Chapter 50
Fifty
CARINA
Shock is so often described as the ground shifting beneath one’s feet, and I’ve always thought it to be such a dumb description.
Until I feel it myself.
Until the Seer looks straight at me for the briefest second.
A blink—from us both—and his head is lowered again.
I skitter from the cell before Sloane witnesses the interaction. She shuts the door with a wave of her hand, a series of locks magically fusing into place before the vines reclaim their position.
“Heaven is linked to Hecate more than Hell is, so where do you think that leaves us? Heaven will pull the Goddess’s daughters in—pull us in—which cannot happen. The vampires, having originated from a demon, have already begun assembling, and it is them we must join.”
“Why do the vampires even care about all this? Surely, they’d make it out of the war alive.”
Her responding smile appears almost proud as she leads me through the stone room and back to the dirt-lined hallway.
“Vampires may be immortal, but they require the earth to survive. If there’s nowhere to land their feet, there’s no way of life.
If too many humans perish, their food source diminishes.
So you see, we’re all on the same side.”
“The side of Darkness, but it doesn’t need to be that way. Choose Light.”
“It takes power, and that’s what Darkness is.”
The dais behind us with old bloodstains feel like an ominous counter to her point.
“Hecate—”
“Will encourage us to join the angels,” she snaps, “and the angels will not win this war. You saw it too; the devil will destroy Earth while searching for his mate, or bride…or whatever he’s calling her.”
“Then instead of going on the defence, why don’t we try to find her for him?”
How, I have no idea.
Even Sloane’s skepticism won’t be collared as a scowl twists her face more than it naturally is.
“Hecate has always been right about us being on a different side than Celestials, so it’s not wise to interfere in their business.
” She pauses, both her walking and her speech.
“You’re frustrated, but you must understand balance is key.
Heaven and Hell represent two sides, the same way Light and Dark do for us.
The entire world rotates around the concepts—even mortals offset sins with virtuous acts.
We—witches—must be a part of that balance.
Morgan taught you to view black magick as entirely Dark, but if that was the case, how do I have access to my elemental magick?
How does Harlow, now a Dark creature, have access to her powers? ”
“Um…”
“Precisely. Using black magick doesn’t involve losing our Light magick.
As I said earlier, there are different kinds.
Covens choose to organize everything under the categories of Light and Dark, whereas it’s a balancing act.
Here in Twilight Grove, we exemplify that balance, and you can be as well. ”
What she’s saying makes a lot of sense, but…
“Myself and the other three.” I meet her eyes, hiding the fact everything she said has my brain running in every direction but the way Mom trained me.
“The quickest way to save everyone is for us all to adapt to this very balance, and since every witch in the world is descended from one of the original four, it only makes sense to target the bloodlines. With the four of you in my possession, we’ll fix it.”
Fists forming, I bite, “That’s a form of rape.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You’re forcing us to be the way you want. You’re taking away their choice, their power—it’s like rape. The covens won’t stand for this.”
“The covens will thank me one day. Besides, Harlow is already Dark, as is my daughter, Adalyn, who you met earlier.”
Which leaves me and someone from Starfall Coven, exactly like Mom said.
“If I’m the Coven of the Silver Seas’ heir, and Harlow is Highridge’s, Adalyn’s yours, who’s coming from Starfall?”
Half expecting her not to respond, my breath skips when she does, and I lock the name away to take to Mom. “Wynter Devereux. Once I get you settled, she’ll be well on her way to us.”
Even when I get out of here, someone else will need to be rescued, which complicates matters. Wynter Devereux is our last hope. If she’s concealed, Sloane can’t find her. There will be a missing link to her plan.
“When you turn all four, what happens then?”
“Before you learn that, you need to become Dark yourself.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll be forced to kill and embrace all you can be, but I promise you, Carina, you will come to our side.” Her blouse blows as she whirls farther down the hallway, expecting me to follow.
After a final glance at the stone room with the Seer’s cell, I do. My headache increases with every step, and I’m starting to believe dehydration or something so simplistically mortal is taking me out.
At the end of the ominous hallway, she doesn’t head back up the stairs but continues straight to another dead end. Her steps don’t stop until the wall sucks her in and deposits her on the other side—magick, a barrier meant to disguise whatever’s beyond it.
With a final look towards the exit, I follow, hoping this isn’t my only chance to escape.
Though any attempt will probably get the entire coven on me.
No doubt they’re on high alert. Plus, her kids should be hanging around, which means reaching the front door is nothing short of a Goddess-granted miracle.
The telltale chill of her spell sucks me in and nudges me to the other side—which happens to be another hall of identical décor—minus Adalyn and Archer, who emerge from the shadows.
The former flicks her hair and walks beside her mother. The latter waits until I pass before falling into step behind me. His presence has a weight to it that both unnerves and relaxes me.
We soon pass through another barrier spell and into a small room where I stop abruptly, almost causing Archer to walk into me.
Three cells line the far wall; their bars are erected into the dirt floor and ceiling, made of branches that are likely reinforced with enchantments and therefore impenetrable. All three doors are swung open, but it’s the middle one Sloane walks up to.
“In.”
I eye her and then Archer behind me.
“Until you choose our way, this is your new room.”
“Then I might very well die in here.”
Sloane’s smile is chillier than the room. “It won’t come to that. You’ll do as I demand soon enough, but until we get there, I would prefer you to see the correct way. Until then, in you go.”
Fenced by three witches who’ll take me down if I attempt to fight, there isn’t really another choice. Not until I process what I’ve seen today make a plan. This is what I signed up for when I fought Mom, so I need to see the plan through to the end.
Gritting my teeth, I walk into the cell. Adalyn swings the door shut with a nasty cackle, catching the bars on the back of my ankle. I turn, glaring, but my view is blocked by Sloane.
“Consider what you’ve learned. I’ll be back shortly.” She sweeps from the room and Adalyn follows.
Archer lingers for a few extra seconds before he too leaves.