"Wait," I said, even as I felt confused by my response.
I stared at the white witches’ angst-ridden faces. I had more than enough reasons to despise them and want them to die a slow death, but there was something about the way they looked at me now that made it hard to feel hatred toward them. They just looked… pathetic.
"You have magic," I said, addressing Hermia directly. “Why don’t you just magic yourself out of here?”
“We can't," Hermia said. “They cursed us with a spell that took away our powers before locking us in here.”
"Rose!” Kiev hissed. He had reached the door and was holding it open. "Get over here, now!”
"I'm coming,” I called. “Just give me a second."
I wriggled away from Caleb's grasp and approached the cage cautiously, careful to keep my distance.
“Why on earth would we help you?" I glared at Hermia.
She bit down hard on her lower lip.
"We helped you defend The Shade," the brunette next to her piped up.
I scoffed. "Only because it benefited you." I looked again at Hermia. "Do you not recall trying to kidnap me just a short while ago?"
Hermia lowered her eyes to the ground, then nodded. "You have no reason to save us,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Please," the brunette begged. "Please help us. You've no idea what horrors the black witches have in store for us.”
"Rose!" Now it was Caleb getting on my case.
Why am I stalling? The side of me that was closer to my father was screaming at me to just go with the men and leave these witches to their fate. I had been known to listen to my father's instinct more often than not in the past, but, somehow, this time the other side of me—the side that was closer to my mother—came into prominence. I couldn't help but think that not even my worst enemy deserved the torture these white witches were about to go through at the hands of Rhys and his people. It just didn’t feel humane to leave them here, caged like animals. Besides—ignoring the fact that Hermia had tried to kidnap me and the fact that the witches’ actions were always only selfishly motivated—I couldn't deny that they had benefited our island by stalling the black witches’ assault.
I took a deep breath, part of me still feeling crazy for even contemplating what I was about to say. “Even if I wanted to let you go, how would I do it?”
Hermia pointed to a small black cabinet fixed against the wall, near the door we had just exited from. "The keys are in there. They kept them purposefully close to taunt us.”
“And if I set you free, where would you go? You’re sure as heck not coming with us."
"I think there are some still some boats moored in the harbor down below,” Hermia replied, hope sparking in her eyes. “We would try to escape back to our realm across the ocean."
I paused, contemplating her words. “And what reward would I get for saving an Adrius?”
Hermia looked at me anxiously. "My deepest thanks, and a promise that none of my kind will ever bother you again."
"I don't trust you to keep promises," I muttered.
Still, even though I was still mesmerized at what I was doing, I found my legs walking toward the wooden cabinet and opening the door. Reaching inside, I found an old rusty key and picked it up. Then I walked slowly back to the cage. I looked deep into Hermia’s eyes.
“Don't make me regret this,” I breathed. Sliding the key into the keyhole, I twisted it and the cage door popped open.
The witches stumbled out.
"Thank you," the five of them said at once, and I could've sworn that I actually saw sincerity in their eyes.
To my surprise, Hermia dropped to her knees before me and, reaching for my hands, kissed them both. She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears of relief. “I promise, Princess of The Shade, that I'll never forget what you have done for us. I will make sure that I, my sisters, and all those we rule over never trouble you or The Shade again."
She let go of me, casting one last lingering glance my way before all five of them hurried toward the edge of the roof. I wasn't sure what they were doing at first, but then I noticed the beginnings of a narrow winding staircase—apparently leading all the way down the side of the building. I watched the last of them disappear, then turned back to the two men who were staring at me, flabbergasted.
There was no time to explain the conflicted inner workings of my mind right now. “Okay,” I said, heaving a sigh. “Let's get out of here.”
Chapter 25: Rose
We made our way back down the staircases through the castle until we arrived at the ground floor. Crossing the room that led into the kitchen, we found the others already waiting there for us, a group of about twenty teens huddled in a corner. Their pale faces turned toward us as we entered the room. They scrambled even closer to each other.
“What happened?” my grandfather asked, running toward us and gripping my shoulders. His eyes fell on the blood staining Kiev’s leg.
“We’re okay,” I said, “We need to just get out of here. But… these humans are the only ones you found?”
My father nodded sadly.
“Where are the others? I thought they stole over a hundred from that school. And those are just the ones we’re aware of. We’re missing so many.”
Could they all be locked in that spell room?
“These people are all we’ve found, darling,” Aiden said.