‘You,’ Ashes kissed her neck, ‘magnificent,’ a kiss to her cheek, ‘powerful,’ her other cheek, ‘creature.’ The witch breathed the final word into Sapphire’s lips. Her hands found their place at Sapphire’s lower back and in her hair.

The kiss was maddening, consuming, intoxicating. She may have been born to fulfil a prophecy, but, in that moment, with the witch’s warm lips against her own, she liked to believe she was born for her as well. To find her. To love her. To run through the shadows of this world together.

‘I feared –’ Ashes said as she pulled away. ‘I feared you wouldn’t –’

‘For you. For us. For a better Eriobis.’

‘For us, my queen.’ Ashes pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Sapphire’s hand.

And then they heard footsteps emerging from the forest.

Ashes opened her hand quickly, dousing them in shadow. Sapphire felt safe in the darkness and, moving closer, the witch slid her hand around Sapphire’s waist, pulling her close. They didn’t dare speak or move, instead watching as three figures emerged from the trees. She recognized two of them – Sadara and Tyden. The third was a woman sporting a royal crest on her shoulder.

There was something unsettling about the three of them standing at the shoreline, their shoreline.

‘They are south of the estate. South of the villages as well. Not close enough to cause problems or be heard if trouble arises.’ The woman’s voice was lower than Sapphire expected – authoritative and confident.

Sadara spoke next, her face tight. ‘I’m not sure how much clearer we must be. Eradicated, destroyed, and removed. I want the coven gone. It’s the only option. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose our grip on everything.’

Ashes’ hold on Sapphire’s waist tightened.

‘We’d need three days to properly prepare.’ The guard sounded afraid.

‘And if we don’t have three days?’ Tyden snapped.

‘Things like this must be handled with a certain … discretion. Soldiers with the necessary skills and the ability to stay silent.’ Sadara’s eyes swept over the lake and the shore, landing where Ashes and Sapphire were huddled. After lingering for a second, she looked back to the woman beside her. ‘My son’s wedding is approaching. I won’t have this overshadowing it.’

Silence followed before the woman cleared her throat.

‘The minutes are already slipping by. Three days. And I expect all the witches to be dead.’

The woman nodded, turning on her heel and striding purposefully into the forest. Sadara and Tyden remained.

‘With the Shadow Witches gone, it will slow down, right?’

Sadara sounded afraid as she looked at her husband, searching for reassurance.

‘It’s the only way to end this. We must stop those monsters before they ruin this world.’

Tyden took Sadara’s hand and guided her away from the shore. Sapphire and Ashes remained there, masked by shadow, for some time after.