Page 212 of The Witch Queen

“Not if I can help it.” Ayleth raises her voice to be heard. “Blodwyn says that Millicent spoke of balance. That magic and Malum must come together. We need to do that. Here.Now.”

“We?” Joan asks. “But we’re not—”

“Witches, I know,” Ayleth replies in a rush. “But you all carry latent magic in your hearts. We have to bind it together. That’s how we restore the balance of power.”

She looks to me and that place on my palm throbs. A blast sounds near the palace. Cassandra screams as she’s hurled backward. Shade’s ember-like eyes glow with fury as they turn toward us.

“Hurry!” I shout.

Ayleth pales but nods. She rushes to redraw the triangle on herself and passes me her blade. My fingers tremble as I drag it over the lines of Millicent’s mark, then thrust the knife at Verity, who does the same. Then the rest of them. When the last person finally finishes, we form a circle. I suspect the storm somehow understands that we’re working against it because it growls louder, the wind picking up and stirring the pyre.

“NOW!” Ayleth yells. “Join the magic!”

She grabs my hand on one side and I take Verity’s on the other. The chain continues, our hands locking, witch and mortal and Dwarf blood beating together. And then—

Thunder booms above us. The ground quakes. At first, I assume it’s Shade or the others launching an attack. But no—a golden light shimmers in the depths of the fire. It intensifies, growing larger and brighter, until it surges upward and into the sky. And then—

A streak of gold, like a falling star, plummets toward us and slams into the blaze. Intome. I shudder at the impact. At the sensation of thatotherforce spreading through my limbs, twining around my bones and coursing through my veins. My feet lift off the ground. My very skin pulls taut and I’m sure it will rip into a thousand pieces. That whatever power we summoned was too much for my body to contain. But then my knees hit the ground and cold night air floods my lungs. The fire has guttered, leaving only smoking remains. The storm heaves a final growl and then recedes, clouds rolling back to reveal the starry sky above. The rest of our circle is scattered around me, all of them as spent and dazed as I am.

“Blodwyn.” Verity pushes herself up from where she fell. “You’re…glowing.”

I look down at my hands, confused. Because Iamglowing. My skinpulses with the same light I saw in the fire. Like my very blood has transformed into molten gold. And ithums,warm and sparkling as it travels through my veins.

“What is this?” I murmur.

“Itworked!” The voice snaps me out of my trance. It’s Sindony. She’s smiling, which I haveneverseen her do, her hands pressed to her chest. “I can feel it again. I can feel it!”

Other witches nod, laughing and hugging one another. A few of them are crying, tears streaming down their faces. One of them tests her abilities, making flames spark to life in the fire and sobbing with relief. I turn to ask Ayleth what it all means, but she isn’t there.

Instead, I spot her a short distance away, kneeling beside a heap on the ground. The world is still a bit dizzy, but I pick my way through the wreckage of the courtyard to reach her. When I see what she’s discovered, I stop short.

Cassandra’s body is sprawled among the debris, her eyes open and glassy. Her mouth contorted in a scream. Ayleth just sits there, frozen. I hesitate, unsure how to react. I can’t mourn Cassandra’s death. But I know what it’s like to lose a mother. To be betrayed by the person who is supposed to be closest to you.

“I’m so sorry,” I say. “I didn’t want this for her.”

“I know you didn’t,” Ayleth replies quietly. “Part of me hoped that if this worked, she might come back to her senses. But…she was too far gone.”

The pain in her voice causes my own throat to tighten.

“She saved you, in the end,” I say. “She cared for you.”

Ayleth swallows. “Not enough.”

Tenderly, she closes Cassandra’s eyes. I’m not sure what else to say. And I don’t get the chance. Footsteps pound toward us.

“Blodwyn!” Gavin calls. “When I saw what happened…are youglowing?”

At that, Ayleth turns. Her eyes widen as she takes me in. “You are.”

“It happened after whatever we did,” I explain, self-conscious.

A crease digs between Ayleth’s brows. “Could it be…the power Millicent gave you? Do you feel any different?”

“I did at the time. It was like my whole body was on fire, but…in a good way.”

“Like coming alive,” Ayleth says, more to herself than to me.

“Yes,” I agree. “But what—”