Chapter 28
Thirteen lit candles formed a circle around the bedchamber, one for each of the witch goddesses. When Aurelia asked me if this was truly necessary, I had said it couldn’t hurt. Lighting thirteen candles was said to bring the goddess’s favor when casting runes.
And I needed all the good favor in the realm if this was to work.
Anxiety tied my stomach into knots. I’d only cast the revelation rune once, and it was when my childhood friend Marek and I had been experimenting with witch runes in our youth. Nothing as serious as this.
I swirled my finger in the saucer of oil and lavender, trying to keep my hand from shaking. Aurelia had changed into her nightgown and now sat on the edge of the mattress, one sleeve pulled over to expose her shoulder, her eyes fixed on me.
“I don’t know if this will work,” I said for the third time.
“Fenn, I know.” Aurelia’s voice was soft and patient, but I knew she was likely as nervous as I was.
“I could hurt you.” I glanced at her, allowing a moment of vulnerability in that brief look. My fear. My concern for her safety.
Such weakness was so uncharacteristic for me that I couldn’t stop myself from quickly adding, “And, you know, that would jeopardize our bargain. I’m not supposed to bring harm to you.”
“From what we know, this rune on me is powerful enough to protect me from a sleeping curse,” she said. “If anything, I’d be worried it would react to your spell and harm you. ”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. I have a protection rune, remember?” I stared at the liquid in the saucer, running the slippery substance over my fingers once more. “This—This will work better with your blood. But I think we should try it first without, just in case. Blood tends to strengthen a spell to its maximum effect, but if this backfires and whatever magical force inside you lashes out, then we certainly wouldn’t want to escalate that.”
“Right.” She sat up straighter, her chin jutting out with determination, eyes blazing. In this moment, she was my fierce little firebird, scared of nothing and no one.
I wasn’t sure when she became my firebird, in my mind. The thought was so alarming that I pushed it away before it consumed me.
I breathed a long, slow exhale before bringing the saucer with me as I sat right next to Aurelia. She obediently angled the left side of her body away from me to give me better access to her shoulder blade, where the black spiral marking was etched into her flesh. I found myself staring at the exposed skin, the pale rosy complexion and the smattering of freckles I loved so much. Gods, had it really only been hours ago that I’d been running my tongue over those very freckles? And now we were dabbling in witch runes.
I had never been this nervous when conducting experiments with Marek. Then again, we had been young and foolish, heedless of our own safety.
But this was the heir to the Summer Court before me. And she harbored a dangerous magic that we knew nothing about.
If this went badly…
No. I wouldn’t allow myself to think it.
Stop being such a fool, Fenn, I chided myself, before dipping my fingers into the mixture once more and painting the image over the marking on Aurelia’s skin. She stiffened and inhaled sharply. I knew from experience that, when the concoction was spread on a witch rune, it stung slightly.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s fine.”
With careful precision, I painted a circle with three dots on one side and a curved arrow on the other. Then, I slowly withdrew my hand and waited.
Aurelia was holding her breath, her body as still as a statue. I wished I could see her face, to offer her some reassurance. But I couldn’t even reassure myself at this point.
The silence in the room was deafening. My pulse thundered in my ears, roaring so loudly I thought she would surely hear it.
Just when I was about to declare the attempt a failure, the spiral on Aurelia’s shoulder began to glow a brilliant gold. I stared at it, eyes wide, as a shape took form. It blurred and spread, dancing across her skin like magic light. My brow furrowed as I tried to make out what the image was.
“That feels funny,” Aurelia whispered. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “It’s the rune. It’s… making an image.”
“An image of what?”
“I can’t tell. It looks like a cross between a horse and a bird.” I knew it sounded ridiculous, but that was all I could make out.
“Hmm,” Aurelia said thoughtfully. “It’s definitely an animal?”
“Yes. It has wings.”
“A dragon?”
I cocked my head. If I squinted and blurred my vision, then yes, it resembled a dragon. “Perhaps.”
“Maybe it’s a familiar.”
I frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“I—I’m wondering if, perhaps, I have witch blood in me. If that’s why my powers are so volatile, and that’s why this rune is on me, to protect others from my dangerous power.” She paused, then added in a rush, “It’s a silly theory, but I’ve been turning it over in my mind ever since the incident with the goblins.”
“So you think your familiar is a dragon?” My eyes grew wide. “You think it’s Mal.”
She nodded. “It would explain why I feel such a connection with him.”
I sighed, absently swirling my fingers in the lavender oil once more. “It’s up to you if you want to try the spell again with your blood.”
“Yes,” she said at once.
“Aurelia, it could be dangerous.”
“I need answers. And to do nothing more would drive me mad. Please, Fenn. ”
There was that damned word again, tugging on my heart, making me powerless before her. I closed my eyes, willing the gods to give me strength to withstand this woman.
“All right.” I drew my short sword, and Aurelia stretched out her hand. With the sharpened point, I pricked her finger and allowed several drops to mingle with the oil in the saucer. The mixture sizzled with each droplet.
I swirled my fingers once more, then painted the rune on her shoulder again. The crimson liquid stained her skin, and it glowed gold just like before. But this glow burned brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire room, brighter than the sun at midday. I shielded my eyes from the intensity of it, and Aurelia’s back arched, her head thrown back as she cried out. Her body went rigid, her arms stiff at her sides.
“Aurelia?” I asked, panicked.
She said nothing. I set the saucer down and came around the bed to face her.
My heart seized in my chest.
Her eyes were all green with black slits in the middle, like a snake. I had seen her eyes once like this before—when she’d set those goblins on fire. I had thought I’d imagined it, but this confirmed it.
“Aurelia,” I whispered, reaching for her hand.
When my skin met hers, she hissed, baring her teeth at me. Long, pointed fangs lengthened from her canines.
I jerked back, afraid she was somehow venomous and would poison me. Like a prey facing a predator, I held perfectly still. All it would take was a single thought to set me on fire, just like the goblins. She was staring at me with those all-consuming eyes, looking at nothing and everything all at once. She cocked her head as if considering me.
Was she going to lunge for me? Was she merely assessing an opponent?
“You know me,” I murmured. “You know who I am. I am not your enemy.”
She didn’t move. Her body remained frozen with preternatural stillness .
“Aurelia,” I said again, my voice firm. I had to bring her back somehow. Mustering all my courage, I said in my most cavalier voice, “Don’t make me kiss you again, because I will.”
Her eyelids fluttered, and for a moment, the usual blue crept into her eyes before the green devoured it once more.
Half my mouth quirked upward in a smile. “You liked it, didn’t you? My mouth on you. My tongue. Admit it. You want more.”
Her eyes closed, and she shuddered violently, her shoulders trembling from the motion.
“I’m here, Aurelia.” I took a chance and brushed my fingers against hers again. She jerked, hissing once more, but when her eyes opened, they were blue and full of confusion.
“F-Fenn?” She shook her head, her eyes shifting from blue to green and back again. “Oh, gods, what—what is happening?”
I stepped closer, clasping both her hands tightly in mine. “It’s all right. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you. Come back to me. Come back, and we’ll figure this out together. I swear it.”
She inhaled a shaky breath, blinking rapidly as if to clear a strange fog from her mind. She wet her lips, and my stomach churned at the sight of her forked tongue.
Holy gods.
I forced down my horror and fear, determined to remain stoic and strong for her. She was terrified, and she needed something to anchor her in this moment. I needed to be that anchor for her.
“Come back to me.” I raised her hand and brought it to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to her fingertips.
She sighed softly, her shoulders sagging. She swayed, her face going pale and her eyelids fluttering.
I caught her before she fell over. Her skin was cool to the touch, and she trembled in my grasp. I tenderly brushed the loose hair out of her face, and she gazed foggily up at me. “You—You?—”
I shook my head, pressing my finger to her lips. “Don’t speak. You need to rest.
Her eyes fluttered shut once more, and her head sank onto my lap as unconsciousness claimed her.
I watched her sleep for a long moment, worried the strange beast within her would emerge again. But as the sounds of her slow breathing filled the chamber, it was clear the foreign presence was gone.
But there was no mistaking it. Whatever dwelled inside her was some kind of monster.