Page 15 of To Crave Deeply
I knew all about Strigavallis, the home of the Witch Queen and safe haven for all witches. Its beauty was fuelled by magic, like the Witch Queen herself. I’d seen her at the Yule Gathering; all those fancy clothes and fancy people surrounding her were nothing more than a mirage to fool the eyes around her. I could see her true form beneath the shadows of her magic, and she was a monstrosity. Her soul was marked with age, and I could see the stains magic had burnt into it. She looked old and decrepit under the beauty of her skin, and I pitied her need to be beautiful.
What we were doing here, I had no idea. No doubt Iveri wanted to make some sort of deal. I’d personally never had dealings with the Witch Queen, but there were rumours her price was high, even higher than the Devil’s, and I was worried that Iveri was going to put herself in danger, and by extension, Lori.
My heart gave an uncomfortable lurch as I replayed the moment the light faded from her eyes. She had looked so beautiful the moment she’d stepped down those stairs in that scrap of fabric she called a dress. Clothing like that should be illegal. And then the pride I’d felt when she’d successfully been accepted into the Arcane Forum as an apprentice was incredible. I’d never known anything like it, and I was thankful that Lori had walked into my life.
Then the angels came and took her from me. I had never once hated my bond of eternal servitude until that moment. I’d been unable to save her and unable to do anything to avenge her and now I was stuck looking at her face but listening to the words of that Sin Reaper as she paraded the world in Lori’s body. I hated her. And there was nothing I could do about it.
I had expected some sort of resistance to us crossing the magical barrier, but we had made it through unscathed. It was impossible to materialise from the shadows into Strigavallis because of the wards. You’d be vaporised on the spot, which meant the Witch Queen was allowing us entry. A fact that had my hackles rising and my instincts going into overdrive. I suddenly feared that the price she was going to ask Iveri to pay would be extremely high.
“Well, that was easy,” Iveri muttered, more to herself than me.
She’d not really spoken to me unless it was to order me about. It grated on me that I couldn’t resist. It was strange. I knew the bond was there and I knew I had to obey her, but I also knew I could reach out and snap her neck if I wanted to. A thought which was often prevalent, but then she’d look at me and all I could see was Lori, and I just couldn’t do it.
“She knows we are here,” I replied gruffly. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Iveri turned those demonic eyes on me and grinned wildly. “Aww, does the Shadow Fiend miss his little Mistress?”
I held back the growl that was threatening to creep out of my throat at her sarcastic tone. She was really pushing me to the point where I wasn’t going to be able to hold back from doing something to curb her brattish attitude.
“It’s not that. I just don’t trust that you’re smart enough to know when you’re being played.”
Her brow descended into a fierce scowl and I inwardly ginned. I’d hit a nerve.
“I’ve played the game of negotiations a lot longer than this self-proclaimed Witch Queen has,” she sneered as she strode closer to me. “I will not be taken in by an old hag who thinks she’s better than everyone else. She has a weakness, I’m sure. I will find it and I will exploit it to my advantage.”
The manic gleam in her eye as she spoke had me worried. What had she been through that she found such enjoyment in taking down her opponents? Something must have happened to her in her past. Surely she couldn’t have just been born this vindictive or cruel?
“Just don’t do anything to get us killed,” I said simply. I wasn’t here by choice. I wanted to be back at the Conclave, trying to find a way to rescue Lori. If His Majesty was still alive, I knew that meant we had a way to get Lori back. Something in the pit of my stomach was telling me this moment wouldn’t last forever. There would come a day when the bond between Lori and His Majesty would drift too far apart and snap, and we’d lose all hope of ever finding Lori again.
But not only that, all the magic bound to Hell would unravel, setting all those malevolent souls free. Not to mention the demons with an appetite for chaos and destruction. If Lucifer died, then Hell ceased to exist. And no one wanted that. Especially when three of the most powerful creatures were bound to the darkest circle of Hell as punishment for their sins. If those three ever got free, the world would certainly burn to dust.
Iveri was about to make what would no doubt be a cutting remark, but she was stopped by the arrival of some armed guards and one of the Queen’s servants.
“Welcome to Strigavallis,” he offered with a flourish. “My name is Elias, and I am here to escort you to the Queen. She would like you to join her for afternoon tea. Please come this way.”
He was a man of indeterminate age, like all bloody witches. They were like vampires in that respect; you could never assume to know how old or powerful they were until it was too late. And, like all witches, he was beautiful, but it was perfection created by magic. Underneath that, he was an old man on the cusp of rot. He was smartly dressed in a royal livery and the small company of armed guards were perfectly poised, like good soldiers should be. I had no doubt that every single one of them was a witch and we needed to tread carefully. Now that we were in Strigavallis, I wasn’t completely sure we would be able to get out again. Not unless the Witch Queen allowed it.
Iveri stepped forward and I instinctively made my body ready for any attack she might invoke.
She returned Elias’ bow with grace, and I relaxed a little. At least she was playing by the rules for now. Who knew how long that would last with her temperament, though?
“Thank you for being our escort, Elias. I am grateful for Her Majesty’s hospitality and look forward to taking tea with her. If you would be so good as to lead the way, my companion and I will gladly follow.”
Elias visibly relaxed at Iveri’s words, and I was glad she didn’t inspire an outright attack. It looked like she could be quite charming if she wanted to be, but then she’d fooled us all into thinking she was something she wasn’t, so I knew her acting skills were excellent. Iveri pulled Elias into a conversation about the history of this place and the Witch Queen herself. She was clearly a master of manipulation because, by the time we reached the castle, the poor man was eating out of the palm of her hand.
“If you have time, I would love to take you on a tour of the castle grounds. They are beautiful, although their beauty would pale in comparison to your loveliness.”
Iveri giggled at his soppy words, and I had to resist rolling my eyes. I couldn’t take much more of this sickening flirting going on in front of me. I was one romantic cliché away from ripping his throat out with my obsidian claws.
“Elias, you are too kind. And that sounds perfect. I’d love for a chance to get to know you better.” Iveri dropped her voice to a whisper and leant closer to him. “Maybe even find a secluded spot, where no one could find us?”
I snorted. She really was terrible. Threatening the poor man in front of his armed guards under the guise of being intimate was definitely bold. I almost liked her for it.
“But of course,ma chérie,” he replied, bowing over her hand, and placing his lips on her knuckles. He lingered longer than was necessary and my skin crawled at his smarminess. I’d seen many horrible things in my life, but watching these two for the past few minutes was definitely up there at the top of my list.
I didn’t want to put anything at risk, so I was playing the dutiful servant, but I was itching to say something cutting to the guy. Maybe even just a gentle ‘fuck off’ followed by a punch to his perfect nose would suffice. But instead, I stood there, grinding my teeth and waiting for it to just stop. This was pure fucking torture.
The large gilt door we were standing in front of was flung open, and another servant in a similar livery to Elias’ but with less opulence, came forward to whisper something in Elias’ ear. I figured Elias must be high up in the castle if his livery was showier than that of this servant before me. The colours were bold but not garish, a rich purple with a subtle gold trim, and they were a combination of colours that constantly appeared through the castle. They were in the walls, flooring; even the flowers were purple, but with a name like Violette, I wouldn’t expect anything less.
