She was toying with us—adding insult to our injuries and impending death. My body may’ve been a statue, but my insides seethed with rage. “One day you will rot in hell, you shriveled old troll.”
With a shrug, Addie mused, “Perhaps. But not before her.” She stepped around me to sneer down at my best friend. A wave of her hand and Vee shrieked like she was being skinned alive.
“Stop! Please …” I was no longer cursing, I was begging. For the sake of my loved ones, I’d go silently.
“Does the plucky sidekick want ta add anything else?” With a satisfied smile, Addie tipped her head as if to say, “I could keep this up all day, you incompetent slag.”
But we didn’t have all day—just minutes. A quarter hour at best. Once the clock struck twelve, her sick little game would come to an end along with Vee and the rest of Doon. Was it too much to ask for one final twist in the plot?
Vee moaned. Sweat coated her face while she struggled against an unbearable weight. As I watched my best friend whimper in pain, I decided to use my words in a way that I hoped would cause less of a backlash. “Vee, if you leave me again, I’ll never forgive you. Doon is your destiny. Fight for it!”
“Can’t—” With great effort, Vee’s hand—the one bearing my aunt Gracie’s ring—reached out to brush against my ankle. As the golden metal touched my skin, a live current raced up my leg and throughout my entire body. The sensation stung like thawing ice with flash fire, but I was free.
I was free!
My instincts screamed at me to stay still, to use my freedom to some advantage. But how? I couldn’t fight the witch with my bare hands. And I would clearly lose any kind of verbal sparring match.
“You know—” Addie raked her nails softly down my cheek, her tone casual as I pretended to be too helpless to do anything other than submit. “I could freeze your internals, ta match yer exterior. All your bodily functions would cease, instantly. Painlessly. Or …”
Or I could endure unspeakable agony.
Despite the crushing pain, Vee sputtered on my behalf, “Please let. Her go. Take me. But let Ken go.”
“Perhaps—although she would make a lovely minion after the rest o’ ye are dead.” Addie’s eyes narrowed into snakelike slits as she leaned over Vee. “Such a sad little queen. All alone … in excruciating pain … Are ye ready to meet yer destiny?”
But Vee wasn’t alone. She had Jamie and a kingdom … and she had me.
The truth I’d been so reluctant to face burned from Uncle Cameron’s ring into my finger. The Rings of Aontacht had chosen us—both of us. I had a significant role as well.
As the metal seared my skin, my finger twitched. Luckily, that hand was hidden behind my back. Hidden from the witch, but not everyone.
“Vee! Look at me. As much as I’ve denied it, Doon is our destiny. We need to stick together. Are you paying attention?”
I prayed that even in her weakened state, the girl who shared my brain would be able to discern my unspoken meaning. I couldn’t best the Witch of Doon with physical power or clever words. But I did have one skill that Addie would never see coming.
I was a damned good actress.
CHAPTER 39
Veronica
Through a haze of agonizing pain, I saw Kenna’s finger wiggle behind her back. The emerald stone of her ring shimmered luminously in the shadows. A spark of life bloomed in my heart, and with it hope pushed against the darkness, driving back my growing despair. I may not have been able to defeat the witch on my own, but fortunately I wouldn’t have to.