Page 22 of Crown of Slumber

Aurelia fell silent, and Mal pawed the ground.

“I’ll be fine,” she told him.

He continued to shift in agitation.

Testing my luck, I slid off his back, my movements far lessgraceful than the princess’s. I fumbled my way down and ended up on my knees, wincing from the soreness in my legs.

“I’m coming with you, Your Highness,” I insisted, rising to my feet and facing her fully.

She gritted her teeth, then glanced at the dragon behind me. Whatever she saw in his face made her groan with annoyance. “Fine. But do not address them unless you are spoken to.”

“I’ve been around witches before,” I said.

She frowned at me. “I thought you said you don’t associate with them.”

“I said I don’toftenassociate with them.”

Her cobalt eyes assessed me with cool calculation as she no doubt circled through my words once more, reevaluating what I’d told her.

Before she could make more assumptions about me, I strode past her, making my way down the hill toward the witches’ encampment. I heard her murmur something to the dragon before she hurried after me.

I had only beento the witch coven once before, and I often tried to forget the memory. It had been five years ago. I was twenty and desperate for my fae magic to manifest itself.

I had almost gotten myself and Mal killed in the process.

From that point onward, I vowed never to dabble in witch magic again. The risk was far too great.

My skin prickled with anticipation as I made my way downhill, trying to stifle the flow of memories that assaulted me from my last visit.

A blinding flash of green light. A pair of lifeless eyes staring at me. My body convulsing in pain. Mal’s wounded cries.

A lump formed in my throat, and I curled and uncurled my fingers into fists, using the motion to distract me from my anxiety.

When we reached the bottom of the hill, a trio of witches were waiting for us. I had no doubt they sensed our arrival from wards surrounding the encampment.

“We are here to see the sage,” I announced, lifting my chin to appear as regal as possible.

The witch in front, a dark-haired woman with a hooked nose, grunted in disbelief. “The sage does not see anyone unless she summons them. Intruders are not welcome on our holy ground.”

“I’m not an intruder. I’m a friend of Samiria’s.”

She offered a cold, cruel smile. “If you are a friend, then she will summon you when she deems your presence necessary.”

Rage and impatience warred within me. I drewmy hands behind my back to hide my shaking fists. “Please,” I begged. “It’s urgent. Lives are at stake.”

“The only lives that matter to us are the lives of witches,” she said coldly.

“And what about the lives of dragons?” I challenged. “Do those matter to you?”

The three witches went perfectly still, their eyes shifting from me to Fennick and back again.

“There is an enchantment that has taken hold of the castle,” I went on. “If our enemies discover it, they will invade and seize the dragons.”

“Then bring them to us. We will protect them here.”

“I cannot,” I said. “They are bound to the nesting grounds in the forest surrounding the palace. Samiria understands this. Please let me speak with her.”

A second witch, with short white hair, stepped forward, her eyes steely. “We have not forgotten the last time you were here, my lady.”

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