poisoned blades 9
Twined Paths
“Well, I’m betting my life that they will be here,” Midnight crossed his arms over his chest as he planted a foot firmly on the ground below a grassy knoll.
“Consider your words marked,” Rainstone said with a wry smile.
“Wow,” his cheeks flushed puce as he glanced away from the vindictive witch, “Alright.”
“I’m sorry about earlier…” Dewstone whispered.
“About what?” Salem inquired as he settled beside her on the ground.
“I should have killed you instead of made you suffer,” Dewstone replied evenly.
“You really are evil…” Salem’s cheeks were scarlet as he stared at the sky and rubbed the wound on his jaw from her mace with one hand and the bruise on his stomach and chest with his other hand.
“Of course I am. I’m a Deverill,” she sneered.
“God that’s sexy,” Salem drooled.
“Keep dreaming,” Dewstone retorted.
“You’re making it worse,” Salem squeaked.
“You give in to women too easily,” Midnight remarked.
“She’s evil and perfect…” Salem drooled, staring at the wicked witch. “I mean…beauty didn’t surpass her.”
“Merci beaucoup,” Dewstone said mindlessly.
“De rien, mademoiselle,” Salem kissed the witch’s hand and smirked when she blushed.
“What? Are you not going to smother me in compliments and try to bed me?” Rainstone asked.
“From what I hear you don’t need to compliment you to get lucky,” Midnight retorted.
“A sharp tongue,” Rainstone noted.
“Forked like every warlock’s tongue,” Midnight smirked.
“You might do as a toy for lust purposes,” Rainstone flashed a cocky grin.
“You might make a fair wife—you know, the woman you go to when you’re too lazy to find a decent lay,” Midnight said with a crooked smile.
“I like you,” Rainstone admitted, twirling her fingers through her wavy brown locks. Her smile was legitimately coy. She was actually falling for the wicked man she had plotted to kill a few moments prior.
“D-did that just happen?” Salem whispered to Dewstone.
Dewstone blinked, “I believe it did…”
“What?” Rainstone asked defensively.
“You pretty much planned to get married on the pretense of his wicked nature,” Dewstone reminded her sister.
“Yes, and?”
“Windfire’s getting the coven. We can do whatever we want. We both know she’s incompetent as a leader,” Rainstone waved her hand to mock Windfire’s ability to rule.
“Our future leader is no better,” Salem huffed.
“Hey, look!” Flameshade’s excited voice cut through the cool night air. The warlock pushed through a door that was hidden by the grass and dirt on the knoll.
“W-what is that?” Dewstone jumped to her feet and drew her mace, lowering it when she saw Snowgust and Lillybreeze follow through the crawl space before the youngest warlock.
“A secret passage apparently,” Flameshade helped Snowgust to her feet before dusting himself off.
“Where is Windfire?”/ “Where is Nightshade?” Rainstone and Midnight chorused.
“We couldn’t find them…” Lillybreeze whispered as she accepted Aquashade’s helping hand.
“They’re together?” Dewstone guessed.
“They fell together, so we assume so,” Aquashade replied.
“What do you mean fell?” Rainstone asked as her eyes widened at the thought.
“Somehow somebody activated a trap and they fell…” Snowgust explained as she leaned against Flameshade who wasn’t fatigued or winded from the trek.
“Do you know what will happen if they don’t make it to the ceremonies?” Midnight asked, actually losing his usual cool persona.
“Yes, a blood feud between the two covens will begin—oh, wait!” Flameshade looked around at his company.
“We have a truce until we’re all safely at our respective castles,” Salem informed the newcomers.
“Oh, well…” Snowgust looked around, “Do any of you know how much time we have to find them and get them back to the castle?”
“Another hour…maybe a little longer,” Dewstone said as she looked up at the starry sky.
“And, here we are,” Nightshade’s voice came from behind a tree.
“Nightshade?” Aquashade asked, not believing his ears.
“Aquashade?” he called, running to the other side of the tree, leading Windfire with him.
“How long have you been out?” Lillybreeze asked.
“We just found a passage that led out of the crypt through a tree…” Windfire explained.
“I see that we’ve all met the reigning members of the opposing coven,” Nightshade said nervously.
“Yes, and we’ve got to get you back to your castles,” Salem said quickly.
“Right…but give us a moment…” Nightshade begged.
“What?” Rainstone asked.
“We’ve gotten to talking, us being the next rules of the two most powerful covens and we have some last details to work out,” Windfire explained.
“Don’t worry, we’ll catch up,” Nightshade assured his siblings and cousins.
The Deverill coven all started toward the west, gazing cautiously over their shoulders at their to-be leaders. The Gerard coven headed east and shook their heads having some idea already that their leader had fallen for the witch.
“Now that we’re alone…” Nightshade leaned down and kissed Windfire one last time. “What do you think of my plan?”
“I know it will work,” Windfire smirked, staring into her lover’s obsidian eyes.
“Good,” Nightshade kissed her once more. “Now, let’s get to taking over these meaningless puppets’ lives, shall we?”
“Let us do,” Windfire said slyly.
“I’ll schedule the meeting for tomorrow,” Nightshade promised her before he shadow stepped toward his departing relations.
Windfire smiled before rushing after her family of witches who greeted her with suspicion. “What?” she demanded.
“Did you know that all warlocks have forked tongues?” Rainstone asked.
“I may have found that out,” Windfire muttered as she led her witches toward their castle.
“Oh, really?” Dewstone inquired.
“We were stuck together for hours. We had a lot to talk about,” Windfire said innocently.
“Do you think she…?” Lillybreeze tapered her thought.
“I think she did,” Snowgust said, awestruck. “She really might have…”
“Might have what?” Rainstone asked.
“You know…” Lillybreeze muttered.
“There’s no way…” Dewstone argued. “She wants to, but she hasn’t. Except maybe in her dreams…”
“We’re on two completely different topics,” Snowgust noted as she continued after her older sister.

poisoned blades 11