Selena let the words of the Clan’s matriarchs drift over her. She’d requested the presence of the Ladies of the Moon who hadn’t already left for their home Clans, as well as the bards and storytellers who had come to this Clan’s territory to bear witness to the ascendance of the next Huntress. Since she hadn’t said other Fae couldn’t join them, the matriarchs had made themselves comfortable around the large round table in one of the outer courtyards that overlooked some of the gardens and the rolling land beyond. She’d tried to listen to the older women out of respect, as she would have listened to the Crones. Unlike the Crones, these women weren’t willing to listen to her, and used brittle courtesy and sly remarks to say what they wouldn’t say directly to her face: she wasn’t welcome, she wasn’t accepted. She would never be welcome or accepted.

Cold, cold eyes.

They would be capable of watching a child die simply because the child wasn’t like them.

“Dianna left this morning,” one of the old women said, sniffing. “She didn’t want to remain any longer, despite the pain traveling will cause her.”

“I expect she’s anxious to return to her Clan, since they need her,” Selena replied politely.

“That’s not why she left,” the woman snapped.

“Now, now,” one of the other matriarch’s said, patting her friend’s hand while giving Selena a sly look. “Perhaps the new Lady of the Moon can use her power to help the Brightwood Clan.”

“How so?” For a moment, Selena thought it was the sun on her skin that made her feel overheated. Then she realized it was temper bubbling under the skin that made her feel too warm. She gritted her teeth as she made the effort to bank the branch of fire.

“Since your loyalty is to the Fae now, and since you know how to deal with witches…Well, we’d heard there are more witches than we need in the Old Place here. You could command one of them to go to Brightwood and assume her rightful duties.”

“And what duties might those be?”

“To anchor the magic that keeps Brightwood’s shining road open, of course. It’s the least you could do after cheating Dianna out of—”