RAVENNA STARTED TO search around for another candle, only to realize that she wouldn't need it. Already, the sun had begun to rise. Clouds of purples and oranges reached upward, clutching at the sky, just above the tree-filled horizon line. With a small huff, she lifted her hands toward her face. As her fingertips drifted upward, she could feel the rough edges of the ice that covered her forehead. She was somewhat surprised that the crown still remained. Part of her had expected it to melt against the heat of the spell, or at least vanish once the spell was complete.

Her stomach twisted. "Does that mean it didn't work?" she couldn't help but whisper aloud to herself.

Morning sunlight slowly crept into the study, illuminating the room. She looked around, eyebrows furrowed. The world around her hadn't changed. She couldn't tell whether or not the spell had actually worked. Annoyance surged through her. Slowly, she began to clean the floor around her, putting the various ingredients back into their rightful spots. The last thing that she needed now was to have to explain a potentially failed spell to Caelan. He'd nag her into the next century for performing the spell without the listed ingredients.

As she made her way toward the kitchen, lavender and cooled candle in hand, a knock sounded against the front door. Ravenna jumped, startled, and the candle slipped from her fingers. It cracked against the floor, exploding into small pieces of mushy wax. A small curse slipped past her lips. She stepped around the candle fragments and made her way toward the door. Hesitantly, she opened it.

A guard stood on the front porch. He blinked when he saw Ravenna, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Then a small flash of recognition entered his eyes. "Good morning," he greeted. "You're the new witch in town, aren't you?"

"Can I help you?"

The guard shifted around on his feet. A sword hung from his side, pointed haphazardly at the ground. "I apologize for disrupting your morning" the guard told her. "I was sent to speak with you about the murder of a local resident. May I come inside?"

Ravenna stiffened. She gingerly folded her arms across her chest and frowned at the guard. "Am I being accused of anything?"

"No, but there has been some accusations made against you," the guard told her. She frowned at the honesty that shimmered within his eyes. "I need to talk with you about where you were the night that the victim died. I'm not here to make any arrests. Just to discuss what happened with you."

Ravenna pursed her lips. "Let's discuss it in the garden then," she said. She didn't feel comfortable with letting the guard inside the house. Not without Caelan there. "I need to get breakfast started."

The guard followed her around the house, into the garden. His boots clunked loudly against the ground, disturbing the morning peacefulness. Already somewhat annoyed, Ravenna snatched a bucket from beside the house and began to pluck carrots from the ground. The guard stood awkwardly by the fence, watching her. His eyes seemed glued to the ice on her forehead.

"What accusations have been made against me?" she asked.

The guard lowered his gaze, focusing on her face. "We were told that you were close to the victim before she passed away. Both her grandfather and fiancée stated that you came to the shop often to spend time with her."

"We were good friends. I cared a lot about her."

"The victim's fiancée believes otherwise," the guard said. "You are believed to be one of the last few people to see the victim alive, and there is word that you both were in a heated argument that day. Can you tell me more about it?"

"Friends argue," Ravenna told him with a frown. She stood, balancing the bucket of carrots against her right hip. "We had a disagreement. That didn't mean that I wanted her dead."

She lifted a hand to her forehead and blinked, fast. Fresh tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Gods, I didn't want her dead."

The guard seemed uncomfortable. "Of course not. I apologize. We are just trying to explore all options, Miss Witch. There have been complaints made against you in the past, for using magic against humans. We just want to rule you out as a suspect."

Ravenna nodded, the tears still present in her eyes. "I understand," she told the guard.

"Can you tell me where you were the night that she died?"

"I was here," she told him. She turned her back toward him and bent down again, yanking even more carrots from the ground. "I was here sleeping. I didn't find out about her death until the next morning, when I went into town."

"Thank you for you time," the guard said. "I will relay this information to my peers. In the meantime, please don't leave town. We may have further questions for you."

Ravenna straightened again. Her eyebrows furrowed as she met the guard's gaze, and she had to fight another frown. The mannerisms and expressions that he portrayed seemed to show that he believed her, even pitied her. Yet the coldness in his eyes seemed to display a different story.

The guard dipped his head in a nod and bid her goodbye. She watched as he rounded the house, toward the street. Once he was out of sight, she wiped her tears away. She couldn't help but be somewhat proud she'd been able to force them out so quickly, so realistically. As much as she'd cared about Bella, the sadness that had consumed her had been replaced with a steely sense of coldness, of acceptance. There was nothing that would bring her back, even magic. And Ravenna didn't have time to mourn.

Bucket of carrots in hand, she briskly made her way back around the house, toward the only unlocked door. As she stepped up front, she noticed the guard, lingering around several houses away. His gaze seemed transfixed on the front of the house, on her. She managed to wave at him as she entered the house.

The moment the door shut, she abandoned the carrots in the kitchen. Caelan probably wouldn't be insanely happy about the surplus of carrots, especially considering that they didn't seem completely ripe. But at this point, she didn't care.

Her stomach twisted with knots as she climbed the stairs. She couldn't help but fear that the guards were turning against her, just as they had on the night she'd gained her powers. Between the suspicious looks and overall rude behavior toward her, it wouldn't surprise her if Eadric was tarnishing her reputation.

A sigh escaped her. Then she paused, staring at her reflection. Her hand lifted, fingers brushing against the ice on her forehead. She also had another problem now. Her lips pursed.

Maybe Vyses would know how to remove it.

hey fam!

sorry that updates on here have kind of stopped for a minute. I had to step back and focus on trying to get new chapters written for the tapas version of this book. Also I also started a youtube channel!! 

i'm super stoked about it. i've always loved recording and editing videos. if you would like to watch me babble about writing/how i got started on wattpad or play video games or (soon) do my makeup, then be sure to check out either the external link here or the link in my 'About Me'. it's so much fun. i really hope that y'all will check it out and tell me what you think!

ps. this book officially reached 100k reads! can i cry from happiness yet? thank you all so much!