Page 45

Chapter 45

I fell to my knees and tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I dropped my fingers from the pendant around my neck and turned to Bastion for comfort. He was there instantly, fierce and strong. He partially shifted, losing his T-shirt and used his wings to wrap us in a feathery blanket, offering us precious privacy and blocking us from anyone else’s sight.

‘I’m okay,’ I murmured. ‘I’m okay.’

‘No, you’re not,’ he whispered back. ‘And that’s okay, too.’ He clung to me fiercely and I gave a half-laugh and pressed my forehead against his neck. The scent of him was strong there and so reassuring.

When my shocked tears had finally run their course, I pulled back and swiped at my cheeks. I hadn’t been prepared to see Abigay, to hear her voice and feel her love, and it had sideswiped me. Joy, disbelief and grief were mingled together inside me.

‘ Release her, protector ,’ the Goddess ordered gently. ‘ Our time is not yet done .’

I nodded and Bastion obeyed, opening his wings and tucking them back into his body where they vanished. He remained shirtless, which distracted me.

‘Focus, Amber.’ The Goddess was amused.

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Welcome to the sisterhood of the Crone, Amber DeLea.’ The humour was gone from her voice and her tone was ceremonial. ‘Your new role is more than a job; it is a new identity, that of a huntress. Fear has no place in your heart. You must be bold. You must stop the rising dark, or the balance will shift forever.’ Her voice was heavy with warning. ‘ It cannot be borne, Amber. Your sisters will guide you. Heed them. Blessed be.’

‘Blessed be,’ I said aloud.

‘You must find Frogmatch. His time grows short,’ she said grimly.

‘Where?’

‘Seek him in the dead city.’

‘Where exactly in the dead city?’ It was a big place.

I heard her tinkling laugh inside my head. ‘ If I give you all the answers, your journey will be different. Use your resources and seek him.’ The milky-white light in Willow’s eyes faded and she collapsed; the Goddess was gone.

The Mother and the Maiden carefully laid her unconscious body on the floor. The blood on the pentagram had vanished, burned out by the Goddess’s presence. The two women turned to me and bowed. ‘Blessed be, Crone,’ they spoke in unison.

And that was when I realised exactly what had happened. I’d been so wrapped up in the moment, so awed by speaking with the Goddess, that I hadn’t fully understood that I had been appointed the next Crone.

I was now the unofficial leader of the Coven Council and the guiding voice of the future. If I’d taken time to process it, I’d have freaked out. This was huge, bigger than any of my ambitions. I’d been tasked by the Goddess to stop the rising dark.

The Crone was a position for life. With the gargantuan task of stopping the dark witches, I hoped that mine would last for more than a hot minute.