Evanora laughed at Talia's words.
"You are letting Cassandra go unpunished? If your mate ends up in Cassandra's hands again, do you think she will hesitate to use dark magic?" Evanora leaned toward Talia, their noses only inches apart. "By letting her go, someone will get hurt, and it will be your fault."
Talia realized that Evanora was right. Maybe.
"You can't blame me if Cassandra harms someone after this."
"And who is to blame? Your Moon Goddess?"
Talia didn't miss the bitterness in Elanor's tone. "You don't believe in the Moon Goddess?"
Evanora's brows furrowed. "If she is out there, aware of what's going on, then she is a cruel person. Why would I put my hopes in her?" She turned to look at the statues in the middle of the fountain with longing. "We are called the Silver Flame Coven because there was a time when this fountain had flames that were said to be indistinguishable. On the day when the portal closed, the flames died, leaving us here to exist without a purpose, empty on the inside. Just like this fountain."
'Oh, oh!', Liseli exclaimed in Talia's head. 'No wonder the fountain looked familiar. I know what she is talking about!'
'You do?'
'No time to explain. Put your hand in the water, Talia!'
Talia had no idea what this was about, but she listened to Liseli.
Talia saw her hand glowing in silvery light that traveled through the water toward the statues.
Evanora stared in disbelief as statues shimmered like someone doused them in silvery glitter, but the most fantastic was when with a 'POOF!' a white flame emerged from the top of the fountain.
It looked beautiful.
"How did you do that?", Evanora asked. She knew very well how many spells they tried in order to revive the fountain, yet Talia did it like it was not a big deal.
Talia smiled a little, feeling proud that Evanora's high and mighty expression cracked.
"Maybe the Moon Goddess didn't forget you. What if she only tested you to ensure you are worthy?"
Talia spoke with confidence to Evanora, but she was also giving herself a much-needed pep talk.
The day in the coven started with the commotion when one witch shouted, "THE SILVER FLAME FOUNTAIN IS ALIVE!"
More than a hundred witches swarmed that area to see the fountain with white flames dancing at the top that were visible even in the broad daylight. Ripples of silvery light pulsated rhythmically in the calm water below it.
Liseli told Talia that Selena has a similar fountain in her garden, but Liseli had no idea how that replica ended up here.
Per Talia's request, Evanora didn't reveal that Talia was the one who made it work, but the witches whispered among themselves how the change happened due to one of the three newcomers based on the fact that it happened shortly after Talia, Axel, and Cassandra arrived.
They were all hopeful, believing that this was a sign of good days ahead.
The time dragged, and Talia felt every minute like an hour as she was itchy to leave this place and head after Damon, but this couldn't be rushed.
Evanora explained that the potions and spells were something they were creating with their knowledge and experience, but there was no guarantee they will work, and that was why testing was necessary.
Talia could imagine herself going to the Dark Howlers pack and facing Damon to perform a mystical ritual only for it to fail. Damon would probably throw her in the dungeon with other women who got on his nerves. But then… with him not remembering Talia, he won't know why Lisa, Nora, and the other women were there and he will probably release them. Talia's skin crawled uncomfortably at that thought.
With the goal to distract herself, Talia asked to help with preparations for the feast. Activities in the kitchen were just what she needed. The mood was lively, and it reminded Talia of her time with Dawn and Zina.
Witches would ask Talia about the life on the other side of the portal, and she told them about the Summer Solstice Festival, the amusement park, restaurants, and modern medicine, and she hoped that her voice stayed steady because each of those reminded her of Damon. Talia realized that every part of her life, since she left the Red Moon pack, was marked by Damon's presence, and she was not sure if that was a good thing.
What if she can't dispel the black magic? Will she stay broken forever, stuck in the memories of Damon?
Talia did her best to suppress negative thoughts and to focus on the egg wash she was applying to the dough that was going to be baked into perfect bread rolls. They were cooking with herbs, and it smelled divine. Talia hoped that she can make some of those dishes for Damon, after the dark magic is dispelled and things get back to normal.
Throughout the day, Talia managed to chat with Cornelia and a few more witches. She found out that they were living on their own here and it was only women. Other than wild animals and familiars that witches created contracts with, there were no other creatures.
Cornelia mentioned the time when witches coexisted with werewolves, but then one day they just disappeared. "We had three High Priestesses at that time, and they disagreed on what to do. One wanted to reopen the portal, the second one went to explore our realm with the hope to find passages to other realms, and Evanora stayed here. We never heard about the other two High Priestesses, and we assume that they either found a way out but couldn't return, or something horrible happened.
Unfortunately, Cornelia didn't know more about that topic.
Talia wondered if the disappearance of werewolves was related to the closing of the portal. Did she make a mistake by reopening it? Surely, someone didn't close the portal on a whim. She shook those thoughts away. What was done was done, and if she closes it now (assuming that she knows how), Axel and Yasmin would need to pick a side.
Evanora was obviously the most knowledgeable about the past, but the High Priestess was too touchy, and Talia didn't want to provoke her.
Talia was informed that if all goes well, the potions and spell will be ready by tomorrow morning.
Somehow, the day passed, and the sun started dipping toward the horizon.
Axel and Yasmin didn't come out of Yasmin's room, but the tray with food that was left in front of the door disappeared as a sign they were alive.
Talia was happy for Axel, she truly was, but her heart tightened at the thought of how that was supposed to be her with Damon. They went to the cabin to spend three days being lovey-dovey and after an emotional night, they fell asleep on the grass, and then the nightmare began.
