As she charged down the corridor, the workers of the castle shot her worried glances but said nothing, and she kept her eyes straight ahead. Approaching the door, she was stopped by Claye. He grimaced as their eyes met.

‘The king and queen are in a meeting, princess. No interruptions.’

‘I must speak to them immediately.’

Claye shook his head, hiding a laugh at her rude tone.

‘I apologize, princess. But we were told –’

She clenched her fist only once before the doors nearly blew off their hinges. Claye stared at her uncertainly, as if unable to work out what had happened. She stared at her hands, unsure of herself for a moment. Only when she heard someone clear their throat did she remember what she was doing there in the first place.

Before her, the king, the queen, and the senior councillors were watching her closely. She curtsied and moved quickly across the open room, refusing to shrink under their glares as she stood before the thrones.

‘Sapphire, what do you think you’re doing?’ Araxia was the first to speak. ‘We are in the middle of –’

‘Call them off.’

Kip and Araxia shared a look and bowed their heads to the rest of the room. On cue, the councillors headed for the exit. No one spoke until the three were alone.

‘What is the meaning of this interruption?’ Kip was frustrated. She could hear it in his voice, but she kept her shoulders square and her tone steady.

‘Warn the people of the consequences of killing the Shadow Witches. Do not allow innocent lives to be taken because of prejudice.’

‘I have no idea what you speak of. Where –?’ Kip started.

‘I am not a fool. Stop treating me like one.’

‘We simply are trying to understand where this is coming from,’ Araxia stepped in. ‘Please.’

‘The barrier is weakening. Our people are planning attacks on the Shadow Witches because of gossip. They plan to …’ Sapphire couldn’t finish the sentence. ‘You can’t allow this to happen.’

Araxia took a deep breath, standing and descending the steps until she was eye to eye with Sapphire. She reached out, placing both hands on Sapphire’s shoulders. Sapphire fought the urge to recoil.

‘There is a treaty in place to protect the coven. Our people are aware that any attack against the Shadow Witches is treated like an attack on their neighbour. It has been a royal decree for decades.’

‘They will only obey if you speak openly about it,’ Sapphire pushed.

‘We have always been vocal about our protection of the coven.’

The two women stood toe to toe.

‘It’s quite easy to turn a blind eye in the right situation.’

Araxia blinked slowly, like she was trying to dissuade herself, trying to convince herself that her daughter wouldn’t imply that this was being allowed to happen.

‘The Canmore line has never turned a blind eye. You should know that, Sapphire.’