“We’re reconvening at a new camp. And we got horses.”
He leads us off the road to a place where some horses are hidden among the trees. Alois mounts, and I pull myself atop a brown gelding as Fritzi clambers up a black mare. I watch her carefully, but she’s as strong as ever, no sign of exhaustion or sorrow, even if I feel it exuding from her. She won’t break. She won’t allow herself to.
Alois takes us about an hour east, into the woods. When we stop, he hobbles the horses and we make our way to the fire, where the others are waiting for us.
I let Fritzi tell the tale, filling in only as needed. I keep my eyes on the flames, which sizzle and pop almost as if they were trying to join the conversation.
“So,” Cornelia says as soon as Fritzi stops. “Dieter has one stone.”
“He knows the location of another,” Brigitta adds.
“There’s only one left,” Fritzi says.
“Jesus, what thehell?” I shout, leaping back, spraying forest litter and pebbles into the crackling fire.
The crackling fire that very distinctly looks likeLiesel.
Fritzi’s eyes are wide and fearful, but all I can do is point. Alois is already laughing as Cornelia peers closer. Fritzi’s face shifts from panicked to confused as she follows their gaze.
“Liesel?” she asks, dropping to her knees and scooting closer.
“Hi, Fritzi!” The flames flicker, forming Liesel’s face, beaming with joy. “Abnoba taught me a new trick!”
My heart refuses to calm down, and adrenaline surges through me as I gape at the fire.
“I’ve been trying to find you for ages; this spell is so tricky,” Liesel complains. Her ember eyes flit to me. “And then when I am just trying to say hello, Ottocursesat me.”
“Very rude, Otto.” Alois smirks.
Fritzi swats my leg. “Come closer.”
Witches.They’re going to be the death of me. All of them.
Still, I kneel beside Fritzi in front of the flames. “Is all well at the Forest?” I ask. “Is Hilde”
At the mention of my sister’s name, Brigitta’s head snaps up, eyes zeroed in on Liesel, speaking to us from the campfire.
“Everyone’sfine,” Liesel says, as if my question was impertinent. “Abnoba told me that Holda’s stone was taken.”
“Does the council know?” Cornelia asks.
Liesel nods, sparks flying. “We all felt…I don’t know, a sort of pull? Like something in magic is off-balance.” Before any of us can askmore, Liesel rounds on me. “You were supposed to stab him, Otto. Youpromised.”
Fritzi shoots me a sympathetic look.
“I’m working on it,” I say, because what else are you supposed to say when you swear to an angelic little girl that you will cut the heart out of her cousin?
Liesel makes a doubtful face, as if she’s a little disgusted that she has to rely on me to get the job done.
“So where is he?” she asks, looking from me to Fritzi.
Fritzi stares at the fire so intently that her eyes start to water. “Hedisappeared. That sort of power…” Her face drops, and we all take her meaning. While Fritzi disrupted his connection to magic long enough to stop the whirlpool and flooding, Dieter likely regained it. And he’s more powerful now than ever.
“Well, let’s take the stone Dieter has back,” Brigitta snarls. “There’s enough of us to mount an offense, and Otto can tell us about what defense he may have—”
“Where is he?” Fritzi asks. She raises her eyes to meet each of ours. “We couldn’t track him before, and now he has the water stone. He vanished before my eyes. How do you intend on finding him now?”
Brigitta’s jaw works. “We’ll send scouts. We’ll use a pendulum. We’ll—”
