Jane's teeth gritted together so hard her jaw ached, the sound of enamel grinding against enamel echoing in her skull like a death knell. Coco had ruined everything by exposing herself.
Every carefully laid plan, every whispered strategy, every hope of escape had crumbled to dust in a single, reckless moment. Now she was certain Amelia would not dare to show up. The grand witch was many things, but she was not a fool. She would not walk into a trap.
"Sera, if you are as strong as you are, then free me from the power of this stone."
Coco dared Seraphine, her voice cracking with desperation and agony. The words were a challenge, a taunt, a final desperate gamble from a woman who had nothing left to lose.
Seraphine laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed through the blood-soaked gallery. "I'm not as stupid as you, and I don't negotiate with witches."
