Chapter: The Witch's play

  We were moved along by the guards, their grip strangely gentle. Only when they released him did I realize how badly Zagan was injured. I side-eyed him.

  “She is good,” I assured.

  Zagan nodded and lowered his head in defeat.

  Ah. He was going to whine about this later.

  The coven’s clinic held only us as casualties. A soft mattress layered with herbs eased my head slightly. Kaden murmured in pain nearby, an unusual sound coming from him. I noticed he had already been treated with human blood supplies provided by Devourix members.

  “How are they?”

  Recognizing the voice, I saw Kaden watching with concern laced in his eyes. My headache throbbed, and I closed my eyes again.

  A healer immediately attended to me, placing herbal patches over my eyes. The burnt scent should have been unpleasant, yet it strangely calmed me.

  “The male vampire was badly affected,” the medical attendant said. “He used his powers to defend himself. His strength is drained, but human blood will help his recovery. He should be fine in a few days.”

  A pause followed.

  “And her? She is different. Her mind has been stressed… tested repeatedly. She needs rest and herbs.”

  “Thank you. I need to update the Alpha. Please be careful with them. I’ll return later.”

  Kaden’s footsteps faded from the room.

  The herbs covered my eyes more deeply, and sleep slowly consumed my mind.

  The dark forest pulled me into its domain.

  I did not want to walk, yet my body moved anyway.

  Each step sent pain through my legs, but the path dragged me deeper, where shadows thickened and the air grew cold.

  Moonlight spilled through twisted branches. The world tilted, spinning just enough to remind me this was not sleep.

  A trap.

  “Hmmm… darling, still strong?”

  I stopped.

  “Mercurius?”

  His voice came before his shape, curling through the trees like smoke.

  ““Ah. No surprise. No fear.” A soft laugh followed. “What are you really?”

  “Stronger than you pretend to be.”

  He appeared between the trees, untouched by moonlight.

  His smile faltered for the briefest moment.

  “Really?”

  “How was the prison?” I asked.

  Silence tightened between us.

  His amusement vanished.

  “I remind you,” he said, voice lowering, “I still have access to your mind whenever I choose.”

  The forest darkened around us.

  I held his gaze.

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  The forest fractured.

  Moonlight shattered into white noise, and the ground vanished beneath my feet.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I woke with a sharp breath.

  The scent of burnt herbs filled the room.

  And for a moment—just one—another breath moved beside mine.

  "“Oh! You’re back at last.”

  “Silandra?”

  “Indeed. You passed out for days. I mean, I understand—you are too fragile even for a slave,” she mocked.

  It made me smile a little.

  “I’m glad you made it out,” Zagan said, his voice rough and rasping.

  I raised a brow at him.

  “Mercurius and Darven really chose their worst experiment on me,” he added in the same dry tone.

  “Guards. Healers. This is a private interrogation. Please leave.”

  Silandra Vineshade’s command was calm, but absolute..

  With a flick of her wrist and a murmured incantation that curled like smoke on her tongue, the walls shimmered. A translucent veil rippled outward, wrapping the space in silence.

  A sound bubble.

  Not even the nosiest spirit or enchanted listening device would catch a whisper now.

  Zagan tested it, snapping his fingers. No echo. No reaction from outside. Just muffled silence, as if the world had been placed underwater.

  Silandra turned toward us, eyes sharp.

  “Now we speak freely,” she said. “No more ‘merchant and assistant’ masks.”

  She studied my face calmly.

  “Tough era I’m in now, but I’m surprised you found me, with my features changed since I lost my power,” I said matter-of-factly.

  She gave me a look. “That’s not your Devourix heart’s doing. I masked your features for your own safety. You remember Katherine? The girl who whipped you before your rescue mission?”

  “Oh, that whip. Yes.”

  “She’s still looking for a chance to kill you. I had a spy in the city who warned me. I gave her a potion that could nullify your warriors for a few minutes. And the liquid she splashed on you? That was a face-mask potion.”

  “Oh… is this permanent now?”

  She eyed me. “I created the antidote, but… it isn’t working properly, you see.”

  I didn’t have the energy to decide whether that was comforting or worrying.

  Silandra stood tall, yet her fingers brushed the stone table, grounding herself.

  “I never forgot,” she said softly. “The rot. The ruins. The night I should’ve died.”

  Zagan glanced at me, confused but alert. He knew better than to interrupt.

  Silandra’s gaze lingered on me. “You didn’t question me. You didn’t hesitate. You came to the edge of the forbidden forest, cloaked in moonfire, and held it back when I couldn’t.”

  I nodded once.

  She smiled faintly. “I almost destroyed a leyline, Evanora. Witches from six realms turned their backs on me. But you… you walked into a cursed realm to save me. A vampire. A royal one. That’s not something I forget.”

  She traced a sigil in the air, a memory spell. The room flickered faintly, revealing only a glimpse of that night: black vines twisting beneath a fractured sky, and me standing with bloodied hands, holding the surge back while Silandra chanted until her voice cracked.

  The vision faded.

  She stepped closer. “That night bonded us. Whatever happens now, whatever the Council says, I’ll protect you. Because I owe you one.”

  I studied her for a moment. Witches did not offer protection lightly, and debts older than kingdoms were rarely spoken aloud.

  I inclined my head once. That was enough.

  Zagan relaxed slightly.

  We exchanged a look. No promises. Just the unspoken understanding of women who had walked the line between damnation and duty before.

  She turned toward a spell-locked chest behind her and pulled out a sealed vial glowing faintly red.

  “Take this. If your heart is tampered with again, this potion will slow the decay.”

  Zagan accepted it. “We’ll make it count.”

  Silandra placed a hand on my shoulder. “Stay hidden. Stay smart. If the Vampire elders sense even a flicker of your true identity, they’ll act faster than before.”

  Her warning settled. The game had widened again. I knew hiding would no longer be enough.

  “I don’t need a title to be dangerous,” I said, meeting her gaze.

  “They didn’t change me. They only showed me what I am when the walls fall away.”

  My voice sharpened.

  “Cornering me was their first mistake. Mistaking me for powerless will be their last.”

  Silandra laughed softly, dangerous and almost fond. “Good. That’s the Evanora I trust.”

  And just like that, the veil fell again, two fugitives hiding behind forged papers and whispered names, with only one witch watching their backs.

  For now, that was enough.

  But silence had never meant safety in any realm I had known.