The Witches of Glass Castle: Uprising (The Witches of the Glass Castle Series Book 2) (15 page)

The Blame Game

The voice grew louder in Mia’s mind. Vaguely she was aware that she was walking towards him. He’d been in her mind for too long, though. It felt cold, and dark, and...wrong. His words felt like snakes moving under her skin. Even in her incoherent state of semi-consciousness, she could feel his presence invading her. But the presence wasn’t the Colt she knew; it felt like a new, shadowy Colt who was casting the Enticement over her. She wanted to shake him out of her—to hear
her
Colt’s voice again, not the voice of this possession.  

Ahead, a wall of mist rose from the grass. Mia ventured into it, powerless to resist. All at once, his presence rushed out of her, as though it had evaporated in a sudden rush of smoke.

Mia gasped. She opened her eyes wide, seeing clearly for the first time in hours, yet unable to see a single thing through the layer of mist engulfing her.

She reached through the air, feeling her way amongst the tall trees.

‘Colt!’ she cried.

The mist parted to reveal Colt leaning, exhausted, against a tree trunk. His head was dropped and his eyes were barely open.

Mia rushed to him. She took his face in her hands and guided his gaze to hers. His eyes were unfocused, and the green hue had been eclipsed by bottomless black pupils encircled with rings of blood red.

‘I’m here,’ Mia whispered. She kissed his lips to draw him back to her, but he was unresponsive. He looked straight through her, as though she didn’t exist.

‘Come back to me,’ Mia urged. ‘Come on, Colt. Be...normal! Well, be you,’ she revised.

‘I am me,’ he murmured darkly.

The tone of his voice sent a chill down her spine. But she refused to be afraid of him.

She gently moved her arms around his waist, enveloping him. Then she eased him to the ground, where they sat entwined together at the base of the tree.

‘Wake up,’ she soothed. ‘This is all just a bad dream, and it’s time to wake up now.’ She kissed his cheek. He shied away from her, but she kept her arms around him all the same, preserving their connection.

‘Colt,’ she pleaded, ‘where are you? I know you’re in there somewhere.’ She looked into his eyes again. They were still black and dead.

‘Don’t you recognise me?’ she asked.

He still didn’t respond.

She leaned against him and wrapped her fingers around his. She stayed that way for a while, silent and contemplative in her own private thoughts.

At long last, Colt spoke. ‘You’re here,’ he said weakly.

‘Of course I’m here!’ Mia exclaimed. She met his gaze; his eyes were green again, echoing the colours of the pine forest around them. ‘Where else would I be?’

‘In the castle,’ Colt said with a wry smile. ‘Blocking my Enticement.’

Mia took a deep breath. ‘Is that why you took my blood that night, when we were in the nook in the castle wall?’ she asked openly. ‘Because you knew you’d need an Enticement over me?’

‘No! I didn’t...I wouldn’t...’

She squeezed his fingers in response. ‘It doesn’t matter, anyway. I didn’t need an Enticement to come here. I only needed directions.’

Colt raised an eyebrow. ‘Aren’t you afraid I brought you here to kill you?’

‘No.’ She frowned. ‘Did you?’

‘No.’

‘Exactly. So why would I be afraid?’

He laughed quietly. ‘You’re too trusting.’

‘Don’t patronise me,’ Mia scolded. ‘I know who I can trust and who I can’t. And I’ll be damned if I can’t trust you.’

Colt leaned in and kissed her.

‘I had to bring you here,’ he began. ‘I need you to know...About earlier, what I said when we were training outside. I didn’t mean it. At least, not in the way it sounded—’

‘It’s okay,’ Mia cut him off. She couldn’t bring herself to think about that right now, let alone talk about it. ‘None of that matters. We’ve got bigger things to worry about. Like, what were you doing with the spell to steal the Arx?’

‘I was guarding it,’ he professed. ‘I thought that would have been obvious to everyone.’

The wind began to blow erratically through the branches overhead. Absentmindedly, Colt raised his palm, shielding them from the cold as he directed the breeze to bypass them.

Mia sighed. ‘I believe you,’ she said. ‘But the others aren’t so forthcoming.’

‘But the real conspirator is still out there,’ Colt reminded her. ‘And I think I know who it is. . .’

Mia’s mouth went dry.

‘I have a theory,’ he said.

‘Go on,’ Mia prompted.

‘Jonathan.’

‘Jonathan?’ Mia laughed in spite of his seriousness. ‘It’s not Jonathan!’

‘Of
course
it’s Jonathan!’ Colt exclaimed. ‘He appeared out of nowhere, befriending you, gaining your trust...’ He grimaced. ‘It’s imperative that you stay away from him at all costs.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Don’t ever speak to him again. Ever.’

Mia thought back to Dino’s remark earlier that evening. ‘You can’t accuse people just because you don’t like them,’ she told Colt.

‘Why not?’ he challenged. ‘If I don’t like them, then they’re usually not worth liking.’

‘Look, if it was Jonathan, or Demetrius, or anyone else from the castle, surely Amos and Wendolyn would have suspected something.’

‘Amos and Wendolyn are blinded by their outdated beliefs. They trust everyone.’

‘Except you,’ Mia pointed out.

‘Because they are blinded!’ Colt grew exasperated by her non-compliance to his theory. ‘Mark my words, Mia. Jonathan is to blame for all this. That’s why we need to get the Tome of Black Magic out of the castle and back where it belongs.’

‘And where’s that?’ Mia asked.

‘With me.’

‘Yeah, right!’ Mia spluttered. ‘That’ll really help your case!’

Colt kicked the dry leaves around them.

‘Okay,’ Mia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, ‘let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that it’s not Jonathan. How are we going to prove that it’s not you?’

‘By proving it’s Jonathan.’

Mia let out an impatient sigh. ‘And if it’s
not
Jonathan?’

‘It is.’

They had reached an impasse.

‘He can’t hurt you if he doesn’t have the spell to steal the Arx,’ Colt pointed out. ‘That’s why I need it here—and I’ll have it soon enough.’

‘What makes you so sure you can get it?’

‘I have my ways,’ he replied mysteriously.

‘So, Siren’s bringing it?’

Colt frowned. ‘Why do you assume that Siren’s my only option? I have many ways of obtaining many things.’

There was a beat of silence.

‘But, yes, Siren’s bringing it,’ Colt concluded.

‘You’re not doing yourself any favours,’ Mia warned him. ‘Siren could get in big trouble, and this won’t help clear your name.’

‘I shouldn’t
have
to clear my name!’ Colt shot back.

Mia held up her hands in submission.

Colt exhaled wearily and glanced to the moon overhead. ‘It’ll be dawn soon. You should head back to the castle before anyone wakes to find you gone—or else guess whose tarnished name they’ll be pointing the finger at?’

‘I hate thinking of you out here on your own,’ she said, lacing her fingers through his.

‘I’ll be fine,’ Colt assured her. ‘It’s you I’m worried for.’

He rose to his feet, lifting her along with him, and they began through the mist towards the boundary of the Glass Castle forest. When they reached a small clearing that to Mia looked like any other, Colt stopped abruptly.

‘I’d walk you farther, but...’ Colt said regretfully as he gazed to the distant turrets of the castle, lit by gentle moonlight. He reached out and touched the air in front of him, then drew his hand back as though his fingers had been burned. ‘Yep. Access denied,’ he noted. ‘They must have already done the exile spell.’

Mia hugged him.

‘Take care,’ Colt whispered into her hair. ‘And stay away from Jonathan.’

She laughed softly.

‘You will, though, won’t you?’ he pressed. ‘Don’t spend any more time with him. It makes me...’ he trailed off, stumbling over his words. ‘I don’t like it,’ he finished.

Understanding his meaning in a way that he couldn’t express, Mia nodded. She gave him one last kiss before setting off towards the castle, knowing that Colt’s eyes were on her the whole way.

* * *

Mia heaved open the heavy oak door and crept into the dark castle, treading lightly so as not to disturb anyone. The sun still hadn’t risen, so she assumed that the rest of the inhabitants continued to sleep, completely unaware of her late-night encounter with Colt.

She slunk towards the staircase.

‘Hi.’

The voice startled her. She spun around on the bottom step. ‘Jonathan!’ she gasped. ‘I didn’t see you there.’

Jonathan was standing in the shadows of the castle entrance. She must have passed right by him without noticing.

‘Where have you been?’ he pried. His eyes wandered over her, assessing her flushed checks and windswept hair.

‘Look, Jonathan,’ Mia began, clasping her hands together beseechingly, ‘you can’t tell anyone I left the castle. Please. They’ll kill me.’ Her inadvertent use of the word
kill
sent gooseflesh over her arms.  

Jonathan’s eyes stayed glued to her. Their pale blue hue was haunting in the castle’s dim light. His expression was not open and friendly as it usually was, but rather severe and condemning, as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He took a step towards her.

Mia found herself edging back, gripping the stair rail. ‘You won’t tell them, will you?’ she pressed. ‘Because I’m fine. Nothing bad happened. And now I’ll go straight to bed. I just had to...’

Jonathan stalked towards the staircase. He moved his hand along the banister until his fingers touched Mia’s. She pulled her hand away.

‘You love that monster,’ Jonathan murmured, almost as though he were talking to himself.

‘Colt’s not a monster,’ Mia replied hoarsely.

‘Lying, deceitful monster,’ Jonathan elaborated introspectively.

‘You don’t know him,’ Mia insisted. ‘He’s not the one trying to steal the Arx. You’ve got the wrong person.’

He looked down at the sprawling carpet. It was like a river of deep red flowing beneath his feet. ‘He’s the obvious culprit,’ Jonathan murmured. ‘Everyone thinks it’s him—’

‘But it’s
not
him,’ Mia interrupted.

‘Everyone thinks it’s him,’ Jonathan went on. His expression grew pensive. ‘And why wouldn’t they? He’s a Hunter. A monster.’ His eyes took on a faraway look as if he were recalling distant memories. When he spoke again, his voice was dark. ‘Anyone who could knowingly plot such a warped crime deserves to be exposed.
Needs
to be exposed, to stand as a lesson. If not, all witches might turn to vengeance and black magic once again, just like in the olden days...’

Mia shivered. ‘Jonathan, you’re scaring me. You need to get some rest and—’

He looked up, meeting her eyes again. ‘I
am
rested,’ he said. ‘In fact, tonight was the first night I’ve slept since...’

Mia held her breath, afraid of what he would say next.

‘. . . since I first foresaw your death,’ he whispered.

Her heart began to beat faster. ‘Why don’t you go back to bed?’ she suggested. ‘It’s been a long night.’

Jonathan shook his head and let out a hollow laugh. ‘You’re right,’ he said, feigning an easy smile. ‘It
has
been a long night. I think I’ll head up to my chamber.’

Mia released a tense breath. She turned and began ascending the staircase, then stopped. Jonathan still hadn’t moved from the downstairs hallway.

‘Aren’t you coming?’ she asked in a hushed voice.

‘In a minute,’ he replied vaguely.

She summoned a smile. ‘Okay. Well, goodnight.’

‘Goodnight,’ he returned. ‘Oh, and Mia?’

‘Yes?’

‘Don’t worry. One way or another, there’ll be justice.’

Lifeline

Later that morning, Mia awoke to a stream of sunlight flooding in through the gap in her bed curtains. She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, hiding her face in the pillows.

Had last night really happened? In the cold light of day, it seemed utterly unreal.

Still submerged in bedding, she used one hand to draw her bed curtains apart. She peered out into the room. Dino’s curtains were open and his bed was empty and unmade.

She guessed she’d overslept. Which was understandable, seeing as though she’d been up most of the night—not to mention the miles she’d walked to get to Colt.

She curled into a ball beneath the sheets, feeling the ache of her calf muscles.
Who needs a cross trainer when you’ve got an exiled boyfriend?

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

Mia peeked out from her nest. Her heart rate quickened. Did exiled boyfriends knock?

‘Who is it?’ she called.

‘Mia.’

She frowned. ‘
I’m
Mia.’

‘Right. Mia, it’s me.
Amos
.’

‘Oh.’ She sat bolt upright. Amos was knocking on her bedchamber door?
It must be serious
, she decided. ‘Just a second!’

She jumped out of bed and bounded across the room to the wardrobe. In a fumble, she threw on a purple smock dress and leggings, then combed her fingers through her hair.

‘Come in!’ she beckoned to the closed door.

The brass handle twisted and Amos stepped into the room.

‘Hello, dear,’ he said sombrely, his round owl eyes full of compassion. ‘How are you feeling this morning?’

‘Fine!’ she said brightly.

Oh, wait
, she stopped herself. As far as Amos and the others were concerned, she’d been in bed asleep all night, having left the drawing room in a furious state. Assuming Jonathan hadn’t blabbed, that was.

‘I’m okay,’ she amended. ‘I’m sorry I walked out like that last night.’

Amos sighed. ‘No need to apologise. Last night was difficult for all of us. I’m aware that you and Colt have become particularly fond of one another, and I can’t imagine how distressing it must have been for you to learn of his betrayal.’

Mia perched on the edge of her bed and knotted her fingers together.

‘Sometimes it’s hard to believe things that we don’t want to believe,’ Amos went on, adjusting his glasses. ‘I’ve known Colt for many years, and I care about him—’

‘Then you know he wouldn’t do this,’ Mia argued for what felt like the hundredth time. It was an argument that only ever seemed to fall on deaf ears.

‘My heart says he isn’t responsible...’

Mia suddenly took notice.  

‘But my head says he is,’ Amos finished. ‘The proof was right there in front of us. We can’t very well ignore that, just because we’re fond of the lad.’

‘The proof?’ Mia repeated, seeing a window of opportunity to clear Colt’s name. ‘What proof? The book?’ she cried. ‘That’s not proof, Mr. Amos. He was just keeping it safe from the actual bad guy!’

She groaned inwardly as soon as the words left her lips.
Okay, so that sounded a little flimsy even to
my
ears
, she accepted. If only Colt was there to do the talking. After all, he had certainly convinced her last night.

But Amos wasn’t swayed. Not yet, anyway. ‘How can we take that risk? How can we be sure?’

Mia hesitated. Was it her imagination, or did Amos
want
to be convinced of Colt’s innocence?
Finally!
she thought.
Now this is something I can work with...

‘He didn’t do it,’ she said assertively. Not the most airtight argument, she conceded, but the passion was there. Surely that should count for something?

‘I can’t take that risk,’ Amos reiterated. ‘For your sake and for your family’s sake, I just can’t.’

‘Then talk to Colt,’ Mia appealed. ‘At least hear him out. Is Wendolyn awake yet? She’ll agree. I know she will.’

Amos clasped his hands together and bowed his head. ‘Wendolyn is sleeping.’

Mia furrowed her brow. ‘Still? What time is it?’

‘A little after eleven.’

Mia’s eyebrows shot up. ‘That’s late for Wendolyn.’

‘She is...unwell.’

‘Oh.’ Mia felt a twist in her stomach. ‘Is she okay?’

‘Yes, yes. Of course. She may not be better, but she is certainly no worse.’

‘Oh.’ Was that meant to be a positive? Amos seemed to think so.

‘Nevertheless,’ he continued, ‘you do make a valid point. Wendolyn would insist on hearing Colt out, and in her absence, so must I.’

Mia almost fainted in sheer relief.

‘Thank you!’ she cried. ‘You won’t regret it!’

He considered her wording. ‘I hope not,’ he muttered. Then, louder, he said, ‘I will send for him this afternoon. However, if I am not satisfied with Colt’s intentions, I will be forced to reinstate the banishment. And I need you to accept my decision, whatever it may be. Can you promise me that?’

She nodded emphatically, barely hearing him. She was sure that Amos’s decision would be in Colt’s favour. That was the only outcome she could fathom at the moment.

‘Know that everything I do, I do with your best interests at heart,’ he added, nodding his snowy head in reassurance. ‘Trust in my judgement. I’m smarter than this old mug would suggest,’ he chided with a knowing smile.

Mia smiled back.

That’s what I’m banking on
, she replied silently, crossing her fingers behind her back for luck.

* * *

Later that day, some of the castle’s residents gathered in the library to continue their search for the spell to break the Arx. Isaac and Roland were seated together in the far corner of the room. Amos, Madeline, and Cassandra were around the apothecary table, while Mia, Dino, and Blue were sitting in a row, shoulder to shoulder on the floor against the wall.

‘Blah, blah, blah, history,’ Mia muttered idly as she flipped a page in a musty old book.
This is a waste of time
, she thought. None of the books she’d read had even hinted at the whereabouts of the spell to break the force-field. Meanwhile, the real culprit who planned to kill her to
steal
the Arx was still out there.

She turned the page. ‘Blah, blah, blah, traditions...’

Isaac tutted at her from across the room.

She blushed. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, flipping the page.

Dino rolled his eyes. ‘You know, I think they’re actually getting a kick out of all this research,’ he said under his breath, nodding towards Isaac and Roland, who pretended not to hear.

Mia smiled. ‘Give them a break. They’re doing me a favour, remember?’

‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ Dino muttered. ‘They’re doing Wendolyn a favour. Trying to score points, anyway.’

‘If that’s true, then they must
really
want to impress,’ said Mia, stared down at the tedious scripture in her lap.

‘Tell me about it,’ Dino groaned. ‘I think I’ve pulled a muscle in my brain.’ He paused and glanced at Blue. ‘Is that possible?’

Blue grinned. ‘I don’t think so. But you know,’ he reproached them in good humour, ‘when you actually
read
the text—instead of just skimming the subheadings—it’s very interesting. You could l-learn something.’

Dino pulled a face. ‘Snooze.’

‘Ugh,’ Mia spluttered. ‘Knowing that I can get by on just reading the subheadings is the only thing keeping me going.’

Dino used both hands to lift his heavy tome. ‘Have you seen the size of this print? It’s miniature. My eyes can’t read words that small.’ He hovered the text in front of Blue’s face.

‘Here.’ Blue thrust his own book into Dino’s lap. ‘Swap. This scripture is easier to understand. It’s more your level.’

‘Hey!’ Dino griped, offloading his own book into Blue’s awaiting hands. ‘My level? What does that mean?’

‘It means that your level is lower than his,’ Mia teased. ‘
Much
lower.’

Blue leaned across Dino and peered down at the text in Mia’s tome. ‘Huh.’

‘Huh?’ She frowned at Blue.

He rose from the carpet and strolled to the wall of books. After careful consideration, he selected a medium-sized leather bound volume and brought it to Mia. ‘Try that one,’ he suggested kindly as he sat back down beside Dino. ‘The script is a little easier to manage for a beginner.’

Dino smirked at his sister. ‘Look who’s in the low level group now!’

‘You’re not low level,’ Blue corrected diplomatically. ‘You’re beginners. I’ve been here all year, remember?’

Mia pushed her former book to one side and began on the new one. She scanned the subheadings, then turned the page.

Still boring
, she decided.

The heavy library door lurched open and Demetrius marched in.

Mia looked up from her book. Amos had sent Demetrius and the younger Hunters to collect Colt hours ago. Did this mean that Colt was back in the castle? She resisted the urge to leap to her feet.

‘Sir,’ boomed Demetrius, ‘I return with bad news.’

Bad news?
Mia’s pulse went into overdrive. ‘Is it Colt?’ she cried, standing now.

Demetrius glared at her through his thick black eyelashes.

‘Demetrius, what’s happened?’ Amos pressed, rising from his seat, too.

‘I went in search of the exiled coven leader, as you requested,’ he said.

‘And?’ Amos prompted.

Mia started to feel short of breath.

Demetrius bowed his head. ‘My search for the exiled Hunter was unsuccessful.’

‘Oh, well,’ Madeline sang breezily from her spot at the apothecary table. ‘You gave it your best shot.’

Mia frowned at her.

Amos cleared his throat. ‘I see,’ he began. ‘Yes, that is very bad news indeed—’

‘That’s not the bad news I speak of,’ Demetrius continued in a deep voice. ‘Our Arcana, Jonathan, is missing. As is Siren and the Tome of Black Magic.’