Page 23

Chapter 22

Vareck

“There are no witches in the castle,” Kaia said, eating up the distance between us with long strides.

“There is at The Witching Hour,” I replied, taking the steps down two at a time.

“Most aren’t powerful enough to create a portal between realms, let alone one that can find her across the veil. You’re better off finding someone on this side.” My mouth twisted. She had a point, much as I loathed it. The portal to The Witching Hour was in the palace gardens. Finding someone in Faerie would take longer and every second she was missing, my anxiety mounted. I wasn’t this torn up over my nephew’s capture. Not even a fraction. Not sure what that said about me.

“I need one quickly. If I have to drag them through the portal to Faerie first, so be it.”

Kaia sighed, keeping pace with me. “You’re asking for help by pissing off a witch? Not a great way to go about it.”

I growled under my breath. “If they won’t bargain, I’ll compel them.”

Kaia cursed. “You’re just asking to get cursed. No, I know of one here. She’s not too far from the castle. Only half a day’s ride.”

I paused at the first floor. “Half a day? That’s too long.” I shook my head. “She could be anywhere by then.” Kaia stepped in front of me. My jaw pressed together, teeth grinding. “Move.”

“No,” she said without hesitation. “I’m not going to let you be stupid about this. If you try to force a witch, they will retaliate. That’s assuming you even can. We both know they ward themselves to prevent persuasion. You want her back. I get it. Be smart about it . You can’t help her if a witch subdues you.”

My chest tightened. I didn’t like it, but Kaia was right and not just because she couldn’t lie. “Fine.”

I turned for the stables without another word. Kaia followed, slightly behind as we traversed the grounds in silence.

“Belfor!” I called out to the stable master. He stood outside the structure, grooming one of the mares.

“My King,” he answered in greeting. “What brings you here?”

“Ready Dealanach and Toirneach. Quickly, please.”

“Of course.” He tossed the brush he was using aside and stepped away from the mare. Kaia and I stopped just outside the stable. The scent of hay and horses might have calmed me under different circumstances. Instead I paced, biting back my impatience when it threatened to snap.

It felt like hours but was likely minutes before Dealanach was guided out to me. His thick white coat had spots of dappling gray, making him blend in with the snow. Both he and Toirneach were Vetr Horses, named for the north-most city in Faerie. Before the winter, we’d had many kinds of horses, but once the realm froze only a few breeds remained.

I mounted my steed as Belfor appeared with Kaia’s. The two were brothers, but where Dealanach was mostly white, Toirneach was grayer.

“Thank you, Belfor,” I tossed out while I waited for Kaia. She didn’t waste time, directing us toward the west side of the castle. I followed after her, gripping the reins between numb fingers. We started at a trot that quickly turned into a gallop once we exited the castle grounds.

From there, it became a waiting game. With every second that passed, my emotions rioted. Desperation coiled in my stomach, twisting it into knots. Fear was a hand around my heart, squeezing the beating organ in my chest. It pounded painfully in my sternum, making my breaths short and quick. Neither of them silenced the rage. It built the longer we rode, drowning out everything else. I tried not to think about what might be happening to her right now. If she had the necklace off, I knew she could protect herself, but with it on she might as well be human.

The only thing that kept me in check was the sliver of a bond we shared. I wasn’t sure what went wrong with the blood oath but whatever we had done at least allowed me to feel her. If she weren’t alive, that thread would sever.

“Up ahead,” Kaia said, pointing toward the tree line.

We slowed back to a trot when we crossed it. While I didn’t recognize the area, the white willow trees told me we were in the Everwood Forest. A plume of smoke sifted through the bare branches up ahead. I pulled ahead of Kaia and came to a stop once we hit a small clearing. In the center was a small wood cabin with a thatch roof. A small barn that had seen better days sat behind it, doors open and swinging on the hinges. The creak of metal grinding against metal painted an eerie picture. No other sounds carried on the wind and no lights were on in the cabin. If not for the smoke coming from the chimney, I would assume no one was home.

“How did you find this woman?” I asked while we dismounted.

“I was looking for your dream girl. One of the servants was talking about a witch who made her a love potion.”

My eyebrows rose. “Those are illegal.”

“So is stalking,” she replied. “Besides, the information turned out to be good. She’s the one that told me about Lucian.” Kaia motioned to the cabin.

“I don’t trust him.”

“The broker?”

“Yeah.” The steps creaked under my weight. I half expected a plank to snap on the way to the door.

Kaia snorted. “He’s a leprechaun. No shit.”

We shared a look, then I raised my hand to knock on the door. Before my knuckles could meet the wood, it opened. A woman that didn’t appear a day older than thirty stood in the doorway. Her hair was snow white, but her eyes were black.

“Hello, High Commander. I didn’t expect to meet again so soon.” Her voice had a soft, lilting quality to it. “I see you’ve brought our king. What can I do for you, Your Majesty?” Her unnerving eyes settled on me with an intensity that bordered on uncomfortable.

“I need a portal.”

She lifted a dark brow. “That so?” The witch stepped back, holding the door open. I stepped inside, surveying the cabin.

It was one room. Beside the door sat a long table with a mortar and pestle on top. Herbs were spread across the surface along with various unnamed bottles holding different colored liquids. Beside it was a small bookshelf with several leather-bound tomes. Apart from that, the room only hosted a small cot, two rickety chairs with a table between them, a fireplace, and a hanging basket with bread in it.

Kaia followed me in, and the door closed on its own behind her.

My shoulders tensed. This place was setting off all sorts of alarms, but I was desperate.

“Where are you looking to go?” the witch asked, turning her back on us as she pulled a kettle off a metal grate in the fireplace.

“It’s complicated,” I said.

The witch chuckled. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise. Tea?” She glanced back, and I shook my head.

“There’s a woman. I’m . . . bound to her. We attempted a blood oath, but something went wrong. I’m trying to find her.”

The witch hummed under her breath while she poured the water into a chipped cup. “Wrong how?”

“I’m not sure exactly.”

“But you’re bound?”

I nodded. “I can feel her. Her emotions. Where she’s at. I don’t know what happened or what kind of bond we created, but I know there is one.”

The witch blew the steam that was rising from her tea, silent for a moment. “If you can feel where she’s at, why do you need me?”

Frustration bled into me and my hands fisted at my sides. “She was taken north through a portal. That’s all I know. Can you help me or not? ”

She nodded absentmindedly. “I can,” she murmured. “But it’s going to cost you.”

I reached into my pocket, pulling out a heavy bag of coins. The witch laughed. “I wasn’t talking about money, Your Majesty.”

“Name your price.”

She watched me with a strange, dark gaze. A lesser being would have fidgeted under her attention. I would not.

“A favor now for a favor later.”

“Absolutely not,” Kaia bit out. “Name a different price.”

The witch’s eyes flicked to my best friend. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, her shawl falling partway to reveal dark red lines that another might have mistaken for tattoos. I knew better. This witch dealt in blood magic.

“No,” she replied. “You want my help. That’s the cost.”

I worked my jaw. “What’s the favor?”

Her smile was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. “You’ll know when I ask it.”

I glanced at Kaia. Her lips were pinched, expression unreadable to most. I knew her well enough to tell when she was displeased.

“We can find another way,” she said quietly.

“We can, but how long will it take? She’s out there—powerless—because of me. I don’t know who took her or what they want.”

Kaia sighed. “This is a terrible idea. She”—Kaia hooked her thumb toward the witch listening to us—”could ask for anything. If she’s not interested in money, and she won’t say what favor she wants, you know whatever it is won’t be good.”

I ran my palm over my jaw, thinking. “What if there were stipulations on the favor?” I asked, turning to the witch .

She took a sip of her tea, considering it. “What sort of stipulations?”

“You can’t ask for my kingdom. No ownership of a person. You can’t ask someone’s execution.” I looked at Kaia. “Am I missing anything?”

Kaia rubbed at her forehead. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

“I’m aware. That’s not what I asked.”

She blew out a tight breath. “Off the top of my head, that seems like the most important things. I’m sure there are others, but I would need time to come up with a list.”

“We don’t have time.”

Kaia pursed her lips, glancing back to the witch. “Would you accept those terms?”

“I would.”

It was too easy, and yet there was nothing simple about it. I would have paused and taken more time to consider if I had it, but time was not on my side.

I opened my mouth to agree, but then hesitated. Kaia looked at me, holding my stare. After a short pause, she dipped her chin.

“You have a deal.”

The witch’s blood-red lips curled up in a close-mouthed smile. “It is done.” A frown tugged at the corners of my lips. I didn’t feel any different. There was no wash of magic. Hm. Perhaps it wasn’t the same with every witch.

“Now.” She set her tea on the table and reached into a hidden pocket in her dress, withdrawing an athame. Kaia moved in front of me, her hand going to one of the swords strapped to her back. A wry smile crossed the witch’s face. “I mean no harm to our king, Commander. But if he has a bond with this woman, I will need his blood for the portal to find her.”

I put a hand on Kaia’s shoulder. “It’s fine.”

“She’s a blood witch,” Kaia hissed under her breath.

“We already made a deal. She’s bound by the terms as well.”

Kaia narrowed her eyes, still not looking at me. “One wrong move, you die.”

The witch let out a cackle. “I think you will find I am no easy kill, but that’s neither here nor there. I agreed to make a portal to the woman, and I will.” She extended the athame, hilt first. I stepped around Kaia, taking it.

Without fanfare, I dragged the blade across the meat of my palm. Blood welled at the cut. The witch grabbed my wrist and muttered a spell under her breath, in a language I didn’t recognize. Her free hand pressed against mine, palm to palm, then she extended it away from us.

Black smoke poured from the bloody print, creating a sibling vortex in seconds. The witch stepped to the side and motioned to the portal.

“As requested.”

Kaia grabbed my arm when I moved closer to it.

“Until Drayden returns, someone needs to be at the castle while the search for Damon is underway.”

“Stay.” I nodded. “Corvo can find me. If there’s trouble, I’ll send word.”

Her hand dropped away. “Be careful, Vareck.”

“Always.”

Then I walked into the portal, and I didn’t look back.