refusing to meet my eyes. “They’re saying you’re a witch. That you’ve bewitched us into not seeing who you really are.” She looked back at me, still not fully meeting my gaze. “But if you just come and show them, they’ll believe you. I’m sure of it!”
“Don’t go, Katharina.”
I turned to Fiach, shocked he’d speak in front of Ida. “Don’t go,” he repeated. “It sounds like a trap.”
“You - you talk!” Ida spluttered and turned to me. “I should have known. You really are a witch, aren’t you? Only witches can make animals talk!”
I watched, aghast, as the person I’d thought was my friend seemed to become a stranger right before my eyes. She’d known me for years, stood by and watched as I’d used my magic to help heal my neighbors, shielded me from those who would use my magic against me. I was confused by her reaction. What had changed since I’d left? “You - you’ve known I have magic?”
She spit at me, and Fiach rushed at her, causing her to shriek and retreat from him. “You can have magic and not be a witch,” she reasoned, and I gaped at her faulty logic. “But you’ve allowed magic to fester and change you into something evil.” She spat again at my feet, and made the sign to ward off evil, as if that would shield her.
This had gone on far too long as it was, enough was enough. I pointed to the door that Fiach was wildly ushering her towards. “You need to leave. Now.”
Ida’s face turned white with fury. “I should have known you would turn evil when you shacked up with that hex-blood and then ran away to join more of them.”
Before I knew what I was doing, a ringing slap echoed through my house. “Out. Now,” I bit out.
Amid a string of curses I finally got Ida out and yelled for Matteo. I silently thanked Domowik as Arend came running behind him as well. Matteo must have sensed something was wrong and alerted him. No matter the reason, I was grateful.
“She needs to go back to Bur?l. Now,” I bit out.
Arend studied my face for a moment, then he turned to Matteo and they joined hands. I watched in wonder as, again, their magic began to glow. I grabbed Ida by the shoulders as she shrieked and tried to run away from the ‘foul magics’ of the two Fae until the portal was fully formed. At Matteo’s nod, I pushed Ida through the shimmering surface, all three of us wincing at her shrill shrieks as they pierced our ears.
For a moment the forest was hushed, and the three of us simply stood and enjoyed the silence that followed the racket that was Ida.
“You want to tell us what that was about?”
I sighed. Trust Arend to break the blissful silence. I turned to both of the Fae. “I think I need to speak to the Fae council.”
It was time to lay all my cards on the table, whether I was ready or not.
As I sat under the willow tree and waited for the whole Fae council to settle down, I took the opportunity to arrange my thoughts. To whittle down what I wanted to say to just the essentials. I removed all the emotional arguments I had wanted to make and instead focused on the bare facts.
“Katharina, this is most unusual. Can you please tell us why you have called for a meeting of the council?” Warinot asked once the din had settled.
“I want to help you overthrow the King and place Berengar on the throne.”
Predictably, the council erupted.
Again.
I sat them out, ignoring their heated arguments as they muttered amongst themselves. Instead, my eyes found Ruhan, discovering he was already staring at me. I stared back, unwilling to bend, not even at the insecurity that sprang up, unbidden. It didn’t matter if he had said those words in the heat of the moment, simply because he wanted someone to warm his bed. It didn’t matter if he had begun to care for me as I had begun to care for him. Right now, all that mattered was keeping my home safe. What mattered was keeping the lives of those I had come to think of as friends safe. So I forced myself to stay focused on the matter at hand, and not be swayed by a pair of captivating dark eyes.
“Putting the matter of how you found out aside,” Aldric said to me, with a pointed look at Ruhan. Ruhan, to his credit, didn’t look abashed at all. “What made you decide that King Almains should be deposed?”
“Because his poison is infecting the entire kingdom. And I fear that me coming here has put a target on you and your people. Removing King Almains is the best move to keeping the Fae safe,”
Muttering again started up, though quieter than before. I held Aldric’s gaze and continued to ignore the rest.
“What makes you think that Prince Berengar would be a better king? You haven’t seen him in years, there’s a very good chance that he’s been influenced by Almains, as well. Especially since he’s been in such close proximity.”
I turned to Ruhan as he spoke. I couldn’t deny that he had a good point, but I knew my friend. I shook my head. “I understand your argument, and I would probably share it if I didn’t know my friend so well. No, don’t interrupt me,” I turned to Zarlec as he started to do just that, and I watched as a vein popped out on his forehead at my remark. It wasn’t a good look on him.
“My friend , because that’s who he was, had the opportunity to escape, and he gave it up to spare my life. That’s not the actions of someone who is easily swayed, nor is it the actions of someone who is easily influenced towards evil. And he was influenced, constantly, even then. I saw the results of his refusal to bend to his father, even as a boy. I often healed those results.”
The murmurs had changed tune slightly, and I pressed my advantage. “I know it’s been ten years since then, and yes, I admit there’s a very small chance that even Prince Berengar could be influenced. So if you determine that you want a plan b, then fine. But at least give him a chance. If we do this right, it could mean peace with minimal bloodshed.”
I could see the cogs in the Fae’s minds as they began spinning.
“What did you have in mind?” Ruhan asked.
So I told them.