He certainly hadn’t minded an audience when we’d ended up in the corridor outside our rooms. I gritted my teeth at the memory. Facing him after that encounter hadn’t been awkward. The same could not be said for when I saw him next. I had no idea how to act.
“Actually, public rendezvous are not as common outside of House Lust and House Gluttony. Sure, other princes show off debauchery on occasion, like Greed and his gaming hell, but not to the extent as those particular Houses. His highness may want you to be certain you’re choosing him with a clear head. Perhaps he wasn’t sure that’s what you wanted and he left before he did something he thought you’d regret.”
Frustration built in my chest. “Lifting my skirts was a clear indication of my wants. If he wishes to secure the marriage bond, he’s not convincing me that’s something he wants.”
“From what you described, my lady, it sounds like physical attraction is not the issue.”
I halted in my tracks. I had no idea why this was this getting under my skin. Regardless of what transpired the night before, I still did not want to secure our bond. The thought that he felt the same shouldn’t consume my thoughts. Especially when I had a hundred other things to be concerned with. Like the fast-approaching Feast of the Wolf.
I shook off the annoyance and proceeded toward the tower with my friend. “Enough talk of princes for now. I don’t want the matron to overhear us and report back to Wrath.”
Fauna laughed. “That, I can promise, will likely never happen.”
“I take it their animosity isn’t new.”
“Not at all.” Fauna pulled us to a stop, then glanced around. “Rumor claims it’s centuries old. Some say her daughter was cursed and the prince did nothing to save her.”
“Is her daughter in the castle?”
“That’s just it… no one knows. There is speculation that his highness banished her from this circle. For a time, at least. It’s possible the matron retrieved her and has her hidden somewhere.”
For some reason goose bumps rose along my skin. I thought of the wailing that floated up from below the statue of the woman and the serpent. I couldn’t imagine Wrath punishing someone by sending them deep underground. Perhaps that was because he hadn’t done it.
Even though I hardly knew her, I didn’t doubt the matron could have done something like that. Especially if it wasn’t to punish, but to protect.
Maybe the wailing, miserable creature I’d heard was her missing daughter. And if the matron brought her daughter back and kept her locked away, I was even more curious to know why. Wrath knew everything that went on in his circle, and I doubted the matron would keep this secret from him for long. Which indicated she was hiding her daughter from another prince.
A new suspicion entered my thoughts. This story was similar to another I’d heard. One that involved La Prima Strega and her daughter. The First Witch was rumored to have cursed the devil because her daughter fell in love with him and they refused to give each other up.
Was the Matron of Curses and Poisons actually the First Witch?
If she was and she’d cursed the devil, I wanted to know why she was currently in Wrath’s castle, claiming to be someone else. He must know her true identity. Which meant he also knew what she’d done to his brother, and would explain their hatred and history. So why, then, would he be willing to keep her secret, unless she knew one of his? And if that was the case, it had to be a secret so wicked he’d be willing to strike a bargain with a sworn enemy.
Given what he’d done to save me, that didn’t seem so unbelievable.
“Daughter of the Moon. Lady Fauna.” Celestia opened her door before I finished knocking. I hid my smile. Wrath would be furious she’d answered so quickly. “How may I be of service to you?”
“I have a few questions. About curses.”
Her delight appeared genuine. “By all means. You’ve come to the right place. Come in.”
I walked into the tower chamber and was immediately hit with the pleasing aroma of herbs and oils. I swallowed the pang of homesickness, the sudden reminder of Nonna Maria making spell candles in our small family kitchen. My family was safe. And I would finish what I set out to do and get back to make more happy memories with them. Soon.
I wrenched myself into the present. Celestia moved across the chamber and pulled books and pots off of stools, making room for us to sit around her prep table. While she did that, my attention shifted to items I’d missed during my first visit.
The matron had even more strange and curious things in her collection. From corked jars filled with blinking eyes, to baskets of bird beaks, one overflowing with claws, and another bin stuffed with feathers. Pots of salves and ointments and lotions of all kinds.
A bird skull with runes carved into it was placed on top of a pile of leather-bound books.
She noticed what caught my attention and nodded to it. “Ravens symbolize many things. Death, healing, fertility. Wisdom.”
“And the runes?” I drifted closer but did not touch the carvings or the remains. If she was the First Witch, she might have enchanted the skulls and sent them to me. I was unsure if she was trying to help, or if my theory was wildly wrong. She might be exactly who she claimed, and I was forcing together puzzle pieces that didn’t fit. “Do they animate the skull?”
“No.” Celestia eyed me with what appeared to be suspicion. If she was the First Witch, she was directly birthed from a goddess. I wasn’t sure if she could sense emotions like Wrath could, but I did my best to keep calm. “They come to me when I meditate over the skull. I etch what the raven wishes me to see. Arcane symbols can be a powerful ally to those with magic in their blood.”
Fauna shifted uncomfortably, her attention riveted to the jars tapping with unseen forces on the far side of the chamber. I glanced back to the matron and lowered my voice. “Can they be used to enhance Source?”
“For witches, yes. For those who are Source, no. Arcane symbols originate from their essence.”
“Those who… you mean the goddesses.”