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Kallista considered her carefully.

“Tell me, Priestess,” she said. “Why does this council have five representatives for the Witch Faction, when the rest of us have only one? I was led to believe this was a council of equals, and this,” she gestured toward the four High Priestesses. “This feels less than equal to me.”

Sana’s face reddened. “We are not representatives,” she explained. “The other High Priestesses and I are here to advise our representative, Princess Amalia, and nothing more. We are here to offer her advice until she comes of age. The Witch Faction can cast a single vote, the same as all other Factions.”

“Princess Amalia,” the Demon said, rolling the title in her mouth as though tasting it. Her eyes moved to regard the Princess. “But, not a Princess, is she? Not anymore.”

Amalia glanced up at her.

“Do you wish to be called by this title?” Kallista asked. Her voice was not mocking, nor cruel. Curious. “Do you wish to still be called Princess?”

Amalia swallowed, hard. Then looked away.

“Yes,” she said in a voice with more steel in it than Fey expected. “Yes, I do.”

Kallista only nodded. “And you wish to keep these advisors?” she asked. Shadows seemed to circle the Priestess as she spoke, like snakes.

“Yes.”

“Then they can stay,” Kallista conceded with a smile, and those circling shadows vanished. “Until you decide you no longer wish to keep them.”

There was a threat to those words, Fey noticed. She wondered, absently, what would happen to those four Witches if Amalia told Kallista she no longer wished for their service.

“Good,” said Sana, her hands obviously shaking now. “Good. Then let us get started.

“The council welcomes Alice, Fey, and Joy, of the Eternal City,” Sana said. “I hope that we will not take up much of your time, but we have brought you here to clear up any questions the council may have about your… involvement in the Queen’s death. I will open the floor to questions.”

Kellos spoke immediately.

“The Shifter Faction has no questions for the Witches before the council,” he said in a deep voice, and Fey glanced at him in surprise. At her side, Alice just smiled. She, at least, was not shocked by the support.

“I have spoken with the Lionesses who were present that night,” Kellos continued. “As well as several respected members of our Faction. And I am satisfied with the justice that was delivered. The Shifters offer their thanks to these Witches for their protection of the realm.”

He inclined his head to them, blinking his wise eyes at them in a way that was unmistakably feline.

“The Vampire Faction has no questions for the Witches before the council,” deSanguine said, waving his fingers at them with a smirk. Linh and Leandra were speaking together in low, urgent voices. “We, also, offer our thanks to the three Witches,” he continued, and looking right at Fey, he smiled.

“On a personal note,” he said, sitting up straighter in his chair. “It seems one Witch in particular deserves special recognition.” His smile spread, and while it wasn’t cruel, Fey couldn’t bring herself to entirely believe it was kind. “It takes a very special creature to capture one of my son’s hearts,” he said, softly. “I hope you are worthy of it.”

Joy coughed, loudly, to cover her laugh, and Fey shot her a scowl.

Kallista said nothing, though she watched the proceedings with obvious, growing amusement.

This was, clearly, not the reaction that some of the High Priestesses had expected. Certainly, not the reaction that Linh had hoped for.

Sana, Fey was pleased to see, had relaxed considerably. She gave Fey a comforting smile, her eyes warm and friendly.

But when Leandra spoke, her voice was anything but.

“Regardless of the feelings of the Vampires and Shifters,” she said, shooting deSanguine and Kellos a dismissive glance. “We do have questions.”

“Then, by all means,” Kallista said, turning in her chair to watch her. “Let your representative ask them.”

Leandra opened her mouth, then shut it. She glanced down at Amalia, who still stared at the table before her, as though in a trance.

“Amalia, dear,” Linh prompted.

Princess Amalia looked up.