Witch Fall(25)

With a groan, she eased down and pressed her ear to Lilette’s chest. “It’s stronger.” Leaning back on her haunches, she pursed her lips. “I could have sworn it stopped beating. I’m not usually wrong—about anything.” She seemed to be trying to convince herself.

Afraid her face would reveal the truth about what really happened the night she had died, Lilette looked away.

“Are you truly Lilette?” Jolin finally asked. Lilette nodded.

“I remember you. Before you disappeared,” Jolin went on. “I went to see you sing once—I had never heard anything like it. You were bound to become the next Head of Light, as I am to be the next Head of Plants. After your ship sank, you became a legend. The only body never found.”

Lilette winced. She suddenly remembered singing for crowds—thousands of them. “Head of what?”

Jolin didn’t seem to notice Lilette’s distress. “The Head of Light is always chosen because she has the strongest song. I should be Head of Plants, a position chosen for proficiency with potions. But Garen is fighting me.”

Lilette didn’t understand half of that. Jolin tipped her head to the side and asked, “What happened to you?”

“I survived.”

“Here?”

Lilette glanced in the direction of her island. “No. They only found me a few days ago.”

Jolin sucked on her teeth in thought. “They couldn’t have followed the same trail we did.”

Lilette shot her a quizzical look. “Trail?”

“Witches, called listeners, are always on the lookout for stray witch song. When they hear it, they send a ship to find them and bring them back. In this case, they heard a very strong song and sent our company to find you.”

So that’s how the Witches had known to come looking for her. If Fa hadn’t forbidden her from singing, they would have found her years ago, and she could have gone home. But then she would have never known the man who raised her—his quiet kindness and iron determination. “So how did Chen find me?”

Jolin’s fingers gently prodded her back, and she grimaced. “Keepers have listeners. Emperors have spies.”

Lilette mulled that over silently, wondering who from her island had betrayed her. “I’m sorry he beat you.”

Jolin’s jaw clenched. “The chances of Chen’s success in this endeavor are diminutive. As soon as the listeners realize we’re here, they’ll come for us. And then the Keepers will force him from his throne and behead him.”

Lilette blinked at her. “You’re certain.”

“Oh, yes.” Jolin huffed. “And I’ll make sure they throw in a good lashing before they do.” Her eyes glinted with dark delight.

Lilette stared off into nothing. “And naked. They should make him face the crowd naked.”

Jolin nodded. “Brilliant.”

They were silent, reveling in their own dark fantasies. At almost the same time, their eyes met and they burst into laughter.

“Come on,” Jolin said. “You have to move if you want to get your strength back.”

With Jolin’s help, Lilette rose to stand for the first time in nearly three days. She felt shaky and weak, but the pain was gone. “My sister?”

Jolin threaded her arm through Lilette’s and helped her walk slowly around the room. “She insisted on heading the search. She was under the delusion that the listeners had found you. Obviously it wasn’t such a delusion after all.”

An ache flared in Lilette’s chest. Sash had stayed behind to finish her schooling as a witchling, while Lilette and their parents had come to Harshen. “What did she believe happened to us?” But what Lilette really wanted to ask was why her sister hadn’t come looking for her.

“That your ship caught fire and everyone died,” Jolin answered.

“And no one questioned it?”

Jolin looked away. “They had your mother’s body.”

Lilette took a few more steps, already winded. “And why did you come?”

“For the plants,” Jolin replied. “We have so little contact with Harshen. Their plants are unique to the islands. I couldn’t turn down a chance to study them.” She took a deep breath. “They sent over thirty of us—a bit excessive, but Harshen has a reputation for treating women poorly. We wanted over three full-strength circles.

“We stopped here to request permission from the emperor to search Harshen for you. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t cooperating. Then Heir Chen came to our quarters and offered a trade—heal his concubine and he’d grant our request.” Jolin chuckled dryly. “No wonder he was so eager to agree. He wanted us out of the city and away from you.”