Page 147 of Witchlight
“I know,” she replies, and the Rook hops off her shoulder to land upon Leopold’s other side. The bird nuzzles his old master, which makes the prince smile. “But you mistook purpose for love,” Owl continues, “as did your old general, and that path never ends well for anyone.”
“No,” Leopold agrees.
Owl strokes his brow. And slowly, slowly, the prince’s eyes close. Until eventually, Owl leans down to whisper something in his ear. Some final good-bye that no one else can hear, save perhaps Sirmaya. He smiles again, more brightly. More true.
Then Leopold fon Cartorra slips away.
The Rook squawks, a sound of both grief and surprise—even though he knew that something like this must be coming. He nudges, he nips. But the prince doesn’t respond. And soon, ice scuttles over the body. It seals him in like a tomb.
It also scuttles over the blade, as if reclaiming whatever droplets of magic might still remain inside.
Cora is the first to move, coming to Owl. She offers her a hand. “What did you tell him?” she asks. “Because it gave him great comfort at the end.”
Owl swallows, looking first at Cora’s hand. Then at the ice stretched before her where a prince will sleep forever.
“I told him that I loved him,” she said without inflection. “And that he would no longer be alone.”
Cora sighs. “I see.” And the weasel feels a similar response unfurl inside her. It is like an ancient hunger loosing. Like pieces of herself being made new again.
She startles when hands suddenly grasp her. She hadn’t noticed Lisbet approaching, she’d been so focused on what it might mean to no longer be alone. And now she is clutched. Now she is lifted. Now she is placed upon Lisbet’s small shoulder, where she can leap back down…
But she does not.
“Come, little cousin,” Lisbet murmurs into her white fur, “the Sightwitches are awakening. Enough magic has returned for the world to settle, and there is a new spring we must all prepare for.”
PART 3
Witch Light
My dearest Captain,
I know you’re gone, but it doesn’t feel real to me yet. So many letters I have written to you over this past year—and when I wasn’t writing them, I was always thinking ofhowto write them. What words I would use to describe a place, a discovery, a feeling thumping in my chest.
Goddess, I miss you.
And while I know it’s not fair, right now, in this exact moment, I hate Merik. You gave up your life for him. Which means he took you from me.
Hye, I know you did what you did because you werecreatedby Sirmaya. You lifted up the man you saw as king. But I’d rather have you here than Merik.
Do you remember that time we talked about marriage? We were on theJana, and you said you wanted a proper Nubrevnan wedding with all the fanfare and dancing. I said I would never agree because Sightwitches aren’t allowed to marry…
A stupid thing to say. I wish I could take it back. I don’t adhere to the Sightwitch Rules anymore, and I expect few of the newly awoken Sightwitches will either. (Tanzicertainlywon’t. I’ve already caught her twice sneaking Cam into her bedroom. Hilga will have a fit when she finds out.)
I suppose I should take some comfort in the fact that Poznin already flourishes beneath Merik’s guidance. He’s a changed man from the one you last saw in Lejna, and as much as I wish itweren’tthe case… I do think your instincts were right. Your Threadbrother will lead the New Republic of Arithuania well, and a peaceful age will prosper there.
Also, if you had not let Sirmaya take your Paladin soul back,then magic would not have stabilized. It would not have returned to witches across the land.
We still need one more Paladin, of course. One more source of magic to fully return to how things were. But that is what Stix and Kahina are focused on. They won’t rest until they find the last Exalted Ones: Ferisien, Lovats, and perhaps a reincarnated Portia too. Although Sirmaya has stabilized, no one in the Witchlands can be truly safe while those three still remain.
Stix and Kahina also fear that Midne has joined the other side. Why else did she disappear upon waking? I’ll admit I’m not convinced. Although Midne might have been the first betrayer of the Six long ago—the one who turned on five—it wasn’t her choice. She was bound to Portia as the first Hell-Bard.
What if she is still bound? What if she hasn’t slipped away because she wants to but because she fears causing more harm?
The cards offer me nothing except a verification that Stix’s and Kahina’scurrentpath is true: the Paladin of Foxes, the Paladin of Hawks, and the Giant. Any future information beyond remains a mystery.
As for the Paladin of Bats, Owl, she has remained here at the Convent. The reason is twofold. One: she isn’t safe so long as the Exalted One Lovats still possesses the jade ring she is bound to. But perhaps, here where the mountain’s magic is strong, she can at leasthidefrom the ring for a time.
And, on top of that, here Owl perhaps can grow with something resembling a childhood. (Although truth be told, Kullen,Ifeel like the child whenever I am around her, Lisbet, or Cora. I have no idea how Sister Hilga will manage all three of them as apprentices.)
