“Elena! By the Creator. Are you all right?”
Leo and Will’s faces were masked with worry. The others were on their feet but remained near their fire. I had been so lost in the caress of the magic fire, that for a moment I’d forgotten about everyone else.
“Of course she’s fine,” growled Fawkes. “She’s with me.”
I lifted my hand and waved them off.
“I’m fine. Fawkes was just helping me get warm again.”
I wanted to say we were doing witch’s stuff, but I knew it would only make things worse. And I was emotionally drained. I didn’t wait for Leo’s reply and turned back to face the fire. I could hear Leo’s tread softly disappear as he returned to the others. My shoulders slumped.
“You’re hurt by what those humans said,” said Fawkes gently.
I watched the flames, unable to meet his eyes. But then I realized it wouldn’t do any good to deny my feelings to the one person who actually seemed to want to help me.
I released a breath. “I guess I am. And I know you’re going to tell me how foolish that is, but I can’t help how I feel.”
“It’s not surprising that you feel this way,” said Fawkes. “The high witch, Ada, told me you had been raised by humans. It’s completely normal to feel attached to them. But you will need to disassociate from them, and soon. It’s for your own good. Humans will never accept you, Elena. You’re a magic bearer, a witch, and they will hate you for it.”
I thought of Rose and Jon and raised my voice.
“Not all. They don’t all hate me. And not all witches hate humans either. But I’m sure you already know that.”
His lips were drawn tightly, but he nodded. “There are a few exceptions. But don’t let that fool you—humans and witches don’t mix. They never have.”
I was about to tell him again how wrong his was when he asked, “Who’s Jon?”
I could hardly find my voice. “He’s…a friend…a very good friend.”
Fawkes studied me for a moment, and his gaze narrowed.
“You’re in love with this human.”
My face burned again.
Fawkes continued, “But he’s not here, is he? Where is he?”
The tears came spilling out of my eyes, but I wasn’t ashamed for him to see me so vulnerable. My voice was steady.
“Back in Soul City. He’s been infected. I won’t lie to you and say that he’s not a large part of the reason I’m here, risking everything, risking everyone. I do want to stop the necromancers, but above all I want to save Jon.”
I could never be ashamed of my love for Jon. Not ever.
“He saved my life,” I said a little more softly and not without caution. “And I’ll do anything I can to save him.”
I expected Fawkes to lash out at me with some nasty narrow-minded comment, and for a moment I thought I was going to jump over the fire and punch him. But he was quiet, too quiet, and for long time we sat without speaking, lost in our own thoughts.
“We don’t need the humans you know,” said Fawkes, breaking the silence between us. “I can protect you the rest of the way. In fact, it would be best not to bring them to Witchdom.”
I released an irritated breath. “I’m half human, too.”
The last of the sun disappeared, and I was grateful for the light and warmth of Fawkes’ fire. I realized that I’d still be shivering cold if he hadn’t used his magic on me.
“You can’t be a half-witch. There’s no such thing.”
Fawkes put another log on the fire. The white marks on his face glowed in the light of the campfire, but his eyes were cast in shadow.
“You’re either a witch or a human. You’re either a steel maiden or just a woman from the Pit. That’s your choice to make. But you have more witch in your blood. Your blood magic is strong. I can tell. Your human part is far less dominant.”
I was bewildered, and though I could see the sincerity in his face, I wasn’t sure I believed him. However, knowing that I might have less of Brother Edgar’s blood running through my veins did encourage me. That bastard had always been evil. He didn’t need black magic. He already had a blackened soul. I would rather have had any other human blood than his.
“How could you possibly know that?” I asked.
“I can sense it,” he said honestly. “You give off a particular energy. A light, if you will. I can sense these energies. It’s part of my magic. All witches give off energy, some more than others. Usually, a witch with human blood like you would have weaker energy. But you—yours is almost as vigorous as a full witch without a trace of human blood.”
I leaned back and considered this new bit of information. It was a lot to process. Only weeks ago I’d been just like he’d said, a regular person from the Pit, a young woman with a head filled with foolish dreams. But I trusted Fawkes, and I felt that I was starting to understand myself better, too.
“Ada said that steel maidens were immune to some magic,” I began. “But you were able to warm me with yours.”
“Because your blood magic is defensive magic. That’s why it heals you. Your magic protects you from the kind of magic that would do you harm. It recognized that my magic wasn’t a threat.”
“So, which clan do you belong to?” I asked after a moment of silence.
“The Elemental clan,” he answered.
I could see a tightness in his jaw, but he continued, “My magic is like yours. We are bound to this world, this land. All elemental witches channel our powers from nature, from the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Ours is the purest kind of magic.”
“Which explains how you can bend fire to your will and do what you want with it.”
“It does.” Fawkes raised his eyebrows. “But the fact still remains that it would be unwise for the humans to accompany us to Witchdom.”
“Why?” My voice was flat, and I didn’t try to hide my frustration at talking about this again. This whole prejudice thing was starting to really piss me off.
“Humans are not welcomed in the witch realm, just as witches are not welcomed in Arcania. The long and brutal history between us makes it so. Trust me, the humans should stay behind—”
“They’re coming with us,” I growled. I was surprised at my own conviction after all that had happened.
I looked Fawkes straight in the eyes and added, “It’s time to change that history. They’re coming, and that’s final.”
I wouldn’t be intimidated. Witch or not, I was the head of this quest, and I wasn’t going to let him bully me.
Fawkes shrugged. “As you wish.”
I almost smiled at my little victory.
We sat in silence for a while. The murmurs of conversation from the men had died down, and I could see that they were all stretched out on their bedrolls. All except for Nugar. He leaned against a tree with his arms crossed on his chest, and although I couldn’t make out his face in the dark, I could feel his eyes on me.
I turned my attention back to Fawkes. “Why aren’t you in Witchdom with the rest of your clan?”
I waited, but Fawkes’ lips were tight and his shoulders had tensed.
“Are you exiled like Ada and the other witches?”
He said nothing for a while, and I didn’t understand the reaction I saw on his face.
“You seem to know a lot about me,” I pressed. “It’s only fair that I know a little about you. Don’t you agree?”
“You should get some sleep.”
And with that, Fawkes stood up, turned around, and walked away, but not before I saw a shadow pass over his face. I stared at him until he disappeared into the night.
I was annoyed that he still chose to be a stranger. What had happened to him? Why was he on this side of the realm? Fawkes was a mystery. He was fierce, and yet I saw a genuine kindness in him.
I could hardly keep my eyes open. Reluctantly, I left the comfort of the fire and dragged my feet in search of Torak and my bedroll.
Over the next weeks, we rode past sunse
t and well into the night, when our breaths came out as white mist. We made sure to give our rides enough rest with plenty of food and water. Every day was the same. We rode with a new sense of urgency, and our conversations were limited. If I spoke to any of my men, it was usually Leo or Will, and even then it was only because they had instigated housekeeping conversations about food, fire, or how many days we had left. Our conversations felt forced, and I still could not forgive them for their prejudice against witches, against me. I didn’t know if I could ever really trust them again.
We crossed the entire northern tip of the Romilian kingdom without any further encounters. If my men had been surprised at our luck, they didn’t mention it. For weeks we never once came near a road or any visible trail at all. But on the thirty-first day of our journey, as we neared the border of Girmania, I heard the distant sound of hooves. If I could hear them, then they could hear us, so Fawkes took us deeper into the woodlands. It was a pity that we spent all our time so deep in the forests, and I couldn’t get a glimpse of the two kingdoms. Were their cities as grand as those in Erast? I would never know.
I was glad of Fawkes’ company, however, even though his arrogance and spiteful remarks about humans still made my blood boil. As we rode side by side, I asked him about the current state of Witchdom.
“How is it governed? Who else is in power aside from the king?”
“The witch king rules all of Witchdom,” Fawkes had answered. “There is also the Coven Council, which consists of the top ranking high witches from each clan. They act as advisers to the witch king. But ultimately, he has the last word.”
“Will this council receive me as a friend, or will they view me as an enemy?”
“It depends,” he said carefully. “The fact that you were born outside of Witchdom and that your blood may be human complicates things. The Coven Council has been around for centuries. They are as old as the wind, and they wield a lot of influence over the witch realm.
“Some of them are stuck in the old ways, before the time of men, but they are reasonable. If the black magic has been felt in Witchdom, the Coven Council will have sensed it. Their first priorities are to the land and to magic. If they feel threatened, I have no doubt they will advise the witch king to act.”
Although Fawkes answered each of my questions, I couldn’t help but sense that he was being very prudent, and that each answer was heavily edited. Still, the little information I got was better than nothing. I also learned that Fawkes thought the king was a cruel ruler, and that his rule had lasted for over three hundred years.
My rebel companions still gave me and Fawkes a wide berth, but I didn’t care. I rode alongside him with a new sense of pride and purpose. I was frightened and excited at the same time. It was a glorious feeling.
I hadn’t even noticed that we’d left Girmania and crossed into Fell Forest. All the forests were the same to me—big, beautiful, and treacherous. But then the trees started to look bigger. The pine needles were a darker green, and their trunks were black.
Finally, we arrived at the borders of Witchdom. The mountains I had seen in the distance that morning towered over us by the late afternoon. They disappeared into the clouds of the Goddess and the Creator. The dark gray granite had hues of blue in it and the rocks were sharp. The mountains terrified me. It would be impossible for anyone to climb over them, and my heart sank to my feet. There had to be another way…
“If you think we can climb this, then the entire journey has been a waste of time and lives,” said Leo.
He looked at Fawkes. “The horses cannot climb. We’re not witches, we can’t fly.”
Fawkes raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t correct him.
“Without experience and tools,” continued Leo dejectedly, “it would take a lifetime just to climb up one side. Hell, we don’t even have rope. We’re not mountaineers. We’d never survive that climb. It’s a death trap.”
“It can’t be impossible,” I said, and I hoped I was right. “If the witches said that we could cross, there has to be another way.”
I looked at Fawkes but I couldn’t read his expression.
“No witch would be foolish enough to climb or fly over the Mystic Mountains,” growled Fawkes. “There is always a way, but your human eyes won’t allow you to see.”
“Your point being?” I asked impatiently. “If you know how to cross the mountain, please enlighten us.”
Fawkes lifted his arms and spoke an incantation of some kind in a language I didn’t recognize. Suddenly there was a burst of wind, and the sweet smell of wildflowers and pinecones filled the air. Torak the other horses shifted nervously, and there was a boom, like the crack of thunder. The ground shook and the trees and boulders around us trembled.
I watched Fawkes. His gaze was fixed on a jumble of shrubbery. My heart slammed against my chest as the shrubbery and trees began to move.
The tremors lessened, and the shrubbery swayed back and forth with a clatter of cracks and pops. Their roots broke from the earth, and they crawled and carried themselves off to the sides as if they had feet. They swayed one last time, and then the earth was still. The wind dissipated, and the sweet tang of the witch’s magic disappeared.
But where the shrubbery had stood, a large gap between the mountains was revealed. It was wide enough to fit ten horses.
No wonder no one could ever find the entrance to Witchdom. It was the witches’ secret, and you needed magic to find the way in. We’d never have found it without Fawkes.
Fawkes pointed to the gap. “This is Severed Hill Pass, and it will take us directly into Witchdom.”
The path between the mountains was clear, but I couldn’t see an end to it. The mountains seemed to go on forever. And I knew without a doubt that once we had entered the pass, there would be no turning back.
Before I realized what I was doing, I straightened, steered Torak around, and faced the men.
“I will not force any man to go any farther.”
I swallowed and looked at all their faces. Their expressions were hard and fierce, but they appeared to have softened a little.
“No matter what transpired between us,” I continued. “No matter what beliefs we share or don’t share, I will not force any of you beyond this point. I have no right to ask it of you. I’m no queen, no princess, and no lady. I hold no lands, and I have no titles. I have no coin to give. I have nothing.”
I looked into their eyes and saw some brightness and strength in them.
“Although you may think I am different from you, if you look deeply enough, you’ll see that I’m not really. I want the same as you. I want to stop the priests, and I want to stop this world from withering before it’s too late. If that means I’ll have to cross that pass into Witchdom and face the unknown—then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
The confidence in my breast rose with every word.
“I know some, perhaps all of you, have come on behalf of Jon,” his name burned my throat, and I swallowed hard again, “and I respect that. But I won’t hold you to it. You’re free to go back. I will not think the less of you, of any of you, if you do. I thank you all for coming this far.”
Fawkes leaned back on his bull elk and gave me an approving smile. I suspected, however, that he mistook my intention and thought I was trying to get rid of the men.
I waited. I feared I’d made a mistake in addressing the men as I had, but then Leo spoke.
“We might be a bunch of ignorant bastards,” said Leo, with a hint of a smile. I could see a spark of forgiveness in his eyes. “But we’re not quitters. Never. We’re in this together, Elena. And we’re going to see it through. For Jon. For our families. For everyone.”
His eyes turned to Fawkes, and I could see disappointment on the witch’s face. I knew he was irritated. But I felt relieved and smiled back at Leo.
“We’re all going with you,” said Will and he moved his horse closer to me. There was something in his expression I couldn’t identify, but I liked nonetheless
.
“Are you sure?” I searched their faces, but all I could see was their determination to continue.
“Beyond this point,” I pointed to the pass between the mountains, “there’s no guarantee any of us will make it back alive. You need to be sure.”
“We are,” chorused Leo and Will.
I found it extremely hard not to smile.
Nugar gave me a tight nod that I took gratefully as a yes. I didn’t linger too long on Lucas. I could never really tell with him. He looked as twitchy and withdrawn as ever. I just prayed to the Goddess that he wouldn’t stab me in the back.
Fawkes looked cold. He steered his elk so close to me that Torak had to move his head away from the antlers.
Only I could hear when he whispered.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Their deaths will be on your hands.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but his growl of annoyance discouraged me from saying anything. Witch prick.
I refused to let him discourage me. I knew that I needed Fawkes more than the others. His displeasure at my decision annoyed me, but I knew I was right to include the others. No matter what or who we were, we were all here for the same purpose. Besides, I couldn’t go into Witchdom alone with Fawkes. There was strength in numbers, and I felt a company of six would definitely look better than a company of two.
I felt the men’s eyes on me, waiting for me to take the lead.
Fawkes had already entered the pass. I felt that he was almost too eager to get to the witch realm and away from us. I knew there was no turning back after this point. We were not just entering another kingdom in Arcania with its bastard priests and nobles—Witchdom was a new world—a world of witches.
In spite of my growing fear, I lifted my chin, tapped Torak’s flanks with my heels, and we followed Fawkes into the pass.
CHAPTER 13
SEVERED HILL PASS LOOMED before us, a massive break in the mountainside, as though the Goddess herself had severed the mountain in half. My heart fluttered so quickly that for a moment I thought I might be sick. But I trotted into the pass, right behind Fawkes.
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