Page 126 of Crown of Briars
The witch’s back arched and she shrieked in agony, her face crumpling. I instinctively reached for her, even knowing I could do nothing to help.
Tendrils of green smoke pooled from the witch’s form and funneled toward the shadowstone. The king was siphoning her magic. He was stealing it for himself.
Ragnus’s shadows intensified. A billowing wind howled, and lightning forked across the sky.
“From the magic of this stone!” Ragnus bellowed, repeating his words. “I call forth your power?—”
“No!” roared the witch, climbing to her feet. Her emerald eyes glowed, blotting out the whites of her eyes. Her hair flew around her face as she murmured, “By my blood, I curse this land and this people forevermore.” Her voice rang out, echoing as if a thousand witches were speaking alongside her. Chills erupted along my arms, and I had the eerie sense that the spirits of the fallen witches were here, witnessing this final act.
“As long as your kingdom lives, may your shadows turn poisonous, seeking to destroy the lives you swear to protect,” the witch said. “May your bodies be cursed to remain trapped in their beastly forms as a symbol of the monsters you are. May you never speak of the events of today. By the stone of shadow and blood, I make this vow: Until one of my kind gives up her life for yours, this curse will live on, even as my line lives on. And the blood of my sisters will poison this land until every last one of you is rendered to dust like unto us.”
My jaw dropped, and my blood turned to ice in my veins. The shadowstone rattled and hummed, now glowing an iridescent white. The witch screamed, her back bowing as something loud cracked from within her, the sound piercing the air. As she crumpled, the shadows and the glow vanished. The wind died, and nothing but a deadly silence filled the square.
Then, a new scream erupted. The red-haired fae fell to his knees, hunching over as his body shook with violent tremors. A long, serpentine tail stretched from his backside, and his skin shifted from pale ivory to olive green. His red hair lengthened, spreading down his back like a mane.
Others in the courtyard cried out as they, too, transformed. Even the king. He groaned, falling to the ground as his skin darkened to the same crimson flesh as Varius. The fae around him shifted to their unseelie forms, growing horns and wings and fangs.
When every fae had transformed, they looked at one another in shock. Ragnus was panting, his eyes wide and his mouthopen in horror. Then, he stiffened, his nostrils flaring. “Where is she?”
I turned to where the witch had been moments ago. Nothing remained but a pile of ash. Even the shadowstone had vanished. Now, a familiar gleaming crimson stone rested in its place.
I recognized it. It was the jeweled rose—the same stone I’d used to access this memory.
The green-skinned fae stumbled forward, clearly adjusting to his new form. His face twisted in disgust as he drew closer to the ashes, as if her essence alone could harm him. Slowly, he bent over and sniffed. “This smells like her magic.” He looked up at Ragnus. “The power of the shadowstone must have disintegrated her.”
Despite the effects of the curse, Ragnus smirked in satisfaction. “Then, it is done. The witches are all dead, and they will no longer terrorize our lands.”
Cheers sounded as the fae rejoiced, but I couldn’t pull my gaze from that pile of ash—all that remained of a powerful line of witches. My eyes swam with tears at the sight of it. My throat was full of emotion, and I could barely breathe. A roaring sound filled my ears, and my body was jerked violently forward. The air rushed around me, and I fell forward into the dirt once more.
It was nighttime, and I was back in the Noxen Forest. On all fours, I gasped for breath, trying to get more oxygen into my lungs. Tears swam in my eyes, streaming down my face.
Behind me, Azure moaned and nudged me with her snout, clearly concerned. I choked and sputtered, afraid I might vomit. My eyes closed against the sickening sensation that swirled within me.
Too much. It was all too much.
When I had finally caught my breath, I staggered to my feet, then inspected the jeweled rose in my hand. The sharp briars gleamed in the moonlight.
With my other hand, I touched my amber necklace. Immediately, Azure’s panicked voice filled my head.
“Where were you? What happened? Are you hurt? Do you have any idea how frightened I was for you?”
“I’m sorry,” I said in a strangled voice. “The gem—it took me into a memory.” Blinking tears from my eyes, I looked at my dragon. “I know how the Necro Shadows began.”
“Excellent,” said a voice. “Now, be a good girl and hand over the gemstone.”
I spun around with a gasp and found Warwick emerging from behind a large oak tree, a triumphant smile on his face.
My head was still reelingfrom what had happened with Sybelle in the bedchamber when I made my way to Tislora’s apothecary.
Sybelle had been acting so strangely when she dismissed me. I couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment over her dream or shock from what had transpired with the gem and the shadows.
Or perhaps she had been acting odd because there was more she wasn’t telling me.
I clenched my teeth. She wasn’t the only one who was keeping secrets.
I still hadn’t told her that breaking the curse would claim her life.
“Back so soon?” Tislora asked in a bored voice. She was lounging in an armchair by the window, reading with her legs propped up. Her thin eyebrows shot up at my entrance.
