The crown—my crown—was exquisitely impressive. Two white ridged horns shot out from the top and curled down by where my ears would be. Sticking out from the top were two white antlers. The part that would wrap around my head was made of golden vines and looked like it’d been taken straight off a tree in the Garden of Eden. In the center, it dipped down, and a massive opal glistened in the sunlight—a stone that contained all the colors and qualities of every other stone and could be charged for any type of magic.
Tegan stepped up to me, holding the crown out. “Tennessee Wildes, The Coven has spoken. Do you accept this role and vow to always guide us in the honorable direction?”
I nodded. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Emperor’s power, I give my word.”
She grinned from ear to ear, then reached out and placed the crown on my head. Warmth radiated down my spine and into all of my limbs. Wild, raw energy tingled along my nerves. I stared up into my soulmate’s eyes.
“Emperor of The Coven,” Constance said softly, pulling my gaze toward her. She smiled down at me with glistening blue eyes. Her crystal crown sparkled in the soft sunshine. She pulled a small white crystal out of the chest. “The Goddess has spoken. Do you accept this role and vow to always guide us in the divine direction?”
I swallowed through a lump in my throat. “By The Coven’s magic, I shall be heard. With mine Emperor’s power, I give my word.”
She twirled her fingers, and a cloud of white smoke billowed out from the crystal. When it cleared, an intricate staff stood on its own. It was made of dark wood, black opal, with silver and gold vines wrapped around it. The entire staff had runes carved into it, and the bottom ten inches was clear quartz crystal. But the top was the coolest part. It had long spikes that trapped a glowing orb within them. I reached out and clutched the staff in my left hand.
“Rise, Emperor, and stand before your people,” Bentley said softly.
I stood…and every single person in the crowd bowed.
My Coven-mates rushed to my side. They were all grins and high fives. Tegan slipped her fingers in mine, and I felt her magic against my new crystal ring. My father put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, just like he’d done the moment he rescued me in the mountains. He met my eyes and smiled. He didn’t need to say the words out loud.
Royce wagged his eyebrows. “So, what’s next, boss?”
Part of me wanted to soak this moment in, but the bigger part of me needed to honor the man whose job I’d just taken. Timothy. I wasn’t the type of person who needed praise and glory. I didn’t want to let it get to my head. I was now the Coven Leader, and that meant I had a duty to my Coven-mates but also my entire species.
I turned to Constance, my fellow Coven Leader. “Bring out the murderer.”
Chapter Eight
Bettina
Maybe I should’ve escaped.
I groaned and wrapped my arms around my knees. My stomach growled, and it sounded like something from a sci-fi movie. Nausea rolled up, and I had to clench down on my teeth to stop myself from being sick. I was starving. I hadn’t eaten since… Well, I wasn’t sure how long ago that was. Jackson had brought me a bag of food, but between my starvation then and the fear someone would catch me with it, I’d eaten every last crumb of it. But it’d been dark out when he gave me the food, and the sun had been shining through my tease of a window for a couple hours at least.
I think. It was hard to keep track.
The morning sun had been a welcome relief, bringing both warmth and light to my dark thoughts. But that, too, faded away. My dungeon was clearly not facing east, so barely any light was getting in. And it turned out cobblestone held its chill. I shivered and wrapped the camouflage blanket around me tighter.
The dungeon door opened with a loud creak then slammed into the stone wall.
I gasped and yanked the blanket off of me. Cold air tingled over my bare arms. I shivered again, and my teeth rattled. Knights poured into the dungeon dressed in their black fighting gear and holding swords at the ready. Some were lined up in the hall outside the door. There had to be two dozen of them in total. My pulse kicked up a notch.
Harlan marched up to my cell. “Get up,” he barked. That playful side of him was nowhere in sight. His shaggy long hair was tied behind his head. He pointed his wand at the iron bars, and the door opened. Then he glared down at me. “Let’s go.”
I blinked and tried to get to my feet, but so many hours in the bitter cold made my muscles tight and sore. I’d managed to get to my knees when Harlan huffed and stormed inside. He walked over and pulled me to my feet. I was just thinking maybe he didn’t hate me when he pointed his wand at my body, and thick metal chains wrapped all the way around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides.
“What’s happening?” I hissed before I could stop myself.
“You’ve been arrested for treason and murder,” Harlan growled. He gripped one of my chains and pulled me into a quick walk. “Don’t try anything, or I’ll put that tape over your mouth again.”
My eyes filled with tears and I nodded. As we walked, I glanced at the Knights surrounding us, and my heart sank. I knew them. We’d fought together at the border against the demons. I’d even saved some of their lives. But now I was chained up like a monster. Maybe I should’ve escaped. There was no way anyone was going to believe me.
We walked through a doorway, and bright golden sunlight hit my face. Warmth slid over my body, and for a split second, I felt relief.
Harlan yanked me to a stop and let the Knights get ahead of us. When the last of them got a few feet away, he leaned in closer. “I hope you have your story rehearsed.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned and tried to look up at him, but the sun was too intense. My voice was hoarse and low, completely unfamiliar to my own ears. “Wait, am I going to Constance now to tell her my story?”
Harlan shook his head, then pushed me into a walk again. “Try the entire Coven.”
I gasped and stopped in my tracks. My heart skipped beats. “What? They’re all here?”
“Constance called them to come deal with you, but first they had to make the Emperor the new Coven Leader.” He grabbed my chains and dragged me forward. “So like I said, you better have it memorized.”
I flinched. His words felt like a slap to the face. “I don’t have to memorize anything. It’s the truth. I’m innocent, Harlan.”
For a moment he didn’t react at all, just marched us forward. But then he sighed long and hard. “As your friend, I want to believe you. As someone who knows you, I don’t believe you could’ve gotten the drop on Tim like that. Not with his ice magic. But it looks bad, Tina. Real bad. The Coven doesn’t do trials like the humans. They strip magic like it’s nothing. And that would be the least of your worries.”
I nodded and let him lead the way to wherever I was meeting The Coven. Tears poured down my cheeks. “Thanks for trying to believe me, at least.”
“I didn’t at first,” he grumbled. “But then Jackson made me realize just how ludicrous the notion was.”
My heart fluttered. “Jackson did?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully he’s put in a good word with Constance for you. I know he was with her all morning.”
Despite everything, I smiled. Jackson believed me, and he was trying to convince other people. My soul sang with that little sliver of happiness.
“Lennox, Gen, and Trey are on your side, too,” Harlan said after a few minutes. “So I really hope you’re not playing us for the fools.”
“I’m not. I—” My words dried on my tongue as we turned the corner.
In front of us was a wall of white…of people dressed in white. Ceremonial white. I recognized the Edenburg cloaks mixed in with people wearing regular street clothes in white. There had to be hundreds of people all standing on bleachers that were definitely magic-made. Right in the middle, there was a narrow opening. The Knights lined the pathway, holding their swords up. My stomach turned.
Harlan sighed and turned toward me. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”
He flicked his wand, and my mouth was once again sealed shut by magical tape. Though this time it wasn’t on as tight, and I knew that was intentional. I’d take whatever niceties I could get at this point. But then Harlan pointed his wand at my feet and flicked it. Thick, ancient-looking shackles bound my ankles together. I’d be able to walk, but running was out of the question. I shivered and it only had a little to do with the ice-cold temperature of the air.
Harlan gripped the chains behind my neck and pushed me forward. He kept his wand pointed at my body. Part of me was hurt by this, but I knew he had to do his job. I didn’t want anyone else to get in trouble. So I let him lead me up the narrow pathway. The Knights fell into step with us so they made a complete barrier around me.
And it wasn’t for my protection.
As we walked through the crowd, people booed and screamed at me, but I didn’t let myself look up at them. I was innocent. I just had to remember that. A few feet later, all of my strength and confidence abandoned me in one fell swoop.
The Coven awaited me.
I glanced over to my left, and my gaze landed on Jackson. His beautiful aquamarine eyes twinkled in the soft sunlight. I kept my eyes on his as I walked those final steps. The heat in his stare warmed my heart a little. But the pain in his eyes was salt to the wound. This just wasn’t fair. If only I hadn’t pulled the bone out. Then they would’ve seen it wasn’t me.
Harlan yanked on my chains, pulling me up short. The Knight beside me swung his sword down and swept my feet out from under me. My knees slammed into the cold, hard dirt and sent sharp pain shooting into my legs. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from making any noise. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.
The Knights in front of me moved…and then I had two dozen sword blades pointed right at my face. I looked up and found the entire Coven standing about fifty feet away from me, wearing sleeveless tunics and no shoes.
And then my gaze landed on a pair of pale green eyes more familiar to me than my own.
My heart stopped.
TEGAN.
Chapter Nine
Bettina
TEGAN?!
I closed my eyes and shook my head. I had to have been seeing things. That couldn’t have been my very best friend standing there with The Coven. But then I opened my eyes, and she was still there. All I could do was stare. This can’t be happening. How is this— Is this real life? Constance was speaking, but the pounding of my heart drowned her out. OH MY GOD, TEGAN?!
For a moment, Tegan’s eyes went so wide I saw the whites all the way around the green. Her jaw dropped. And then she sprinted toward me. Harlan backed away. The Knights looked at each other then braced themselves, still pointing their weapons at me. Tegan’s eyes were sharp and lethal-looking. Her cheeks were flushed, the way they always were when she got emotional. She charged right for us, but the Knights weren’t moving. No one was moving.
Without breaking stride, Tegan flicked her wrists, and the six Knights standing in front of me flew out of the way. The other Knights scurried back a few steps, but didn’t drop their weapons. They glanced back and forth between me and her, like they weren’t sure what was about to happen. But then as Tegan got close, they jumped back in front of me.
Tegan slid to a stop a few feet in front of them. She arched one black eyebrow and growled, “Let her go now.”
The Knights didn’t move.
Tegan didn’t give them a second chance, or even a second to think. She flicked her wrists, and every single Knight flew into the air. All of them. At once. I looked around and spotted them crashing to the dirt dozens of yards away. The crowd gasped.
Harlan leapt in front of me with his arms spread wide. “You have to let her explain—”
“Move,” Tegan snarled.
When he didn’t budge in a split second, she threw her hand up, and Harlan lifted into the air. He thrashed around, and she flicked her wrist and he soared right toward The Coven. I tried to see if he landed okay, but then Tegan was suddenly right in front of me. I hadn’t even seen her move. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around me.
And I lost it. All of the pain and fear I’d been holding in exploded out of me like a broken dam. Tears rained down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably. With the magical tape on my mouth it was hard to breathe and cry hysterically but that was okay, Tegan was there. All of my fight left me in a rush, and I collapsed in her arms. She gripped me tight, holding me close. I had no idea how long we sat there like that, but when she finally pulled back, she had tears in her eyes.
“Oh my Goddess, Bettina!” She shook her head and smoothed my hair—then gasped. Her eyes widened. “What did they do to you?”
Rainbow mist poured out of her hands and slammed into my face…and the magical tape vanished. Tegan wiggled her fingers, and the chains melted into thin air. I gulped for air and wiped my face with my dirty hands.
Tegan grabbed my hands. “Blood— You’re freezing!” She reached up to a black crystal hanging around her neck, and then it changed into a leather jacket. She wrapped the jacket around my shoulders then jumped to her feet. “Why is she ice cold? We don’t freeze people!” she screamed at the Knights, and to everyone in general.
I slid my arms into the sleeves of the jacket and sighed at the instant heat. It was like a heated blanket, but in jacket form. I looked up to find the entire Coven rushing toward Tegan, like they, too, had been stunned frozen. A wave of warmth rushed over my face, and then I spotted a face I really hadn’t expected. Emersyn.
The blonde girl from The Gathering ran straight for me then yanked me up to my feet. She pulled me in for a hug. “Oh my God, Bettina?” She held me for a second then pulled back and took my hands in hers. Heat slammed into my fingers.
“Bettina!”
I looked down and found little Bentley Bishop smiling up at me. My eyes widened. “Benny?”
His grin broadened, but then he grimaced. “Sorry we’re late.”
“That wasn’t your call!” Tegan screamed at someone. Then she spun with wild green eyes. “Tennessee!”
I frowned. Tennessee? And then I spotted him right behind Emersyn. I hadn’t realized it was him under the crown with horns and antlers. Plus, I’d been focused on Tegan.
“We do not torture people,” he growled. He put his hand on Tegan’s back.
“Bettina?”
I jumped at the familiar deep voice. When I turned, I found Hunter Bishop standing in front of me with wide golden eyes. I gasped—and then I was in his arms. I hadn’t even realized I’d moved. He wrapped his arms around me tight and squeezed, rubbing a circle on my back with one hand.
“Oh, Bettina, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and it vibrated in his chest. Something about the sound of this man’s voice always soothed me. He was a second father to me. Hell, he was much more affectionate than my own father. “Just breathe for me. It’s all right. We’re here now. You’re going to be okay. We’ve got you.”
It wasn’t until he said that that I realized I was sobbing again. A weeping, gasping, disgusting mess.
“I don’t care what they saw. She did NOT do this!” Tegan snapped, and a blast of energy shot out of her that made the hairs on my neck stand tall.
I pulled away from Hunter and turned toward the sound of her voice. Her long black hair whipped around, and the sight of those purple tips that I’d dyed made my heart hurt with happiness. Then she spun and flung her arm out, and my eyes widened. There, on her left forearm, was the Roman numeral II inked in black on her skin.
She’s the High Priestess.
“Deacon!” Tennessee snapped. “Get everyone out of here now.”
That pretty blond guy with purple eyes that had crashed at my house stepped up with a wicked smirk. He nodded. “You got it, boss.”
Thick, crimson smoke billowed out of him and filled the courtyard faster than a tsunami.
Chapter Te
n
Bettina
My best friend is the High Priestess.
This whole time when I couldn’t get ahold of her, it was because she was in The Coven and trying to save the world. I was trying to put the pieces together, but my brain just kept saying holy shit. Tegan and I definitely had some serious catching up to do.
“I promise you she’s innocent,” Tegan said for about the hundredth time.
They’d escorted me to Kenneth’s place—and by escorted, I meant one second we were in the courtyard area, and the next we were in here. It blew my mind until I remembered hearing that the High Priestess could portal. Then that blew my mind.
Tegan sighed and rested her hand on my shoulder—the hand covered in swirling black lines and a pink crystal tattoo. “There’s more going on here than we know, that’s all.”
A fresh round of tears filled my eyes, and I tried to hold them in. My emotions were shot. She knew me. She knew there was no way I would murder someone. I knew without asking she wasn’t going to let me go down for this. And it filled my heart with so much happiness it actually hurt.
It didn’t even matter in that moment that the rest of The Coven was eyeing me suspiciously. Well, not everyone. Hunter and Bentley stood protectively around me. I couldn’t see their Marks to know which Cards they were, but I saw that they had one. Emersyn was in front of me. Every time I shivered, she held my hand and warmed me up. I wasn’t sure what the hell was up with that, but I did know that the Mark on her arm made her the Empress. Which was crazy to me given the way we met. That was where the supportive glances ended.
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 29
