Page 14 of The Fated and the Damned
His words rang with the clarity of truth. I wasn’t foolish or self-indulgent enough to think I could save anyone. I wasn’t the hero of our story, clad in golden armour to rescue the fair lady. Kitarni was more than capable of rescuing herself. She could bring the world to its knees if she dared.
She would fight blood against blood. There was nothing Kitarni wouldn’t do to save our people. She was a warrior, and I, her dark knight, to command as only a queen could.
Mistvellen was in danger, and I would throw every ounce of my strength into fighting for it—for the witches I had wronged and for my people. With the witches’ magic, the táltosok and our wolves, we stood a chance. A slim one perhaps, but any sliver of hope was worth dying for.
I raked a hand through my hair and faced my second. “You’ve been a good friend, András,” I said, clamping my hand on his shoulder so we mirrored each other. “I’m sorry for letting you down. You’re like a brother to me. You deserve better.”
He smiled solemnly. “Everything you did was for the right reasons, even if you’re a damn fool sometimes. For you, Lukasz or Margit, I would have done the same. Maybe with a bit more finesse but …” He crossed his arms, giving me an appraising look, his green eyes shining. “Loosen your coin purse and we’ll call it even.”
I grinned. “If we get through this, I’ll get you a damn castle of your own to lord over.”
“And get rid of me that easily?” he asked, looking affronted. “I think not.”
“My lord,” a guard approached, nodding his head respectfully. “You’ve been summoned to a council meeting in the temple. The elders wish for both of you to be present.”
I grimaced, sharing a loaded glance with András. “I guess we’re to weigh in on Caitlin’s fate.”
“There’s nothing to decide,” András hissed. “The witch can burn for what she’s done.”
I thought of Kitarni’s determination—how she’d already decided how to punish that old hag. Caitlin’s treachery was the highest sin among witches. She’d taken the blood of her own, twisting it into dark magic to use for her own selfish gain. There was no way she wouldn’t pay with her life for what she had done.
“I think we’re going to see just that when the sun comes up tomorrow,” I replied. “But I don’t think that’s the only reason we’ve been summoned.”
András groaned. “It never stops, does it?”
“The wheel of fate keeps turning, my friend. We’re just along for the ride.”
The atmosphere in the temple was gloomy, everyone’s mood as thunderous as the storm building outside. The gods stared down on us from high, their morose faces flashing ominously with each lightning strike.
Kitarni sat beside her mother, her back ramrod straight and her face emotionless as I entered. The flickering flames on the nearby sconces made her look like a vengeful goddess, wicked and unforgiving, and fuck if I didn’t want to worship every inch of that woman. She was power personified. She was perfect.
András took the empty seat beside her, the pair thick as thieves these days. I was glad for it. Truly glad she had found family in Mistvellen. If not in me, then in better men and women.
I smoothed out my tunic and smiled at each of the councillors—noting Iren’s absence—as well as Eszter and Lukasz. My gaze passed over Kitarni, but she was pointedly looking anywhere else. The dismissal was blatantly obvious, but everyone seemed accustomed to our rituals now. All were aware that my efforts to court Kitarni had all but been cut off at the balls.
Once we were seated, Nora looked us over, one by one. “You all know why we’re here. Caitlin betrayed us in every way imaginable, and she must pay for her sins. Tradition dictates she die by the stake. Are there any objections?”
No one answered. The only one who might’ve tried to protect Caitlin was Iren, and the spider was missing.
Erika’s dark eyes flashed, a vein in her neck pulsing so hard it seemed ready to jump ship. “I think we’re all of the same mind. The gods will pass judgement before she leaves this world,” she spat. “May Death find her in the next.”
“Then it’s agreed,” Nora said, her lips pressing together. “A pyre is being built as we speak, and Caitlin will be tried in the morning.” She sighed, shaking her head, her brows downturned. “This is the first time in our history that a High Witch has ever faced prosecution. There will be an uproar among the other covens.”
Kitarni stood up slowly. “Then let it serve as a reminder to those who would turn their backs on their own. Times are changing, but one thing will always be certain. We do not betray our blood, and we do not cower. Anyone considering walking the path towards cultism and Sylvie’s tyranny will think twice after hearing about Caitlin’s death, and any witch foolish enough to ignore that warning will soon find themselves bound to a pyre thereafter. I’m sick and tired of the in-house fighting and the squabbles of power. It’s time for all our sisters to come together and face the evil at our doors.”
“Istenanya knows we need all the help we can get,” Erika grumbled, smoothing out her long braid.
“I’ve sent word to the covens in Transylvania. Two of the five have answered our call,” Kitarni replied, her eyes burning with determination.
I didn’t let my surprise show, but my fingers curled ever so slightly in my lap. By the look on András’s face, he hadn’t been privy to this information either. It seemed Kitarni had been busy indeed in the last few months. Just what else had my hellcat been planning?
Except she wasn’t my anything yet, even if I still thought of her as such, still claimed her as my own, even if she wanted nothing to do with me. But no one, not Sylvie, nor any other would-be pursuant would have her.Mine.
“How many witches does a coven make?” I asked, turning my head lazily towards her.
Her hazel eyes pinned me beneath their weight, and I couldn’t help but let my gaze travel down her face, to the full lips I’d once claimed so fervently. She bristled—or perhaps shivered?—ever so slightly, but did not falter as she replied, “There’s around one hundred women to a coven, give or take.”
One hundred. Fuck. “It isn’t enough.” Not nearly.
