Blood Reign by Chelsea Callahan

Author:Chelsea Callahan [Callahan, Chelsea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-07-22T18:30:00+00:00

PART TWO

“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

17

Erik paced the court witch’s chambers growing more anxious by the second. Mina wanted to dine with him. She wanted to talk to him. What could she want to talk about? He’d given her space, and she’d spent most of that time in her room. Could she finally be ready to open up to him? Could she finally have accepted there would be no returning home for her? If she had, would that adjustment work in his favor?

“My King, are you alright?” Andrea asked, stepping out from her back room, the beads rattling to signify her presence in the main room.

He stopped his progress and exhaled. “My people are dying, Andrea. How do you think I’m doing?”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. You just seem a bit distracted today.”

Erik nodded and turned to face her. “You could say that. I suppose I have been distracted, but I’m here now. I need you to show me what is happening to my people. I need you to explain why you…the witch I chose for my court cannot seem to heal the afflicted swarming in from our borders.”

Andrea gave a minuscule wince behind her pale white-on-white features. For once her long white hair was swept up in a pale blue scarf, and her dress was replaced with a dark blue tunic, over a black skirt. She looked so out of character, that he’d almost questioned if she really was Andrea when he entered the room.

“Come, we can see what visions the water holds for you today,” she said, extending a hand to the stone pedestal that sat on the far-right side of the room, opposite the fire.

Erik’s nostrils flared. He always hated this part of their meetings, but it was necessary if he wanted to see anything of note. He’d brought the witch to his palace for a reason, hadn’t he?

Crossing the room, he stepped up to the pedestal she had standing before a ring of smoke smudged mirrors. Her skirt swept over the floor, and she placed a hand on either side of the pedestal. The air warmed, and the surface of the stone dipped down revealing the silver basin that sat hidden at the center. Erik stared down at it and the center slowly filled with water. He stared at it closely. He watched it swirl and rise until finally the witch lifted a hand and produced a needle.

“Blood will out,” she said, passing it into his waiting fingers. “To see what will be seen, my king, you must bleed.”

“Blood is always the price,” he grumbled, jabbing the needle into the index finger of his opposite hand.

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