Page 45 of A Tale of Treachery

CHAPTER16

Hiding behind a copse of trees, I studied the clearing where Eulalia and her coven were setting up for my arrival. The witching hour, when the witches would be at their most powerful, should be falling soon. The coven had surrounded the clearing with gemstones, crystals, and amulets meant to protect them against evil. I tried my hardest to not take the gesture as an insult, even though there was no other way to see it.

When they were finished, they stood in a circular formation with Eulalia front and center, flanked by Isadora and Kathryn, her two witchy sidekicks who’d never liked me. The group pulled their hoods over their heads and joined hands as they began a chant, which spilled out into the area, lighting the scattered crystals with a faint glow.

When the women moved to stand in a single line at the edge of the circle, I knew the tribunal was ready to begin. It was time to reveal myself.

I stepped out from my hiding place and greeted them. “Hello.”

The witches tensed at my arrival, gripping one another’s hands tightly.

Eulalia eyed me, her tone relaxed as she made her demand. “Step into the protection circle, and your hearing will begin.”

“Nice to see you, too,” I muttered, a little bitter at the display the women were putting on. They acted as if I was a stranger, and I hated that Eulalia was playing into it.

I stepped over the crystals that formed the circle, feeling a sharp zing tickle my skin as the boundary washed over me, and tilted my head as I waited for them to begin.

“The tribunal has been called to consider whether you are guilty of the following crimes,” Eulalia said.

Isadora stepped forward to Lali’s right and read from the parchment in her hand. “Murder, fraud, and endangerment of the Gallows Coven.” When she finished reading, she returned to her place in line.

Eulalia threw her shoulders back. “This is your opportunity to deny and defend yourself of any of the crimes listed,” she said. “This is the only opportunity you will have to speak or ask questions. I recommend you use this time wisely.”

She was all business, not an ounce of the comradery we used to share in her voice.

Unease slowly trickled across my skin. She knew what had happened. She understood and knew that I would never hurt someone on purpose.She knew me. It was my magic that was out of control. Not me.

I lowered my hood and took turns looking each of the ten witches in the eyes. “I truly am sorry about Glendora, and I understand why you would be upset with me. But my magic isn’tme. It acted on its own.” The women stayed silent, waiting for me to acknowledge the other charges, charges that I didn’t understand, charges that bewildered me. “I understand why you all would hate me for that. I really do. But fraud? Endangerment? You’re going to have to spell those two out for me, because the last time I checked, it wasmewho came to warn you.Mewho saved you.”

The lineup of witches remained silent as Eulalia gave Kathryn a brief nod. Kathryn moved and disappeared into the tree line, and I patiently waited to find out what in the world was happening.

After a few moments of silence, Kathryn cut through the middle of the witches. She held the hand of a small child with dark eyes and bone-white hair. The little girl’s eyes were glazed over as if she wasn’t truly present, like one foot lay in our world and the other elsewhere. She was young, but at the same time, looked ancient. There was a ghostly pallor to her skin that spoke of horrors unknown. And then it hit me: this little girl, this little child, was the new seer. Whenever one died, the magic of the coven chose another to take their place.

I grimaced at the little girl who was seven, going on seventy, feeling sorry for the poor thing.

Eulalia spoke. “Meet Matilda, our new seer.”

“Hello, Matilda,” I whispered. The poor girl looked like a bundle of bones, as if her youth had been sucked dry.

“Matilda sees all. The deepest truths and darkest secrets. And she has told us everything.”

My eyes narrowed on Eulalia. This new seer was a child and was being taken advantage of. While I’d despised Glendora, she was smart enough to hold back information when necessary. This child had no barriers. Every truth, every secret she knew, was now freely accessible to the coven, without filter.

A seer’s gifts were never meant to be abused like that.

“We know everything now, Dahlia. We know what you are. We know who you are running from, and most importantly, what you will do. And you will doom us all,” Eulalia said.

I shook my head. I would never do anything to hurt anyone, at least not on purpose, so whatever this child had seen was one possibility of the future, not certainty. And what she saw would never happen. I knew it in my bones.

“Lali,” I pleaded, “visions are subjective and never tell the whole story. I would never do anything to hurt anyone. I would never hurt you.”

“You already hurt me, Dahlia—or should I sayDuana?” Lali’s voice cracked. “You knew this whole time and didn’t tell me what you were. You lied to me—tome! I would have had your back. No. Matter. What.”

So she knew. She knew I didn’t belong here. She knew I was birthed to be half wicked. Half cruel. Half shade. But I wasn’t all shade—I was also half human. And that human side waseverythingto me. It consisted of the parts to which I clung so desperately when everything seemed lost. Her knowing what I was wouldn’t change anything. I was still me.

I wished she could see that.

“I would do anything for you, Lali. I would risk my life for you. I left you in the dark to protect you. That’s all.”

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