Page 65 of Fallacies

If there was any lingering doubt amongst my coven on whether or not she belonged in it, it’s dust now. Gone.

“Yeah.” I reach for her hand, forcing out a breath and forcing on a smile. “You’re done.”

My gaze snaps up at a rumble in the tree line, shaking the ground beneath the dais.

People in the audience jump from their chairs, whirling in the direction of the sound.

My fingers have barely circled Lucina’s wrist when something bursts from the edge of the forest. It’s sharp, black, and cuts through the air like a bullet.

Its intended target is unmistakable.

I yank Lucina behind me.

15

Lucina

There’s a blur of motion, and my body is jerked backwards. Then, all that stands between me and whatever is hurtling in my direction is Callan.

He’s there in an instant, faster than what should be physically possible. Magic cracks from him, so potent that every hair on my body stands straight up. Whatever it was—a dagger, a bullet—Callan obliterates it mid-air. A plume of smoke and a prick of static is the only thing left behind.

The Yard is swallowed by an eerie silence.

I struggle to catch my breath, panting into the dead quiet, still trapped behind Callan, while everyone else stares into the dark tree line. The Dame and Laverna have positioned themselves to cover May and Pa, hands raised in preparation for another attack.

My coven moves to the front of the platform, weapons drawn and wards in place.

“D, get May,” Callan orders, backing up against me.

When Devon doesn’t move, he snaps, “D, get May!” It’s loud enough that I flinch.

Devon practically dives off the platform, rushing to usher May and Pa away from the audience, never turning his back to the tree line.

“What was that?” I whisper, but Callan doesn’t reply, pressing me further into his back as he cuts more orders over his shoulder.

Easton and Hunter move to cover Her Grace and Laverna while Pax and Phoenix snake through the crowd, moving towards the line of dark forestry that everyone is still facing. The two of them break off, one to the left and the other to the right, slipping through the trees and into the thick fog rising from the forest floor.

My heart begins to pound when their silhouettes disappear, my wide eyes sweeping across the shrubbery ahead. “Callan.” I fist the fabric of his suit jacket and pull to get his attention. “My friends.”

He looks out at the bushes they’re hiding behind.

“Callan.”

“Chaos.” I hardly recognize his voice. There’s an edge to it that’s so intense, I shut my mouth and just listen. “Your knife is in my pocket.”

He turns his hips, pivoting so his pocket is closer to me. Straightening my trembling fingers, I reach in and tug on the ivory hilt, sliding it out of his pocket and tucking it back in my boot. My magic must have sensed the spike in fear because when I call on it, it’s already waiting for me, flooding my limbs in an added layer of protection.

Callan must sense it too because he lets out what sounds like a relieved breath. “Good. Stay right where you are.”

“Callan, I can⁠—”

“Stay right where you are, Lucina.” There’s no room for argument in his tone. Despite my being the highest-ranked here, he wants me to stay put. Being the queen is starting to get on my nerves.

Before I can plead my case, there’s a shift in the trees, something moving through low-hanging branches, and every word I was preparing dies on my tongue when Ceres emerges from the tree line, yellow robes muddied and skin pale.

The second she steps into the warm light illuminating the Yard, Aster and Sedona shriek, pulled back instantly by Raphael. Hunter and Easton corral the Dame and Laverna further behind them while Devon does the same with May and Pa.

Ceres moves to take another step forward, but a line of fire erupts through the thick patches of grass, cutting her off where she stands. The Dianic witch screams, jumping back from the threat of the flames.