Page 162 of The Witch Queen

“You—” She starts to lunge at him, but I hold her back.

“Don’t give him the satisfaction. He likes to pretend he’s in control.”

The imprisoned king curls a slow smile. “Oh, I’m not the only one who likes to adopt that particular charade, dearwife.”

It might be my imagination, but I think I see Jacquetta flinch at the word.

“Enough,” I say. “Blodwyn is missing. Gather the crows and search for her. Then patrol the realm. As I’m sure you heard, the meeting with the Heirs ended in an attack. I want to know where the creature is now. And monitor the border, too. Troops might be advancing from both DarrynandRycinthia.”

Callen clicks his tongue. “My, my, what a mess you’ve made of things.”

“Justgo.And be quick about it.”

The imprisoned king deals us one last sneer, but then he vanishes into the glass.

“Is he always like that?” Jacquetta asks when he’s gone.

“That was him behaving,” I reply. Nettle trills her agreement. “It’s something about the mirror’s truth spell. It strips him down to his barest self.”

“And that’s somehow worse than what he was before?”

“Apparently so,” I agree. “I just hope he can find Blodwyn. Much as I hate to admit it, Callen is our best hope after Shade…”

I serve thetruequeen,my Huntsman’s last words to me echo in my mind.

“What happened with him, Ayleth?” Jacquetta asks, gentler than I’d expect. “Why did he turn against you?”

Because you are unworthy,that voice taunts.

I bristle against it. “Because I broke a promise.”

“Promise?”

I pick up the poker and prod at the dying fire, distracting myself from the ache in my chest.

“Shade came to me shortly after I broke the Veil,” I begin. “He taught me most of what I know about my power. Vowed to serve me because I agreed to help him root out all of the covens’ magic. Make this a realm ruled only by Malum. At the time, I considered my actions justified. Shade and the others deserved such a world after being trapped behind the Veil for centuries.”

Jacquetta is quiet for a moment. “But you don’t believe that anymore?”

An ember in the fire pops.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “The Veil caused so much pain. I wanted to take that away. Set things right. Even when Shade offered me Della’s heart, I knew that Ishouldtake it. Keep my word to him and the rest of the shadow creatures. But after what Selene said—that she thoughtshewas the subject of the prophecy—it all suddenly seemed so empty. Witches endlessly clawing at one another. And I realized then that I hadn’t torn down the hierarchy of the covens at all. I just created another.”

Jacquetta absorbs this in silence, worrying with the edge of her sleeve.

“So did we,” she says at last. “When Mother and I joined with the Heirs, I told myself that it was different this time. Necessary. But then, at the Sanctum…I think Mother might have actually killed me if it came to it. All for thosefuckingstones.”

She spits the last words, grief and betrayal plain on her expression. No matter what Jacquetta might have done in the past, I do not wish that pain on her.

“Nerissa was wrong,” I tell her.

Nettle meows, as if to agree.

“So were the Heirs,” she says, wrapping her arms around herself. “And Cassandra. I’m sorry. For the part I played in that.”

I don’t have to ask to know what she means: the last time I saw her at Stonehaven. The last time she walked away from me. Just like in thecarriage, my first instinct is to shy away from the topic. We each made our choice that day and there’s no use in pretending otherwise. And yet…

“Earlier,” I start, feeling as though I’m stepping out onto thin ice, “you said you should have stayed. Did you mean that?”