Page 207 of The Witch Queen

We hurry over to look outside. The massive gates surrounding the courtyard have been completely destroyed. A figure strides through the wreckage, her cloak snapping in the wind.

“Is that…” Jacquetta starts.

“Mother,” I whisper.

And an army of shadow creatures pours in after her.

Chapter Sixty-One

Ayleth

“I never should have let you out of that dungeon,” Roland complains. “Nothing like this ever used to happen to me before I met you.”

“I entirely agree with him,” another person chimes in. Sindony. She and the other witches have joined us, all staring out at the chaos unfolding below.

“Don’t—” Jacquetta starts, but I wave her off.

“She’s right,” I say. So much of this is my fault.

Below us, Mother raises her arms. Bruise-colored clouds build, heavy and ominous. Thunder cracks and then lightning spears the flagstones, leaving a smoking crater behind. A wagon and other debris tumble into the void.

“Spirits,” Jacquetta murmurs beside me. “Does she intend to destroy the whole place?”

I think she does. If she doesn’t get what she wants, Mother will lay waste to everything in her wake, just asIwas planning to do when I broke the Veil. The similarity sends a shudder through me. When I look at Mother now, I see myself, a witch consumed by rage and vengeance. How could I have allowed myself to lose sight of so much?

“I’ll gather my men,” Gavin says. “We can surround her and—”

“Let her flatten you?” I ask dryly.

“We can’t just sit here,” Blodwyn argues.

No. In fact, every instinct screams at me to run. But I refuse to let myself give in to it.

“We stick to the plan,” I say, with a confidence I absolutely do not feel. “Get the crown.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Sindony asks, nodding to the courtyard. “Ask her nicely?”

Mother summons another lightning strike. It hits the pyre and the whole thing blazes to life. Not unlike an Ascension fire. The mark on my palm prickles and I turn my hand over, studying the three crossed lines. If Rhea were here, she’d know what to do. She would—

A thought surfaces. Something Joan said:Love is the most powerful magic I know.

Perhaps she’s right.

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I say. “I’ll go out there. Talk to her.”

“Talkto her?” Jacquetta echoes.

Even Sindony looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “I wasn’t serious. Do you remember what happened at Stonehaven? If you have a death wish, that’s fine, but—”

“She won’t kill me,” I say, though I’m not entirely convinced that’s true. “And there might still be a way to reach her.”

I look to Joan, who nods, understanding.

“Ayleth, you can’t—” Jacquetta starts.

“I have to try,” I insist. “She’s my mother.”

Jacquetta hesitates a moment longer.