Witch Queen (30 page)

“Go and rest,” said the witch king. He
looked delighted. “We shall reconvene the trials tomorrow.”

And just like that, two coven guards grabbed
me from behind and heaved me out of the arena.

CHAPTER 25

I
WAS BRUISED, EXHAUSTED, and I hurt
all over—but I was
alive
and a step closer to saving
Jon.

After Celeste had helped me bathe and change
into a new shift, I limped over to a chair and let myself fall into
it. I closed my eyes and let her brush my wet hair.

I hardly touched my evening meal of roasted
lamb, potatoes, meat pie, bread, grapes, apples, and a variety of
cheeses. A decanter of dark burgundy liquid sat next to the food,
and I had three hefty glasses full. The wine was divine, and even
in my ignorance of drink, I knew it was high quality. I had only
tasted wine like it once before, when the late prince of Anglia had
given me some. But I only drank the wine once Celeste had promised
me that the untouched food would go to the men.

I was still angry about today’s witch
trials. Despite the
disadvantage
of my human heritage, I had
passed the first three trials. Nothing would stop me from
accomplishing my goal now. I could feel it. After tomorrow’s trials
we’d be free to go back to Anglia with a troop of witch
warriors.

I shifted to try and find a comfortable
position, but everything hurt. So changing positions didn’t help.
My healing magic wasn’t working as fast as I thought it would, or
at least as fast as I thought it
should
. And I couldn’t help
but feel that something was off, as though something was preventing
my body from healing. Maybe it was because the trial witches’ magic
was more powerful than the magic I had encountered before, or maybe
it was because so much of it hit me at once.

Ultimately, I would need a few days for my
body to heal properly. But I knew that wouldn’t happen. Tomorrow
was already upon me, and I still felt like I needed a week to
recover.

If Celeste had questions about what had
happened last night with Prince Aurion, she didn’t ask me, and I
was grateful. Not that there was anything significant to tell
anyway. It was just a very strange visit, and I still couldn’t
figure the prince out.

“You did well today,” said the witch maid,
as though she had sensed my mood. “For an inexperienced witch, I’d
say you did remarkably well. Exceptionally well, really. It would
take a witch of exceptional skill to outmatch that dreadful lot.
And you did. You should be very proud.”

I shrugged. “Well, I don’t
feel
like
I’ve accomplished much. I get the feeling that tomorrow will be far
worse than today…and I barely made it back alive. What if I
don’t—”

But I couldn’t finish my words because to
say them might make them true. Instead, I turned my head and looked
into Celeste’s face.

“You came to see the trials?”

Celeste let out a soft laugh. “Of course I
did. Every servant in the fortress came to see Elena of the Steel
Maiden clan.”

She set the brush down and began to braid my
hair. “We had to sneak out during our duties, but I saw your last
trial…”

She was silent for a moment and I was not
sure why. Then she continued, “You need to have faith in the
Goddess. She has something planned for all of us, but I know she
has something grand planned for you. I can feel it.”

“I wish I had your optimism.” I took another
sip of wine, sloshed it around in my mouth and let it seep slowly
down my throat. I could taste the grapes and a hint of the rich
sweet chocolate that we never had a chance to taste in the Pit.

“I’m exhausted, more than usual. And my body
feels…broken,” I said. “Like my blood magic can’t keep up with the
damage the trial witches caused. I won’t be healed by tomorrow. And
I have a feeling the last two trials are going to be the
worst.”

“I have something for you,” she said when
she had tied a string of thin leather around the end of my braid.
She picked up a small container filled with a tawny liquid. “One of
my special brews. I made it especially for you. It won’t heal you
completely, but it should help your blood magic heal faster.”

I took the vial from her and smelled it. “It
smells like dirt.”

“And it probably tastes like it, too. But I
promise you’ll feel better once you drink it…all of it.”

I tipped the vial to my lips and emptied it.
“It does taste like dirt. And pee.”

Celeste laughed, and it warmed my heart.

As the disgusting contents traveled down my
throat, I gasped as a rush of energy coursed through me, like an
adrenaline rush, but ten times stronger. As the feeling dissipated,
I was left feeling lighter, but I was energized and practically
pain free. I could still feel a few bruises here and there, but
most of the pain was gone.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I jumped to
my feet. “Holy hell! How is this possible? What is this?”

I settled the vial back on the table, and
the witch maid beamed and raised a brow.

“I told you I was rather good at potions,”
her eyes flashed.

“Good?” I teased, “You’re better than good.
You’re a bloody miracle worker.”

I didn’t know how she had managed to make a
liquid that tasted like dirt heal me, and I didn’t care. All that
mattered was that my body was in great shape for tomorrow. I sat
back down and took a gulp of my wine to wash out the muddy taste in
my mouth.

“Celeste?” I asked.

“Yes, Mistress Elena.”

“Elena.”

Celeste cocked her head. “I thought that’s
what I said.”

“No,
just
Elena. I’m not a mistress
of anything, and it doesn’t feel right. Just call me Elena.”

Celeste was quiet for a moment. “Well,
perhaps just in these chambers,
Elena
.”

“Why does the witch king give me such fine
wine and food?” I asked. “Why doesn’t he just let me starve. That
way I would certainly loose, and he’d be rid of me.”

“Because these trials are held in the
highest esteem amongst witches,” she said.

She secreted the empty miracle vial into a
pocket inside her gown.

“Having you mistreated would be most
dishonorable, and it would reflect badly on the king. It’s
tradition, you see. Every witch presented at the witch trials is
entitled to the king’s comfort and must be treated like a
guest.”

I spat a little wine. “A guest?”

I laughed, but then my mood changed
abruptly.

“I just want to go home and make things
right again…to save Jon.”

There I’d said it.

Celeste dabbed some cream onto her hands and
began to rub it into mine.

“Is Jon your lover?”

The hint of a smile on her face caused me to
smile back, but I couldn’t answer.

“He must be a fine young man to win your
heart,” she said with a grin.

“He is,” I said finally. “He is the finest
sort of man. The best.”

Tears rose in my eyes, probably too quickly
because of the damn wine. I wiped my eyes.

“Do you have someone in your life?” I asked,
trying to change the subject so that I didn’t break down in front
of her. “Someone special.”

Celeste’s expression changed into something
hard.

“I did.” She swallowed. “He’s dead now.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled hastily, “it was
stupid of me to ask. It’s not my business.”

Celeste squeezed my hands. “Nonsense. I
wouldn’t have answered if I didn’t want to.”

And although I was curious to know what had
happened to him, I didn’t press her to tell me.

A knock sounded at the door.

Celeste and I stared at each other for a
moment before she broke the awkward silence.

“Another visitor, Elena?” Her eyebrows rose,
and she grinned.

I could feel the flush rising from my chest
to my neck. The witch prince was not someone I wished to see,
especially not after the day I had. What the hell was his problem
anyway?

“I thought I’d made it clear that I wasn’t
interested.”

Celeste lowered her voice. “I don’t think
the witch prince is accustomed to being disappointed.”

“Too bad for his royal ass. Don’t let him
in.”

Celeste’s eyes widened with fear. “I’m
afraid I cannot do that. I serve the royal family first. I must let
him in or lose my place.”

I let out an exasperated breath and prayed
he had on more clothes than last night.
Goddess help me.

“Fine. Let the beast in.”

With a clenched jaw, I watched as the witch
maid strolled across the room to unlock and open the door. As soon
as the door swung open, Celeste bent over in a low curtsy, but not
for a half-naked prince.

The witch queen came in.

CHAPTER 26

T
HE WITCH QUEEN FLOATED into my
bedchamber. Her diamond-beaded gown was spun from black Witchdom
silk and decorated with enough jewels to feed an entire nation. Her
red hair was piled up on her head like a three-foot pyramid and
inlaid with sparkling jewels. It was a wonder she could keep her
head straight with the weight. Her jeweled corset pinched her waist
unnaturally thin and pushed up her generous bosom until it
practically brushed up against her chin. The bottom of her skirt
was embellished with rubies fashioned into the shapes of hands.

I knew her attire and her jewels were meant
to intimidate a poor half-breed wench like me, but I never cared
for fancy gowns or jewelry unless I could steal them and sell them.
I always found it stupid that anyone would pay so much coin for
sparkling rocks when the money could be better spent feeding the
poor, aiding orphan children, and building a better world.

But as she flounced around the room
affecting graces that she did not possess, she looked more
grotesque than threatening or beautiful. She was like a caricature
drawn by the local artists from the Soul City market. She had too
much rouge smeared on her fat lips, and so much black kohl around
her eyes and eyebrows that she looked like a court jester.

And yet there was something in those cold,
violet eyes that was terrifying.

She was accompanied by a female witch who
wore a tight black leather outfit under a long leather cloak. Two
red hands decorated each of her breasts, and her dark hair was
styled into hundreds of tiny beaded braids. While a magecraft hung
from her neck, it was her hands that were most arresting. Her
twisted ten-inch fingernails looked like gleaming claws.

I balled my hands into fists and waited for
the witches to settle into the room. I half expected the roof to
open up and magic to stream in and kill me. But nothing
happened.

“Leave us,” the witch queen ordered.

Celeste disappeared through the door without
another glance my way.

I remained seated and did not bow and scrape
at the witch queen’s feet. I got up slowly. She didn’t like me, and
I didn’t like her, so why pretend.

“What brings you here, witch queen?” I
asked. “Prince Aurion and Fawkes told me that nobody visited this
part of the fortress.”

“Yes,” said the witch queen, “what brings me
here of all places?”

She turned to face me with a smile that did
not reach her eyes. “You, of course.”

Her eyes rolled over me slowly.

“No shape, no breasts. One might even
mistake you for a male, with such a stick-like figure. Skin and
bones. Nothing more than a human peasant with no social graces.
Certainly no
witch
. You’re nothing but a disgraceful, human
whore.”

My temper flared, but I kept my face
even.

Why was she here? What did she want if not
to sabotage me in some way?

I looked to the bed where I’d thrown my
weapons.

The witch queen saw what I was looking at.
She raised a dark penciled eyebrow.