Chapter Twenty-Nine
Walker
“G uys!” Cady called. “I know how we’re going to get Elle back.”
I steadied myself and walked toward Cady and Ryder, but I swore Freya’s hands shook at her sides. Had my honesty been enough to rattle her, or was she still shaken by guilt?
Not your concern, I reminded myself.
As soon as we neared the others, Cadence spoke, and I shut down all thoughts about the red-haired witch beside me or how she hadn’t disagreed when I said she didn’t love me.
Yep, I thought, pushing that heartache aside for later.
“It’s going to require a visit to some old friends,” she said with a sly grin.
Old friends, I pondered.
Freya gasped. “You’re a genius, Cadence Reid.”
Cady smirked. “No need for flattery, Coven Mother. We already made up, remember?”
Though I still didn’t understand her great idea, it was a relief to see my sister back to her usual spunky self.
“How?” Ryder gritted out. “How do we find her?”
“The dark witches,” Cady explained. “They were planning on storming the High Witch’s court, remember? Surely, to do so, they would’ve had an idea about where it is.”
I cursed under my breath. “Let me guess—they live in some creepy, underground lair.”
“Not underground,” Freya corrected, “but definitely creepy.”
“If they don’t talk,” Ryder said, “the vampires will.”
“Ryder,” Freya warned. “You can’t enter their territory.”
He bared his teeth. “There’s no can’t anymore. Thanks to you.”
Freya flinched, and I stifled the urge to leap to her defense. It wasn’t my place.
“She made a mistake,” Cady murmured. “We can’t save Elle if we hold it against her forever.”
“I’m not supposed to make mistakes,” Freya whispered. “I’m supposed to be Coven Mother.”
I couldn’t bare the self-loathing that coated her words.
“You don’t think your mom ever screwed up?” I asked. “I promise you, she did.”
Freya laughed bitterly.
“She failed to find the chimera I suppose," Freya said and frowned, "but given Elle's age and the fact I can't imagine Mom embarking on such a dangerous journey without my knowledge, Elle would've been only a child or babe when Mom searched for her.”
“How did Sybil fail to catch her, then?” Cady said.
Freya swallowed. "I don't know."
As the wheels of Freya's mind turned, she paced and chewed on her lower lip. “I don’t see how Mom couldn’t find it—I mean, we found it.”
Ryder growled, and Freya winced.
“Sorry,” she corrected, “her, not it.”
“What if she did find the chimera?” I asked.
"And chose not to capture her," Freya whispered.
Had Sybil Redfern defied the High Witch and survived?
“If Mom had wanted to capture her,” Freya said, “I’m certain she could’ve done so.”
“So, why didn’t she?” Cady asked. “And why does Cordelia want the chimera so badly she’s been trying to capture it for decades?”
“I don’t know,” Freya answered. “But I think it has something to do with what Walker and I learned in that cave. Think about it. Why would the High Witch want us to hunt Elle? She wasn’t that hard to find.”
“Is there any way she could’ve known Ryder is Elle’s mate?” I suggested.
Ryder shook his head. “If she had known Elle was mine, she would’ve realized we wouldn’t just let her go. Cordelia would have known someone would come back for her.”
“If she’s been watching us as closely as she claims,” Cady added, “she would know Freya and Walker couldn’t let Elle go. Mate or not, they would’ve felt morally obligated to save an innocent person.”
“This could all just be a trap,” I realized. “Cordelia wants us dead for defying her, but this way, she gets the chimera too.”
Cady toyed with the burned ends of her hair. “But she could’ve just killed you and snagged the chimera herself.”
“The High Witch isn’t revered only because she’s powerful,” Ryder argued. “Like the other Leaders, she’s supposed to be fair and just. Her punishments are public, so her actions can be rebutted. Her power is derived from the obedience of all witches.”
“Freya didn’t make me into a monster,” I said, “so she can’t really kill us for that. She needs a better reason.”
“If we defy her direct orders and free a prisoner from her dungeons,” Freya continued, “that’s a good reason for all of us to end up dead.”
As that terrifying thought settled over us, familiar dread turned my stomach.
“Everyone fears the chimera,” Cady said, “but why? Is it really fair for us to be punished for saving someone who hasn’t done anything wrong?”
“No,” Freya said, “it isn’t. And that might just be our saving grace.”
“What do you mean?” Cady asked.
“If we can prove to the rest of the world that Elle isn’t a monster,” Freya said, “then we might be able to get the Leaders to stop their persecution of her.”
“How are you so certain she’s redeemable?” Ryder growled. “You were fully prepared to leave her at the High Witch’s mercy before.”
Freya swallowed and met Ryder’s blazing amber gaze.
“Because,” she said softly, “she’s the soulmate of one of my closest friends. She can’t be evil.”
Ryder swallowed and turned away.
“So,” Cady mused, “all we have to do is find the High Witch’s secret lair, break in, get Elle free, escape, and prove to the world a girl we barely know isn’t a monster?”
My sister, I thought, never one to sugarcoat ugly realities.
“Pretty much,” Freya agreed.
Ryder’s voice was gravelly. “How soon can Arion run?”
Freya crouched beside her slumbering familiar and stroked her hand down his blood-stained, calico back.
“He’s never been so gravely wounded,” she said, and her upper lip curled in disgust. “Those cowards attacked without giving him a chance to shift. Allow him a couple more hours of rest, and he’ll be ready.”
Ryder growled. “How do we know the High Witch won’t use that time to kill her?”
“We don’t,” Freya replied and ignored Ryder’s bared teeth. “But it would make no sense for her to do so. If she wanted Elle dead, she could’ve easily ordered us to kill her. Cordelia could’ve killed her here. She didn’t.”
Mollified, Ryder resumed his pacing. As Freya sat beside her sleeping familiar, her eyes drooped, and I wondered if the additional time for rest was as much for her sake as it was for Arion’s.
Before Cady could settle against one of the ash-covered trees, I pulled her aside, deeper into the charred remains of the jungle. The remnants of dirt and honey on her skin stuck to my fingers.
“Yuck,” I teased, “shower much?”
Cady stuck her tongue out at me. “You know, you didn’t look too great after your near-death experience either. You certainly don’t look too good after your conversation with Freya.”
I stiffened, and Cady poked me in the stomach.
“What happened?” she asked. “It better not be about me. You know Freya would never intentionally put me in danger—”
“It’s not,” I insisted and ruffled her hair. “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Okay,” she said slowly and crossed her arms. “What is it?”
“When we get to the High Witch’s court,” I said, “and we will find a way to get there, I need you to promise me not to leave my side.”
Cady’s brow furrowed. “You’re not going to try to convince me to stay behind?”
“Would you?” I asked, and she scoffed.
“Absolutely not,” Cady replied. “I owe Elle a life debt. I’m coming with you.”
“Though it pains me to admit,” I said, “I know there’s no way to keep your crazy ass from following me into danger, so I’m attempting to compromise instead.”
“Big brother!” she chided. “ Language.”
Despite everything that had transpired in the last few days, I laughed.
“You’ve rubbed off on me.” I shrugged, but my mood quickly sobered. “There’s one other thing I need from you, Cady-Cat. One more promise.”
“What?” she asked.
“No matter what happens,” I spoke each word with care so she would recognize the importance of what I said, “you have to survive. No matter if it means leaving the rest of us behind, you will live.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but I shook my head.
“Someone has to tell the world what happened.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Someone must live, and it will be you. Otherwise, I don’t care if I have to tie you up and lock you away to keep you safe—I’ll do it.”
Though tears filled her eyes, Cady nodded and threw herself into my arms. I hugged her so close, I worried I would suffocate her.
“Walker!” Freya called. “Arion’s awake.”