Virian shot Rose a dark glare over Camellia’s sagging head.

“Did I hear you wrong?” he asked.

“You did not.”

“Don’t mess with me. Not like this.” Rose offered no response. “How can this be?”

Rose shrugged.

“The witch bloodline is weak. Diluted over the centuries. But it’s not impossible for mother and daughter to share the gift. Your sister was lucky.”

At that, Camellia finally raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes flicked toward Rose.

“Gift?” she said. “Lucky? Is that what you call it?”

“You are more than the humans,” Rose said.

Her words only furthered Camellia’s despair.

“So I’m not even human?!” It came out as a wail that traveled to ears that should not hear it.

Virian stood still supporting his sister on her right side, but could only stare, stunned.

“Cammy,” he said, “tell me she’s lying. Tell me it isn’t true.”

His sister turned to him and sobbed.

“Virian…I…”

“No.” He backed away, dropping her arm around him, eliciting a scowl from Rose on her other side. “No. Camellia.”

“Virian, I’m sorry.”

His back hit the stone of the south wall, causing him to stop. It didn’t make sense. How could this be true? Wait. Did mother know? How could she not have? This changed everything about their youth. Virian had thought he was the one who had been pained the greatest by their mother’s death. But Camellia…Virian had taken something away from her that he could not even comprehend. Yet still, she had comforted him back then. His tears began to flow.

“Don’t worry about him,” Rose said, “he prefers a witch in his bed.” Camellia flinched, then turned back to Rose. “Ah. Neither of us, of course. His preferences lie with…how should I say it? The violent type?”

“Huh?” Camellia said.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. You are under my protection now.”

“Who even are you?!” Camellia pushed Rose away, standing with her own strength, though wobbly. “How did you know?” She spun to Virian. “Virian, what is going on?”

Virian wiped his face as best as he could, failing to provide a sense of calm and safety to his sister.

“I promise I will explain everything, but first,” he looked down the tunnel in the wall toward the guard who had surely heard too much, “let’s go somewhere more private.”

Virian called out to the gatehouse and ordered a guard to fetch them some horses.

“Cammy, can you ride?”

She looked at him like he was crazy.

“A horse? No. Virian where are you taking me? I don’t understand!”

“Then you’ll be with me. Please just wait a bit longer.”

The guard came out leading three horses by the reins, and Virian helped Camellia up into the saddle of the largest. By the time he climbed atop behind her, Rose was seated and ready on her own beast. The guard ushered away the third as they began to trot along the road north that led through the market bazaar.

They rode side by side through the mass of tents and stalls on either side, Rose with a permanent grin plastered on her face.

“Why are you so happy?” Virian asked, still reeling from the discovery about his sister. He was content with the silence but couldn’t stop his curiosity.

“I was just thinking this is the second time I saved a witch near the gates of Atrican.”

“You met Ivy here?” He found the conversation did help him keep his mind off less…uplifting topics.

“Yes,” she said, then glanced off to her right, “just about over there. Rescued her from a group of overconfident boys.” She shook her head. “Or maybe rescued them.”

“Who is Ivy?” came Camellia’s soft voice in front of him. Apparently, she wanted to get her mind off things as well.

Rose kept up her bright smile.

“That’s the violent one I mentioned earlier.”

“You really took a witch as a lover?” Camellia asked, her voice dropping ever further.

Virian didn’t know of a good way to answer without a lengthy explanation that he didn’t feel comfortable with at the moment.

So, he said, “Yes.”

Rose immediately burst into laughter.

“I,” she took in a breath in between laughing “I wonder what she would say had she been here to hear such a thing. You ‘took her as a lover’ did you?” She began laughing again.

“It’s…true.”

“Yeah? I’d bet that if you two ended up in bed again, you’d be the one getting ‘speared’.”

Again, she burst into laughter, and Virian stayed silent. Without anything to add, Camellia also had nothing more to say.

At some point, Armond joined them, guiding his horse into step on Rose’s other side. He must have been coming down to check the business with the carriage, and having intercepted them, assumed what had happened. He and Rose chatted casually, his own eruptions of laughter further darkening Virian’s mood. He should have never engaged with Rose.

Eventually, they arrived at Virian’s lodging he had taken up while waiting for Camellia. Two royal guardsmen stood posted at the door to a previously unoccupied two-story merchant’s home. He had commandeered the place seeing as it was not serving a purpose anymore. Atrican had lost a good deal of its population compared to a year ago.

He dismounted and plucked Camellia off as well, both guards saluting him before one took his horse. Their other two companions followed suit, and all four entered the dwelling. Another three guards awaited them inside seated at a round table, eating breakfast. All three stood at attention at his entrance, but Virian waved them back down.

“Don’t mind us,” he said, “finish eating. Don’t let anyone upstairs.”

“Yes, your highness,” the highest-ranking guardsman said, dropping his salute. The man gestured to the two others at the table who retook their seats, while he headed for the door.

Virian ignored him and led the way upstairs, and then to the room he was staying in. Entering last, Rose shut the door behind them. All four of them just stood there in an awkward silence.

“Is someone going to start talking?” Camellia asked. “Who’s this old guy?”

Rose started laughing again and smacked Armond’s chest with the back of her hand.

“Old guy!”

Virian let out a long, deep sigh. He pointed to Armond.

“This is… ‘prince’ Armond. He’s a…crime boss, I guess?”

“Okay…” Camellia said.

“Rose is a powerful and annoying ancient witch. The three of us…well, we established Atrican as a sovereign state.”

“Excuse me? You did what?”

It didn’t surprise Virian that Anton hadn’t told her much.

“How much do you know about what happened here?”

She hissed out a breath.

“Anton keeps me locked up until he’s ready to sell me off to the highest bidder. At first, all he told me was to bring you back here. The next day it was lock me up in the dungeons if I didn’t lure you out. I still said no, and he threw me in a carriage with four men.”

“So, you have no idea why the church is surrounding us?”

“No! I was terrified the whole ride in! What have you done?”

Rose chose to answer that one, “They are looking for our dear Vivi’s ‘lover’. We kicked them out.”

The snickering from Armond grated on Virian’s nerves.

“So, they know, then?” She shook her head, “I’m still having a hard time believing you are with a witch. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Virian frowned.

“I’m not sure you two would get along.”

“Huh? Why?”

Again, Rose took the chance to butt in, “Because she went on an insane rampage, massacring over a hundred church officials in a single night, starting this whole mess.”

Camellia stood there, unmoving, waiting for the end of the joke that would never come.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” Virian said.

“It’s not?!” Camellia asked.

“They captured and were going to kill her and Rose.”

With his explanation, he was reminded of what he had done to their mother, and what he had done to Camellia because of it. The guilt threatened to tear him apart. His eyes moistened again.

“Cammy, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Virian,” she said, taking a few steps to stand right in front of him, “what is it you’re doing here, really? Is this revenge for mom? You’re going to fight the church? Have you lost your mind?!”

“Cammy…”

“Anton is in bed with them. He will send the military! They will crush you!”

“We…we aren’t so helpless.” Armond is…resourceful. Rose’s power is incredibly useful, and Ivy—”

“Is in Rhune,” Rose said.

Camellia raised an eyebrow at Rose. “Rhune? Where is that?”

“Far,” Rose said.

Camellia returned her attention to Virian. “Your witch is not here? You’ve done all this for someone who you are not even protecting? You must really be in love with this ‘Ivy’.”

“She ran away,” Armond said, finally joining in, “when lover boy scolded her for destroying those who would torture and murder her. He’s a fool.”

Rose shot the man a look of annoyance as though she didn’t fully agree. Camellia, on the other hand, raised a hand to her face a rubbed her eyes. She retreated to the bed and took a seat at the edge.

“So let me get this straight. You fell in love with a witch. She slaughtered the church in Atrican. And now you’ve teamed up with another witch and this…huge, scary old man to fight the church? Because of mom and this Ivy?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Have you lost your mind?” She got up and started pacing the room. “We’re dead. We’re worse than dead. You should have left me out there. Now they’re going to find out. Everything. I’m going to be tortured before they kill me.”

More guilt to add to the pile.

“You will not be captured,” Armond said, “they have no way to breech our walls, and our harbor is full of ships. We can send you to Rhune now, if you wish.”

Camellia paused in her frantic back and forth. “What the hell is Rhune?!”

“A safe haven for witches,” Virian said, “so I’m told.” He glanced at Rose.

Camellia snorted.

“Such a place does not exist.”

A frantic banging on the door caught all of their attention.

“Your highness!” a shout pierced the barrier to their room. Virian thought he recognized the voice, but it came to them too muffled.

“Yes?” he called back.

“May I enter?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The door swung open, revealing Tamren. The guardsman rushed inside, breathing heavily. He planted his feet in front of them and took a moment to catch his breath.

“Your highness!” he said with a short bow, then turned his eyes toward Rose and Camellia. “Commander, my lady. I Apologize for interrupting.” He did not spare Armond so much as a glance, much less a word.

“It’s alright,” Virian said, “what is it?”

Tamren took in one long breath before speaking.

“There is movement among the army. Large amounts of lumber have begun moving toward the front lines.”

“Lumber?” Virian asked.

“They are preparing to build siege engines,” Armond said, “your war with the church is about to begin.”

Damn. He knew this would happen eventually, but he had hoped it would still be many months away. Atrican had little in the way to defend itself against a full-scale assault complete with machines to hurl massive boulders at them. Their walls were sturdy, but they could not hold out forever.

“It seems that way,” Tamren said, still looking only at Virian, “and there’s more?”

“I don’t suppose the more is good news?”

Tamren shook his head.

“Along King’s Road, far in the distance, another force approaches.”

Virian’s mouth twisted in disgust. Anton. He had already sent the capital military as a backup in case in other scheme failed. The church may have never had to sack a city before, but the king’s army had. Anton’s engineers would construct the most powerful weapons of war on the continent, and Atrican’s walls would be nothing more than dust and ruins.

“We’re dead,” Camellia said, falling back against the bedsheets, “we’re all dead.”

Looking at his kind, cheerful sister’s despair, he couldn’t help but think she was right. They could only really escape via ship, and then Anton would send his own ships, or wait until they docked. It seemed inevitable. They needed more power. They needed—

“Wait a minute,” Virian said, “Cammy, what’s your power?”

Camellia levered herself upright, horror evident in her expression. Yet when Virian looked to Rose, the smile he saw there belonged not on the face of a beautiful woman, but on that of a demon.