Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(45)

The voice swam through my head. It took me two tries to grasp what it meant. Mildred? Once I started slowly surfacing, like coming up from deep water, the words started to make sense.

“She better do it soon!” the High Priestess snapped. “Or I’ll give her a reason to wake up. Foolish girl.”

My eyes fluttered open. I lay on an uncomfortable divan in a room I didn’t recognize. The white walls were trimmed at the top with golden leaves. Papa’s silhouette stood near a floor-length window, his hands folded behind his back.

“Bianca?”

The High Priestess’s sharp voice hit me like a slap. A mighty headache split my brain, walloping the sides of my head like a giant with a club. I groaned.

“Derek, I think she’s waking up,” Stella’s quiet voice said from right next to me.

“Are you ready to grace us with your presence yet?” the High Priestess asked in a haughty tone. “I’m done waiting. We have a mess to clean up. I don’t have time for this.”

I closed my eyes against the daylight and shrunk into the divan, wanting to disappear. My memory returned in an instant. Crowd. Merrick. Darkness. Bad.

“No,” I said.

“Too bad,” she snapped. “Get up.”

“I have something here for you, Bianca,” Stella murmured. She rubbed it on my temples, filling my nose with the cool smell of peppermint. “Sit up slowly,” she instructed.

The High Priestess paced back and forth, her maroon dress rustling as she prowled like a caged animal. Stella put a hand on my shoulder and helped me sit up. The world swam. I closed my eyes and leaned into my hands.

“Are you okay, Bianca?” Papa asked. He crouched in front of me now, a mixture of concern and hesitation on his face.

“Yes, Papa.”

“Nice little display,” the High Priestess said. “Whether or not you realize the scope of the campaign Clive has been launching against your father, I’m here to tell you that you’ve just made it much, much worse. Your show in Chatham City today earned Clive all the signatures he needs to bring it before the Council. 10,000 in one day! It’s absolutely unheard of.”

“What did I do?” I asked, a knot forming in my throat.

“You defended yourself as you should have,” Papa said, casting a warning glance at the High Priestess. “But in doing so you injured ten witches. No one died, but they won’t recover quickly. It’s what they deserve for dragging you into the crowd that way.”

His voice was hard, without remorse or compassion. Perhaps I had done what I should have to protect myself, but the number of injured witches seemed enormous. Had my powers grown so much? I forced the thoughts to slow.

“Besides,” Papa said, putting a heavy hand on my shoulder and straightening. “Most of them were drunk, and over half that crowd was part of the Factios.”

“Factios?” I asked with a grimace. He squeezed my shoulder.

“I’ll explain later.”

“Mildred,” Stella said in a low tone. “Take a deep breath. I’m sure Bianca has an explanation.”

The High Priestess shot her an acid glare but did as she asked. When she spoke again her voice had calmed.

“Merrick, Brecken, Camille, and Michelle have already told me what they saw and heard. I want to hear your version of it before we go down to my office. Begin.”

With a stiff voice I recounted the events, starting from the moment we heard the rally, including everything that was said, and how the power had taken over. I ended with the last few snatches that I remembered, including running through Letum Wood with Merrick. Stella rubbed a hand over my back, whispering a blessing under her breath. The headache began to retreat, eventually fading into a nag that disappeared completely.

“Thank you,” I whispered, sending my gaze her way for just a second. She squeezed my shoulder with a warm smile.

“Is that all?” the High Priestess asked.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Clive is waiting for us in my office to discuss the matter.” She set her hawk-like eyes on me. “You will not say a single word. Not. One. Word. Do you understand? It’s going to take some careful negotiations on my part to get you out of this with all your limbs. Chatham City is foaming at the mouth.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” I whispered again.

“Follow me.”

I stood up, Stella and Papa next to me. He hugged me to his side, and I leaned into him. The High Priestess turned around and held her finger to my face.

“I don’t trust your powers or your mouth, Bianca. For obvious reasons. I’m putting you under a silencing incantation.”

A fading tingle wrapped around my throat. When I tried to speak, nothing came out. I nodded, mute. Satisfied, she circled back around and started to walk, muttering under her breath.

???

Clive, that disgusting pile of a witch, waited inside the High Priestess’s office with a thoughtful look on his face. The High Priestess came to an abrupt halt a few steps in.

“What are you doing in my office?” she demanded.

“Waiting, Your Highness,” he said with a dip of his head.

“I did not invite you in. Get out.”

Stunned, he hesitated, looking at Stella, who had the same annoyed expression on her face, then slowly walked past us into the hall. Once there, he turned around, hovered for a second, and tapped on the open wooden door.