"Oh, Antigone!" she chided lightly. "Let me have my secrets—the longer they burn, the juicier they shall be when you finally get to sink your teeth into them!"

Friendship with Antigone had always been a delicate balance—a fact Bellona had realized as soon as she realized the scales would always be tipped in the other witch's favour. Too little information would cause their relationship to wither and die, but too much would be forged into a weapon. To another, she might have fabricated an infatuation just for the sake of conversation, but she knew this tactic to be foolish with her current companion.