Page 46 of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

Kieran didn’t have a chance to ask Sebastian if he was serious, because the next moment, the chime of a bell resonated through the icy halls of the palace.

“Honored guests,” a low-pitched woman’s voice said, echoing from the walls themselves. “Please join us in the banquet hall for our celebration’s opening ceremony. All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing your beautiful faces.”

Immediately, a flurry of movement began outside the room Kieran and Sebastian had settled in.

They stood and went to the entryway, where crowds of witches were making their way to the banquet hall.

After a quick exchange of looks, the two stepped into the crowd, following the witches forward.

They wound up pressed in on either side by moving bodies, Kieran doing his best to keep his elbows out so they didn’t shove him and Sebastian into each other.

Under his breath, Kieran whispered, “I thought you said you’d never been in love.”

Sebastian nearly slammed to a halt, only continuing when the crowd behind them pushed. He started, “I never loved Hélène. In fact, I barely tolerated them. It was purely physical outside of work—”

“And what was work, exactly?” Kieran arched his eyebrows, looking at Sebastian askance. “Because when they brought it up, you seemed really worried—”

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder briefly, then lowered his voice. It was so quiet Kieran had to strain to hear it over the din. “I was worried, Kier. Hélène isn’t someone you want to tangle with, and if they’re working for Elias, it means we’re in danger.”

Kieran repeated, “Danger—”

“Oh, thank goodness, there you are,” a familiar voice interrupted.

Kieran felt a hand brush his elbow. He looked up to find that Delilah had slid in at his side, clasping Briar’s hand on the other side.

“I didn’t realize this was going to turn into such a crowd.

Let’s keep an eye out for Ariel and Santiago. ”

Kieran’s eyes darted between Delilah and Sebastian, his question for Sebastian still on the tip of his tongue. When his eyes met Sebastian’s, he shook his head, then mouthed, Later.

While Kieran managed to smooth his expression and nod, all he really wanted was to scream.

It didn’t take long for them to run into Santiago and Ariel in the hallway, who joined their trek to the banquet hall.

They turned into a hallway where the ceiling tapered off, revealing an open view of the ice spikes that composed the apex of the castle.

The soaring space sat in the very center of the castle, the rest of it built up around the ballroom-like hall.

Pale, silvery lights bobbed in the air over the tables.

Each was decorated with centerpieces made of ice, ivy, and white roses.

Crisp white cloths covered each table, and the chairs gathered around them appeared to be antiques, with fine woodwork and soft velvet cushions.

Staff walked around with trays of drinks and food, greeting diners with sunny smiles as they took their seats.

Soft music came from a band seated at a stage at the center of the room, elevated so they looked out over the hall.

The entire space smelled of mulled wine, roses, and burnt sugar.

Getting tables was something of a free-for-all.

Kieran spotted one that was empty and led the others over to it.

All the while, he found his eyes wandering the hall, looking for Hélène’s half-shaved head.

Kieran had seen Sebastian face down dozens of mercenaries and never once show anything but mild annoyance.

But with Hélène there had been something…

different, some understanding of their skills that Kieran simply couldn’t grasp as an outsider.

It was the first time he’d sensed any hesitation in Sebastian at all.

They took their seats. Briar immediately loaded a small plate with meat skewers as a waiter walked by with them.

She offered one to Delilah before digging in, unaware of anything else.

Not long after, more food was brought out, the staff stopping at each table to offer different dishes.

Kieran found himself taking food but only nibbling at it, his stomach still twisting as the image of Hélène’s face burned in his brain.

He wanted to tell himself it was simply because of Sebastian’s comments about their work and skills, but if he was being honest with himself, that wasn’t it. Because he was beginning to realize that the writhing ball of emotion in his gut didn’t just come from fear.

He was, despite his best efforts, incredibly jealous.

Which I shouldn’t be, he reminded himself as he took a sip of water, the condensation cold on his fingers.

He said himself that he never loved them.

Plus, Sebastian and I are just friends who kiss sometimes.

It’s not like we’re together. I have no reason to be comparing myself to someone he was in an actual relationship with.

Kieran snuck a peek as Sebastian cut a slice of beef with razorlike precision.

When he took a bite, his eyes flickered to Kieran.

He cocked his head in question. The way the magic lights shone on him made his eyelashes cast spindly shadows over his sharp cheekbones.

Somewhere along the way, it seemed he must have brushed up against someone wearing something sparkly, because there were a few silvery metallic flecks in his black hair that Kieran yearned to reach out and brush away.

Just as he wanted to take Sebastian back to the ship and kiss him until his lips ached.

As he wanted to know his every secret, to be the confidant he could always trust to understand him, no matter how dark or unwieldy those secrets were.

He wanted more than just stolen kisses and whispers whenever everyone else had gone to bed.

He wanted to be here, now, holding Sebastian’s hand in front of all these people so it was obvious that he was his.

Kieran felt his cheeks flare pink at the thought. “Sorry,” he muttered, looking back to his own plate. “Nothing.”

Sebastian stared for a moment before going back to his meal.

Shit.

For a moment, it looked like Sebastian was going to say something. Before he could, though, a booming voice cut through the din.

“Honored guests!” called an excited feminine voice. “Please turn your attention to the center stage!”

Kieran and the others found a woman—maybe in her mid-thirties, if he had to guess—standing at the center of the stage.

She wore a dramatic ball gown that resembled a wedding dress, aside from the pale-blue bodice.

A cream-colored fur stole hung over one shoulder, while the other was bare.

She had dark-brown skin and wore her black hair in two Afro puffs atop her head.

Nestled between them was an intricate silver crown decorated with sapphires.

Kieran squinted. The shade of silver looked so familiar he paused. It looked a bit like…

Kieran’s breath caught. No way.

“Welcome, all, to the kickoff of the Iceweave Coven’s annual winter solstice celebration!

” cried the woman, her smile broad. She was elegant and vibrant, magical light seeming to twinkle around her as if she were a planet surrounded by stars.

Her eyes glowed with dark-blue magic, ocean-deep and powerful in a way that gave Kieran pause.

“I am Philomena Goldenday, Witch Queen of the coven. As you enjoy our opening banquet, I wanted to give you a rundown of all the events planned for our celebration. Starting off, of course, with the various rooms in the castle…”

She kept talking, but all Kieran could focus on was her crown.

Seaweed too had gone tense in the shoulders at the sight of it.

It couldn’t be what he thought it was, right?

There was no way that the Crown was right there in front of him, sitting atop the Witch Queen’s head.

It just happened to be the exact same metal as the rest of the scepter, in the exact spot they’d been told to get it…

I can’t just steal that off her head. She’s powerful—maybe even more powerful than Briar. I suppose I could ask her for a trade. But what in the world would a queen trade for her crown? Maybe—

“Which brings me,” Philomena said, drawing Kieran out of his thoughts, “to the week’s final event.

” She reached up and took the crown from her head, then gently held it out in front of her with both hands.

“Every year, the coven offers our guests a chance to win a single favor from us, which we’ll grant regardless of the size of the request. But to earn that favor, you must complete a great hunt. ”

Suddenly, the crown in her hands rose into the air, shining with silvery-blue light.

Philomena continued: “This crown represents said favor. Starting tomorrow at dawn, it will be hidden somewhere in the ice caves beneath the palace. Your task, then, is simple: Find where we’ve hidden it, and the coven’s favor is yours.

Any witch who wishes to try their hand at recovering it should meet here at first light.

Then, at my word, the hunt will begin. Magic of all sorts is allowed in the hunt.

We only ask that no one take the life of another hunter.

Should that occur, you will be immediately disqualified.

But, barring loss of life, you are free to use all the tools at your disposal to win. ”

The crowd exploded into murmurs as witches began discussing how they could potentially get their hands on the crown.

Kieran, meanwhile, felt his stomach plummet.

There had to be hundreds of—maybe even a thousand—witches in this ballroom alone.

How in the world was he supposed to find the Crown before all of them?

Nearly everyone in attendance was older than him, and certainly more skilled at magic.

And if the only rule was that they couldn’t kill, that left a lot of room for what they could do.