Page 21 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

“Should Walker Reid and Freya Redfern retrieve the chimera and aid me and my court in the creature’s capture,” Cordelia continued, “they shall receive a pardon for their transgressions. Neither they nor their loved ones shall be punished. The stipulations are as follows—they have one month to complete their task and during that month,they mustn’t expose magic to humankind. They may receive whatever help they wish along the way.”

From what I noted of Cordelia’s and Freya’s conversation, the High Witch recited the oath exactly as Freya wanted her to.

Despite this, I didn’t feel like we had won.

I just wasn’t sure what we would lose.

???

“One month?” Lyra repeated. “One month to find what the High Witch needs, and you don’t even know what you’re looking for?”

Dressed in an expensive-looking pantsuit and her purple robes, the Elder faced the crowd gathered around me. Lyra’s long, white braid draped over her shoulder, and her tan face was lined with worry. Freya and the other Elders—each dressed in their cloaks and sporting stern frowns—stood beside her.

Around me, the crowd shuffled. We gathered in the meadow beyond the apartments. Above us, a storm raged. The coven’s combined magic protected us with a glimmering forcefield, and the rain slid down like it would any roof.

Any other night, I might’ve found it cool. Tonight, I wasdonewith storms. Thunder boomed, and lightning webbed across the sky. Beside me, Cadence jolted. I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She offered me a wobbly smile.

So strong,I thought.Stronger than she should have to be.

When I had told her what happened with the High Witch, I had expected an outburst. Instead, Cady had solemnly pondered my words, then eventually nodded and spoke.

I guess we have the scavenger hunt of a lifetime, huh?

As much as her bravery made me fear for her safety, I really loved my sister. Freya’s voice brought me back to the present.

“We know it’s a chimera,” Freya argued, then grudgingly added, “We just don’t know what exactly that is.”

As soon as we had returned to the apartments, Freya and I had scoured every corner of the library for anything on the chimera and found nothing. Gloria had caught us on the tail-endof our search, and Freya had confessed to the Elder what had happened.

If looks could kill, the Elder would’ve ended me then and there.

“We believe it looks something like this.” Freya held up the pendant. Even from my place in the back of the crowd, its rubies glimmered. “But the High Witch claimed the creature also possesses a humanoid form.”

“It’s a shifter,” Gloria deduced.

Freya nodded. “That seems to be the case.”

“Seems to be?” a witch behind me cried out. “How are you going to find something we know nothing about?”

Witches around me murmured their agreement. Growing more agitated by the moment, the crowd pressed closer. Freya swallowed.

“We will start with a tracking spell,” she said calmly. “If this pendant is connected to the chimera, it should lead us to it.”

“You want us to help you track it?” another witch yelled. She was to my left, and she spoke with such vitriol, spit flung out of her mouth with each word. “What if we choose not to? What if we wish to appease the High Witch in another way?”

As magic hummed in the air, I grabbed Cadence’s hand and led her away from the crowd. The witches homed in on my retreat with predatory glares.

“Killing Walker,” Freya yelled with magic booming in her voice, “the savior of our coven, will not help. It is not part of the High Witch’s offer.”

“Maybe not,” spat the hateful, crooked-nosed witch, “maybe this is truly a test ofourloyalty. Maybe High Witch Cordelia wants to see if we will aid you on your wild chase to save your project or rid our coven of disloyalty once and for all.”

Fear spiked my heart rate, and I gripped my magic with an iron fist to keep it from lashing out. The witch wasn’t merely threatening me.

She threatened Freya.

“Enough!”Gloria yelled. “That is our Coven Mother to whom you speak.”

Though the gray-haired witch frightened me, I had never been more grateful for her loyalty. As the crowd of witches grew angrier, magic buzzed in the air and raised the hair on the back of my neck. Neither Freya nor the Elders balked.

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