Page 23 of Heart of a Witch
“We won’t get caught,” he said with promise, looking her dead in the eyes and holding her shoulders. “I’m taking you to Blackburn. Uncle Richard will take care of you until we return.”
Alex pressed her lips into a hard line. “Dad’s stepbrother?”
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “He’s a sympathizer, and he doesn’t have Dad’s last name. It’s far away from the hunter. No one will look for her there. Take her, then come back.”
“Please,” Mother begged. “Don’t go.”
I licked my dry lips, pressing my pointed nails into the arms of the sofa. “Please understand. He is going to look for us wherever we go. It’s either we brave the mountains and try to get into Istinia, where we will be forced apart into covens anyway, or we spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders for the hunter. We’re not safe anywhere, not in Blackburn, Dawnridge, or Redforest. At least this way I can protect us and make him pay too. Karma never happens to people like him. It’s why people like me step in.”
“Honey, it’s never as simple as that.”
“Then what?” I asked, tears swimming in my eyes. “Will you have me forgive him? Go about my life while he picks off our family one by one? No. I’m going, and if Alex and Cas want to come, they can.”
It took an hour before Cas finally got Mother to agree to leave. I was sure the herbal tea he’d made, from ingredients he’d bought at the shop next to the hotel, had something to do with her sudden agreeability. I wasn’t upset. She needed to be calm, else she wouldn’t survive this.
I laid my snakes inside the pocket of my jacket and pulled the material outward, watching them curl around each other and go to sleep. Having them close helped, if only a little. I inhaled deeply, holding my breath for a few seconds. I’d never given much thought to revenge, but I thought it might be the death of me, and that was okay. As long as the hunter’s death was just before mine.
Eight
Victoria
A rickety sign creaked when a breeze swept through the town center. It read, Redforest – May Zerheus Bless Our Town. Alex stepped out of the carriage behind me and flicked her midnight-black hair over her shoulder. “It’s… quaint.” She gave me a tight smile.
I hated the place as soon as I laid eyes on the weathered gallows, a stone’s throw from their church. Sun-bleached wood panels held up the structure, and boards were nailed over holes where the wood had rotted. Most towns didn’t have gallows up all the time. They were only erected on the rare occasion a witch was sentenced to death, but it was obvious executions were once a frequent form of entertainment in Redforest. I assumed Damian also kept them up as a warning.
“Stay close,” I said and grabbed Alex’s arm, rushing her past the church. The architecture dated back to the time when gods roamed the world. Tall arches welcomed the townsfolk inside. The light bricks reflected the sun as if they were made of gold. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of their service.
I welcomed the smell of fresh bread as we passed a bakery, a stark difference to the lingering stench of horse dung that covered the main road, winding up between shops on either side. I eyed a rundown apothecary shop. Slanted shelves of jars and bottles filled the view in the grimy window. A faded sign hung from chains over the door, but the first part of the name was no longer visible. At least Cas would be happy once he returned from taking our mother to Blackburn. It was hardly competition.
Alex pursed her lips. “Are we going to buy this one?”
My nose scrunched. “No. We have a shop in a far better location.”
“Do you really think we can afford it?”
“Yes. I’ve already told you everything. We discussed the plan on the way here,” I whispered. “I will answer any more questions once we are alone.” I forced a smile at a couple who were staring at us. A woman in a corseted purple dress looked me up and down, then moved her disapproving gaze to Alex. I tugged Alex’s arm, moving us away.
Alex gritted her teeth. “That was rude.”
“They’re not used to how we dress.” I looked around at their long dresses with boxy sleeves.
“You’re telling me.” She snorted. “This town feels like it’s stuck fifty years in the past.”
A man scratched at his knee-length breeches down to his stockings, then fastened his tailcoat. A couple of other men wore the more modern tailored suits I was accustomed to seeing back home.
A waft of leather hit my nostrils when we paused by a shoe shiner. I pulled out the map Cas had given us and ran my finger along the winding street. “It’s left up here.” I pointed at the dressmakers on the corner.
Alex grinned, pointing at a pink bow tied on one of the mannequins. “Will you be blending in with the fashion here too? That would look pretty on you.”
“I’d rather strangle myself with it.”
She chuckled. It was the first time I’d even felt close to laughing since… I held my breath. I turned my thoughts to Cas. He’d be here tomorrow. Sometimes it felt like we were looking after her when it should have been the other way around, but I didn’t mind. Taking care of her was the only way I could make up for her health deteriorating in the first place.
“How long until we reach the house?” Alex asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
I checked the map again. “It’s not far.”
“I wonder how it’ll look.”
