Witch Born(92)

His hand fell. “Very well. Just remember that the Composer’s orders supersede yours.”

Senna raised herself to her full height. “And if I tell her of your feelings for me and request another Guardian?”

He shrugged. “It’s inevitable, Senna. You feel what I feel. Can you imagine living through me even kissing another girl, let alone marrying her?”

She shuddered as she imagined passion seeping through the link. It would be the worst kind of voyeurism. “What have you done?” But he’d already answered that. If not him, Ellesh would have chosen someone else—a complete stranger.

By the Creators, that woman was going to pay for this.

Senna turned on her heel and stormed back down the mountain. She chose a path that seemed to meander toward the tallest tree—the listening tree. She hadn’t gone a dozen steps when another tree blocked her way. The path branched off to the left or right. She took the right and found herself heading away from the center. She took the next left and found herself cutting back to the right. As far as she could tell, there were no straight roads. Everything curved and twisted around trees.

The Keepers grew the trees like this to confuse anyone who tried to attack the city—Cord’s thought. He was trying to nudge her to take the middle fork. Furious at the intrusion, she took the left. Within a few dozen steps, she was surrounded by Witchlings. They gave half bows as she passed, their faces alight with wonder.

The strong smell of herbs permeated the air. In a pavilion, girls were mixing their first potions. As Senna watched, one of them tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Singing softly to herself, she crushed a leaf between her thumb and fingers, rolling it to a pulp before dropping it in. That had been Senna a few weeks ago.

She passed a tree house where Witches were learning their scales—their voices rang with the innocence of youth. Everywhere she went, her pale coloring stood out from the rich hues of skin, hair, and eyes around her. Witches and Guardians alike paused to study her with a touch of reverence in their faces.

She was completely lost by the time Mistin emerged from the trees and stood beside her. “Are you still angry with me?”

Senna planted her fists on her hips. “You betrayed me. I should be in Tarten now, trying to free Joshen and Reden, but you forced me somewhere I can’t help them. I saw the way Reden looked at you—like you were something rare and priceless. And you just left him to die!”

Mistin’s face darkened with emotion. “I tried to save him! I revealed my knives to save him! But then the Tartens trapped them.” Her voice trailed to a whisper at the end.

If Mistin was hoping to make Senna feel guilty, she had failed. “You should have saved them, Mistin! I went into this knowing I might die. I was prepared for it. But not for this!”

Senna took a step closer, her heart pumping madly in her chest. “You spied on Haven. They sent an earth tremor because of your reports. How many people died because of that?”

Mistin cringed. “I’m sorry.”

If Senna had a weapon, she would have hurt Mistin. Badly.

Cord reached toward her. “Senna.” His unspoken warning poured into her.

She shied away from his touch. “Did you know the Composer planned on violating me?”

Mistin took a step back. “What? Violate you how?”

Senna pointed at Cord. “Ellesh tricked me into making your ‘brother’ my Guardian. I bonded him.”

Mistin’s sharp intake of breath proved her ignorance of the Composer’s plan. “They only do that to a Witch who’s married her Guardian.” Mistin eyed Senna’s beautiful tunic, the gold bracelet, her elaborate hair.

With a dawning horror, Senna wondered if this was some kind of wedding dress. She yanked her hair out of its pins, ripped the bracelet off, and threw it at Cord.

He caught it without looking and stuffed it in his pocket with the lock of her hair.

She looked for something else to throw at him.

Mistin followed her. “Senna, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she was planning that.”

Senna tried not let Mistin’s gentle words penetrate her defenses. “Don’t talk to me like I’m your friend. We are not friends.” She found a rock and launched it at Cord. He caught it easily.

Mistin shuffled her feet. “I’m a Caldash Witch. You’re a Haven Witch. If we can’t find a way to see past our differences, how can we expect any of them to?”

Senna threw another rock.

Cord let it hit him, a dry expression on his face. “Are you finished throwing your tantrum yet?”

Trying to rein in her fury, Senna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Only a fool would trust either of you.”