Page 81 of The Heartless One
“I like it,” Elissa added, lifting Sybil’s teacup to her lips.
And thus Elric watched a new age of witches born right in front of him. A bloom of pride unfurled, along with the hope that perhaps it would really be different this time.
At least, until Jessamine looked at him and said, “Now about the man in our basement?”
Jessamine didn’t want more power. That was the reality of it. When she became queen—and she knew that was a when, not an if—she didn’t want to be responsible for even more. There was too much at risk here, and too much that she could take.
It was tempting, though. So tempting to look them all in the eye and tell them she would take care of them. She would make the decisions, lift the burden from their shoulders, and if anything happened, it was no longer their fault. They would be absolved of all responsibilities if she took over the coven. But she could not.
For too long, Jessamine had been the one who looked the others in the eye and told them she was right, even if she feared she was wrong. She’d held that burden along with all the others that plagued her. She couldn’t do that anymore.
Elric saw right through her. He could see the worries in her gaze, the fears she hid from everyone else. He was the reason she’d said no. Because if anyone knew the depths of her soul, it was him. Everything was already a little too much for her. She’d lost her life to Leon, then her soul to a god, been forced to kill the man she looked at as a father figure, and now? Now she was planning to ruin the life of her own cousin like it was an afterthought.
Jessamine wasn’t sure she liked who she was becoming. It was far too easy to believe she should kill Fortuna and get it over with, far too easy to want to hurt her childhood tormentor. But was such an action the just choice? Would her mother be proud of her for making it?
She took a deep breath and watched them all settle into idle chatter. The witches in the room all started talking about how many more witches they would like to add into the fold. Both Agnes and Elissa had candidates they thought would be important to bring in. Women who were trustworthy and who hated how the Pleasure District was being run.
“Don’t forget the Factory District,” Jessamine mused, making eye contact with Sybil. “It’s already in turmoil. If we can find someone with enough power to take over there, we can make sure we have our fingers in that place as well.”
Sybil nodded. “I know just the person. A wife of a politician there, a man who is younger than most. He’s quite persuadable, and easy for her to control. If there’s anyone who could rise after the Iron Knuckles dissolve into chaos, it’s him.”
“Get a message out.”
She nodded and then turned to the others who were still talking about those in the Pleasure District they would need to convince. It didn’t escape Jessamine’s notice that Elric’s hands were twitching underneath the table. Just a few shudders that he likely didn’t even recognize were happening.
She knew him well. Some part of him was excited to feel the sacrifices that would soon flow in his direction. But there would always be a fear inside of him because he was dealing with witches. They were glutting him. Fattening him up with magic, and soon enough, someone would want to take that power from him. She just had to be strong enough to stop them.
Hugo meandered over to her, his big arms crossed over his chest as though he was trying to take up the least amount of space possible. Like he was sneaking over to her so his grandmother wouldn’t notice him.
She took another sip of her tea, watching him over the rim of the cup until he leaned against the cabinets with her, watching the other witches. It took him a while to start talking. But when he did, her entire body stiffened.
“The man in the basement wants to talk to you,” Hugo said.
“I heard he knew who I was.”
“He’s been asking about you this morning. It’s the only thing he’ll say.He doesn’t want to talk to anyone but Lady Jessamine Harmsworth.” A shadow flickered in front of his dark eyes. “I don’t like it that he knows so much, and I don’t think you should trust him.”
“No, I don’t doubt that I should keep my guard up around him. Do we know who he is yet?”
Hugo shook his head.
That wasn’t a lot of information to go on, but Jessamine loved a mystery. Glancing over at Elric, she made eye contact with him and then pointedly looked at the door. With a small nod, he stood as well, and together they strode out of the room.
Hugo didn’t come with them, Jessamine noticed, but she hadn’t expected him to. He was never far from his grandmother’s side, even now that she was younger. If nothing else, he was loyal beyond reason.
“Where are we going?” Elric asked, his voice a little too bright.
“You know where we’re going.”
“I’ll admit, I’m curious to understand how he even found us. He didn’t say, and when I asked, he practically ran from me,” Elric mused as they approached the basement door. He held it open for her in a mockery of chivalry, his arm outstretched for her to step into the darkness.
She waltzed in front of him without a hint of fear in her step. And that… was odd.
“You know,” she said as she placed her hand against the wall for balance, “I used to be scared of the dark.”
“Is that so?”
“When I was little, I had to have a candle going all night. If it went out, I would run to relight it in a panic, my hands shaking and my heart racing like something would come out of the shadows and get me if that candle wasn’t flickering in the room.” She could feel an echo of the memory, her heart kicking up beneath her ribs, the familiar claws of fear tangling around her mind and coiling through her body.
