Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,81

smirk, and her eyes sparkled.

“Bitch,” she replied.

“Hooker,” I retorted.

“Nope, thanks to you, that isn’t one of the jobs I have ever done, or will,” she laughed, using her bloodied palm to open a new portal. “Not all of my friends are witches, and sometimes I forget when I am around others like us. It’s not often I find a witch that hasn’t caved and turned to the vile bitch ruling us.”

“Noted, but let’s hope there are enough of us left to make a change.” I stepped through the portal she’d made and paused.

The streets were in chaos as soldiers grabbed women and children, throwing them to the ground. Screams filled the area, and the scent of copper hung heavy in the air. I watched Esme rushing toward a soldier who lifted a blade, intending to harm a child. Calling my magic to me, I slammed him back through the crowd of men.

“Enough!” I screamed, the sound of my voice coming out in layers, giving pause to the warriors.

The witches, or at least I assumed that they were witches, gathered the little ones, and moved them away from the men who turned on me. I snorted, glaring at the warriors who had been picking on helpless women and children. Blood bathed the ground as I walked through the path, flinging my arm toward the men while my magic shoved them away from the women.

“Get back,” I demanded.

“You stupid bitch! We are here under the order of the Queen of Nymphs,” a soldier seethed.

“And?” I asked while one brow lifted with the question.

“By Her Majesty’s orders, all unmarked witches are to be slaughtered. Do you think to stop us? You will fail the same as all the others,” he growled, letting his eyes slide down my body with heat.

“Nymphs? Seriously? I thought you guys were supposed to be hot and seductive? My sisters are, and yet you’re… lacking in looks.”

“You think we care about your opinion?”

“I don’t think you think at all,” I snorted, smirking at the anger my words had caused him. “If you did, you’d have ran from me by now.”

A witch accompanying the guards stepped forward, removing her hood to expose a weak insignia on her forehead. Her eyes held mine as if she expected me to have balked from her mark. Her hands lifted, and more witches stepped into the line, adding to her power. I exhaled, igniting my symbol, causing her to pause and step back.

“It cannot be!” she whispered.

“I assure you, it can,” I smiled tightly. “You have two options here. Either you run or you die. Choose wisely,” I said, watching them through narrowing slits.

The warriors lifted their weapons, and I unleashed my magic. Slowly, I walked through the space beneath them as they hovered in the air above me. Weapons dropped to the ground, clunking against the earth as they landed.

I raised my other hand, twisting, and the soldiers and dark witches exploded, raining blood everywhere. Blinking, I wiped the blood away from my eyes before turning to look at the witches I’d just saved. They stood silently, staring at me with their mouths hanging open.

“Ew,” I whined, spitting pieces out on the ground. “It’s in my mouth!”

“Yeah, and you have something…” Esme stated, indicating all of me. “There.”

“You don’t say?” I asked, laughing. “Here?” I pointed to my dress, and then my face, before plucking a blood-covered braid from my head.

“Yup,” Esme laughed, turning to look out over the bloodied field. She lifted her hand, and more unmarked witches stepped forward, adding to her magic as the blood vanished. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Inside a cottage, I pushed a brush made of bone through my hair while watching the children, who sat wide-eyed, staring at me. There were wooden stars placed on the wall, held together with leather twine, hanging beside crystals. Sighing, I decided I needed to go outside to where the unmarked witches waited for me.

Esme moved forward, motioning toward a lattice-covered garden, and I followed, pausing when I got to the gate and looked at the earth embedded with miniature stars. Crystals surrounded each of them, carrying a single use. I took in the hundred or more stars, smiling at Esme, who nodded in agreement.

“Good, unmarked witches,” I swallowed, watching her dark head continue to nod as tears shone in her eyes.

A witch stepped forward, placing her hand on a large quartz tower. “Prove to us you are of the light, Aria Hecate. I will not allow a dark witch