Stars Reversed

Chapter Four

Cait

She steps back, her eyes almost admiring. “That will do.” She pinches my cheeks softly, bringing a blush to them, and nods. “Perfect.”

I blink at the dark-haired maid, her squared jaw a stark contrast to the easy set of her slender mouth as she smiles gently at me. Her large, honey brown, doe eyes squinting as her smile extends to her cheeks, crowding her eyes. “...perfect for?” I query.

“Dinner with Lord Blackwood, of course.” She says as if it’s a prize I should swoon over. My brows shoot up, and my mouth purses, silently vocalizing my distaste for him. Mia sees my face and rolls her eyes.

“Why do you defend him? He’s a monster who apparently has to be told not to damage the… merchandise…” My aversion to him and this whole mess is evident in my tone, my posture, my demeanor. Basically, leaking from every pore like toxic venom.

Mia sighs; not a sigh of annoyance or irritation, but one of sweet loyalty. “Lord Blackwood seems to be many things he is not. But, when one really pays attention…” She trails off, looking for the correct words before shaking her head. “Hardly anything is as it seems here at Castle Blackwood, and greater forces are at play than many will ever comprehend.” She states, seeming to drift away in thought as if trying to catch something that keeps drifting out of her mind.

For a long moment, silence stretches and yawns between us. It lingers while I take in her expression, her eyes seeming to blank out, the honey brown shifting to an ashen brown.

“Are you… ok?” I ask hesitantly, reaching out to touch her like she has the plague. As my finger is about to touch her, I feel an electrical zap of energy. Quickly, Mia’s eyes snapped back to life and warmth.

Holy s**t.

My eyes widen with realization, and Mia’s eyes fill with trepidation.

“You’re a… witch… and not just any kind, you’re a-” I whisper under my breath before Mia places a firm finger against my lips.

“Shh!” She hisses, her eyes begging for my silence, which I give. “That word is a death sentence around here. If the church were to find out…” Mia’s eyes tremble and well with tears.

I shake my head, embracing the maid. “They won’t find out. They will never find out. Not from my lips.” I quietly assure, pulling her into me tightly as I try to quiet her panic. “Back in my mother’s homeland, such gifts are not feared and hunted-they are celebrated.” I whisper, comforting her that her deadly secret is safely kept within me.

Mia looks up at me, breaking my assuaging embrace. Mia’s terrified eyes searching the depths of my soul for deception, finding none. She shakily exhales. “I want to trust you, Caitlyn. I feel I can.”

“Then, bind my mouth and soul with a blood oath.” I whisper, looking around the room as if it would magically grow eyes and betray our secret.

Her eyes practically pop out of their sockets. “How do you even know-?”

“I… have many interests.” I look around the room then walk to the dresser, opening drawer after drawer until I find a sharp hatpin, decorated with rubies and diamonds in a lovely floral motif. I turn to Mia, showing her the pin before pressing the sharp tip into my upward-facing palm, pricking my flesh until a bead of my own blood pools under the fine tip of the hat pin.

“You would bind your own life with an oath to keep my secret?” Mia whispers incredulously, her soft honey-brown doe eyes trembling with gratitude. She extends her compact and sturdy arm, and I offer her the hat pin. She pricks her own palm, a drop of her crimson essence rising to the surface quickly. She clasps her hand in mine, palm to palm, fingers interlocked, our blood mixing.

“I, Caitlyn Brienne Ashcroft, solemnly swear this sacred oath…” I state firmly and quietly as I press my palm firmly into hers, feeling the swirling warmth of her power, listening, readying to bind my words, my promise to my life force. The soft honey flecks of Mia’s eyes glow a beautiful gold, giving her an other-worldly aura. “...that I will never betray your secret of being a witch to any creature or human, living or dead, without your express knowledge and absolute consent.” I wince, hissing as tendrils of her power heat and sink into my palm, burrowing into my veins like molten iron, swirling up my arm, threading towards my heart. “Any violation of this oath, even accidental, will result in my immediate demise and the extermination of my lineage.” The claws of her power sink into my heart, knocking the wind out of me. I fall to my knees, inhaling shakily as I feel the oath encircle and carve into my heart before the pain ceases and I can again breathe easier. Mia sinks to her knees, our hands still clinging tightly to one another, the glowing flecks of her eyes fading back to warm honey as she looks at me, checking to make sure I’m OK.

“My lady?” She softly asks as I cough and inhale sweet, sweet air back into my lungs.

“I’m fine.” I rasp out, my voice raspier than normal. I clear my throat to clear the foreign sound from my chords. “Truly. I am well. It’s just been a while since my last blood oath. I forgot how much it smarts. Oh… and I am not your lady. I am a lady.” I correct her.

Mia smiles, unclasping our hands before rising and going to the water basin on top of the dresser. She deftly pours clean water in, and dips a towel into the clear water. She cleanses her palm, then returns to me and softly strokes the towel, washing the blood from my palm as well. Only two pricks remain as evidence of our new bond.

“Thank you.” Mia whispers under her breath, her sweet smile again stretching across her cheeks, her eyes crinkling with appreciation. “We should get you down for dinner.”