Excerpt from The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"She's terribly frightened." The words rush out. "The baby. She thinks someone wants to harm him. That someone from the Council is coming to take him away from her."

My aunt doesn't seem surprised by this. She fixes me with the type of look adults use when they are about to reveal to a child some unfortunate, troubling fact of life. "The Council is coming to take custody of her baby."

I blink in shocked surprise.

Aunt Vyvian lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. "The child is deformed, Elloren. It needs a physician's care, and much more."

"What's wrong with it?" I breathe, almost not wanting to know.

Aunt Vyvian searches my eyes, hesitant to tell me what I know will be something monstrous. "Elloren," she explains gravely, "Sage has given birth to an Icaral."

I recoil at the word. No! It can't be. It's too horrible to imagine. One of the Evil Winged Ones—like giving birth to a grotesque demon. No wonder Sage didn't let me see her child.

The dull thud of horses' hooves sounds in the distance, and I spot another Mage Council carriage rounding the hills and making its way down into the valley toward the Gaffneys' estate. It's followed by eight Gardnerian soldiers on horseback.

"Can the child be helped?" My voice comes out in a shocked whisper as I watch the carriage and the soldiers nearing the cottage.

"The Council will try, Elloren." My aunt reassures me. "Its wings will be removed and a Mage Priest will do everything he can to try and save the child's twisted soul." She pauses and looks at me inquisitively. "What else did Sage say to you?"

It's a simple enough question, but something stops me up short, some amorphous fear. And Sage has enough problems already.

Clearly she's stolen this wand. It can't possibly be the wand of myth that she imagines it to be, but it's obviously an expensive wand. Probably belonging to Tobias.

I'll wait until all this dies down and find a way to return it to him. And I don't mention that Sage has run off into the woods—I'm sure the Council will find her soon enough on their own anyway.

"She didn't say much else," I lie. "Only what I've told you."

My aunt nods in approval and lets out a small sigh. "Well then, enough of this. We've a big journey ahead of us."

I attempt a small, resigned smile in return and bury Sage's secret deep within, as well as my guilt in keeping it.

Excerpted from The Black Witch by Laurie Forest. Copyright © 2017 by Laurie Forest. Excerpted by permission of Harlequin Teen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.