I smiled politely at the witches and stood near the door, refusing to get more comfortable than I was invited to.
“What brings you here, General?”
“No,” another witch smirked. “He’s not a general anymore.”
“That’s right,” a third rang in. “He lost that title after betraying the one he swore to serve.” I tried not to cringe. I hated when they spoke in this threatening chorus, taking turns responding to one another. It felt like a cat toying with a mouse it was about to eat, and it always sent a chill down my spine.
Unfortunately, if I wanted their help, I needed to play into their games, so I nodded. “Yes, I did. And my punishment was more than warranted for my crimes.”
They all seemed to pause at the admission of guilt. “So…” Raya thought carefully about what to say before saying it. “You regret betraying your Queen?”
I sighed, looking away. This was going to be the difficult part. I had still sworn my oath, and, General or not, I could not lie. “I regret that those actions needed to be taken. I served her for centuries, as you well know. I owe her my life and everything that I am, and I was unsure of my decision at the time.”
“So, you’ve come to your senses now?” Vurial crossed her arms, a smirk on her raspberry lips.
“Yes. I believe I have.”
“Well, this is a shocking visit.” Lore strutted back across the room to take her place at the head of the table where the other witches sat. The few that had gotten up when I came in quickly joined her until they were all seated around the table as if some sort of ceremony was about to begin. As jarring as they appeared, I didn’t fear them like this. I knew them well enough to know they wouldn’t go out of their way to cause me harm, but I had to admit the sight was enough to give anyone discomfort.
“Surely, he hasn’t just come to apologize to us?” Now it was Gen who spoke, and she did so with all the contempt her voice could conjure. Gen had never liked me. Not to worry, as the feeling had always been mutual.
“No,” I shook my head. “I heard that you’re trying to raise her.”
“And where did you hear that?” Gen continued. “From your new Queen? Have you sworn allegiance to her yet? She should watch her back once you do.”
“Silence,” Lore hissed. Gen fell silent, and her expression calmed to one of submission as she nodded in apology. I wasn’t a huge fan of Lore, but I always got a bit of a giddy feeling when she made Gen shut up. “We’re not private about our efforts to revive Minerva. Her work was noble and unfinished, and no one but her is strong enough to accomplish what needs to be done.”
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t simply agree with her in an effort to flatter her; I had to find a more complex approach to the truth while still pleasing the coven of witches. Before I could find something to say, however, Raya broke the silence.
“We can’t trust him.”
I was confused as I glanced at her. On her face, there was a world of pain that I couldn’t help but feel responsible for. The other witches actually might find a reason to trust me, but perhaps I’d been naïve to think Raya would.
There had been a time when the hazel-eyed witch loved me. I’d enjoyed her company for a while, but I would never say that I had completely reciprocated the affection. Minerva wanted me to keep track of the coven, and to do so, she wanted me to get close to Raya. She loved Minerva deeply, so it would have been easy enough to ask her about the coven’s activity and intentions. But those weren’t my orders. Minerva suspected them of trying to imitate magic only she was capable of performing, and also of using fae secrets stolen from the castle.
When Raya realized why I’d been getting close to her, she’d locked herself within the witches’ lair disguised as a small cottage. I knew she needed time, so I waited. I had been planning to wait a few days before I attempted to apologize in person. Then, Minerva sent me on some work in goblin territory, and… I never exactly got around to apologizing.
“Everything he says is deceitful,” Raya’s voice broke as she spoke. I wanted to get defensive, but guilt washed over me, and I knew she had every reason to feel the way she did. She must have been in so much pain even after two-and-a-half decades. “This is a trap.”
“No,” I responded quickly, but made sure to keep my tone cool and as comfortable as possible. “No, I promise. This is no trap. You are all safe.”
“You know he can’t lie.” Vurial placed a hand on Raya’s shoulder. Raya stared at me for a moment before turning her gaze to the center of the table. Finally, she nodded in acceptance.
“If everyone is quite done with outbursts,” Lore looked sideways at Raya and Vurial, “get to your purpose, Kalian. We have other business to attend to.”
I nodded. “Yes, of course. I do apologize for the interruption. I know that you’ve been trying to find a way to bring back Minerva. So, I was hoping you would share with me what you’ve been working on and if it’s been successful or not.”
“What?” Lariza cocked her head.
“Why?” Lore asked calmly, shooting
