While all the witches gathered together in a circle and began to converse, I caught Derek’s hand and together we began to do a headcount. After visiting all the caves that housed people, all our closest companions appeared to be there, but we were saddened that we were still missing some warriors. Although these could have been casualties of the battle with the witches before the dragons had arrived. We would hold a ceremony in honor of them after we’d managed to crack the black witches’ spell.

We returned to the witches after about an hour to see if they’d made any progress.

“Well?” Derek asked.

Corrine looked nervously at her husband. “We’re no further forward. I have a feeling that we’re going to need Mona’s help on this,” she said.

“Then focus on fixing Mona first,” Derek replied.

“That’s what I was going to suggest,” Ibrahim said.

“You’re going back to the Sanctuary?” Kiev’s voice came from behind us.

Ibrahim nodded.

“Then I’ll catch a ride.”

Kiev, Derek and I vanished with the witches to the Sanctuary where Mona was resting, while Rose said she wanted to stay behind in the caves with Caleb. We gathered around the bed. The witch was still showing no signs of waking up.

“I’ll try to put together a stronger potion this time. Less root juice,” Corrine muttered as she walked out of the bedroom.

While waiting for her to return, I voiced the question I knew was running through all of our heads. Since all the captives were paralyzed and unable to talk yet, we were still in the dark about it.

“How could those people be in the cave?” I asked nobody in particular. “I was in the area. I saw that blaze. And they can’t even move…”

There was a silence as everyone pondered my words.

“I can only assume it was the black witches protecting their captives,” Ibrahim said. “As we discovered, it’s not just humans they’re interested in. They must have swooped down in the nick of time before the flames swallowed them and vanished them all to the caves, away from the fire.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Derek said, nodding.

“I guess they were expecting to defeat the dragons and return for the vamps and werewolves later once they’d conquered the mountains,” I said.

Corrine reentered the room with a steaming goblet of red potion. She set it down on the bedside table and propped Mona further up against the pillows before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She reached for the goblet, then looked at Kiev.

“Kiev, I need your help,” she said.

Kiev was by her side within a second.

“Kiss your woman,” Corrine said, as though it were the most normal request in the world.

Kiev frowned. “Kiss her?”

“Is that too much to ask?” Corrine snapped.

Kiev wisely shut up and did as Corrine requested. He lowered his head to Mona and pressed his lips against hers in a chaste peck before raising his head again and looking toward Corrine.

“Seriously?” Corrine raised her eyebrows. “What was that?”

Kiev shrugged. “I was just trying to keep things decent.”

The witch smirked. “Oh, please. Nobody thinks you’re decent, Kiev. Just kiss her.”

Kiev returned a grin before dipping down and claiming Mona’s lips fully.

“You see, dear,” Corrine said, bending over and watching Kiev’s kiss closely, “there is a method to my madness. Try to ease open her lips. They’re locked shut again. I used my fingers before, but a kiss will work better… Ah, there we are.”

She gripped Kiev’s shoulder and pulled him away. Sure enough, Mona’s lips had parted. Corrine grabbed the goblet and tipped the liquid into Mona’s mouth.

“She can’t swallow,” Kiev said. “Won’t she just choke?”

“Hush,” was all the reply Kiev received.

Truth be told, I found myself wondering the same thing as Kiev, but I dared not question the witch. She knew what she was doing.

Corrine stopped pouring once her mouth was full, and gently pushed her jaw closed. Then she pinched Mona’s nostrils together, blocking her breathing completely.

“Can you fetch a bucket, honey?” she called over her shoulder to Ibrahim.

He vanished and reappeared holding a metal bucket. He placed it on the bed next to Corrine. She positioned it beneath Mona’s mouth.

“If I did better with the potion this time, she’ll hopefully come around any moment now,” she said.

Considering Mona couldn’t breathe, I certainly hoped so. We all let out a sigh of relief as Mona’s eyes shot open and she opened her mouth, coughing out all the red liquid—most of which Corrine managed to catch with the bucket. Once she’d finished coughing, she looked around at us blearily.

“What—Where am I?” she mumbled.

Kiev held her hand and squeezed it gently. “Darling, you’re in The Shade. In Corrine and Ibrahim’s bedroom.”

She groaned, reaching for her stomach. Kiev’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Mona swung her legs off the bed and staggered to her feet. She doubled over and a rush of vomit splattered onto Corrine’s silk rug.

Corrine hurried to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You’re going be okay, honey,” she said, rubbing Mona’s back even as she winced at the sight of her rug. “It’s just a side effect of the potion we gave you. Sometimes it can make you upchuck.”