Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1)

by Catherine Doyle

The fire seem to crackle in agreement. And a kernel of curiosity awoke in Rose. ‘Tell me,’ she said, leaning closer. Banba lifted her hand and a cool breeze stirred about the room. The fire began to dance. Flame shadow crawled across the wall, and in it, Rose glimpsed the figure of a woman wearing a crown. A thousand years ago, Eana blossomed under the rule of Ortha Starcrest, the last true witch queen. We were at the height of our power, then – not bound to just one strand of magic. The crafts were not separate. There were no warriors nor healers, tempests nor enchanters, no seers. The witches held all the strands of power as their own – they had everything. They were everything.’ Rose could scarcely imagine power like that. It sounded almost … other-worldly. The shadows danced and in them, another woman emerged, side by side with the first. She, too, wore a crown. But when Rose blinked, she disappeared, leaving her wondering if she had imagined the second figure entirely.