Witchful Thinking Read Online Free PDF Page B

guess it—she looks like she’s thirty-two, tops.
    “Way to make an entrance,” I said with a smile.
    Mercedes beamed at me and took my hand—the one that wasn’t currently engulfed in Rand’s. She glanced at Rand, who said nothing but continued to watch her placidly. She nodded to him in silent recognition before facing the crowd of soldiers.
    “I am Mercedes Berg. Some of you refer to me as the prophetess.”
    The crowd was completely silent. They stayed that way for a few seconds until I began to wonder if she had put some sort of charm on them. Then the little old outspoken man in front began to clear his throat.
    “And how can we be sure you are who you say you are?”
    The creatures of the Underworld are a suspicious bunch.
    “I believe every one of you witnessed Jolie and myselfput an end to this war?” Mercedes asked before glancing at me again with a warm smile.
    The little old man nodded and stepped back into the crowd, apparently satisfied with her answer. Of course, witnessing the big stunt Mercedes had pulled would have been enough for me. I would never have questioned her in the first place.
    “I am the prophetess, yes.” Mercedes’ voice rang out loudly and seemed to broadcast her ancient wisdom. “But I am also the advisor to your Queen, Jolie.”
    Rand shifted uncomfortably, and I didn’t dare look at him. The crowd broke out in whispers, seeming to echo his discomfort. They’d all come damn close to having a Queen thrust on them in the form of Bella; I could imagine that having another Queen pushed down their throats wasn’t exactly welcome.
    “This is our fate, our destiny,” Mercedes continued. “Jolie Wilkins has powers not even she fully recognizes yet. She will be responsible for reuniting our kind and bringing peace to the Underworld. What she needs now is your allegiance, not your questions and your doubts.”
    I had to wonder if Mercedes had been a public speaker at some point in her long career—maybe a politician. She definitely had the gift of persuasion because soon the crowd was nodding in agreement. Or maybe she’d just charmed them into acquiescence.
    I glanced at Rand, even though I knew I shouldn’t have. His jaw was tight and he did nothing but stare straight ahead, focusing on the horizon. He didn’t appear to be listening, and it seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
    Rand
. I thought the word even though I wasn’t ready to get into this conversation. I still wasn’t convinced I was the right person for the position of Queen. And I could only imagine that the more I talked to Rand, themore he would try to talk me out of my supposedly destined role.
    Let’s not worry about it now
. The tone of his voice was sweet, unconcerned, but underneath the apparent levity was a weighty and serious issue. Now might not be the time to discuss it but that time would come—it was as obvious as the rigidity of his posture.
    It’s the elephant in the room
, I argued.
    He chuckled and finally looked at me.
There is too much to be thankful for—too much to celebrate. We’ll figure out the details later. For now, I just want to enjoy the fact that the woman I love is standing next to me and … alive
.
    I had to swallow the lump in my throat.
    The woman he loves
. Me.
    I didn’t even know what to say, much less what to think. I didn’t say anything and, instead, squeezed his hand reassuringly and tried to focus on the faces of our legion. I tried not to worry that I might destroy that freely given love as soon as Rand realized I was planning to follow my destiny to become Queen. Well, at the very least, I hadn’t completely abandoned the idea. And if that issue didn’t destroy our chances of being together, I had to imagine the little tidbit about our bonding might do the job just fine.
    A few hours and countless tankards of ale later, I felt footloose and fancy-free. The same couldn’t be said for Rand. It seemed the drunker I got, the more serious he became.