Page 76 of The Witch Queen

Moonlight fights through a break in the clouds and pours over the shape. One that isnota spirit. It’sJacquetta.

And after a quick glance around herself, the other witch hauls herself up the side of the garden wall and disappears into the night.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ayleth

She will destroy everything, Shade’s warning drums in my ears as I chase after the traitorous witch.

As always, my Huntsman was right. My shadows stream ahead of me, tracking Jacquetta like hounds after a fox as she ducks into the forest and weaves through the trees. I should have left her in the dungeons to rot. Well, that’s a mistake easily rectified.

First, though, I want to discover what she’s up to. I keep a safe distance, using my shadows to shield me. Eventually, Jacquetta pulls to a stop and starts rooting around through the brush. I hide behind a tree, waiting. But as I reposition myself to get a better view of her, a twig snaps under my foot. Jacquetta’s attention whips in my direction and I inwardly curse. She yanks a small knife from her belt. Its blade gleams silver in the moonlight.

“Who’s there?” she calls.

There’s no point in hiding now. Jacquetta glowers as my shadows fall away.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than to follow me?” she asks. “It’s bad enough that you watch me all day.”

“How do you know—” I stop short, realizing my error.

Jacquetta just smirks. “I cansensethings, remember?”

I do remember. When Jacquetta found me at Stonehaven, she explained that she’d been able to determine my location because of our connection.

Our love.

That certainly isn’t the case anymore.

“If you don’t wish to be followed, then perhaps you shouldn’t give me a reason to do so,” I say, gesturing at the bushes. “Or do you expect me to believe that you’re out here digging for Margaret’s secrets among the—”

Jacquetta abruptly turns to the side, hunches over, and vomits. Violently. I’m so stunned that I just stand there, watching her until she settles.

“What’s the matter with you?” I ask.

She grimaces and wipes her mouth. “Nothing.”

“Yes, it definitely looks likenothing.”

She huffs a sigh. “If you must know, it’s the iron poisoning still working its way out of my system. I came out here looking for willowroot.”

It’s then that I notice the greenish cast to Jacquetta’s skin. The hint of iron tracks still peeking past the hem of her sleeve. She’s lucky no one else has spotted them. Lucky the iron didn’t kill her outright. Even in the dungeons, her eyes had begun to turn rust-colored, just like Rhea’s had on the night she died. But not even Rhea, with all her power, had been able to fight the poison off at that point. Why had Jacquetta been spared?

“How much of your gift is left?” I ask.

“Why?” Jacquetta crosses her arms. “So you can feed it to that shadow minion of yours?”

“I’ve told you—Shadehas a name.”

She grunts. “Well, my gift is none of your business. Ourdealonly pertains to information about the duchess.”

So this is how it will be.

“Fine,” I reply, irritated. “But you didn’t have to sneak out here for willowroot. You could have asked me for it.”

“Yes, I definitely trust what you’d give me,” she says dryly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She starts to stalk off again.