"Pride corrupted them thoroughly," Morgana said grimly. "Promised them power, position, and revenge for perceived slights. And they were arrogant enough to believe they could control forces they barely understood."
Jaenor focused on the defending Coven forces, looking for leadership, for someone coordinating their response.
And there—near the town's central plaza, where the fighting was most intense—he spotted them.
Synnove, the Mother Supreme's second-in-command. Her silver-streaked hair was distinctive, and the way other witches deferred to her marked her authority. She was orchestrating the defense with practiced efficiency, redirecting forces to shore up weaknesses, concentrating fire on priority targets.
And beside her, radiating power that made even the surrounding combat seem muted by comparison, was Inga.
The prodigy. The girl with Origin of the Arcanum. The Covens' answer to Jaenor himself.
