The Witches of Glass Castle: Uprising (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 2) (13 page)

‘Ouch,’ she grumbled, swiping his hand away.

‘Sorry.’ He folded his hands in his lap. ‘So...listen...I’m a Sententia, remember? So I know you’re sad.’

You don’t need a power to figure
that
out
, Mia thought irritably.
Why isn’t your Sententia power telling you I want you to go away?

Oblivious, Dino studied the gold embroidered material of the four-poster bed drapes and the rosebuds carved onto the oak posts. ‘Your bed’s bigger than mine,’ he noted reflectively.

Mia wiped her eyes and peered up at him from where she lay. ‘Why are you still here? I told you to go.’

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘But I overruled you. I’m older, so I can do that.’

She shoved him. ‘I don’t want company.’

‘Okay.’ Dino rose from the bed. ‘Suit yourself. I’m right over there if you change your mind.’

‘I won’t!’ Mia shouted after him as he retreated to the other side of the room.

A few minutes passed. Mia rolled onto her back, staring up at the domed canopy above her bed. She sighed.

Untangling herself from the sheets, she slid off her bed and stomped across the room, kicking aside a pile of dirty T-shirts that had accumulated at Dino’s bedside. His curtains were drawn, so she knocked on his bedpost.

‘Who is it?’ Dino called.

‘Me.’

‘Who’s me?’

Exasperated, Mia peeled back the curtains and peered through the gap. She scowled at Dino.

‘Oh, it’s you,’ Dino said vaguely. He was lying on his back with his hands linked behind his head. ‘What brings you to my side of the room?’

‘Do you think I’m stupid?’ Mia asked sharply.

‘I get the feeling there’s no good answer...’

Her voice softened. ‘I mean, do you think I’ve been acting dumb lately? Because of Colt,’ she elaborated.

‘Oh.’ Dino sat upright and frowned. ‘No. Colt’s...okay. Ish. I guess.’

‘Everyone else thinks I’m blinded by him.’

‘Who said that?’

‘No one’s said it, exactly,’ Mia confessed. ‘Apart from Jonathan.’

Dino chuckled to himself. ‘I don’t think you can put much weight on Jonathan’s opinion of Colt.’

‘He thinks Hunters are all the same. He thinks they’re inhuman and evil—’

‘So what? You already knew that. Besides, it’s in Jonathan’s interest for Colt to be out of the picture, if you know what I mean.’

Mia furrowed her brow.

‘Jonathan likes you,’ Dino clarified, then pretended to gag.

Mia pushed through the curtains and sat on the edge of Dino’s bed. ‘Johnathan’s just friendly. It doesn’t mean anything.’

Dino waved his hand in front of her face. ‘Hello? Maybe you really are blind. Trust me, he likes you.’

‘Well, Colt doesn’t,’ she murmured sadly. ‘Like me, I mean. He doesn’t want to be tied to me. He said so tonight.’

Dino’s eyebrows raised, but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

‘Maybe everyone was right all along,’ she debated quietly. ‘Maybe the only thing that comes from falling in love with a Hunter is heartache.’

‘I don’t think that’s Hunters,’ Dino remarked astutely. ‘I think that’s love in general.’

Mia thought about it for a moment. ‘I have to show you something.’ She reached into her jeans pocket and retrieved the small photograph that she’d swiped from the drawing room earlier that day. She unfolded it and handed it to Dino.

In the dimly lit room, Dino stared down at the still frame. Mia joined his gaze. Together, they looked into the past, seeing before them their father as he once was, unspoiled and human. The fold that Mia had made fractured straight through the centre of the photo, dividing Cassandra and Tol with a frayed white line. It bore the scar that would later be left on their hearts.

The significance of the moment silenced them both.

‘So this is him,’ Dino said at last.

‘I guess.’

‘It’s funny...’ Dino murmured. ‘That guy there—the
real
him—that’s what I always imagined him to be like. I think we would have liked him.’

Mia laughed sadly. ‘I think we would have
loved
him, Dino.’ She gazed at the photograph again. ‘He looks like you.’

‘Maybe,’ Dino accepted with quiet recognition. ‘But he’s not me.’ He tossed the photo onto the bedspread. ‘And he’s not Colt, either.’

‘That guy in the picture—our mother loved him. He was good, and he turned evil. And for what? More power?’

‘Not everyone is like that,’ said Dino, gently.

‘Like what? Power-hungry? A Hunter? How can we be sure who is and who isn’t? We’re living proof that power can corrupt good people. It happens.’

‘Let it go,’ Dino urged her. ‘You can’t spend your life worrying about things that may or may not happen. All you can do is live. Who gives a damn about what happened in the past to some guy we didn’t even know?’

‘You mean our
dad
?’

‘No. I mean
Tol
.’

Mia picked up the photo and trailed her index finger along the fold, slicing her nail through her parents’ joined hands.

‘Let it go,’ Dino tried again. ‘Forget the past. We’re not in it anymore.’ He eased the photo from her grasp and threw it aside once more.

They fell silent.

Mia gazed at the bedposts, admiring the smooth curves of the wood. ‘You’re right,’ she said distantly. ‘My bed
is
bigger than yours.’

Dino’s eyes widened. ‘I knew it! I think we should swap.’

Mia smiled sweetly. ‘Never going to happen.’

All of a sudden there was a shout from somewhere outside the chamber, followed by a commotion and more voices.

Mia and Dino frowned at one another. They clambered off the bed and hurried out of the room, tracing the voices through the dim corridor and down the staircase. There was a scuffle in the lower hallway.

Hunters.

At the foot of the stairs, Amos was attempting to calm the situation. His face was red and his hands were trembling.

‘What’s going on?’ Dino called.

Mia’s heart began to race. Had an intruder found a way into the castle? Was this the moment they’d feared?

‘We caught him with the book!’ Jonathan yelled, pointing wildly to the fray of Hunters. They broke apart and a hush fell over the corridor.

Mia’s eyes shot to Siren.

‘What book?’ Dino asked hoarsely.

‘The book with the spell to steal the Arx,’ Jonathan relayed. ‘The Tome of Black Magic. The page was marked and it was hidden in his chamber!’

The colour drained from Mia’s face. She stared at Siren. Beside him, Colt stood unmoving. Neither of them looked back at her.

It was Siren all along
, Mia realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Siren was trying to kill me.
Her eyes snapped up to Colt’s, willing him to step away from his friend and come to her. But Colt didn’t move.

Amos let out a mournful breath. ‘Bind his hands,’ he muttered despondently. ‘And blindfold him or he’ll use his powers against you.’ 

Siren gave a heavy sigh. With his head bowed, he stepped away from Colt. Following Amos’s orders, Demetrius advanced upon the culprit.

Mia’s knees nearly gave way as she saw that the culprit was not Siren.

It was Colt.

People In Glass Castles

‘No!’ Mia cried, racing down the staircase.

‘Mia, don’t come any closer!’ Jonathan ordered from the foot of the stairs. ‘It’s him! It’s Colt! He’s the one who’s been plotting to kill you!’

‘Of course it’s not me!’ Colt spat, batting Demetrius away as the burley Hunter advanced upon him with a length of thick rope.

‘We found the book in your chamber!’ Jonathan accused.

Colt glanced at Mia. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words passed his lips.

‘Colt,’ Amos said slowly, ‘do you admit to possession of the Tome of Black Magic?’

‘Yes, but—’

Amos cut him off. ‘I will give you one more chance to leave quietly, or you will be removed by force.’

Colt gawped at Amos. ‘Surely you’re not serious.’

Again, Demetrius lunged at him. And again, Colt knocked him back.

‘Young Hunters,’ Amos called, signalling to Talon and Finn. ‘Assist him.’

Colt scoffed. ‘My coven only takes orders from me,’ he chided. ‘I’m their leader, not you.’

The two younger Hunters looked to Amos for confirmation.

‘Colt,’ Amos muttered wretchedly, ‘you are no longer coven leader. In light of the evidence, you are to be exiled.’

Only Siren stood back as the other three Hunters forced Colt against the wall. Demetrius bound his hands behind his back and pulled a blindfold over his eyes.

‘Stop!’ Mia cried. She pushed past Jonathan and raced to Colt. ‘Please, stop!’

Colt winced at the sound of her voice as the Hunters jostled him through the door and out into the courtyard.

Mia went after them. ‘Wait!’ she sobbed, reaching for Colt’s hand. ‘Don’t take him!’

But before her fingers could thread through his, Amos intercepted her path. He swiped off his spectacles and met her eyes. ‘Steady mind, steady feet, one more breath and you shall sleep.’

Mia inhaled a final rush of Colt’s scent, and then everything went dark.

* * *

‘Wendolyn is in a feverish sleep,’ said Amos as he returned to the drawing room where Cassandra and Madeline were waiting. ‘I can’t wake her.’ He paused and gazed wistfully around the grand room. ‘I had to make the decision,’ he murmured desolately. ‘Colt was found guilty, and I had no choice but to exile him.’ He looked to the two women for approval.

Cassandra swallowed a lump in her throat. How had things gotten so out of hand? ‘You did the right thing,’ she assured Amos. ‘Wendolyn would have done the same. You certainly shouldn’t feel guilty about it.’

Amos took a seat in an armchair opposite them and dropped his head into his hands.

‘And if you hadn’t been so quick to entrance Mia when you did, who knows what would have happened,’ Cassandra appeased him. She glanced to her daughter, who was sleeping soundly on a velvet sofa, long brown hair fanned out around her.

Amos raised his head and followed her gaze. ‘It isn’t often that I have to use my power of hypnosis anymore,’ he confided. ‘But, in this case, I think it was a necessity.’

‘Beast,’ Madeline spat, her blue eyes fierce. ‘Vile, lying beast. How could he do this to her? It proves my point, though, doesn’t it? You can never trust a Hunter.’

Neither Amos nor Cassandra had a response.

It was dark beyond the drawing room windows, and the castle was quiet save the crackle of candles. The Hunters were gone and the young Arcana had retreated to bed—all but Mia, anyway.

‘We’ll need to perform Colt’s exile ritual without Wendolyn,’ Cassandra mused quietly.

Madeline pursed her lips. ‘But we’ll need four capable witches to do it. Us three and...who else is capable of such a spell?’

Amos folded his hands in his lap. ‘Perhaps Isaac. According to Wendolyn, he’s experienced in ritual work. I imagine he’d be capable of the exile spell.’

At the mention of Isaac, Madeline scrunched up her nose. ‘I don’t trust that kid,’ she muttered. ‘He cares more about showcasing his skills than saving Mia.’

Suddenly, Mia stirred for the first time in an hour.

‘I think my enchantment is wearing off,’ Amos observed. ‘She’s coming around.’

‘We’ll preform the exile spell this evening,’ Cassandra whispered quickly. ‘And not a word in front of...’ she trailed off, nodding towards her daughter.

Amos nodded and Madeline pretended to lock her lips with an imaginary key.

‘Mia?’ Cassandra said softly. ‘Wake up, sweetheart.’ She reached across the coffee table and stroked Mia’s arm, rousing her daughter from her drowsy state.

Mia slowly opened her eyes, gazing first at the flickering flames of the wall-mounted candles and then at the three anxious faces peering down on her.

‘Where’s Colt?’ she slurred.

No one answered.

Mia sat upright. She steadied herself and blinked. ‘He didn’t do it,’ she said, rebuking comments they had not even made. ‘He
wouldn’t
do it. Not to me. Not to anyone.’

Cassandra and Madeline stared at their hands.

Only Amos responded. ‘I know you don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to believe it, either. But he
did
do it. Or, at least, he was planning to.’

‘No.’ Mia shook her head adamantly. ‘No, Amos, you’re wrong.’

Cassandra moved to sit beside Mia on the sofa. ‘Honey, you’re in shock,’ she said gently. ‘I know it’s hard to believe—’

‘Because it isn’t true!’ she cried. ‘There’s been a mistake.’

‘Mia,’ Cassandra implored her, ‘please, for your own sake, please stop fighting this. That boy—’

‘His name is Colt,’ Mia interrupted curtly.

‘
Colt
,’ her mother amended, ‘was caught with the spell to k—’ She hesitated, unable to say the word. ‘To
harm
you,’ she finished instead. ‘He is not who you thought he was. I’m sorry.’

Mia looked helplessly around the room, searching for an ally.

‘I know how much this hurts,’ Cassandra went on. ‘Trust me, I know. I’ve been there.’

‘You mean, with Tol?’ Mia spluttered. ‘Colt is
not
Tol!’ She choked back a sob. ‘He is
not
Tol,’ she said again, quieter this time, as though she was trying to convince not just them, but herself, too.

‘Hun,’ Madeline intervened, ‘this isn’t your mother’s fault. She’s not trying to upset you. But you need to open your eyes here, babe. Colt and Tol, they’re cut from the same cloth. They’re Hunters.’

Amos nodded.

Mia stood up and staggered woozily for the door. As she did, Cassandra and Madeline jumped from their seats.

‘Where are you going?’ Cassandra cried. ‘Don’t even
think
about going looking for him!’ The tone of her own voice shocked her.

Mia turned to face them as she lingered in the drawing room doorway. ‘I have to find Dino,’ she choked. ‘I need my brother.’

* * *

As Mia stumbled into the bedchamber, Dino leaped to the door to greet her.

‘You’re awake!’ he exclaimed. ‘Amos said you’d be out cold for hours.’

‘They all think Colt’s guilty!’ Mia ranted breathlessly.

Dino pulled a face. ‘Uh...Mia, he
is
guilty.’

‘You should hear the things they’re saying about him!’ Mia went on as though Dino hadn’t spoken. ‘They’re comparing him to Tol!’

Dino’s brow creased. ‘Weren’t you doing exactly the same thing a couple of hours ago?’  

‘That’s different. I was mad at him then.’ She threw up her hands. ‘Anyway, you were the one who said he
wasn’t
like Tol.’

‘Yeah, well, I’ve had a colossal change of heart.’ He folded his arms. ‘Wait,’ he backtracked, ‘so you find out he’s trying to kill you, and suddenly you’re
not
angry at him anymore? That’s seriously messed up, sister.’

‘He’s
not
trying to kill me!’

‘Oh, okay,’ Dino scoffed. ‘It’s just a coincidence that he keeps the book with the spell to kill you in his room, marked to the exact killing page.’

‘You know what, Dino?’ she began, floundering to retaliate, ‘people in glass castles shouldn’t throw stones.’

He became rigid. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Hmm.’ She tapped her pursed lips with her index finger, pretending to think. ‘Now, let me see. Who else around here has tried to kill me recently?’

Dino’s jaw dropped and a look of anguish crossed his face. ‘That’s not fair! I was under the influence of Tol.’

‘I know you were,’ said Mia fervently. ‘Because I know
you
—and I know you
wouldn’t kill me. Neither would Colt.’

‘But I’m your brother. He’s a Hunter.’

Mia squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Dino, please, you have to believe me. This is a mistake. I’d bet my life on it.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Interesting choice of words.’

‘Listen to me,’ she appealed, clutching at her heart. ‘Someone out there wants to kill me. But it’s not Colt.’

‘Then who it is?’ 

‘I don’t know.’ Mia knotted her fingers through her hair and looked helplessly to the dark night beyond the bedchamber window. ‘Maybe it’s Tol.’

‘Tol’s dead,’ Dino reminded her in a clipped voice.

‘Then maybe it’s...Demetrius!’

Dino ran his hands across his face. ‘You can’t go accusing people just because you don’t like them.’

‘Hey,’ she refuted, ‘I like Demetrius. Unless he’s trying to kill me, in which case I hate him.’

Dino paced across the room and sank onto his bed. ‘If only you could use that same logic towards the real culprit.
Colt
.’

Mia pretended not to hear. ‘We have to find him,’ she decided. ‘Where do you think they’ve taken him?’

Dino stared at her, wide-eyed. ‘We do
not
have to find him. Actually, we have to do the exact opposite and hope to hell he doesn’t find us.’

‘We can’t just sit here doing nothing!’ Mia cried.

‘We can.’

‘And what about Colt? What if he’s innocent, and the real culprit is still roaming free?’

‘Relax,’ said Dino, holding up his hands. ‘There’s nothing you can do right now, anyway. Colt is long gone, and Amos and the Hunters will be guarding this place like Fort Knox after everything that went down tonight. No one’s getting out, and no one’s getting in. All you can do is get some sleep and talk to Wendolyn in the morning.’

Mia exhaled sharply. She stalked to her bed and collapsed onto the mattress.

‘Everything will seem better in the morning,’ Dino called from across the room. He extinguished the candle at his bedside and they were swallowed by darkness.

Yeah, right
, thought Mia. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the shadowy canopy over her bed.
Colt
, she willed,
where are you?

* * *

While Dino slept soundly, Mia lay restlessly in her bed. Occasionally she’d drift off to sleep, only to dream of Colt. He’d come to her in her subconscious, at first holding her safely in his arms, but soon his grip would become too tight. He wouldn’t let go—even as she wheezed and choked for air. But she didn’t fight it.

She would awaken from each dream, clammy with sweat and gasping for breath in the darkness of the bedchamber. Each time she’d wake, she’d wish to hear his voice. She longed to hear him tell her that he wouldn’t hurt her—that the others were wrong about him. But all she heard was the low moan of the wind outside.

Until...

‘Come to me.’

Mia’s eyes opened. Was this another dream?

‘Come to me,’ came Colt’s voice, as clear as though he were right beside her.

In a stupor, she rose from her bed. She didn’t hesitate or question her actions. She wasn’t dreaming anymore; she was under a spell. And not for the first time. She had been under an Enticement spell before—one cast last summer by Lotan when he had wanted to draw her to him. To kill her.

‘Come to me,’ Colt’s voice seduced her to obey.

In her trance, Mia was only aware of the feeling of floating as she walked along the corridor and down the staircase.

Her fingers skimmed the cold brass door handle of the castle’s heavy oak door. She was nearly outside.

Then she was shaking. Or
being
shaken. 

‘Come to me,’ Colt urged.

But something—whatever it was—was drawing her out of her trance.

‘No, no, no,’ she murmured. ‘He’s calling me...I have to go to him...’

All of a sudden she could feel the cold floor beneath her bare feet with harsh clarity. The Enticement was broken. She longed to fall back under the spell, to hear Colt’s voice in her mind again. Why did they stop her?