Chapter 2242

"Then she said,'Roger has taken Gwydion away.She won't bother you again.'I didn't care about that and said so. I asked about you, Amber. It was all that mattered to me. Glenda said you were fine. She had fixed things for you. I pressed for more details, but she refused other than to say she had smoothed your memories, like mine. That was the best answer I was going to get. She said it was all over now. I waited and waited, saying nothing. Then I asked her when she would kill me. She laughed, and I hated that laugh. I was about to die, and she was laughing at me! Then she said I had still a role to play, and I would live. I asked what my role was, and she said, 'Raise Amber well. Warn her of the dangers of witchcraft.'And then..."

Amanda tried to put her empty wine glass on the table but missed and the glass dropped and shattered on the wooden floor.

"Oh no!I'm so sorry! Let me clean this up..."

"No worries, Miss Aine," said Daniel, his voicestrange and low, and he made a motion, and the broken glass was swept up and lifted. It drifted

into the kitchen and was dumped in the garbage bin."Finish your tale, please."

She shook her head."It is done. There is no more to say."

"You just said, and then. Finish it." His voicesounded like a command.

Amanda lowered her head."And then…And then, Glenda said,'One day Amber will come back into your life as a grown woman. She will ask you what happened this past evening and before. Tell her everything. Tell her of the evil you did in the name of love. Tell her how I spared your life so Amber could be raised knowing that witches are evil. After that, you will be done'."

Amanda was trembling now, almost violently. Daniel could feel just how warm the upper apartment was. Her shaking was not from the cold.

"Why do you tremble so much?"he asked.

"I am done. What Glenda foretold has come topass. I think now I die and go to whatever fate

awaits me in Hades. That is where I am bound. I am a witch; I know this to be true. I will burn for all eternity."

Daniel used his sight and examined Amanda. Her aura was black and oily, but a single soft blue ribbon wound its way through it. He shuddered at what he saw and knew if Hades existed, she was surely bound for it. Oddly, he felt it fitting. It was justice. She had killed men, women, and children. Innocents. All for her selfish love.

He stood up, lifting Jasmine off his lap and placing her on her feet. "Time to go, ladies. Amber, stay with your mother for a time. When you are ready you can find us. We will stick around for as much time as you need."

Amber looked sad and angry staring at her mother. She looked quickly at Daniel, saw his expression, and nodded once.

Amanda looked strangely at Daniel."Why does it seem you are in charge? You are a bound spell caster? Something doesn't seem right."

Daniel crouched down and looked Amanda in

the eye. She flinched."I am bound but love came first. I was not bound against my will. I welcomed it and the bond goes both ways because that's what love is. We have a special circle, as Syn calls it. We are the first good circle to ever exist. Maybe the way you raised Amber led to this,I don't know. But Amber taught Amy and Jasmine. Together we have a love for one another and trust in one another so strong that I will never be worried about descending into the madness and destruction you just described like some casual fireside story. Thousands died at your hands. I surely hope you are bound for Hades. You deserve it. But for raising Amber the way you did? You have my thanks."

He stood and watched Amanda descend into the sobs of self-pity. He leaned over and kissed Amber."You're strong enough for this. Comfort her. She's still your mother. Then come back to us. We love you, Amber."

Amber nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks."You're a good man, Daniel. Thank you."

Jasmine and Amy kissed her, and they left Amber with her mother. They shut the apartment door behind them and walked down

the side stairs and out onto the street.

Grace was there waiting with a look of concern on her face. She had felt most of what they had experienced through her bond with the circle.

"How'd it go?"

"Not good," said Daniel."Witches are evil fucks,aren't they?"

"Yup. You guys excluded. I'm glad you're finallyunderstanding why the world hates witches so much."

"Promise me you'll take us down if we ever getlike that."

Grace sidled up to Daniel and kissed him. "Daniel, I've been ready to end you the momentI met you all in that farmhouse. But don't forget,I also adore you all. Don't ever fuck this up."

THEY LEFT ACRON two days later. Amber had left her mother with enough coin to live

comfortably for the rest of her days, which didn't look to be too long. She was rapidly withering away, and the last glimpse of Amanda had been shocking for Daniel to see. She looked at least twenty years older than her supposed years.

"She has been using magic to lengthen heryears,"Amber explained last evening in bed, held by all of them, tears streaming down her face."Now that she has told me what happened all those years ago, she has lost any interest in life."Amber was distraught."I pleaded with her to fight it. To live for me!But she refused. She says her time is up and she has to face her fate. I don't want my mother in Hades!"

Jasmine squeezed her tighter.

"I asked her to stay for me! And she said no!Oh,Daniel!"She had buried her head into his chest and sobbed until sleep took her. All they could do was send love and comfort down their bond. Amy eased her thoughts and Amber slept through the night. Daniel discovered that the circle shared everything. Including emotions. They could strengthen them or mute them. The heart of the circle seemed to have the most

strength to do that, but they could all help.

They stopped by Amanda's shop on the way out of town to say goodbye. There were more tears, but they finally left her behind and to her fate. Grace lingered a moment and spoke to Amanda and then quickly caught up.

Now on the road, with Grace still jogging along beside them, they started to look forward to the challenges of the Wilds. Daniel slowed his horse until he lagged behind the others. As he expected, Grace trotted up beside him.

"What did you say to her?" he asked, his voicelow. He kept the conversation clear of the bond. Whatever Grace had to say, Amber shouldn't hear.

"I told her she did a great job with Amber. She'sa strong witch. One of the strongest. Amanda said that was Bruce. He had been powerful in his own right. I knew of him. We all did. He was powerful, but not nearly as powerful as you, Daniel. You carry the strength of a phoenix inside you."

Daniel nodded, having no reference on which

to agree or disagree."What else?"

Grace glared up at him. The bond was annoying her. She had few secrets from Daniel, and she didn't know if she hated it or loved it.

"I told her what to expect when she died."

"You did what? How would you know?"

"Daniel, I'm a Night fae and royalty. We guardthe door to death. Of course I know."

Daniel went quiet thinking on that."And what should she expect?"

Grace looked at Daniel and he could see the sorrow there."Nothing good, Daniel. Nothing good at all. I wanted her to know what to expect. That way her fear of death will be that much greater. She killed thousands of people, Daniel. Defenceless women and children . She was pure evil. I owed all those lost innocent lives that little bit of justice. She was a fucking cunt. Ask Jennifer or Brian what they think."

Grace ran away then, off into the thickening forest and disappeared behind a tree.

Daniel rode deep in thought, feeling the deep satisfaction that poured out of Grace into the bond. The Night fae are scary as fuck, he thought. He caught Grace's pleased reaction.

That night they gathered around a roaring fire. Brian and Jason explained this would likely be their last night for an open fire. Once in the Wilds, fire was normally out of the question. It would attract the attention of too many creatures. Stealth and strict observance to their surroundings would rule their days until they emerged back out from the Wilds.

"And don't forget about the Wilds Childs," addedJennifer, gnawing on a wild bo ar shank from the boar Grace had hunted that afternoon. It was tough and gamey, and she had grease all over her hands and face from her struggle to eat it. Grease even ran down her bared forearm. But she was eating the shank with gusto, her elbows parked on her knees, and Daniel found it sexy for some reason. She waved it around as she talked.

Amy and Jasmine exchanged a look and reached for some greasy roast pig. Amber rolled her eyes but gladly accepted a chunk and dug her teeth

into it. Her eyes went wide with the taste, and she took another bite. The grease had her thinking momentarily of how it could be used to lube Daniel so he could... laughter from Amy and Jasmine interrupted her thought and had her scowling.