Witch Bane (21 page)

He swallowed hard, his grumbled complaints
suddenly silenced at the sight of her.

“
Let me be clear: I’ve no interest in
the underlings of my enemies. They can live or die as fate has
decreed,” Deborah told him. “Answer my questions, and speak true,
and you shall live. Defy me and your torment will last a hundred
lifetimes beyond the point you divulge your secrets. I will have my
answers either way, so choose which path you would go down. Choose
well and choose quickly.”

“
I see only one path,” Jonas answered.
“What would you know?”

Deborah could see the willingness in his
eyes, the desperation that clung as sweat to his brow. She
chuckled. “If all of the resistance men are as smart as you, then I
can see an end to our conflict coming soon.” She squatted down
before him, Shade at his shoulders. “Tell me where I can find
Elizabeth.”

He did, without hesitation. For every
question, he had an answer, spilling his soul to buy his own
longevity. Deborah found within him a kindred spirit; a man who
understood the value of his life, willing to do anything to hold
onto it. He spoke honestly of all he knew, guessing openly at that
which he didn’t. After a short while, Deborah had everything she
needed to end the resistance and cement her place upon the
throne.

The resistance man’s breathless confession
having run dry, Deborah called a captain and a number of soldiers
over. “Take him to the rear, but treat him well.” She looked to
Jonas. “You will be our guest until we have confirmed your words.
Once we have our proof, you will be set free to live your life as
you see fit, as long as you never again find yourself in conflict
with the Council’s whims. Do I make myself clear?”

“
Perfectly,” Jonas
stammered.

Deborah waved him away, the Red Guard
soldiers leading him off while she motioned for the captain to
remain. Once they were gone, she turned to the captain.

“
Prepare your forces for battle. When
we are certain of the resistance’s location, we will strike.” The
captain bowed, readying to leave. Deborah stopped her. “Once we
have confirmation, I want that resistance scum cut apart. I want
him to suffer. Can you handle that?” The captain smiled and left,
the White Witch turning to Gracelin. “You and Shade will lead an
army directly at the resistance—”

Gracelin’s eyes narrowed, drawing closer. “I
thought we were to do this together?”

“
We are, but I have little faith in
the resistance man’s words. While he no doubt spoke as true as he
knows, I cannot believe Elizabeth would put so much of her trust in
a male, let alone one as spineless as he. She might well be leading
us astray, and I would have a force in reserve should that be so.”
Deborah grinned, setting a hand on Gracelin’s shoulder. “The end is
upon us, at long last. I have no doubt you and Shade can handle
Elizabeth and her pet warlock. I have another mission to
accomplish. I will be nearby to lend a hand, should that be
necessary, but either way, we shall reign victorious.” She waved
them away. “Now go and ready your forces. We have a war to win.”
She smiled as they left, turning to stare off into the woods after
the witch and assassin were gone.

Soon, her rule would be absolute. With
Carrance dead, only she, Gracelin, Darius, and his boy knew of
Alise’s true fate. There would be but two after they fell upon the
resistance camp. After that, she could worry about Graves’
indiscretions and find Emerald. With Gracelin and Shade at her
side, Elizabeth dead and gone, there would be no one to stop her
from enacting the purge of blood. She would live forever…rule
forever.

A smile warm on her lips, she strode toward
the transports. This day would bring her peace.

Twenty-Five

Sebastian burst through the camouflage
warding that secreted the resistance camp, feeling its tingles
across his numb flesh. A cry rose up when he appeared, a number of
men racing toward him while he tried to catch his breath. He raised
his hands as they pointed their blades at him.

“
I need to speak to Elizabeth,
immediately. The Red Guard knows your location and is on their way
here,” he said through panted gasps, not bothering to even look at
the men.

“
You probably led them to us,” the
first man replied, drawing in close with his sword. The other
resistance men murmured their agreement, though held their ground
further back.

Sebastian shook his head as he straightened
to be away from the weapon. “They captured Jonas.”

The men went silent, save for the first.
“Damn it.” He sheathed his sword and motioned for Sebastian to
follow. “Come on, boy.”

His whole body trembling, pushed far beyond
what he’d ever experienced, Sebastian could barely walk. He
stumbled forward, the men helping him along. As they moved through
the camp, people began to gather. A quiet rumble of voices seemed
to fill the air, the resistance camp sensitive to the change in the
atmosphere. Their sensitivity was what had helped keep them alive
for so long. A stranger in camp was the first sign of trouble.

As they neared Elizabeth’s tent, Darius
charged over, relieving the men of Sebastian. “Get the healer,” he
called out. Sebastian was surprised to see them obey. “You’re pale,
son.”

“
Pushed too hard. The stitches at my
side; torn.” He let his father carry his full weight, sinking into
his protective arms.

Sebastian stayed quiet as he was led into
Elizabeth’s tent. The witch waved to her own bed. “Lay him down
here. Has Karil been sent for?”

His father nodded, easing Sebastian onto the
feathered mattress. As he let himself relax, it was the greatest
feeling Sebastian had ever known. He looked up at his father and
smiled, thanking him. With an apologetic hand on the man’s arm, he
pushed him gently to the side.

“
Elizabeth,” he called out, “the White
Witch’s assassin has captured Jonas. He will give you up, for
certain.”

The witch nodded, seeming to understand
without any explanation needed. “He knows more than he should,
which means the same for the Council now that they’ve caught him.”
She sighed, wringing her hands together.

Karil slipped into the tent, rushing past
everyone to drop her bag alongside the bed. She rested her hands on
Sebastian’s chest. She stayed quiet a moment, looking him over, and
then giving him a quick nod. “It’s more exhaustion than injury,
though the wound at his side has been torn open and his hands are
clearly damaged.”

“
Get him up and healed to your
fullest,” Elizabeth told her. “The Red Guard will be upon us soon,
with witches in tow.”

Karil didn’t even acknowledge the order,
working frantically to remove Sebastian’s tunic. The scent of
brimstone filled the tent as the healer reached into her bag. From
a clay jar, she dug out a handful of the poultice she’d used to
heal him before, and liberally layered it across his injured
ribcage and blackened fingers.

Elizabeth went to the tent flaps, flipping
them aside, and called out the order to move, her command greeted
by a roar of voices and sounds as the camp set to work. She
returned to the bedside, but couldn’t stand still, pacing the floor
in frantic circles.

She looked at Darius as though she’d decided
her course of action. “I must help my people prepare. Once Karil
has seen to your boy, I would ask that you help us.”

Darius nodded, and the witch left the tent.
Karil lathered more of the poultice across Sebastian, taking a
moment to rub some into the other injuries she’d tended earlier.
Lastly, she set her hands upon his wound, closing her eyes. A
soothing warmth grew beneath her palms, his skin tingling in
response to her power. He felt a sudden twinge as the flesh
shifted, the lips of the cut pulling together. A sharp spear of
agony shot through his side and was almost instantly washed away,
its remnants fading fast as Karil pressed harder. Sebastian drew in
a sharp breath as the healer pulled her hands away. He marveled at
the pink pucker of a scar that rippled along his ribcage. The
surrounding skin was bruised a deep shade of blue, with tinges of
black, but he no longer felt any pain. She repeated the action with
his hands, holding each in turn.

When she was done, Karil stood, nearly
toppling over. Darius righted her, worry in his eyes.

“
Are you all right?” Sebastian
asked.

She nodded. “It’s tiring to heal someone at
such a rapid pace, that’s all.” She reached down and pulled a long,
cloth bandage from her bag. “Have your father wrap this tight about
your ribs to reinforce the healing.” She handed it to Sebastian. “I
have done all I can for you, now I must help my people.” Karil
hurried from the tent, still a bit unsteady on her feet.

Sebastian watched her leave, and then sat
up. His father began to wrap the bandage about him. He caught
Darius’ gaze. “I need to tell you something,” he spoke into his
ear.

Darius nodded, continuing his
ministrations.

“
The resistance has amassed Red Guard
equipment and transports, as well as the griffins to fly them.” His
father glanced up at him. “They have a hidden system of caverns
where they keep their supplies; they’re equipped for war, though I
don’t know what they intend.” He swallowed, not wanting to tell his
father the rest, but he let it slip from his mouth. “I stumbled
across one of their warlocks along the way.”

His father drew in a deep breath. “You
didn’t—”

Sebastian gave a weak shrug. “He left me no
choice.”

Darius finished the wrap and helped
Sebastian to his feet, not saying a word.

“
There’s more.”

His father sighed.

“
I ran across the Lord of the Hunt. He
directed me to the camp.”

Darius groaned. “I believe the girl,
Emerald, carries his child.”

It was Sebastian’s turn to groan. “That
would explain why he kept me from falling into Shade’s trap. He’s
on the side of the resistance.”

“
No. He’s on his own side. What he
does is for his own purpose. He is every bit a slave of the
witches, the sigils in his flesh an assurance of his ownership when
they are about.” Darius handed a tunic to Sebastian. “He is not to
be trusted. Emerald is the daughter of the White Witch, which
further complicates the certainty of his involvement. He has his
own plans, and though I know not what he intends, he is every bit
as dangerous as the witches, if not more so for the lack of knowing
his intent.”

Sebastian drew in a deep breath, his
thoughts in chaos. Though he now knew the Lord’s reason for sending
him to warn the resistance, he wasn’t any clearer about why. A
servant to the Council, however unwilling, risked more than just
his position by impregnating the White Witch’s daughter and carting
her across the realm to seek out the enemy. A stranger to love,
beyond that which he had for his mother and father, Sebastian
didn’t know if that was enough to risk the horror that would befall
the Lord were he to be found consorting with Elizabeth and her
people.

“
Come we must speak with Elizabeth,”
Darius said.

“
Wait.” Sebastian scrambled to pull
the tunic over his head, trying to hurry so he could tell his
father everything. “There is something else.”

“
Easy, son, I’m not sure I can handle
any more of your revelations.”

Sebastian grinned. “This one will do your
heart good. The Red Witch has met her end.”

His father just stared for a moment, chewing
on his lip, as though he hadn’t heard what Sebastian said.

“
I killed her. It wasn’t easy. She
nearly had—”

Darius flung his arms about his son and
threatened to undo all of Karil’s work as he squeezed him tight. He
embraced him for a long moment, Sebastian barely able to breathe
before he was released. His father continued to stare, a hint of
tears in his eyes. He still said nothing, but gripped Sebastian’s
shoulders in his powerful grip, giving them a rough squeeze.

“
One down, two to go,” Sebastian
chanted. “Now, they’re on their way here.”

Darius nodded, wiping the tears that spilled
down his cheeks. “We must take the fight to them. Come, boy, we
must speak with Elizabeth for certain now.”

Sebastian hurried off after his father, who
had already slipped from the tent without waiting. On his father’s
heels, he rushed to keep pace until they found the witch. She
called out orders, pointing to and fro as she organized her people,
her voice breaking through the chaos with ease.

“
What is it, Darius? We have little
time.” She snarled, not bothering to look at either of
them.

“
Time is why I have come to you,
Elizabeth. The White Witch and her companions are coming to us, but
they believe they have the advantage of surprise. We can turn that
against them.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “And face down
four witches and the whole of their Red Guard. I think not.”

“
Three witches,” his father
corrected.

She stared at him, unable to comprehend his
meaning.

“
My son has slain the Red Witch, so
she is not a factor in our deliberations. He and I intend to do the
same to the others.”

She looked from Darius to Sebastian, as if
hoping to glean the truth from their eyes. Sebastian grinned and
nodded, confirming his father’s words. Her eyes narrowed, her hands
going to her hips.

“
You have struck the White Witch a
grievous blow in doing so. Do you truly believe you can kill the
rest?”