Astrid’s eyes were ice, her body straight and proud. Her claws twitched out from her nail beds. The witches behind her did the same. The shadow demon realized he was outnumbered with his small hunting party against twenty pissed off witches. It didn’t make sense—where were the rest of his forces? Nevertheless, he backed down.
“No. But in the...spirit of cooperation, I am sure you won’t mind using your little fire witchling to assist us?”
Astrid frowned, confused.
“Of course, we will assist, but I don’t see how—”
“Burn the rest of the forest down, as a show of good faith you aren’t hiding the draken.”
The coven twitched around me but were disciplined enough not to glance at me or otherwise give me away. My heart dropped into my stomach and Astrid’s face paled, horror in her eyes.
“You want us to burn our home—”
The shadow demon laughed, a sound that carried a cold, icy breeze on the wind. I resisted the urge to shiver. The witches around me were murmuring and grumbling, but Astrid silenced them with one hand.
“The Overlord appreciates your cooperation. Do it now.”
The shadow demon gave us one last sneer and vanished into the shadows, taking his men with him. As soon as he was gone Astrid whirled around, her face fierce.
“No one speaks until we are home.” The faces around me were tight with tension, and I swallowed heavily. This was really, really bad.
“It won’t be our home after—"
“I SAID SILENCE!”
The witch shut up immediately, her jaw closing with an audible snap.
“Wren, is it? Walk with me.”
Not a problem since most of the witches were giving me a wide berth as it was. I stood still as they passed, some not-so-accidentally running into my shoulder. Astrid’s lips thinned in displeasure, but I put a hand on her arm.
“This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Astrid’s eyes softened as she pushed Luci ahead to join the other witches.
“I am the coven leader; this is my decision to make. You shouldn’t worry about it.”
I lowered my eyes. “I don’t think your coven agrees.” Astrid sniffed.
“How much do you know of witches? I assume you’ve been hiding most of your life?”
She wasn’t wrong, so I nodded.
“Witches live in covens mostly according to their elements, though we always have witches of other elements that visit if we have any particular need. I lead the air witches, and there is a coven of fire witches to the south, a few earth witches west of here, and water witches near the eastern coast. The blood witches have always wandered, but were last seen in the northern forests, close to the mountains.”
Her tone left little doubt as to her opinion about those witches.
“We have two sisters from the earth coven visiting with us currently, and one from the water coven. It helps to have a mix to provide for the overall health of each coven.”
“But Luci—”
“I adopted her because her own coven abandoned her for being too powerful. She nearly burnt down an entire town by accident, and then the Overlord was looking for her, wanting to use her as a weapon. He killed nearly the entire coven trying to get his hands on her, so they tossed her out as a sacrifice. Luckily, I was flying by and found her. As an air witch, I can easily control her fires IF I get there quick enough, so the danger is minimal. Usually.”
Her quick eyes scanned the forest around us, sighing.
“The Overlord is going to send more hordes back here, regardless of your presence. He already showed the fire witches he does not honor promises—he merely kills when it suits him. Now that Luci has been revealed again, he will come for her, and unlike her last coven, I will not give up on her.”
I blinked back tears, her devotion to the small witch stealing my breath.
“Luci is incredibly fortunate to have found such an ardent protector. Not all of us are as fortunate.” Astrid didn’t turn to look at me, and I was thankful. We finally reached the edges of the burnt woods, the trees and bushes now green with health and vibrance. It was like stepping between two worlds—one of eternal winter of death, the other the promise of spring and rebirth. In a way, it mirrored my own life.
“They only found her because of me—”
Astrid held up a hand, silencing my protests.
“The Council voted to remain neutral in the Demon Wars. That was the last time we met unified, all the covens together. Since then, we have watched the collapse of not only humanity, but the decline of every other race since then, including our own. It is time for those of us who stood aside in the beginning to make things right before we are all dead.”
Her eyes sadly scanned our surroundings, and I had nothing to add.
Shouts and yells came from up ahead, and we abandoned the conversation. Astrid and I broke into a sprint as she pushed through her coven, stumbling into a clearing with what remained of her coven’s village. I could easily imagine what the bustling village was, built using the lush forest’s natural landscape. Treehouses dotted the clearing, leaving the natural floor of the forest fresh and vibrant. I had to imagine it, because the reality in front of me now was in stark contrast.
The intricate tree homes were trashed, burned down to kindling and hanging haphazardly from branches. Others had been dropped to smash on the ground. Belongings were strewn everywhere—pots and jars smashed, clothing torn and ruined. The air reeked of burning flesh, and it was impossible to miss what awaited us in the very center of the village, desecrating the forest floor.
A large fire burned, along with the bodies of every witch who hadn’t been with Astrid and her guard. The smell turned my stomach, and I struggled not to vomit. Astrid’s face twisted in sorrow, her eyes raking up and down each body that lay slain before her, tossed like garbage
