bChapter /bb179 /b

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    I wait until I hear the pounding footsteps of Cassian Draven’s men before getting out of bed. Even then, I make sure by looking out the window, and indeed, there’s no trace of any of them, including Cassian. I close my eyes, remembering his gaze and the way he touched me before leaving, just hoping that when he discovers what I’ve done, he’ll still look at me the same way.

    A get dressed without worrying too much about my appearance and head toward Evanora’s room. I try to be as stealthy as possible, afraid of being caught long before I can carry out my ns. Luckily, the castle is silent and practically deserted. When I reach the banshee’s chambers,

    don’t bother to knock; instead, I slip inside quickly, knowing she’s waiting for me.

    “Right on time,” she says as soon as she sees me.

    Around her, I see hundreds of objects and ingredients whose purpose I can’t begin to understand. A series of white stones are ced on the floor, spaced evenly to form a circle. Between each gap, there’s what I think is white salt. In her hands, she holds a small mortar where she’s making a paste with a disgusting appearance.

    “It’s to enhance my powers,” she exins when she sees my look of disgust. “I’m half witch, remember?”

    I nod, too surprised by all this to be able to form a full sentence. I can’t help but nce over my shoulder from time to time, expecting to see Cassian with a reproachful look, but every time I do, obviously, I find nothing, I know he’s fighting his own battles while I fight mine.

    Evanora sets the mortar aside and nces out the window for a moment.

    “It’s time.”

    The morning light enters in reddish tones through therge window, reflecting on the stones she’s arranged on the floor. With studied movements, she draws a series of symbols on her forehead with that ckish paste, then reaches beneath her dress to retrieve a dagger and makes a cut in her palm. Blood flows slowly, sttering the floor.

    There’s no turning back now, I know itb, /bso I take out the note I made sure to write when he wasn’t around and ce it on the bed. I hope that, even if he has a fit of rage, he’ll be able to find it. It won’t do anything to calm him down–I know him far too well. I just want him to know that I’lle back, that I’m not abandoning him, that I’m not leaving him alone.

    The banshee’s blood evaporates with each drop that hits the ground.

    “Is that normal?” I ask, speaking for the first time since I entered.

    “Yes. Don’t worry.” She squeezes her fist harder so the blood keeps falling. “I need you to stand in front of me inside the circle.”

    Tobey without objection. I ce myself before her, watching as the crimson liquid forms a small pool between us and slowly evaporates, as if the floor were burning. She grabs my hands and inteces her fingers with mine. She starts chanting in anguage I don’t understand.

    Adjura lete cahza nostro yenu.

    Adjura lete cahza nostro venu.

    Adjura lete cahza nostro venu,

    Her eyes roll back into her sockets, leaving a terrifying image before me. For a moment, I want to scream and shake her so she’ll return to normal. Her hands are rigid in mine, as is the rest of her body. She doesn’t stop her chant, repeating the same words over and bover/bb. /bThe windows are closed and yet, somehow, a breeze manages to slip into the room and brush the hair from my face. I intertwine my fingers more tightly with Evanora’s and wait, tense, for whatever is about to happen bnext/b.

    The stones begin to glow, at first almost imperceptibly until they reach such a brightness that I have to close my eyes to avoid being blinded. The current of air grows stronger, making the skirts of my dress billow and preventing me from hearing clearly.

    “Evanora!” I shout.

    I try to open my eyes, but I have to shut them again when I see nothing but white everywhere. It’s like trying to stare directly at the sun. I don’t know how long we stay there, shaken by the wind, with Evanora’s chanting as background noise–it could have been hours for all! know. When the air stops, so does she; she releases my hands and copses to the ground. Or rather, to the earth.

    A quick nce is enough to realize we are no longer in the castle.

    “Hey!” I kneel beside her. “Are you okay? Evanora!”

    I shake her unconscious body in my hands. There’s a trace of blooding from her nose.

    It’s the magic,” says a voice behind me. “It always takes something from us. She’ll need a few minutes to recover.”

    I look over my shoulder and find Naja and her chilling eyes. Her posture is rxed despite the fact that her hand is also bleeding.

    “I see you no longer pretend to be a poor sheep,” she notes, watching me with interest. “You’ve shed that skin.”

    “You said I wasn’t special.”

    “I lied.”

    “I’ve already figured that out.”

    I ce Evanora’s head on myp. Gently, I brush her hair aside and stroke her in a soothing rhythm. No one seems inclined to help me carry her, so I’ll wait.

    “…” I begin to say.

    “I know why you’re here.”

    “Evanora told you?”

    “No, our seeri. /iShe saw youing.”

    I fall silent as the banshee stirs under my fingers and slowly opens her eyes–this timepletely normal, her blue irises visible. She tries to sit up and lets out a small gasp when her wounded palm brushes the ground.

    “It’s been a while, White Banshee,” Naja greets.

    I stand and offer her my hand to help her up.

    “I’m afraid we don’t have time for formalities, Naja,” Evanora says. “We need your help with something rather delicate.”

    Naja’s reptilian gaze moves from one of us to the other, then she makes a small gesture with her chin for us to follow her. She leads us to her hut, the same one I visitedst time. This time I don’t bother looking at everything around me, as my mind is consumed with other worries. Em scared, terrified, and I feel like my legs might give out at any moment.

    Once we reach a more spacious room, Naja signals for us to sit. Evanora does so dly, almost copsing onto the chair, exhausted. I’m more hesitant, but in the end I sit down toob. /b

    b*/bTell me

    Naja getsfortable, mimicking our posture, and reaches out toward my friend. From her sleeve emerges the albino snake, which wastes no time slithering toward the woman. The banshee is so tired she doesn’t even seem bothered by how easily her pet leaves her for someone

    else’s hands.

    “Considering you’ve been under Lilith’s orders all this time, I suppose there’s little you don’t know.”

    “I know that Lilith, mother of all mothers, has great ns for you.”

    “That’s what I came to talk about.”

    Naja seems to sink deeper into her chair as the curious pet flicks its tongue in the air and looks at the three of us with its small, bottomless ck eyes.

    “I don’t want those ns for me,” I continue. “I won’t subject myself to being used to breed and strengthen this race.”

    “Are you going to let her children die?”

    “I’m her child too!” I snap. “I can’t understand how she could do this to me, put me in such danger, use me this way.”

    “A mother will do anything for her children.”

    “I’m her child too,” I repeat, this time with a tired voice.

    “You’re one child,pared to hundreds of them.”