Read Online The Gleaning by Heidi R. Kling - Free Book Online Page B

she was sitting, with her back to the unlit fireplace. With a flick of my swordfinger, I ignited the logs, startling her. “Didn’t think I’d be able to get out of that quicksand so easily, did you?” I said.
    Her eyes flashed at the accusation. “I looked for you. I couldn’t find you.”
    Yeah, sure.
    “Well, you were right about one thing,” I said. “I was the one Logan could reveal his mark to. Because he did. Tonight.”
    I expected cheers, but the room remained silent. Some of the elders still seemed groggy and confused, but others were just skeptical—including Orchid.
    Camellia stood and stepped toward me, escaping the heat of the fire.
    “What did it look like?”
    “It was a raised black crescent on his iliac crest.”
    “It wasn’t just his ink?”
    “No. He’d never seen it before, and it burned me.”
    “You were touching it?” Camellia asked, raising her eyebrows.
    I blushed and ignored the question. “You should have trusted me, Camellia. I didn’t need the Enchantment to draw the mark. It was meant to come out naturally, not by deception.”
    “Lily, why did you block your mind to us? We all should have witnessed this revelation.”
     
     

Your Majesty Indeed! Why, You’re Not a Queen
    She was such a smooth liar. Instead of answering her, I addressed the elders. “When I told Camellia I’d had a change of heart, she left me trapped in quicksand, and cut off contact. By the time I escaped, Logan was with another girl—my doppelganger—in the field. Did you all See this, or were you already drugged and immobile by then?”
    The room burst into an uproar of questions. The elders didn’t seem to know what was going on.
    “Slow down. I left you in quicksand?” Camellia challenged.
    “No, we didn’t See any of that,” Iris said. “You were with Logan in the clearing, you were talking and then kissing. And then…” She rubbed her forehead. “I can’t remember what happened after that.”
    “That wasn’t me in the clearing with Logan. Someone drugged you.”
    Iris realized she was altered, and looked around in suspicion. “Camellia, did you do what Lily is accusing you of?”
    Camellia shook her head. “Why would I leave Lily trapped in quicksand? It makes no sense. Sweetie, you’ve had a huge night. The enchantment spell does strange things to girls; sometimes they have side effects. A post-enchantment psychosis, so to speak.” Her eyes swept over the crowd and flashed a hypnotic glow. There was no way she was backing down and admitting anything. I braced myself for whatever whopper she’d come up with next. “The aberrations in Lily’s story are disappointing, but we should give her the benefit of the doubt about the mark.”
    The coven nodded in a manipulated haze.
    “Here’s proof.” I held up the crescent-shaped burn on my thumb. “But you shouldn’t need it, because I’m perfectly lucid.”
    Camellia stared at it for a moment in silence. “This is good news,” she said somberly. “I believe Lily has in fact found the Rognaithe.”
    Everyone gasped, then started crying and hugging. “Our covens will have peace!” one elder exclaimed.
    “Bring on the champagne!” Orchid added.
    I watched the spectacle in shock. Why had they believed Camellia and not me? I hadn’t even had a chance to tell them about Jude and the hex. Or the fact that Jacob had followed Logan and taken him to the dungeon.
    With everyone distracted, Mom pulled me aside, and whispered, “Honey, you’ve had quite a night. Go on up to bed, and I’ll join you after. I have some things I need to get to the bottom of.” She eyed Camellia tellingly.
    “Goodnight, everybody,” I said with a wave.
    Everyone gathered around to give me ecstatic hugs and compliments. Finally, Orchid got a turn. “Rescue me!” I whispered when she pulled me close.
    “What was that all about?” I asked in bewilderment as we slipped out to the porch. “What happened here?”
    “We thought you blocked us out