The Truth Over The Wall

Chapter 37 (Part 2)

"How did he know, Fiona?" Amara's voice echoed in the clearing. The braver part of the nobility that had hobbled out for curiosity's sake need not have bothered, but they backed away considerably. There was a terrible anger brewing in the young witch's form that said that danger was close at hand.

"How did they know!" Amara shouted to the witches waiting in Fiona's shadow. Her hands were clenched, and the veins in her neck protruded as she demanded,

"My mother had no mark of the witch upon her," Amara shook her head, "the same as me. Iron cannot and does not affect us as it burns your kind. How did they know? Or better yet who told them?"

"What are you trying to say?" The same pale haired witch that had announced Fiona's presence now asked.

"Someone," Amara said, "put it into that man's head that my mother is a witch and that she must die for it, someone that wanted my mother dead."

Amara was looking right at Fiona. Fiona rolled her eyes, "You can't be serious. Why would I put so much effort into killing anyone – a witch?"

Fiona turned to the crowed of witches watching on, "Aren't enough of our families lost? Haven't we suffered enough?"

An angry and embittered cry rang out in the witches. Indeed they had lost too much.

When Fiona turned back to Amara, her smile was victorious when she said, "You must be confusing me with the humans."

"Because," Amara continued through the jeers being thrown in her direction, "you want to stand unchallenged. You want to stay in power. And anyone that threatens it? Must die."

There was a lull in the jeers, just enough in fact for witches to wonder. What was that? What was it she'd said?

This sounded familiar. This was something they had heard before. Something one or other of their Elder witches had said, but it was nonsense and Fiona had put an end to such talk.

But where were these Elder witches now, they started to wonder. They hadn't been seen in years.

Nor were they likely to be seen again.

"Any witch that opposes the mighty Fiona," Amara's tone was scornful, "or questions the bloodshed or the child sacrifice always manages to find an untimely death at the hands of humans. Just like my mother Kara Eberhardt and the Elder witch Elspeth Emeroy."

Alistair froze, he knew it. He knew his mother's death was not a random witch attack.

"Elspeth was a traitor to the witch!" Someone called and others joined it.

"Open your eyes!" Amara shouted hoarsely, "Countless of your own number have died. And sometimes you don't even have to do anything to directly offend the Witch-Queen, YOUR BIRTH IS OFFENSE ENOUGH.

"Only a Grand witch can challenge another Grand witch!" Amara told them, "It is the rule of power and it is the rule of Nature. And Elspeth Emeroy was a Grand Witch...so was your Elder witch Myrna."

A jolt of shock went through Dominic at the same time that the crowd of witches broke out in disbelieving, angry accusations.

"You can't prove that!" Someone called. "You're making this all up!" "Our Queen is innocent!"

"And yet," Amara said, "they're both dead. You're right, no one can prove anything, whether I am right or if Fiona is wrong.

"A fraud, a liar and a murderer!" Amara said, "She might hate the humans but she doesn't care for you either. She will use you to cut back the humans and she'll make use of select humans to hunt you down to keep the flames of war alive. She will use you as she wishes and kill you when it pleases her. Wake up and see her for what she is!