Page 152 of Traitor Witch

My blade drops from my hand.

The witch whispers a spell at the same time the mage unleashes a blast of energy at me.

I send magic flaring into my protection sigils and dodge the first blast as her spell passes harmlessly over me. More magic flows into the strength sigils on my arms as I draw my empty fist back, then drive it straight into the nose of the witch.

Cartilage snaps, and she drops like a stone with a howl of pain. I step over her, then duck as another, more powerful blast shoots past me, singeing my side.

I draw another blade and glare at the mage, only to find him frantically shoving the kid out of the doorway.

Guards pour in around them, their speed giving their shifter nature away.

Damn, my side hurts, but I ignore it, heading for my target now that the child is out of the picture.

If I'm going to die here, I'm taking her with me.

The Eagle is ready for me. Her sword lunges for me at the same time that another bolt of flame attacks me from behind. I don't dare try to evade using the spirit realm, so I end up being grazed again by the sword as I try to dodge both.

I take aim at the Queen and dive under her guard.

It's a stupid move, but it pays off. I get a slice across her thigh before she flits away in a burst of vampiric speed.

Before I know what I'm doing, she's used that speed to slice a matching line across my leg.

Taunting me.

"You come here," she whispers, brows lowered in fury as she darts forward again, and I'm forced to parry with my arm at an unnatural angle. "And try to harm me in front of my nephew?"

I raise my dagger again, ready for her this time. "For the Goddess."

A hand grabs my ankle, and I glance down to find that the witch has crawled over to me.

Heat seeps into me where she's touching, and all the magic I send into my sigils to keep her out isn't enough.

"Sleep,"she whispers, the word laced with compulsion but warm with the power of Solar magic.

My world goes dark.

Chapter Forty-One

NILSA

When I come to, I'm in a brightly lit room with no windows. Shackled and dangling from the ceiling with the sickening feeling of having my connection to the Goddess's magic dampened churning in my gut.

My head is still hanging forward, giving me a perfect view of the transmutation circle glowing on the floor below me.

A spell to keep me from moving? Or to ensure I tell the truth? Or is it both?

I test the bonds around my wrists, but there's no give in them. The metal of the shackles is so tight it's digging into my flesh.

In front of me, the mage and the Alchemist lean against the wall on either side of the door.

I wasn't imagining it earlier; the Alchemist is wearing black and white, a combination I've only seen before on one other person.

Alletta.

Lily used compulsion to knock me out—a Lunar power—yet her magic felt warm, like a Solar's.

She must be able to call on both goddesses as well.