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“The coven and their families fled to Valandria from Astrali over five thousand years ago—though they weren’t called the Lost Coven back then.” I want to ask what they were called by don’t want to interrupt. “We don’t know why—the knowledge was lost and wiped from our records—but it is believed they were betrayed by Khronus. The ruling family in this area offered them sanctuary in the city when it was still little more than a village. It’s believed one of the coven married into the family and they took the name del Aurion. Their blood still runs in the royal veins.”

That would explain why Thanouq has Astrali blood. He’d survived the bite of the shadowguard—only people with Astrali blood survive and become shifters themselves. But apparently there’s a lot of Astrali blood about. By all accounts, they spent a lot of time screwing around on both Valandria and Earth. Zayne has Astrali blood, for which I am eternally grateful as he also survived a bite from the shadowguard.

“With the backing of the witches, the family became powerful,” Winter continues, “and eventually they ruled over the whole of Valandria. But as time passed, Lucifer grew in power while theirs waned. The Valandrian people had turned from the goddess and now worshipped Khronus. But when Lucifer grew stronger, Khronus abandoned Valandria and fled, with the rest of the pure-bred Astralis, back to the safety of their world, leaving the guardians to fight in their place.”

She sits for a moment staring into space and I resist the urge to hurry her up.

Finally, she continues, “The coven still worshipped Selene, and the Valandrians came to blame them for Khronus’s withdrawal, which left them vulnerable to Lucifer. The witches fell out of favor and retreated to live quietly in this house in the city.”

Sounds like Khronus was a bastard even back then. I glance at Khaos to see how he’s taking this but as usual, I can read nothing from his expression.

“They lived here for centuries,” Winter says, her gaze taking in the beautiful room. “Until the city was destroyed in the last great battle. They fought alongside the people, but Lucifer’s forces were too powerful by then, the shadowguard too many, and the city fell. What was left of the coven and their families fled.”

“They must have warded this place and put protection spells on the building,” Khaosti says.

“Yes.” She glances at me. “There was a…belief that one day we would return, and Selene’s power would once more grace the land and Lucifer would be destroyed.”

Oh dear—there it was again. Me saving the goddamn world and everyone in it. For a moment, the thought weighs me down and my shoulders slump. But I’d promised myself a day off from all that crap, so I stiffen my spine and smile serenely. “What happened after they left here?” I ask.

“They had prepared the way and headed through the Western pass and beyond the mountains of Draconfell. It was far from the interest of either the Valandrians or Lucifer, a wild, unpopulated land, filled with feral beasts.”

“Probably a big improvement on people,” I say.

Winter grins: it lights up her face. “My people thought so. Witches have always had an affinity for animals. We lived in peace for over a thousand years, handing down our knowledge and magic, though it got weaker as the centuries passed. But the peace couldn’t last. Finally, the slavers heard talk of a race withmagic and crossed the mountains. My people fought fiercely and most lost their lives. I saw my brother, Niall, taken in one of the early raids. Then my parents died. My sister.” Sadness flickers across her face. “They took me and a few others. By the time you attacked the slave train, only I was left.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I am at peace with it. Their spirits will have joined the goddess in the stars.”

Aw, that’s nice. I never believed in any of the Earth religions, the going to heaven and stuff. I’m not sure I believe this, either. But clearly Winter does. I wonder if she thinks Khaosti is a god. Or that I’m a goddess, for that matter. That’s a conversation for another day. And I suppose Winter, with her witch’s blood, is part goddess herself. Because all the Astralis are descended from the gods.

Winter sits back; she looks drained. I guess it’s a little cathartic telling your story like that. But she has one last thing to say. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you were blessed by the goddess.”

Ugh!

Chapter 29

He’s Hot, He’s Broken, He’s Killing Me

Winter’s words are definitely not what I want to hear. It’s my I’m-in-denial day. So, I just nod sagely. I catch Khaosti’s gaze and spot the amusement in his eyes—it’s good to see. I thought he’d left his sense of humor back in that dungeon.

I consider what Winter has told us. It’s such ancient history, but I can’t help thinking that the coven’s flight from Astrali coincided with bad Lucifer’s arrival on the scene. I say “bad” Lucifer because I’m pretty sure, from the few small snippets of information that Hecate has reluctantly given me—she hates talking about my father, and for that matter, she’s not all that happy talking about my mother—that good, or at least not totally evil, Lucifer was around before that. I must get her to open up.Maybe I could borrow a bottle of brandy from Thanouq and ply her with it. Something happened to turn my father into an evil despot with the ambition to reduce the world to carnage and chaos. The only people I know who were around back then were Khronus and Hecate. And as a conversation with Khronus is not an option, Hecate is my only choice.

Maybe these witches were involved. “Do your people have any information about Lucifer?” I ask. “I mean why did he leave Astrali?”

Something flashes in her face, but it’s gone before I can identify it. She shakes her head. “We do not speak of Lucifer. Ever.” Her tone is final, and I don’t push, because I’m guessing she really doesn’t know.

I sigh.

I want to know so much. But then, I think about history on Earth. The truth is, no one really knows what happened five thousand years ago—it’s all conjecture and guesses. This isn’t quite the same because there are people involved with this history who are still alive. Though that might be muddying the waters, as from the little I’ve learned, Khronus is manipulating history, rewriting it for his own agenda. If Hecate knew Lucifer, then presumably so did Khronus. But he’s keeping quiet about that. Khaos knows little more than I do. Plus Khronus has totally lied to his people about the true nature of the shadowguard. Khaos had no clue what they really were until Hecate revealed the truth.

Winter stands up. “I have to go. I’m meeting Zayne.” Pink blushes her cheeks. It’s sort of cute.

“Don’t break his heart,” I say.

Her eyes widen, then a small smile tilts the corners of her lips. She’s really beautiful when she smiles. “I’ll do my best not to.”

“Do you mind if we stick around?” I ask. “I’d love to look at some of the books.” Maybe I’ll find some history books that will tell me something useful.