Page 67 of When Wishes Bleed

Mira and I answered at the same time, “The Equinox.” The Equinox, a moment no one who witnessed would ever forget. And my birthday…

“Who will be Elevated to Priestess?” he asked Mira.

She shrugged, her sleek hair sliding toward her pointed chin. “The House will nominate witches for the position, and the Goddess will reveal her choice to the Circle.”

“How?” I asked.

She blew out a tense breath. “I’m not sure how it all works.”

“Sable,” Brecan said tentatively, “do you want to see her before she passes?”

I swallowed, twisting my napkin into a tight coil. “She wouldn’t allow it.”

“She may be too weak to prevent it,” he mused.

What would happen to the House of Earth in the meantime? Would they place her in the hallway and usher the witches from the other Houses through before she was buried in the soil she loved, or were the rites of Priestesses altogether different?

My plate was removed before I could savor and chew even one bite of the decadent pasta. The tension in the room thickened as dishes were cleared and the dessert plates were carted into the room.

While everyone watched the cart roll toward the royal table, I spelled the room and checked all the plates just in case the witch attempted to poison him or anyone else again. She would suspect I would check, but would she think I assumed the danger had passed? I couldn’t take the chance.

Staring at Tauren, I realized how tense he was. His back was a rigid line. His lips were pressed tightly together, and I’d frozen him while tugging on his collar. The room was cold, but nervousness raised a person’s body temperature a few degrees.

I wanted to touch him, to take my silk-covered finger and trail it down the back of his hand, just to offer a small measure of comfort, but I couldn’t do that to him. With things on the brink of a drastic change in Thirteen, I had to stop this – whatever it was – and focus on finding the witches behind this and getting back to my House. This might be my chance to claim a position on the Circle.

It might be my only chance for years to come. Bay, Ethne, and Wayra were all relatively young. Ela was the eldest, the shrewdest, and some would argue the wisest among them. While she was staunch in her views, they had preserved our way of life amidst an ever-changing Kingdom. No one could fault her for that.

I made my way back to my seat and listened to squeals of delight from Rose and Leah, a girl from Five named Estelle, one from Six named Tessa, and finally… a server placed a raspberry punctuated plate in front of me. I smiled and pretended to be as surprised and overwhelmed as the other ladies, but tried to remain graceful. Surrounding each of us were ladies who didn’t make the cut, and their emotions ranged from disappointment to heartbreak to devastation. The girl from Twelve sobbed openly beside us.

Surely there was a kinder way to have done this, cameras and telecast be damned.

Tauren glanced around at each of the invitees and gave them a nod, pursing his lips. Did he also disagree with the way this was handled, or had he chosen the method himself?

“You haven’t eaten a bite,” Brecan noticed beside me.

“I’m not the slightest bit hungry.”

He glanced around the room. “This is cruel.”

“Very.”

Hand-fasting, to the Kingdom, was an archaic and strange custom. But it was kind. A witch asked another if they would be loyal to them for a year. If they agreed, they were fasted. If not, there was no ill will. Other than the two involved, it was rare that anyone even knew one had approached the other, though sometimes it was obvious.

“They think witches are vile creatures,” he snorted. “But have they even thought of how this makes those involved feel, or does it matter to them at all, as long as telecast ratings stay high?”

Even Mira was uncomfortable, and none of the three of us lifted a spoon to eat the confections before us.

I needed a minute.

“I have to use the restroom. Will the two of you watch Tauren while I’m gone?”

Brecan stood when I did. “I can go alone.”

He eased my chair out, ignoring me, and placed his hand on the small of my back as I walked around the table.

I could feel Tauren’s eyes on me as I left the dining room in search of the washroom. I didn’t have two minutes of peace before the door opened and Rose sashayed in. Did she enjoy spending time in these rooms? She’d blathered cruel words to one of the other girls through the guise of applying makeup.

My plan was to ignore her entirely. I knew she wanted to rile me in an attempt to prove that witches were easily provoked, and that one seated on the throne of Nautilus would be dangerous to all its citizens.

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