The Opal Witch: Prophecy (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Three

She thrust out her hands. Lux wrinkled her nose, looked at them, and then back at Kitty. "What do you want me to do with those?"

"Look into my mind and see what I've Seen."

"Lux," Declan said, a clear warning in his voice.

Her request sounded simple enough, but there was a reason they'd refused to look before. Whatever magic Daphne used to put those Visions in Kitty's head could be dangerous. It could have traps and tripwires for anyone who went digging, and no one had felt confident enough to perform the spell. That was a long time ago, and Lux was far more skilled and knowledgeable, and she desperately wanted to See what could be bad enough to convince Kitty to turn on all of them, even if it was all lies.

"I know you think the Visions are fake, but they're not."

"Lux!" Declan shouted when he saw her reach for Kitty, and the last thing she experienced in this world was tires squealing as the car swerved toward the side of the road.

Then she was standing on a hill, staring across a barren wasteland. Raging fires burned every few yards, bodies were piled on top of each other, and a red sun simmered low on the horizon, turning the sky bloody. Without trees or buildings to block it, the wind blew in great, howling gusts that fanned the flames and whipped her hair across her face. Her nose filled with the acrid stench of smoke and something sickly sweet.

"Bring him," a voice boomed from her right. A voice that sounded very much like her own in tone and pitch, but there was an aged quality to it. No southern lilt, just harsh and commanding eloquence.

Lux knew before she turned, but it didn't stop her from gasping. There—just yards away—stood Morgan le Fae, and at her side was a woman who resembled Lux in every way. Except for the white stone hanging around her neck and the frosty glint in her eyes.

Behind them was a cage. Two women Lux didn't recognize sat at the bottom. One had ink black hair and turquoise eyes, and there was a strange iridescent hue on her cheeks where tears might have fallen. Her ears were lightly pointed, hinting at Fae ancestry. The woman next to her had her eyes closed and her head pressed against the bars. Her matted hair hung over her shoulder, hints of honey glimmering in the brown strands, even in its filthy condition.

No one could see her, but she still walked as silently as possible toward the duo. Fae creatures she'd only ever seen in storybooks—goblins, redcaps, kelpies, and banshees—cheered as they dragged a man up the hill, a hood over his head, his knees buckling with almost every step. He raised chained hands to the edges of the hood and tugged on it, but a goblin slapped his hand away, the spikes on the ends of his fingers leaving red welts on the man's skin.

Morgan and... Lux swallowed. Morgause. It had to be Morgause inhabiting her body. They waited with ill-concealed excitement as they shoved the man to his knees before them, and only then did they remove his hood. And Lux's heart broke as Declan's face appeared. He looked years older—bearded and battered until more skin was bruised than not, but she would recognize him anywhere.

"It is over at last, Sorcerer," Morgan called. "Why do you not make things easy on yourself and give us the key."

Declan grinned. His swollen lips peeled back, exposing white teeth, and then he spit at their feet. The Fae Queen did not move, but Morgause snatched back her skirts and glared at the man. Green lightning fractured the sky.

"Why must you always go the difficult route?" Morgause fumed.

"Would you enjoy your victory otherwise?"

Morgan drummed her fingers together. "So you admit I've won?"

Lux's love laughed and turned to look over his shoulder. He pointed at the destruction with his bound hands. "Won what? You are queen of nothing. Humans are all but gone, and the lands are so ruined you could not grow a single crop, even with all your magic poured into it. What will your Fae eat?"