Page 57 of Destiny of the Witch

Bastion wrapped an arm around me. He was still shirtless. After mum had been healed, he’d finally turned his attention to himself. A shift wouldn’t heal his chimera-induced burns but the final-defence potion would. The burns had covered more than a third of his body; as he’d slammed into shock, he’d pulled out his vial of final defence and downed it.

We’d both gasped in relief as his raw, blistered flesh healed. Focused on saving Mum, he had tried to contain the agony, but when that urgent task had been completed he couldn’t avoid it. It had been enough to make me whimper with pain – and it was my agony rather than his own that impelled him to use the potion. It was a relief to both of us when he’d healed completely.

‘Has he said anything?’ Wise asked, gesturing at Shaun.

‘He’s in shock,’ I confirmed quietly. ‘The death of his familiar is a hard blow to bear – and this was his second familiar.’

‘I thought a witch only ever had one.’

‘We do,’ I confirmed grimly. ‘But like for every rule, there are exceptions.’

‘Kill me.’ My father spoke suddenly and looked at me. ‘I’d rather die than be arrested.’

I glared. ‘This isn’t about what you want but what I have to live with. I’m not down with patricide.’

‘Then have Bastion kill me,’ he said impatiently. ‘The Connection will put me in the darkest cell and keeping out the Red Guard will be impossible. They’ll torture me, Amber.’

‘As you have done to so many,’ I pointed out sharply.

‘Is this justice, then?’ he asked bitterly.

‘I don’t know what it is, but you’re my father and I’ll see you locked up and I’ll see that you’re safe,’ I promised. Probably somewhat rashly.

‘You always did have an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong.’ He looked resigned.

‘The Red Guard can’t get into where you’re going,’ Wise said grimly. ‘No one can. You’ll be going to our most secure facility.’

My father’s lip curled back in a sneer. ‘HMP Wakefield? Then no doubt I’ll be dead in the week instead of a day.’

Wise snorted. ‘You’re not going to Monster Mansion. Where you’re going makes the Alcatraz of the Rockies look like an amusement park. You’re going to a black site that no one knows exists. Even the Red Guard.’

Ria looked wide-eyed. ‘I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m innocent. I got led astray by my father! Don’t send me to a black site!’

Meredith was being consoled by Melrose. She let out a sob but she didn’t take a step towards her daughter. She’d been heartbroken when I’d told her that Ria had confessed to planning to kill her. I could see that she was still hoping it was all a dreadful misunderstanding.

The rescued truth seeker was pale and washed out. ‘I can help,’ she offered softly. She’d introduced herself asAnnabelle Beaufort before Wise had arrived. To prove she really was a truth seeker I’d had her question Apollinaire, just to be absolutely certain that my father was blowing smoke about that young man’s allegiances. When questioned, he had confirmed his loyalty was to Shirdal and to Bastion. He had no knowledge of the Domini and did not belong to the clandestine organisation. Not that I’d had much doubt remaining, still, better to be safe than sorry.

‘Who are you?’ Wise asked brusquely, eyeing the pale woman who looked like a stiff breeze would blow her over. Annabelle had been part of the security at the soul auction, and she still looked as sick and gaunt as she had then. Captivity didn’t agree with her.

‘She’s a truth seeker,’ I confirmed. ‘But she’s not going to be in the file officially,’ I added firmly. Truth seekers are a valuable commodity and the nefarious – like my father – would use and abuse her without hesitation. I would ask Bastion to give her a new identity and a new start somewhere far away from here. If she wanted it. The Goddess had told me I could trust her for a reason. I suspected the truth seeker would have more involvement in my life than just today.

Wise blew out a breath. ‘Of course she isn’t,’ she sighed. She nodded at Annabelle. ‘Do your thing andget the kid to tell the truth. We need to know what we’re dealing with.’

Unlike truth runes, a truth seeker can compel you to talk. Annabelle reached out and touched Ria’s wrist. ‘Get away from me!’ Ria yelled, but Wise held her in place.

‘Do you intend to commit murder and other heinous acts?’ Annabelle asked.

‘Of course I do! I plan to kill you all! I’ll see you all dead and I’ll dance on your fucking graves. I’ll use the power from killing you to grow my powers as a necromancer until I get vampyrs to dance to my tune like my father did! I will raise the evil Coven above all and see you all rot like the weak pathetic beings you are! I will lie and manipulate my way to the top. I will use potions and poisons to help me succeed. I even gave Henry a potion to make him fall in love with me, so I could hear all about the coven’s innerworkings from Ethan. Though he was annoyingly tight-lipped. I was going to drug him next. There is nothing I won’t do to succeed.’

It was terrifying and sickening, hearing my own ambitions spouted back at me, but worse. Like me, she had been born with a need to prove herself. But unlike me, her needs were twisted and warped; she would doanythingto succeed. We weren’t the same, I reassured myself. Therewas nothing wrong with ambition, nothing wrong with a drive to succeed, as long as you didn’t harm anyone else to get to the top. That was the difference between her and me.

‘Can you ask her about her poisoning?’ I asked tightly. ‘She took a vial of black mordis once; I want to know her motivation for that. She couldn’t have known that I’d be able to save her.’ A vial of black mordis inevitably meant death. I’d worked for hours to create a whole new potion just to save her. The thought left the taste of ash in my mouth.

Annabelle repeated my question, using her magic to force Ria to answer.

Ria sniffed. ‘It was a weak watered down vial of mordis. Barely a drop of real mordis in it. It would have put me into a coma and then Madame X was going to awaken me secretly – letting it seem like I’d had my very own miracle. Instead you put your oar in and rescued me before Madame X could.’ She glared at me. ‘You ruined everything. I was going to have such a dramatic reawakening. I would have been the centre of attention but instead everyone was talking aboutyou.I was going to kill you for that alone.’

Meredith slumped back into Melrose’s arms and covered her face with her hands. ‘Goddess,’ she moaned.

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