‘They weren’t monsters.’ The wind blew again, causing the water to ripple. The branches overhead cast jagged shadows across the witch’s face. ‘And I cannot answer your questions. I am bound by the coven’s bonds.’

‘Liar.’

‘Come again, princess?’ Venom dripped from her words.

‘I called you a liar, witch,’ Sapphire hissed. ‘Your magic, the bond, your coven – enough. I think the only thing that stops you from answering my questions is your own sick satisfaction at watching me fail, making things harder for me. Lying and hiding things from me just like everyone else.’

‘You should,’ Ashes purred, closing the distance between them until her breath brushed along Sapphire’s skin, ‘think about your next words very, very carefully, princess.’

‘I’m not the scared girl lost in the woods any more, witch.’

‘You’ll always be that girl, princess. Who’s the real liar here if you think otherwise?’

Sapphire clamped her mouth shut. Angry. Exhausted. The hurt she refused to express out loud showed clear in her eyes. Bitter were the words, but Sapphire knew some of them rang true.

‘Call me a liar all you like, but my answer stands the same.’ The witch’s eyes pinned Sapphire where she stood. ‘But if I could offer you anything, princess, it would be this. History is determined by those that hold the quill. The living don’t fear the dead rising to correct them.’

Before Sapphire could question what the witch meant, the distinct sound of a whistle, human and close by, startled them both.

Ashes stepped away, scanning the treeline over her shoulder.

‘I must go,’ the witch muttered as she turned to leave.

Sapphire had come for answers, but she had come for something else too. So she lunged for Ashes’ hand.

Skin collided with skin. Sapphire felt it – a small charge between them. Ashes whirled around, her eyes mirroring her shock.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Ashes’ voice was strangled.

‘I –’ The surge of courage dissipated as she met the girl’s fiery gaze. ‘I need more, please, Ashes.’

Something shifted, if only for a moment. The hardness that Sapphire had become so accustomed to slipped from Ashes’ eyes. The witch stared at her, unmoving. But just as quickly, it passed as Ashes leaned forward, voice dripping with venom as she spoke.

‘This kingdom may bend to you, but I do not.’

She had said as much before, but something about it – about the moment they clutched each other’s hands – gave the words a blunt force. Sapphire dropped her hand and stepped away.

‘You’d better go,’ she muttered.

‘Right.’

Sapphire did not wait to watch her go. Instead, she dived into the water to begin her swim home. Her tears mixed with the currents of Astral.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The storm arrived from the east, with gusting winds and heavy rainfall. The darkness swelling in the sky was an unwelcome sight.