Chapter 4
Mina
I watched Anne’s wielder swiftly decapitate the final Trong.
The forest floor was littered with demon parts.
We’d been set upon by our third pack this week.
This one had six, a mix of Trongs, Jargs, and a Kollm.
We were just a day out from the Citadel, so I wasn’t surprised.
Demons were drawn to the scent of witches, and the Citadel had them.
Ronan wiped his brow, exhaling. “Anne?” He looked expectantly up at her. He’d dismounted but she remained safely astride.
Anne was a curvaceous blonde with a cherubic face. I liked her immensely, more so now that we’d spent nearly a week together. She nodded, still a little flustered, and set about destroying the carcasses before burying them. It was a practice I was well acquainted with.
“Well,” Elianna said, exhaling. She was on her own horse, a comfortable distance from Jarrow. “That went more smoothly than I expected.”
Elianna was the level-headed one of the group.
She had dark hair that framed her face in tight coils and warm, caramel skin.
We’d bonded almost immediately upon meeting, when Rixon and I had first arrived in the capital.
We’d only grown closer since then, not that we’d had much time together, certainly not while I was stuck in a Nebrine cell.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Well done—all of you. That was excellent work.”
Both Anne and Elianna, and their wielders, had been in the capital for several years.
While the city streets might have been home to various demons during Maddox’s last days, they were not used to seeing them in the wild, certainly not in packs like this one.
I was pleased that their skills remained sharp.
As with the other packs, I’d felt these several miles off.
Having demonic power offered a number of benefits, including the ability to sense their presence.
It gave Rixon and I an upper hand many times.
Unfortunately, I could not alert my companions without risking questions, so I had waited until they were nearly visible.
Back on their horses, Ronan and Viktor gave the all clear and we moved out.
Anne sighed wistfully, glancing at the mess of demon guts on her wielder’s clothes. “Now I see why everyone is talking about those mysterious Nebrine devices. They would have come in handy just now.”
“What devices?” I turned to her.
“She’s talking about the repellers,” said Elianna. “And their existence is only a rumor.”
“I haven’t heard about any repellers.” I frowned.
“No?” Anne eyed me suspiciously then shrugged.
“It’s only come up recently. Rixon probably didn’t think it prudent to mention something that isn’t yet proven.
” She shifted in her saddle. I kept Jarrow a safe distance from the other horses.
Close enough that we could chat, far enough that he wouldn’t nip at them. He was ever moody, my silly horse.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Apparently Carth has developed a way to repel demons using Nebrine and magic,” Elianna explained. “It’s not like our Nebrine walls and wards. Whatever they’re doing to these bits of Nebrine, it sends demons running in the opposite direction.”
“But…Carth doesn’t even have demons,” I said. “And nevermind Nebrine mines. I mean, they get the occasional straggler that crosses the mountainous passes, but…”
“But apparently they want to capitalize on our economy—if such a thing exists,” said Elianna. “Think of it, though. Think of how much money Raeria would be willing to pay for something that sends demons running in the opposite direction.”
My frown deepened. I had long wondered if Carth had witches of their own. The giant rift that had been formed in Rockfall had screamed of foul play. Were they using them to take Nebrine and enchant it in some way?
“Perhaps the Citadel will have more information,” said Elianna. “Do you think…do you think our services will no longer be needed if such a thing comes to pass?”
“Witches will always be needed,” I mused. “There was a time when we did far more than simply rid the world of demons.”
Would that we could return to that time again.
“Like healing,” said Anne brightly. I knew what had made her say it.
Her horse had stepped in a near-invisible rut two days into our journey.
It had stumbled and they both went down.
Fortunately Anne was all right, but her horse, not so much.
The injury was bad enough to turn any horse lame, but I’d healed the mare and all was well.
Anne had made sure to sing my praises at every opportunity since.
“Like healing,” I agreed.
The remainder of the day passed uneventfully.
The Citadel loomed before us and I breathed a sigh of relief.
For many long years, the Citadel had been my home.
The sight of it bolstered me. It felt good to return, even if it was without a certain brooding male.
I tried not to think of him, but it was impossible with the reminder before me.
My anger had cooled, and in its place, I felt a deep ache. A longing to have him beside me.
“It looks the same as it did when we left,” said Anne.
“It probably looks the same as it did when it first came to be, Lady Witch.” Ronan rode beside her.
“Oh, stop,” she teased, swatting him.
I shared a look with Elianna.
The Citadel was a massive bit of architecture with white washed walls, jutting from the landscape.
Its levels were circular and stacked atop each other like pancakes, growing smaller the taller it got.
Almost like an upside down cone. Though, not every level was perfectly shaped, making it far more interesting to the eye.
The lowest level was home to the Citadel Proper, which was really just the fancy term for its city.
It was made up of multi-story homes and businesses, markets, and more.
There were stretches of farmland that surrounded the giant monstrosity, all protected by wards. Today, few people dotted the landscape. But once spring arrived, it would be teeming with activity.
As we approached the city gates, I reached for Elianna’s arm. “Thank you, both of you, for agreeing to accompany me on this journey. I know I already thanked you, but I feel the need to reiterate.”
“Think nothing of it, Mina.” Elianna’s gaze was warm and open. “I’ve longed to see the Citadel again. I’m just glad Mya approved of our coming.”
“She’s got a soft spot for you, that woman,” Anne threw over her shoulder.
Probably because they all felt bad for me.
Rixon had told everyone I suffered from a mental breakdown after his father’s death.
I’d perpetuated the story over the past week, claiming that the pressure was just too much.
That I was stressed about his decision to mix crown politics with Citadel politics.
I hated lying to my friends, but I feared what would happen if they knew the truth about me.
The doors leading into the city swung open.
We ventured through the portcullis and a wave of nausea struck me, sending bile creeping up my throat.
The darkness inside me was growing, making the effects of Nebrine more pronounced with each use of demonic magic.
What if it became too much? What if the walls that were once meant to keep me safe locked me out?
I pushed the horrid thought away.
We began our way up the winding streets.
It was the middle of the day and they were bustling with activity.
People went about their business running errands, buying, selling, and trading for wares, meeting with friends, and everything in between.
I wondered what it would be like to be one of them.
To have fewer responsibilities. To feel…
normal. It made me miss my old life more than ever, but especially my family.
I’d never recovered from the trauma of losing them, my sister especially. I’d gotten better at avoiding the blame. It was hard to think of her and not feel responsible for what had happened in the barn that day.
We reached the walls surrounding the main part of the Citadel and they swept open.
I swallowed, steeling my nerves as we passed beneath the arched Nebrine structure.
Another wave of nausea struck, this one stronger.
The sickness made me feel like an imposter.
Like I didn’t deserve to be here. It didn’t matter that I’d finished top of my class.
Didn’t matter that I’d saved lives. All that mattered was the thing inside me, and what I had become.
Perhaps the others would realize it too.
We came to a stop in the courtyard. Several witches stood in attendance, waiting with their wielders. If they were surprised to see that I’d been accompanied by Anne and Elianna, they didn’t show it.
“Welcome Lady Witches, Lord Wielders,” came the greeting. One of the witches stepped forward. Meredith. I recognized her from the council. “The head witch requests your presence—immediately. We will escort you to her.”
A shot of adrenaline went straight through me “Now? Before we’ve even settled?”
“That is what immediately means.”
I schooled my features. I might have been a witch but her words made me feel like I was still a witchling. I suppose Rixon’s actions had truly struck a nerve within the Citadel. There’d be no gentle treatment here.
It could have been worse.
I glanced at Elianna. “Can you send a note to Rixon? I promised him I would send word as soon as we arrived.”
“Of course.” Elianna offered me a worried smile.
I quickly dismounted.
“Glad to see Prince Jarrow in one piece,” came a voice. I recognized the stable hand who appeared beside me, breathing a sigh of relief. “Lady Witch, good to see you home.”
“Thank you, Henrick. Would you mind taking Jarrow?”
“It’s no problem.” His eyes twinkled as he scratched his salt and pepper beard, looking Jarrow over with a fond expression. “I’d be glad to.”