Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(2)
She leaned forward and extended her right arm. I lifted my hand and gripped her forearm; she held onto mine.
“I vow to resolve your Inheritance Curse by your seventeenth birthday,” she said. Magic, flowing from the place her skin touched my fingertips, zipped through my fingers and arm, into my shoulder. It settled in my heart and my head. Both of our arms glowed with a warm, yellow light.
“I accept.”
The magic swirled and then settled in my heart with a calm little sigh. Satisfied, the High Priestess released me and leaned back against her seat. The carriage rolled on, carrying us through foggy Letum Wood, and onto my new life.
I swallowed back the tears.
Time to start over and forget the past.
Forest Dragons
Two months later.
I didn’t know grief lingered in the sunlight.
It would sweep all the caverns of my heart with the power of heat and fire, reminding me of Mama and all I’d lost. Her face lingered in the back of my mind even though I tried not to acknowledge her. When the worst of the melancholy moments took over me, not even the blue spring sky or the fluffy clouds piled high like wisps of cotton could remove the darkness inside. Grief was my new companion, the wraith that haunted my heart. I hated it, and clung to it at the same time.
“Why aren’t there Guardians patrolling the gardens?” my best friend Camille asked with an annoyed sigh. “Aren’t they supposed to be protecting the castle grounds?”
A light, cool spring breeze accompanied us around the gardens of Chatham Castle, which loomed high in the distance behind us, soaring with turrets and stone. A crimson and gold flag flapped from the second highest tower in the same wind that brushed my hair off my shoulders. Gardens lay in lazy grandeur around the fortress like a long skirt of pastel flowers. Behind the flower beds and lawns was Letum Wood, the great forest of imposing trees and rolling hills, puffed out in new buds of green. We passed a small mound of pink spring flowers, and I trailed the tip of my finger along a teardrop petal. It felt soft and silky.
I cast Camille a questioning glance.
“Is that why you wanted to go on a walk? To talk to Guardians?”
The quick rise of color to her apple cheeks gave her away. She looked straight ahead and tried to force a nonchalant voice.
“N-no! I just wanted to enjoy the lovely spring air. It is a bit chilly though.” She pulled her light blue cape farther over her shoulders when another soft gust of wind brushed against us. A moment later she pointed to a small queue of maids and butlers a few paces away. “Oh, look! They’re setting up for the spring luncheon with the High Priestess. I’d love to eat with her. I have loads of questions I want to ask. Who d’you think does her hair? Does she pick out her own dresses? They’re horrid sometimes, aren’t they?”
I followed her gaze. The High Priestess was meeting with the southern Coven Leaders at noon. If the gossip I listened to in the castle meant anything, she wanted to address the rumors that the Southern Network had called their army to assemble near the sprawling stone wall that separated us, which meant that our lower covens could be in danger from an attack. I had little hope that good news would come from the meeting.
Servants bustled around in black uniforms with gold and red embroidering, carrying platters of food and pitchers of apple cider. They put together several long wooden tables adorned with vases of spring flowers and the finest bone china. Silver spoons and forks glittered in the sunlight. A white canopy hung overhead, suspended by no ropes or twine, but the magic of the butlers held them up. The canopies protected the tables from the warm sunshine, which seemed such a waste to me. Why eat outside if they wouldn’t enjoy the gentle heat?
“The luncheon should be starting soon,” I said, eager to get away from what would be a collecting crowd. Although informative, most of the talk would be political arguments, and as riveting as watching grass grow. It was something my friend Leda would swoon over. “Let’s go this way.”
Camille followed as we turned and headed across the spongy grass, toward Letum Wood’s shadows. Sprawling gardens, gazebos, and flower-laden trellises still separated us from Letum’s dark trees and tall awning, but even so, I felt a small tug of comfort just knowing I was going to be near the wild forest. I’d grown up under the murky trees and my heart longed for it with a homesick little pang.
No, I firmly reminded myself. That’s part of your old life, not your new life. Stay away from Letum Wood.
The trapped magic in my heart swirled restlessly at the thought of never going back to the gloomy canopy. The closer we meandered to the thick foliage, the more the back of my throat ached.
“Let’s talk about the Anniversary Ball!” Camille said with a spring in her step that made her dishwater blonde curls bounce. “Henrietta and I picked out the perfect material for my dress! I know the ball is still four months away, but that will give her plenty of time to work on it. The design is exquisite, Bianca!”
“Oh?” I feigned interest, my eyes trained on the forest. A rustle of leaves in the upper canopy caught my attention in a windless moment. What could be moving that high? “What color?”
Happy to find someone who showed the slightest regard, Camille prattled on about lace and ribbons and the perfect material. My eyes remained locked on Letum Wood and wouldn’t let go. The movement of leaves rippled through the foliage, moving across the forest. A bird, perhaps? No, it would have to be quite large. I steered us slightly to the left, toward the break in the hedge that would let me see what animal lurked so close to the castle.