Page 12 of When Roses Burn

As I spoke, Dromon, Lyra, and Pierce emerged from the crowd. They grinned at me as I strode toward them; hands fell on my back and clasped my shoulders as I passed through the crowd.

I was sure some of them had bet against me, but even if they’d lost money, they all hated the casters. No one liked the day or night casters in any of the kingdoms. The night ones weren’t as feared as they used to be, but they still captured eternals for their harem, and many had lost someone to that pit of despair.

I nodded to some of them, but I mostly remained focused on my friends. When I reached them, I handed the purse to Dromon and strode onward.

I led them out of the ballroom and into one of the hallways. “We have to find another caster,” I said when I was sure we were alone.

“Why?” Lyra asked.

“Because I’m going back in the harem, and I’m coming out with Briar.”

They glanced nervously at each other. They were aware of who she was and what returning to that place entailed, but I had no doubt they’d make the journey with me.

“Then let’s find one of those assholes,” Dromon said.

CHAPTER SIX

Briar

I kept my chin high and my shoulders back as we descended the mountain path toward the bailey below. I didn’t look back at the castle we’d left behind. I’d spent my entire life trapped in that awful building with its dark, gray stone walls, towering turrets, and countless tunnels.

I’d spent a year locked within one of the towers, and I was moving on. I wouldn’t look back at it now.

Our kingdom was called Nightshade, but it was far from a dreary place. The few visitors we received were surprised to discover that the imposing, gray stone walls hid the inside of a castle full of color and light.

Overhead, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and the birds sang as they flitted between the branches of the Hollander trees with their bright orange flowers and ripening, red fruit. The birds were more slashes of vivid colors amongst the boughs. Aside from the birds, the day was oddly hushed.

Winding down the mountain, the road we traversed was a mixture of white and gold brick that created intriguing patterns. Along the edge of the road, the houses were varied shades, as were the shutters lining their windows.

Night casters, dressed all in black, lined the road. From the baskets they held, they scooped up handfuls of black rose petals and threw them before me as I walked.

The entrance into the harem was always a somber occasion. It wasn’t until the sorcerer or sorceress exited on either the sun or moon side that the celebration began.

Mixed in with all the black clothes were splashes of color from the children, teens, and young adults who’d yet to go through their Needing. Some of them looked on in alarm while others gazed on in eager curiosity.

I understood their apprehension more than the excitement. Even as a child, before I met Seth, these ceremonies always unnerved me. I couldn’t help feeling as if the participants were marching toward their death instead of onto the next stage of their life and their future binding to the god or goddess of their choice.

To me, the binding was a different kind of death. It was the end of freedom, the choosing of one side over another. The eternal who emerged from the harem would forever draw their powers from the moon or the sun, instead of the earth.

Families weren’t often separated, as most day casters returned to Luminaire and most night casters returned to Nightshade. On rare occasions, sides were switched, families forsaken, and a new way of life embraced.

When we reached the bottom of the hill, more night casters stood within the bailey. They formed a circle, and in the center of that circle were thousands of black rose petals.

My skirt swirled around my feet as I strode across the white and gold bricks. All the doors and windows of the stores within the bailey were open, allowing the spring breeze to flow through them.

The owners stood outside with their hands clasped before them and their faces as still as stone. After my downfall, I had no friends within these walls, but I never had any before then either; my mother made sure of that.

Seth had been my first and only friend throughout childhood… and then he became so much more. Because of that, he’d suffered horribly.

The massive wooden doors, often closed to outsiders, were open to reveal the rolling green hills, homes, and farms nestled in the valley below. It had been years since I’d stepped outside these walls, and my heart leapt in excitement.

I breathed in deep, savoring the air that somehow felt fresher even though I remained within the walls. It was a long walk to the harem, but that was part of the ceremony, and despite my dread over entering that vile dwelling, I looked forward to the walk.

No one spoke as I continued across the bailey and out the open doors. As I walked, more night casters fell into line behind me.

My mother and sister remained directly behind me, but most of the rest of the kingdom would also join me for this journey. The only ones who wouldn’t accompany us were those who had yet to come into their Needing and remained unbound.

Many of them were too young to make the trek, but we also weren’t supposed to see our fate until we stood before it. Those too young to care for themselves were cared for by the older unbound until their parents returned.