Page 60 of Birthright

“And I for you.”

She nodded and left the room.

CHAPTER 25

Leaving Coyle and Abbey giggling and carrying on about some Gremlins’ antics at a nightclub, I made my way down to the prison chambers that held my sister. Down here, the light, homey feel of the upper floors faded into stark cold and an eerie quiet. The walls in the lower levels were smooth concrete and left bare of decoration. I felt my powers weaken as I neared the cells.

Approaching the observation area, I could make out the voices of two guards talking casually about shifts. I stood silently behind them long before they sensed or saw me. The one sitting at a monitor jumped as I cleared my throat to let them know I was there.

“Sorry, Priestess. No one told me you were coming.” His face looked pale and immovable as he checked a list to see if he’d missed something. “No. Not on the list.”

“I want to see her for a minute.” I tried my best smile and watched his face soften.

This might work.

“The High Priestess said no visitors. With…without her permission.” He tried to get his face straight again. The other officer, obviously his subordinate, had moved to stand at attention against the far wall of the cave-like room.

“Really? I thought Doran knew I was coming. I’ll just go up and interrupt her. I’ll see if she’ll pop down here and…”

I watched for the moment when the words finally sank in. “Interrupt the High Priestess? That won’t be necessary.” He rummaged through some amulets and handed me one, still shaking his head, unsure if he was doing the right thing. “Her powers are being held at bay by wards, spells, and the restraints of the cell itself. You’ll need this to ensure yours remain intact. Do not touch the bars or the prisoner. You have five minutes.” He turned and led me down the hallway off the observation room. It was lined on either side with cells. All those we passed were empty. Not much crime on WildLand, I guessed.

He walked me about halfway down the dank corridor. “She’s in the last on the left. Holler if you need me. We’ll be watching.” He turned and headed back to the observation room.

I calmly walked the remaining length of the hall to her cell, my boots echoing off on the concrete floor. The cell looked like every cell from every TV cop show I’d ever seen—stark and uninviting. She was sitting on the edge of the bed against the far wall. Her head hung low, her once-gleaming hair was dull and frazzled. Her usual shining skin was ashen. She didn’t look up.

“I knew you’d come, old Witch,” she hissed without looking up. “Does my appearance amuse you? See what happens if you neglect your body’s demands, what happens when your powers are stripped from you?” I remembered what it felt like on Thule, to be without my witchcraft for a short period of time. She had been in here for almost six weeks. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

“Why do you hate me so much? What have I done to cause this much hate?”

She laughed, sounding more than a bit psycho. “Nessum had told me for years you would show up and try to claim my birthright. The only thing he was wrong about was how strong you would be. He told me your human blood would weaken you.” She tilted her head up just enough to look at me. Her ice-blue eyes were dull and red rimmed.

“Nessum pulls your chain, Feldema?” I tried not to sound too taunting.

“I have no need to have my chain pulled, old Witch. I have his powers in me. I have no need of him. He is only a means to an end.” She still sat, glaring at me, hands gripped tightly to the edge of the bed. I felt her anger boiling across the short distance that separated us.

Her absolute hate for me hurt. I wanted to hate her in return, to have the real desire to end her life. But those feelings had all come in moments of anger. I didn’t hate her. I didn’t want to kill her.

My face must have betrayed my thoughts. “Don’t you pity me!” She flung herself forward, stopping just in front of my face. She held tight to the cold iron bars. “I will kill you as soon as I have a chance. I should have done it before now.”

The venom in her words and the speed at which she hit the bars made me stumble a step back. Still only feeling compassion for her, I gathered myself. “You die if I die. Mother bound us together. Right?” I said it soft and slow, not in anger, just as a matter of fact.

She started laughing hysterically, the sound echoing in my head, causing a sharp pain. “You don’t know who you’re fighting, Keena, Priestess of the Wild! You are so ignorant of the world around you. There are other ways to live besides life. She shouted the words and then laughed as she moved back into the cell.

I felt the screaming laughter on my skin like pins. I had to back away, to run away from the echoing sound in my head. The guard was heading toward me as I ran past him to the upper floors, toward the sanctity of the forest.

I hit the outside and took a deep breath, feeling my power and my light return to me. Her voice and laughter were parlor tricks, but they had worked. I fell into the trance and lost the resolve to question her further. Even through all the protective wards in the area, she had managed to push me with her mind.

A Vamp trick.

I pulled off my boots and socks, needing to feel the soil under my feet. I started to jog, seeking the comfort of the forest, the very earth itself. I felt it under me, strengthening me. No leaves were damaged by my step, no insects crushed as I made my way through the bending and winding paths I’d followed so many times before.

I slowed to a walk to think about what Feldema had said. She still intended to kill me even if it killed her in the process. How could I fight that? How do you fight hate so strong? She thought she would live even after my death.

Other ways to live besides life…

Doran. I needed to talk to Doran. There was something to Feldema’s words, something that was just out of my reach. I knew it. I turned back. Doran’s office door stood open. It looked like any executive’s office, except for the soft lines of the stucco walls of the manor. There were gentle touches of life from the plants and the brightness of the open window. Her desk sat empty. Behind it was another door that I hadn’t paid much attention to before. It was slightly open.

I approached it and pushed it open a little farther. “Doran?”