Page 51 of A Petal in the Crown

"We’ll have to burn them," Lea said, her face falling.

"I know," Gray said, frowning. "So do their loved ones. Emma has already helped them say their goodbyes."

Lea nodded, her shoulders falling as she stepped out of Gray’s arms. Her movements were sluggish, tired, and Gray once again worried about the toll this war was taking on her. Not just her body and her mind, but her soul.

Clearing her throat, Lea raised her hands and closed her eyes. "May the magic of the wind carry them, the kiss of rain cleanse them, and the promise of eternity soothe their weary souls," Lea whispered as fire expanded around her, enormous, deep black flames that flickered through the grass as they spread across the ground toward the bodies. They caught fire, and Lea dropped to her knees, her arms still outstretched. "Until beyond the veil we follow."

A single tear rolled down her cheek, evaporating off her skin before it could fall to the ground. "I’m so sorry." Her voice softened, so low Gray could barely hear her. "I will keep your families safe." Lea promised them, finally dropping her arms as the blanket on the last body caught fire. "And I will avenge you. If it's the last thing I ever do, I will avenge you."

Chapter 31

Lea

The others joined Lea and Gray as the fire crackled away into embers, the bodies crumbling to ash, and even then, being consumed until nothing remained but twenty-three scorched patches of stone. Gray knelt next to his wife, a steadying hand on her back until the last flicker died off, and only then did they turn their eyes away from the makeshift graves of the victims.

It was done.

Lea’s body felt heavy as she turned to Emma, who gave her a sad smile. Her face had relaxed a fraction, the lines around her eyes less pronounced. Emma nodded in confirmation. The dead were at rest. It was all they could do.

She finally stood when Erik cleared his throat behind her.

"Did you find anything that would help?" she asked.

"Not yet." Evangeline shook her head. "Most of the villagers said they never saw Alaric. That they were too lost in the chaos to notice him, but a few said he was here…"

"Ordering his men to round up those without the Lonely Death to put them in the church." Erik finished for her, his tone grim.

Lea’s chest felt tight with anxiety. Nothing. All of this, and they were no closer to finding him than before they’d left the castle.

"Did you learn anything else?" Gray asked, and Lea didn’t miss the hint of desperation in his voice.

"Just that he has a group of royal guards with him. The villagers estimated about thirty-five."

A crack rang out as the back corner of the church crumbled, and Evangeline’s head snapped to the burned-out building. Lea froze, watching in rapt silence as her birth-mother moved toward it as if under a spell. She was nearly floating, one hand extended out in front of her as her graceful steps carried her forward. Her forehead scrunched again, that familiar look of pain etching into her features as Lea followed behind her. Was it a vision? A premonition?

Lea hurried after her, placing a hand on Evangeline’s shoulder as if keeping her close would allow her to see or feel whatever was causing Evangeline to move as if hypnotized.

The witch’s long fingers trailed the remains of the outer wall, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Lea watched intensely, barely breathing as her heart thundered and her blood roared in her ears. The wind blew softly, pushing her hair back from her face. It was soothing, comforting, but it also seemed to speak to her.Pay attention, it said.Something is happening. Something important.

Gray opened his mouth to speak, but Lea held up a hand, stopping him. Evangeline shuffled sideways toward the door, moving up the stone steps and rolling her neck from side to side.

In a second, Evangeline’s demeanor shifted. Her soft, gentle movements became rigid, and her lips twisted into a smile that looked…wrong. Crooked and gleeful and sick.

With strength far more powerful than her weak, starved body should have allowed, Evangeline slammed the door shut, latching the large bolt into the iron slot. Evangeline laughed a horrible, wicked laugh, andbegan to mutter. Tears burned Lea’s eyes, and her stomach flipped as she realized what she was watching.

Evangeline was acting out what Alaric had done like she was possessed. She was no longer looking at her mother’s face, but Alaric’s, twisted with excitement. Her fingers tapped against her side in exhilaration, and her posture tall and confident. But what truly made Lea’s stomach fill with bile was the absolute joy on Evangeline’s face—Alaric’s expression as he'd locked all those people inside, knowing what was going to happen to them. Knowing that he would enchant the church to be engulfed in flames the moment someone stepped within the town center.

Women.

Children.

Clutching her chest, Lea forced herself to breathe. Evangeline waved a hand in the air as if enchanting the church herself, then threw her head back and laughed again—a sick horrifying cackle that made Lea’s magic revolt.

It was as if she had become him. The man they hated. The man they hunted.

Evangeline turned, a spry skip in her step as she walked the same path Lea had followed when she’d picked up on Alaric’s magic. Her movements were so different from her usual, elegant grace—eerily similar to Alaric’s pompous posture and arrogant stride. Gray and Erik followed behind them, none of them speaking as Evangeline began to whistle.

It made Lea physically ill, seeing how Alaric had been so lighthearted as he’d walked away from the destruction he caused. As if it was a relief to finally unburden himself and the kingdom of this village.

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