Page 23 of When Wishes Bleed

“It would only upset her. I just… I wonder why she’s aging so quickly.”

“I spoke with Wayra, and she explained it. You are of age, Sable, flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood, and the magic that has sustained her for so long has passed to you.”

“Are you saying that she’s dying because my power matured?” Brecan gave a gentle nod. That was exactly what he was saying. Though my grandmother and I shared no affinity, the harsh reality of magic was that it followed its own rules and demanded much from those to whom it was gifted.

I steeled my shoulders. There was nothing I could do to stop the course of nature now that the path had been established. Ela would have to endure her decline until death came for her, and I could not do a single thing about it – not even if I stayed in The Gallows. Not that Fate would allow it, at this point.

“Thank you for volunteering. I’m sure they would have had to order it of any other male.”

He snorted. “On the contrary. I was the first to volunteer, but hardly the only one.” He pointed outside where Courier Stewart waited patiently near the carriage. “They’re ready if you are.”

I grabbed the invitation and letter off a nearby table and tucked them into the pocket of my coat. Whispering a spell, I stepped onto the porch behind him and closed the door, sealing the House until I returned.

It wasn’t until I started down the steps that I saw everyone. Every witch, male and female, from every House, stood in the Center, gawking at me. They watched as Brecan helped me into the carriage and climbed up after me, taking the seat beside Mira. She beamed to her sisters and brothers of the House of Water, waving to them as Courier Stewart climbed into the carriage and took the seat beside me. His men on horseback flanked us.

He gave the command to take us to the palace. As the carriage lurched forward, I saw something different in the eyes of my peers. Awe mixed with a touch of envy.

Ela and Wayra, Bay and Ethne stood in the middle of the crowd of witches, obvious alliances forged and lines drawn, with a different warning flashing in each of their eyes. Fate calmed my boiling blood, and the feeling that I was doing the right thing washed over me.

As the horses trotted, tugging us along the trail that led into the woods toward the border, the murmur of every witch in Thirteen melded together. The witches were excited to see one of their own leave for the palace – even if it was me. But I doubted the people of the lower sectors would be so quickly accepting of the Prince inviting a witch into the heart of their kingdom.

In the Kingdom of Nautilus, trade and travel among the lower twelve sectors was permitted. Citizens came and went as they pleased, as long as they checked in and out through the border walls. Thirteen was the exception to that rule.

Witches could pass to and from Thirteen with no issue, but no one from the Lowers was allowed into The Gallows unless it was one of our renowned celebration days. There were only two exceptions: the royal family, or former subjects exiled by the King, who were removed beyond Thirteen’s borders into the wild lands.

Those two groups were periodically granted passage through Thirteen, with the caveat that anyone who entered Thirteen was subject to our laws and the penalties attached to them. Most of the exiles behaved, choosing a life in the wild lands over swinging from the gallows.

The border to each sector was walled, typically using natural materials mined from within its borders. Our border lay just on our sector’s side of the Kingdom’s official wall that separated Twelve from Thirteen.

Man-made walls weren’t impenetrable and could be brought down, given enough force, whereas Thirteen’s could not. Our wall wasn’t comprised of stone and mortar, or crafted of thick pine from our forests. It was spelled by the Circle, shimmering with the magic collected within it. To protect those within, Grandmother would say.

When I needed anything from the lower sectors – and it was rare that I did – Brecan would retrieve what I needed. I had never set foot out of Sector Thirteen. As our carriage crossed the magical border, the spell sparked in the air, allowing us to pass freely, even as it made the hair on my arms stand up. I reveled in the intensity of it and couldn’t help but scoot closer to the window to better see out.

When we reached the concrete wall belonging to Twelve, we paused until the gates rolled open. I wondered if the King’s men felt the same spark I had, or if they felt it every time they passed into The Gallows. I wondered if it scared them.

Courier Stewart sat rigidly to my left. If he felt anything at all, he didn’t comment about it. He kept his eyes trained forward, looking past Brecan and Mira. He hadn’t moved an inch in miles, so when he spoke, it startled me. “The Kingdom of Nautilus is arranged like its namesake, a nautilus’s shell. Do you know the creature?”

“I do.” Every witch could appreciate the complexity and beauty of the nautilus, not to mention the fact it was a required ingredient to a few of the more intense spells I knew, and probably many others I didn’t.

He gave an approving nod. “The palace is located at the center, and the sectors spiral out from it in ever-increasing waves. The first four are the smallest, but densest in population. As they are closest to the palace, they house the most affluent and influential persons in the Kingdom. A great deal of the Royal Guard is also stationed within the first four. The sectors begin to spread out from there, and each grows larger as the spiral expands to Sectors Five through Twelve. Twelve is best known for the timber industry. Nine, Ten, and Eleven for farming. They produce goods the Kingdom requires. Seven and Eight are filled with factories, and Five and Six are best known for their artwork. You’ll find painters, writers, chefs, and sculptors there. Both Five and Six are very beautiful and worth visiting if you have the chance.”

He watched me carefully in his periphery.

“Are Five and Six your favorites?” I intuited.

“They certainly are, Miss Sable. I’m fairly sure they’re everyone’s favorites.”

“What are you permitted to tell me about the royal family?” I asked. I didn’t know nearly enough. I hadn’t even recognized Prince Tauren when he sat in my living room.

Brecan shifted in his seat. He and Mira watched for Courier Stewart’s reply.

“They care very deeply about their kingdom, and have my utmost respect, Miss.”

Stewart glared at Brecan until he finally looked away. Did something transpire between the men before Brecan and Mira delivered the Circle’s decision?

His conversational skills depleted, Courier Stewart stopped talking after that. I watched as Sector Twelve, with its towering stacks of felled and stripped trees, along with mills and the smell of pine and sawdust faded away. Eleven, Ten, and Nine were a patchwork quilt of fields, most of which had already been harvested; the similarity of vegetation made it difficult to tell the sectors apart. I was sure they grew different things, but the earth had been stripped and turned. The smells of fresh grass, manure, and rich soil pervaded the air.

Eight and Seven were filled with enormous metal buildings and concrete towers that shot into the sky. Some spouted clouds. Others breathed perpetual flame.

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