Page 30 of Of Fate & Forbidden Desire

“It is, but I much prefer to be out in the real world than cooped up here.” She said in a clipped tone, biting off each word as she watched the door like a hawk.

“Can you hear what’s going on in there?” I asked, nodding my head towards the door when she glanced at me.

“No, most of the rooms in the Coven are heavily sound-proofed for privacy, but this one is also warded to keep the information discussed inside, within its four walls.” She quickly explained and just as the last word left her lips the door was slowly pushed open.

“You may enter,” Antonious drawled, his eyes flashing to my face and away again.

“Thank you, Antonious,” Dina said, before striding into the room.

“Thank you,” I managed to whisper following on her heels.

The room was spacious, easily two rooms combined, with a row of windows high up that allowed natural light into the room while also elongating the shadows. As I stepped inside my gaze was drawn immediately to the raised platform, which had been built to look like part of the wall. Halfway up–just enough that I had to crane my head back to see them– sat five people. Two women and three men all gazed down at me with varying expressions. One of the women looked at me like I was something unpleasant on the bottom of her shoe, while the other looked pale, even for a vampire, as she looked me over repeatedly with wide eyes. Puzzled by her look of shock I moved my eyes to the men. The blonde one looked bored, asif this meeting was too tedious for him to care. The dark haired onelooked at me with narrowed, assessing eyes and the third smiled down at me in an almost grandfatherly kind way.

Taking a deep breath, I continued to where Dina had stopped and dropped to one knee in the centre of the room. I was just about to duplicate her position when someone with an old wavering voice spoke; drawing my attention to three other women in the room.

“This is the unknown child?” The grandmotherly voice asked. She had grey hair that was tied back in a low bun. Some of the strands had dared to escape and fluttered around her face. Her eyes were dark and from this distance I couldn’t discern if they were actually black or just a very dark brown, but it was her lips that held my attention. They were turned down in a sneer that I didn’t like the look of.

“Yes, I am She.” I told them, not hiding my unhappy tone at being addressed in such a way. I saw Dina’s head begin to turn my way, out the corner of my eye, before she quickly returned to staring holes into the wooden floor.

“Come forward Child,” said the second woman, who looked to be in her forties. She had blonde hair that already had grey strands glittering amongst them and her smile was not exactly kind, but at least she didn’t look displeased with my very presence. Yet her voice still held a note of condescension that rubbed me up the wrong way.

Remaining rooted to the floor, I looked at the last woman sitting below the Council of Five on the regular, antique, chairs. She was younger than the other two but still had the same blonde hair and dark eyes. Her face, although slimmer than the other two, still bore an uncanny resemblance. “It is unwise to test them,” she said in a whisper, her voice as light as air, and her face warmer than her predecessors. Her smile also seemed genuine as it creased her eyes.

Nodding my head at the younger woman, I followed the command and stepped forward, leaving Dina behind. When I was four steps from them I stopped and met each of their eyes. “I have had no knowledge while growing upthat this world,” I paused and gestured around the room, “even existed. Can you tell me why that is?”

I needed to know why I’d been abandoned as a baby. “We do not know why.” The old lady said, who I presumed was the “Crone,” I’d done a little research on witch hierarchy last night.

“We would like to attempt to find out why,” the second woman continued and I realised that this must be how they spoke and was already turning to the younger witch for the end of this speech.

“Where were you first abandoned?” her question was said softly but it still stung.

“Scotland,” I told her, trying not to fidget, while they each looked at me.

“And what is your first memory?” the Crone asked.

“Erm,” I stalled, forcing myself to remember as far back as I could. I’d just passed my seventh birthday party when I felt a prickle against my mind.

“What was that?!” I shouted, my eyes flicking from one woman to the next waiting for any of them to answer.

“We were trying to watch your memories with you,” The one who would be formally addressed as the Mother of the trio explained, her brow pinched together.

“What do you mean?”

“Together we can focus our mental energy and view images when a person remembers them.” She paused, glancing at the other two women briefly before continuing, “but with you we saw nothing.”

“What does that mean?” I asked in confusion.

“You are protected by powerful and old magicks,” the Crone took over the explanation. Instead of asking anymore questions, my eyes moved back to the Mother.

“We have not felt this magickal signature in a long time,”

Then the Maiden of the group spoke, “you are part of something bigger.” Her voice wobbled slightly on the end of her sentence and something squirmed in my stomach again, a foreboding that my life would never be simple again.

“Do you know who abandoned me?” I asked.

“No.” The Crone answered.

Chapter Thirteen

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