Page 190 of The Witch Queen

“Whyareyou here?” I press. “What does any of this have to do with me?”

Because I’m starting to suspect that the poison has reached my brain. Perhaps all this is nothing but a hallucination. The room starts to swim, blurring around the edges.

“Blodwyn.” Millicent’s voice warps and distorts. “Stay with me.”

She grips my arm, her touch like ice, and the shock of it brings me back to the present.

“We don’t have much longer,” she says, urgent. “Listen to me. We fiveformed the covens as a way to grant women and witches the power they deserved. But we became too entrenched in our own hierarchies. Corrupted by infighting and greed.”

“That’s what Ayleth said,” I say softly.

“Yes.” That same look from earlier, like regret, crosses her expression. “For a time, I thought she might help me. But I’m afraid I’ve done her more harm than good.”

I huff a laugh. “Ayleth is the one causing harm. She only cares about her own power.”

“Perhaps,” Millicent allows. “But she was right to break the Veil. We made a terrible mistake to forge it in the first place.”

“Mistake? The Veil was the only thing holding Malum back.”

“That’s what we believed as well,” Millicent says. “But the truth is that we created the Veil out of fear. We didn’t understand Malum and so we removed it. We disrupted an ancient balance. Stoppered the very power that rescued me from this place all those years ago. You’ve witnessed the proof of that yourself: the blight and disease. Riven is collapsing.”

I shake my head. All this is too much.

“But…what’s happening in Riven is because of Malum, isn’t it?”

Millicent reaches for me again. “Hear what I’m saying, Blodwyn. Magic and Malum are the same force. Two halves of an ancient power. They must be reunited. The mistake we made must be undone.”

“How?”

“I cannot tell you that,” she says, regretful. “Only this: Near the end of my life, I realized our error. That I could not be the one to fix it. And so I once again spilled my blood upon the snow. Called on the roots of that buried power. I promised the remainder of my gift to the true queen, whoever that might be. Forshewas the one to lead Riven out of the darkness. Not the darkness of Malum, but of ignorance. And the person who summoned that power would be the one to carry on my work.”

Gooseflesh breaks between my shoulder blades, the words of Mother’s journal resurfacing.

Ravens. Blood. Snow.

“Mother’s writings…”

“Yes, Blodwyn.” Millicent nods. “Your mother discovered my story. Myrealstory. She offered her own blood to seal the bargain.”

My heart slams against my chest. “But—Mother wasn’t a witch.”

“No.” Millicent smiles. “And that is what made her act so important. Because she wanted none of my power for herself. She paid the price foryou.”

The price of blood and snow.

My throat tightens. Could it be possible? Could the words I’ve feared for so long actually be a blessing—one from Mother herself? There’s no question in my mind that Mother would have done such a thing. She was adamant that I become queen. Always encouraging me to take after the women from her tapestries, strong and fearless. Beneath the scent of the fire, I swear I can detect the soft and floral scent Mother used to wear. But it doesn’t help. In fact, it only makes me feel worse.

“I don’t knowhowto be queen,” I admit, helpless. “I don’t know anything about magic or even Malum. I’m not like you.”

“Youare,” Millicent presses. “Don’t forget that I was a princess, too. Taught to be small and unassuming. To be quiet and to stay out of the way. But that wasnotmy destiny and it isn’t yours, Blodwyn. Do not be afraid to be loud. To be powerful. That is all it means to be a witch. To know your worth and to claim it. The rest will follow.”

Every scrap of sense I possess rebels against this idea. But there’s another part, tiny and fragile, that reaches toward it. Yearns for it.

“What do I have to do?” I ask softly.

From the pocket of her gown, Millicent withdraws a small knife. Its blade gleams in the firelight. “The same thing I did. And your mother before you. Call on that magic. Invite it in. Use it to restore the balance of power before it’s too late.”

Fear skitters down my spine.