Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1)

by Catherine Doyle

‘The witches like to pretend it doesn’t exist. It keeps the young ones from getting ideas . . .’ Wren offered her a half-smile. ‘And the older ones, I suppose.’ Rose wrinkled her nose. ‘So, Oonagh killed animals for power?’ Wren nodded, still trying to navigate the difficult truth of it. At first. But blood magic is twisted and difficult and when you take something that doesn’t belong to you, you lose a part of yourself. The more Oonagh took from living things, the less human she became. Her magic twisted. And so did her soul.’ A shudder passed through Wren at the memory of the seer’s words, at how haunted she had looked when she’d offered them to her. ‘And that’s when Oonagh turned to human sacrifice.’ Rose gulped. ‘Stars. What happened to her?’ ‘Ortha killed her.’ Rose lowered herself on to the rumpled bed, hanging on Wren’s every word. ‘She killed her own sister?’ Wren’s voice hardened. ‘Not on purpose. But Oonagh was a monster, Rose. What else could she have done? The Protector and his men were closing in, exploiting the growing unrest in Eana for their own gain. And it was Oonagh who started the fight with her sister on the banks of the Silvertongue. It was only by sheer luck that Ortha was able to protect herself. She struck her sister in self-defence and Oonagh fell in and drowned. Who knows what this country would look like if she hadn’t?’ ‘I doubt Oonagh would have fared any better against the Protector,’ said Rose. ‘Banba said the Valharts cursed Ortha and destro...