The High Priest's Daughter
Page 33
Looking back, it felt as if seeing that glimpse of Miss Mabel’s mind meant everything had changed, and yet nothing had changed, really.
“Don’t worry, Bianca,” Leda said, misinterpreting the sudden darkness in my expression. “I understand your hesitation about all these changes. I’ve felt it myself. But just because we’re moving on doesn’t mean we’re moving apart. Camille will still be at the castle until she graduates. Michelle won’t be very far away and still plans on working in the kitchens twice a week. You and I are both stuck at Chatham Castle for now. Me? Forever. You? Until you find some other heathen job to work at for the rest of your life.”
I grinned. It was so good to have her condescension again that I wouldn’t have minded if she told me I looked like a toad. Besides, she was right. Moving on wasn’t the same as moving apart.
Rupert cleared his throat before I came up with a proper retort and motioned to the small stage Nicolas stood on. A few quieting hisses moved through the crowd, and a respectful silence followed as the hand fasting began.
Nicolas’s father, a High Witch for an obscure village in the Eastern Covens, hand fasted them. He stood as tall and thick as his son with the same shy, sweet disposition. When he stood on the platform, the crowd rose. Michelle appeared at the end of the walkway that stretched between the chairs. She faced Nicolas with a sparkling smile and started a slow walk down the aisle.
Instead of the elaborate gown Camille had chattered about making for weeks, Michelle chose a simple dress of pale yellow linen. She beamed every moment, her small eyes shining with happy tears when she looked out at the gathered crowd. Cousin Luke, her father, her brothers, and half her old town had turned up, not to mention the entire Chatham Castle kitchen staff. Despite the glimmer of pain that crossed her face whenever she glanced at her family and noticed her missing brother, she’d never looked more beautiful.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Rupert asked Leda and me with a content little smile that spread his red goatee into a thin line. “Ta see something so good happen in a time so dark.”
“Doesn’t mean the darkness has left,” Leda muttered. I smirked and studied his response, but Rupert didn’t seem bothered by her callous reply. In fact, he didn’t even try to change his opinion to suit her, the way I expected.
“No, but for a moment, it seems like life is still going on,” he said.
Perhaps he’s not as spineless as I thought, I mused, wondering if there was just a slender chance that Rupert could eventually win Leda over. She’d already removed her hand from his, but any physical contact with Leda was a win.
“Perhaps in one small regard it feels as if life continues,” Leda said with a kinder tone. “For us, anyway. Michelle’s just about to strap herself down into the unending nightmare of marriage and babies.”
Rupert’s eyes flashed with disappointment. Ah, not so invincible to her charms. I felt a moment of pity for him. Courting Leda would be like trying to cuddle a porcupine. One had to have strong motivation to complete the deed.
Nicolas’s father raised his hand as Michelle arrived, sliding her hand into Nicolas’s awaiting grip.
“Gentle witches,” he called. “Let us begin the ceremony to hand fast my son to his beautiful bride, Michelle. I am most proud to be part of this day. First we shall observe a moment of silence for those of us who have given all to our Network, and who still fight for our protection and safety.”
A sober silence stretched over the crowd. No matter how bright things seemed to be here, the world still waged war. Perhaps more than we ever had since the last rise of the Almorran powers.
“Any word from Merrick?” Leda asked under her breath. My heart tugged.
“Not yet.”
“Do you miss him?”
I hesitated. “Yes, I do.”
The ceremony began.
When Michelle echoed Nicolas’s own sentiments by saying, “My wish is to be one with Nicolas,” Camille, who sat on the front row with Brecken, burst into tears and had to use Priscilla’s handkerchief. Leda snorted. I grinned.
“You are now hand fasted together for as long as the love between you shall last,” the High Witch declared. “Be happy and prosper together. So mote it be.”
When Michelle and Nicolas sealed the ceremony with a kiss, Camille burst into a fresh round of tears, Leda tilted her head back and laughed, and I applauded and whistled in a most inappropriate fashion. Michelle blushed, grinning at us from the platform.
Maybe we weren’t destined to live in the Witchery together for the rest of our lives, but we were meant to be friends forever. And we would.
I knew we would.
Epilogue
I stopped halfway through the doorway to my bedroom, still laughing over a joke Papa had told me. My mirth ceased immediately, interrupted by a gasp of surprise that stuck in my throat.
A familiar, exquisite rug lay surreptitiously on the ground, as if it had always been there.
The Volare.
A rolled-up parchment lay on top. I closed the door behind me and picked up the parchment without touching the intricate weave of the rug.
Dear Witch Who Finds This Note,
This rug is a Volare.
It was formed in the hot sands of the Western Network during the Time of the Weaver. Its roots lie deep in my heart. Creating it was no easy process. The magic the Volare works by is deep, born of love and sacrifice and my own blood. As its original weaver, I’ve enchanted this note to appear to the new owner of the Volare, should it find itself without an heir to pass on to. In such a case as this, the Volare chooses its next owner.
The magic is loyal; it will serve you well. Do not take this gift lightly. Be good to it, and it shall be good to you. In this way my legacy shall live on.
Wishing you many happy flights under the stars,
Tuffer, the Weaver of Magic
I folded the note in my palm, looked at the Volare, and commanded it to rise. It sprang from the floor and hovered at my waist.
I tilted my head back and laughed.
THE END
The Network Series
Mildred’s Resistance (prequel)
Miss Mabel’s School for Girls
(winner of IAN 2015 Outstanding Fantasy)
The Isadora Interviews (novella)
Antebellum Awakening
The High Priest’s Daughter
War of the Networks
The Network Series Complete Collection
(includes all the above books in one edition)
Short Stories from Miss Mabel’s
Short Stories from the Network Series
And when you’re done reading The Network Series, there’s more...
• THE DRAGONMASTER TRILOGY •
Flame
Flight
Freedom
• THE ANTEBELLUM COLLECTION •
The Witch Without Magic
The High Priestess
The Swordmaker
The Weavers of Magic
About Katie
I write fantasy books so you can seize the light. Hold magic in your fingertips. Command dragons. Throw yourself at the mercy of an attractive stranger. You’ll forget the shadows of real life to live your wildest adventure.
And remember that you are the hero of your own story.
Table of Contents
Cover
The Network Series
Title Page
•••
Rights and Disclaimers
Dedication
•••
The High Priest's Daughter
The Southern Network
A Unique Position
False Confidence
Attack
Magnolia Castle
Nightmare
Spunky
Isobel
Battle of Wills
I’d Give My Life
We’ll See
The Darkness Has Come
I’ll Fight
The Chatterer Archives
Bartie Stacey
Miss Mabel
Before the Storm
The Southern Covens
Do Not Come
The Wounded
The Volare
Send Him Home
Your War
Weakest of All
The Book of Light
Whatever It Takes
Troublemaker
Can’t You Feel It
Dragon Fury
An Explicit Command
You’ve Come to Fight
Will You Help Me?
Infinitely More
In Her Darkness
Safety
Friends Forever
Epilogue
•••
Read More
About the Author