Page 79 of Merciless Is My Crown

“Isn’t that the truth?” I asked softly, turning my head so she didn’t see the emotion I couldn’t hold back. Another dreamer. Up here, in the middle of nowhere, amongst all this violence and brutality…Perhaps we’d come to the right place.

Maybe…maybe we’d been brought here for another reason, other than gathering allies. Maybe betraying us was—unintentionally—the greatest favor Adele could have given us.

But…that was not why we were standing outside freezing our arses off. I squashed my flicker of excitement beneath my anger at being shoved off a wall to my death.

“Do you have the authority to speak for the coven?”

“No,” Bella said with no hesitation. “But my mother does. She will meet with you to discuss terms and conditions. I would attend this meeting as well with your blessing.”

She beckoned to the crowd, and the lines parted to let an older woman through, her beautiful face lined…no, not lined…scarred.

“My mother, Vesper, will speak for the coven.” Bella bowed her head and stepped back. Even with the scars I spotted the resemblance immediately, though the older witch’s red hair was tinged with bronze, straight not curly, and her eyes the color of golden ale.

Vesper walked proudly, as if her scars were a badge of honor. When she got close, Raziel moved to intercept. “Right there is good,” he murmured, his hand on his sword pommel.

“We are all a little on edge after what happened with Raven,” I apologized. “I’m sure you understand.”

The woman nodded then glanced at Bella. “My mother says she understands completely. She would like to meet privately to discuss an alliance, along with other…matters.”

“We would be happy to meet in private, but anything she has to say can be said here. We don’t have any secrets from your coven.”

Bella shook her head. “You don’t understand. Vesper cannot speak.”

I sucked in a breath, my face heating. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“How could you? You don’t know what happened here.” Vesper beckoned forward a knot of women, perhaps fifty in total, all different ages, all with the same scars on their faces, many with streaks of white in their hair. “My mother cannot speak. None of them can.”

As one, the women opened their mouths…Their tongues were gone.

Horror rippled through me, leaving me ice-cold. To do this…My eyes burned, the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I scanned their faces and saw the hope shining in their eyes.

“They are the voiceless. Vireena did not tolerate disagreements, as she called them. Should anyone in the coven decide to complain or question her in any way, this was the punishment meted out by her inner circle. Often, the person doing the complaining was not the one punished, their mother, or their grandmother was. Sometimes their daughter or granddaughter. That’s what kept us in line.”

Bella met my horrified gaze and murmured, “You were right about fear. It is, indeed, a powerful set of shackles.”

“Did anyone ever stand up to her?” I said softly, unable to take my eyes off the women, all holding their heads high, their eyes unflinchingly hard.

“Ten formal challengers, all killed. Over five hundred were murdered during her reign. We are half the number we were when she took the throne. Vireena wielded her power like a scythe, reducing our numbers—and our will to resist—down to nothing.” Bella scanned the now-silent coven. “Her advisors were every bit as ruthless; thank the Three Mothers they are locked away.”

Tavion emerged from the building dragging a struggling witch behind him, a quiver slung over her shoulder.

“There’s the archer, but that leaves one more.” I scanned the milling crowd and the stark landscape around us. “Raziel, take Tristan and?—”

The older witch raised a hand and the entire coven went silent. Vesper held some silent conversation with them before Bella turned back to me. “My mother requests you allow us to find him and bring him to you for judgment.”

Ah, so it’s a him. That would narrow down the search. “Yes, but if he’s dangerous…Raziel could assist you.”

“We will handle this ourselves. Find Solomon and bring him before our new priestess for sentencing,” Bella ordered, and a handful of witches splintered off into three groups and vanished in opposite directions.

A flicker of pure savagery sparked in Bella’s wild grin. “It was not our lack of skill that kept us powerless all these years, but fear for our families. They will find Solomon and he will pay.”

Bella touched my arm. “They say you offered Raven a trade. The crown for a healer’s skill. What is it you require from us?”

I didn’t ask how she’d found out, only explained quickly. About Tavion, his mother, Lucius’s unsuccessful quest for a cure. Raziel remained steady and ever watchful behind me.

She and Vesper traded another look, and I wondered if they were able to speak mind to mind, especially when her mother nodded. “I will see what I can find,” Bella murmured. “We have a book containing our oldest spells. Healing used to be our greatest skill.”

Someone in the crowd shouted out a warning and I tensed, Raziel’s power surging around the four of us like a mighty wave, the reinforced shield groaning against the frigid cold as his magic expanded.

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