open from her throat to her pubic bone, withdrawing her organs while her children watched. They spared me what came next because I was busy entertaining five men in the bedroom. Five men, for what felt like days, who all took turns raping me until I wanted to consume the darkness within the jar they held in front of my face. They left me for dead after they’d beaten me to nothing more than a pulp. So, don’t come at me with your accusation for leaving you and Julia behind. You escaped the worst of it by searching for a way to get her out. I am sorry for what happened to Julia. But she knew what would happen when she consumed that vile magic. You won’t want to hear this, but she is free from the agony. She does not feel or remember the pain she endured while they brutalized her. I relieve it every day.”
“I’m not betraying Ilsa without a way to get Julia out of her fucking presence.”
“I’m not asking you to betray Ilsa. I’m asking you to keep what you know about Aria Hecate to yourself,” Esme snorted, wiping the blood from her nose.
“Who the fuck is that?” I countered, narrowing angry eyes on the blood dripping from her nose. At least I knew she wasn’t dark or one of Ilsa’s spies yet, which the red blood proved.
“The silver-haired witch you’ve been stalking,” Esme snipped, her eyes rolling at the question. I opened my mouth to argue that I hadn’t been stalking her when she lifted her hand, shaking her head. “Don’t even, Soraya Waterford. I have been stalking you while you’ve spied on Aria. Do you know what she’s done?”
“I’ve watched her taking down weak keeps, if that is what you’re asking me.”
“Asil’s keep was weak? Because I’m pretty certain Aria just leveled a stronghold by herself. I watched her dream walk into the King of Norvalla’s head. Tell me, how many witches do you know with enough power to do that? Many have tried, but none have even come close to breaching the walls in that man’s head.”
“None. But that means nothing,” I argued, knowing damn well it was a huge accomplishment.
“The same day, within hours of doing that, Aria cloned herself. She fucking cloned herself and stood against Tristan and his men, then faced off against that same monster that has her now. She stood in her cloned form before Knox Karnavious, and he couldn’t tell it wasn’t her. That isn’t just power, Soraya. That’s Hecate bloodline power mixed with something else. She’s unlike anything I have ever seen before.”
“So she’s powerful? Who fucking cares? It changes nothing.”
“You’re wrong. It changes everything. Think about it, Soraya. If Aria can remove Ilsa from power, she could rule the Nine Realms. She could stop the King of Norvalla from hunting witches and slaughtering us, one witch at a time!”
“You think she’s strong, but right now, she’s in a cage, being taken to goddess knows where!” I argued, hating that her words had caused hope to glimmer in my chest.
“I think she’s our only hope of winning against Ilsa, even if she can’t overpower King Karnavious, yet. I think we’d be stupid to let this chance slip through our fingers.”
“You thought the same thing about the last two saviors, Esme. Look at them now! They’re nothing more than rotten corpses preserved to remind us of what happens when we step against Ilsa. Thousands of witches died when you tried a plan like this last time. What is going to stop it from happening again? Who is going to protect those who cannot protect themselves?”
“Aria will. She has vowed not to stop until she’s removed those who have trespassed against Hecate’s laws. She hasn’t been here for very long, but in that time, she’s rained down hell on this realm. You know she has because Ilsa sent you out to deal with her! You’re the only one who can get into that camp, and we all know it.”
“Can she win?” I asked, noting the look that took root in Esme’s stare. Hope. That single word that had ended countless lives and left our entire race scrambling into the shadows, filled her violet depths.
“Honestly? I think we shouldn’t underestimate Aria. She’s sleeping with our enemy and plans to bring him to his knees. I think any witch that is suicidal enough to be riding the cock of the King of Norvalla, shouldn’t be underestimated, Soraya. I don’t know,