A Court of Death and Retribution

chapter 14

Witch, witch, witch. It echoed through my head in a taunting voice.

Chaos erupted around me. Questions and answers were thrown back and forth across the table, but that echoing word caused everything to blur. I felt too many things all at once, causing my breaths to come out shallow and quick.

I felt lightheaded, but a small tug in my ribs brought me back to the present.

Witch. I wasn't a witch. My mother and father were Illyrians. I'm an Illyrian. But, I'm also a Siphoner. Did that connect to witches?

"Honestly if you all just learned a bit of patience you would resort to yelling at each other." Amren spat, causing silence to ring through the room. "That's better, I thought the poor girl would faint." Amren gestured to me. "Now, if you'll let me explain." She sent a pointed look to Cal, whose face was redder than a tomato. "This book talks about the begging of the end for Prythian. There are a lot of words I skimmed over, but I found a chapter on Siphoners, so I figured Belladonna would appreciate the history lesson... but it seems we all may benefit from it."

"Just read the damn chapter." Cal shot out, granting a look that promised death from Amren.

"Do not test me, boy." She returned her silver eyes to the book and began. "The witches were inherently jealous of the Fae's immortality. They had tried everything to create a potion that granted them that gift, but it failed. Finally, the Dark Mother's Coven set out to destroy the Fae. They used the Dark Mother's blood to create a potion that would grant them the ability to bring death to those who were difficult to kill." I let out a shaky breath as my stomach rolled. "The first Witch who was blessed by the potion waited for her opportunity. The Witches wanted to kill the Fae, but they weren't stupid enough to seek them out. One night, the Blessed Witch was out in a village in the Continent with her husband and newborn child. Long story short, Fae had attacked them, so she used the potion's gift to kill every last Fae. However, they managed to kill her husband before they met their demise."

My palms started to sweat underneath the leather of my gloves. My eyes were glued to the table as Amren read the chapter. I focused on the whirls of the knots in the wood and how stripes of bright wood contrasted the dark. My breathing became ragged, but the familiar tug kept me from losing control. The tug gave me even more questions, but a gentle caress on my mental walls calmed me from my panic.

"The Mother became enraged to discover that the Dark Mother had given the Witch her power, so she cursed her with a deadly touch. The Witch could no longer touch her newborn with her hands without the risk of killing them. Soon enough, they learned that the Witch possessed siphoning magic that was a side effect of the potion. More Witches drank the potion, but every single one of them was stuck with the same curse that the Mother bestowed. So did their children, and every Witch or Fae that descended from the original Siphoners." Amren sighed and closed the book with a soft slap.

Nobody knew what to say for a moment. Maybe they were waiting to see how I would react, but my mind was a fog and a frenzy, one that I was struggling to control. A broken laugh escaped me, and I could feel everyone's eyes land on me. My laughter grew, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the table. Tears welled in my eyes, but they didn't slip and fall.

Finally, I calmed my insane laughter and looked up. I slowly took in everyone's expressions. Shock and concern was prominent, even on Azriel's face. My smile faded when my pale green eyes landed on eyes of silver. "So, you mean to tell me that I can't touch anyone because of some petty fight that happened hundreds of years ago?"

Rhysand cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Don't." I shot him a look. "I can't even begin to comprehend this whole witch thing, but it sounds to me like the Mother was being petty. You would kill for Feyre, would you not?" Rhysand nodded. "So then you can't disagree that you would do exactly as the Witch had. I think we all would do it." I looked to Amren. "How does this help our situation?"