Page 93 of Whisper Woods

“How many lives have you had, witch?” I ask, suddenly curious. She smiles, that same maniacal smile I’ve grown accustomed to, and holds up three boney fingers.

“Three previous. Though I wonder if all these recent events have chewed up some of my remaining turns.”

Witches are able to be reborn under certain conditions. It is not immortality. Their bodies return to the earth while their spirit continues into a new life, retaining the knowledge and memories gained over their many lives.

Being on her fourth life would explain not only her extensive magical knowledge but also her complete lack of regard for rules or societal norms. There is a certain air that comes with witches who’ve seen too much.Livedtoo much.

The conversation dips into a lull, both of us lost in our thoughts. It hurts to think, the fog not having lifted from my head yet.

“How long have they been gone?” I ask eventually, turning to eye Edith, now reclined on the lounge, watching the dead blossoms fall, raining down to reveal the new life beneath. Beyond the walls of my home, the sun is setting, casting an ethereal golden pink light.

“Since this morning. We’ll see them soon enough.”

“Hmm,” I hum, picking a berry from the bowl, hoping to ease my nauseous stomach. “Soon.”

Seff

“What involvement did youhave with the uprising?”

From across the long table, the being asks in their dull, monotonous drone. They’ve asked us that same fucking question a hundred and ten thousand different ways, always expecting a different answer.

My leg itches to bounce as I squirm in my seat, bumping into Caelan seated beside me. Tor is on his other side, with Theo, Roan, and Seldon all lined up on my left. There are a dozen beings at the table across from us. And I seriously don’t think they think we were genuinely a part of “the uprising” as they are calling it.

For one, we aren’t handcuffed or bound, and the beings across from us may be powerful in that Tathissian super-magic way, but they aren’t exactly able to take us on physically. From the smell of them, at least three of them are small prey shifters. I’m going to say rabbit, squirrel, and maybe a deer? The one who insists on talking the most, even though they have the most irritatingly boring voice, is definitely not a shifter. Nope, they are a fae of some kind with soft blue skin and thick ropes of midnight blue hair.

“We’ve explained, again and again. We weren’t there for the uprising. We were bringing Seff back to Tathys to be with Rafe.” Roan growls, rapping on the table to release some of his frustration and to punctuate his words, before folding his arms over his chest and sliding down in his chair.

“This isdespiteknowing Tathys was closed to the Mundane? You chose to breach our lands?” My jaw clenches at the accusation, anger bubbling up until I can’t hold it in any longer.

“Are youkidding me?” I explode, launching myself out of my chair. It scrapesat the floor and falls back with a loud clatter that has everyone wincing. Leaning over the table, I get in the faces of the jackasses keeping us here. I can feel Theo’s hand on my back, trying to get me to pull my head in, but I can’t. “You soundexactlylike Heylor and his merry band of dickbags.”

There is a gasp fromeveryonein the room. The beings across from us, I think they called themselves the Tribunal of Okar or something earlier, but I don’t care, react to the insult. My friends react because they think I’m gonna get us killed.

But I’ve had enough. I need to get back to Rafe. And I’m done with these dillweeds getting in my way.

“Your council wasmorethan happy to have me here only days ago before Heylor fucked around and booted me out. My friends put themselves in the middle ofinsanedanger because I saw your fucking queen tied to a stake to be sacrificed to the Gods. They tried to save her! And now you hold them hostage—in an unknown fucking land—and accuse them of absolute bullshit? To what end? What are you hoping to accomplish? I saw the size of that fucking crowd following Heylor and Edris. You havemuchbigger problems than us right now.”

My breath is coming in angry snorts, my face hot with my angry flush, and I know Wolf is a little too close to the surface, but fuck these guys. The Tribunal doesn't react at all to my outburst, the room deadly silent. I slam my ass back in my seat and scrub my hands through my hair angrily. I have no idea where Eldin and Sed are; they were separated from us when we were brought in. No doubt because Maeve betrayed Rafe by aligning with Heylor.

Those two should be treated like the fucking heroes they are, not placed under arrest in their home like fucking criminals. They told us everything, how after Rafe had gone to find Heylor and Brydon, they went to the palace to alert them, only to discover a monstrous clusterfuck. The queen had been kidnapped, and they strolled right up to the palace. It hadn’t gone well, and they were detained until someone actually listened to them.

Which was why the cavalry didn’t arrive until Heylor went kablooey.

Or I wish he went kablooey. The details of what happened when he triedto perform the ritual and everything went dark are sketchy at best. All anyone can remember is the earthquake and then… nothing. The guards who came to rescue the High Eminence could only see the black covering everything before it finally lifted. They arrested Heylor and Edris and everyone else involved. The fucker is locked away here somewhere.

Along with Brydon.

They keep saying he was in on it. But I just can’t see it. The guy was so chill. And his dad was such a giant fucking dickbag.

One of the beings, the one I would put hard money on being a deer—they smellreallyfucking good—looks me up and down. His features may be soft and sweet, but his eyes are hard when he looks at me. He’s been the least involved in the questioning. Actually—I don’t think he’s spoken at all. Just sat back and watched with a quiet intensity.

“You’re right.” His voice is just as hard as his stare, but he leans back in his chair, throwing the pen he’s been tapping against his chin to the table. I can hear more than one sigh of relief on either side of me. He casts a look at his other tribunal members, daring them to challenge him. “We thank you all for your time. I believe that we have achieved everything we can in this meeting. You are free to return to your lodgings before returning to the Mundane.”

More than one tribunal member looks as if they wish to argue, but he quells them with a glare. “We will not force you, but we recommend you do so. Soon.”

He turns, stalking from the room, forcing his eleven co-members to race to follow suit. I look down the table at Seldon, who stares back wide-eyed. And then my mouth acts before my brain can catch on.

“Wait!” I yell, staggering to my feet. The council members crash into each other as they pile through the exit. “What about Brydon? And Rafe?”

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