The elven man’s clothes were blackened in some areas, and blood smeared his cheek and part of his chin. He must have been one of the elves who’d attempted to steal the staff.
“What do you want with me?” the elf said.
Silvestra rose. “A demonstration.”
“What?”
The witch nodded at me. “The sky king’s ward is confused about what I plan to do with the Wult king, and so I thought the best way to show her was through a demonstration. You broke into my vaults, killed three of my wraiths, and not only attempted to steal from me, but tried to kill me as well. Now, Olive, you will see what the punishment is for such actions.”
She circled him slowly. “Taking one’s free will is a process that took me many years to learn—one that cost me personally—but it was well worth it, for now I have the magical name, a word that will strip you of your essence and make you my servant.”
“Impossible,” the elf said. “There is no such word.”
“But you are wrong. There are many words I have learned that others have not.”
The witch circled the elf. On her outstretched arm, the snake remained perfectly balanced and unmoving. The elven man shied back at the sight of the snake.
“Don’t touch me,” he said.
“You do not wish to be my servant?”
“I will never serve you. I will die before bowing before you.”
“Brave words for an elf, don’t you think, Olive?”
Her eyes darted to mine, expecting an answer, though I wasn’t sure what to say. No matter what this man had done, he didn’t deserve to have his essence stripped away. I couldn’t sit by and watch.
“Silvestra,” I said quietly, “please don’t do this. You’ve no need to harm him.”
Her eyes flared. “No? He entered my vaults and attempted to steal my possessions. He tried to kill me! Would you rather I let him go free, so that more may come and try to kill me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what would you have me do?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer. As she turned away from me, the sky darkened. The wind picked up, carrying leaves from the garden, making the tree limbs creak. Glancing overhead, I felt power in the clouds and wind, making my arms prickle with goose bumps.
Silvestra’s footfalls echoed the wind as she circled the elf. Tendrils of black magic gathered around her, and then sparks of green ignited with the black. Although the witch terrified me, I sat in awe as I studied her magic. My magical powers had grown stronger since I’d first learned to control them, and I felt fairly proficient at a few spells, but to be in the witch’s presence humbled and overwhelmed me.
She stood behind the elf when the snake struck, impaled its fangs into the man’s neck, and then retreated. It happened quickly. The man cried out, struggling against the wraiths holding him, but it didn’t matter. The poison would soon enter the elf’s bloodstream.
The witch stood over him but focused on me as a word of magic escaped her lips. The magic coalesced and wrapped around the elf’s body, spiraling, compressing. His screaming pierced the air with the desperate sound of pain and fear. I had trouble listening and wished I could use my magic to stop the witch. But if I did anything, I feared what she might do to me, or worse, to Kull.
The witch grabbed the man’s shoulder, her clawed fingers digging into his skin as the snake slithered off her hand and coiled around the elf’s neck. The black loops constricted until he gasped for air.
He struggled as the wraiths held him between them.
Unable to watch, I looked away. “Please,” I said. “Stop.”
“Stop? And let him escape? No. He attempted to steal from my vault and take my life—two crimes that cannot go unpunished. He must suffer so that others will know never to follow in his footsteps.”
I was reminded that this wasn’t the first time the elves had stolen from her. What had they taken in the past? Whatever it had been had clearly upset her, something even now she couldn’t get over.
His gasping became more infrequent as the blood drained from his face. The witch lifted her hands, and a mist of black and green magic formed—a deep, heavy magic that weighed on my senses. A blade appeared in her hand. I’d seen that blade before. It was the same one I’d seen when she’d first brought me to her castle, and it had been stained with blood. With horror, I realized now that it must have been Kull’s blood I’d seen earlier.
In a swift motion, the witch grabbed the snake and severed its head from its body. The elf inhaled, gasping, as the snake’s coils released. But as soon they did, the scales morphed, turning gray until they became stone.
“You will wear this collar,” Silvestra said, “until your soul becomes mine.”
The elf made no reply. Red welts formed on his neck, mingling with the blood and poison. His eyes became unfocused as the two wraiths dragged him away.
The witch walked toward me, still holding the knife. I stood, facing her, letting my magic gather around me.
“Do not try to harm me,” she said quietly, “or you will suffer the same as him.”
“Is that what you did to Kull? Is that why you won’t let me see him?” I could barely contain the rage in my voice.
“You will see him tonight at the ball, so long as you cooperate and do not try anything rash. I would hate to harm him now, when you are so very close to finding him.”
The hardened tone of her voice made me shudder. I wanted to lash out with
