Page 51 of The Illuminated
“Have you ever wondered why there aren’t any children running around the castle?” Abraham asked.
My forehead creased as I thought about it, trying to see if I recalled even seeing someone younger than their late teens. “I guess I’ve never thought about it.”
“We’ve wondered,” Serena said, clearing her throat. “Because we’ve always wanted children. We’ve been trying for a few years now. Witches don’t get pregnant the same way as humans—well, I mean, biologically I imagine it’s the same—but it’s rarer, because we age differently and live far longer, and it’s something that must be genuinely wanted. It’s like our special gifts and talents. New witches fill a space in the world when needed. We’ve read all about how witches used to go about conceiving, supported by covens and traditions. We didn’t understand what we were doing wrong. We didn’t have what the witches of old had, and the older generation of the castle are mostly dead now, their own wisdom lost. We had—have—all the love in the world, all the intent and desire, and we even went to Lucius to ask for his blessing. We thought that was the missing piece. But since he gave it, I’ve literally felt myself grow barren. Like I’m empty and defective,” she said, tears flowing steadily now.
“You’re not,” Abraham said sharply. “You’re not defective.”
“I’m so sorry.” I reached over and placed a hand over Serena’s. “Abraham’s right. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“It’s thisplace,” Abraham spat. “I know it is. Whatever god or goddess or heaven that rules our fates doesn’t want us to bring children into this world.”
I was surprised once again by the couples’ lucidity about their reality, dreamed up in isolation—without any guiding or prompting by other dissenters or magick oceans of wisdom. How was it that some people fell easily into states of illusion and others broke free, entirely on their own? If I had been born in this place, would I have ever questioned the state of things without my power? The thought made me squirm in my seat.
“We want you to know,” Serena continued after pulling herself together. “That we support you. In whatever you’re doing here. We know Lucius wants you to rule with him, but if it were up to us—you’d rule alone.”
“What we are saying here and now is treason. We would be put to death. That’s how strongly we feel,” Abraham continued. “And it’s why we must ask. Would you be willing to give usyourblessing?”
“Oh—I—” I stammered. My power craned forward, whipping around us like a gust of wind. “I’m not here to rule. I’m here to restore the balance that was lost when Lucius claimed his unnatural power. I’m here to restore the realm to what it used to be, before this castle was ever erected. When no one ruled over anyone else.”
Abraham and Serena stared at me, their faces relaxing in a quiet resignation.
“Your children would be safe in this world that I am building. They would be cared for, loved, and supported by a community. They wouldn’t have to live in a world numbed by artificial pleasure, cut off from the history and tradition that has guided witches since the beginning of time. They wouldn’t play in stuffy castle halls. They’d play out in the world that Lucius has scorched—the world that used to be lush, beautiful, and filled with magick, and will be again one day. Is that the kind of world you want them to live in?”
“Yes,” they both said, their gazes unwavering as my magick painted my words into images before them.
I took their hands in mine, and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but something inside me took over. I felt words leave my tongue in a language I’d never spoken, yet I could feel their meaning like a current of magick. It was a spell of hope. A spell of life. One of the most sacred of all.
“Thank you,” Serena said once I’d finished. “We will never forget this. We will be of service to you in every way we can.”
“Till the end,” Abraham affirmed.
The castle continued its rattling, and I could sense currents of magick fill the air with ripe intensity—magick that didn’t come from me. The strangest part was that it didn’t feel like Lucius’s power either. Maybe Abraham was right, and it was the full moon’s influence causing all sorts of mischief.
But I wasn’t so sure.
Chapter16
Abraham and Serena were the perfect distraction from the alarming indifference Daelon revealed after his shadow integration ritual, but now that I was alone in my bedroom there was nothing to stop me from ruminating. I’d wished that Amaya and Santana had been there to greet me, so I could ask what Taryn was up to. Or Daelon, for that matter, since apparently he’d been introduced to the coven before our trip. He’d mentioned he was working on something with Taryn to protect me from my coronation. I wondered now if that was what they were both off doing with the coven’s support.
I paced around, worried terribly that I’d pushed Daelon too far. That I’dshattered him, just as Amos warned, and he was only pretending for my sake to be okay. Because how could he be? He now remembered all of his greatest traumas and sins, and he was off somewhere on his own instead of working through it with me.
The only bright spot in my ruminations was the blessing I’d just given to my newfound allies. It gave me hope that there were more of them out there, just waiting to be found. We were going to need all the help we could get. That was for sure.
More magickal influences seemed to be floating through the air and rocking the foundation of the castle, now a mixture of both light and dark. I wasn’t sure how to make sense of it all: Daelon’s determination to fulfill his purpose and makeeverything right, Taryn’s avoidance and collusion with the servant coven, and the many magickal happenings that, for once, had absolutely nothing to do with me. I wondered if the darker disturbances had to do with whatever Lucius and his hidden resurrected witch had planned for my so-called coronation ritual. I figured that was what he’d been up to all this time, when he disappeared without a trace.
A knock at the door drove all my thoughts away. I reached out but was met with an opaque energy wall.
Daelon. Thank every god and goddess.
“Come in,” I said hesitantly.
He entered, his face still hauntingly blank. “Hey.”
“Hey?” I asked. “That’s it?”
He was impossible to read, even now that we were alone. It bothered me more than anything else that might’ve been going on in these haunted halls.
I approached him slowly, and the confusion and hesitation in his eyes melted my frustration.
