“I’ve missed you,” he whispers against my hair. “Even when you were back and didn’t remember me, I missedyou.”
“I know. I’m sorry I?—”
“Don’t.” He sets me down but doesn’t let go. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
We’re still holding onto each other when the air shimmers beside us. A spectral image materializes before Orion—Eliza’s form flickers, translucent and urgent.
“Aunt Eliza?” Orion stiffens.
The pack alpha doesn’t waste time on pleasantries. “The ley lines are destabilizing. Magic in Emberwood is getting erratic. I want you home before the link to Arcana collapses and you’re stuck there.”
My stomach drops. “How bad is it?”
“Bad enough that I’m burning through pack magic to send this message.” Her gaze fixes on me. “I hope you’ve been working hard, Poppy, because if I’m right about what’s happening, we’re going to need you.”
The image flickers and blinks out.
I’m already moving, Orion beside me. “We have to get our things and get back there.”
“No.” Wylder grabs my shoulder and pulls me to a stop, his expression hard. “You’re not ready.”
I stare at him. “Are you serious right now?”
He straightens, looking foreboding. “Your control is still developing. Your shields are barely functional. If there’s a demon-related crisis happening, you could?—”
“Dude, stop.” Orion’s voice carries an edge I’ve rarely heard from him. “She may not be all the way there, but she’s back to herself. There’s nothing Poppy—the true Poppy Hallowind with a restored connection to her ancestral power—can’t do. And if the magical flux of the ley lines has something to do with demon rifts, Poppy is theone personneeded in Emberwood. Sebastian might be the boogeyman of the coven, but he brought her back for a reason.”
Wylder frowns. “And if she’s overwhelmed and loses control like her mother did?”
“Stuff it, Plant Boy,” S’Nark gripes, landing on my shoulder and shifting from being a crow to his gremlin form, his leathery wings tucked tight. “If rifts are opening, the big guns are serious about making a move. You and your ilk didn’t have the stones to get involved five years ago. What makes you think you get a say now? Besides, none of you knows what’s happening or what that means yet.”
Orion blinks and casts a sideways glance. “Well, alrighty then.”
I look at Wylder, letting all my determination show. “I’m going home. You can either help me get there, or I’ll figure it out myself.”
His jaw clenches, the muscles flexing. I’m sure he’s going to physically block my path and forbid me to go back, but then he exhales, sharp and frustrated. “Fine, we’ll go. But you won’t justbe running headlong into the fight. There will be no heroics. No experimenting with spells you haven’t mastered. And if I tell you something is beyond your scope, you will listen to me. Understood?”
The idea of kowtowing to anyone rankles, but if it gets me home, I’ll agree. For now. I lift three fingers and pledge my obedience. “Scout’s honor.”
I’m already turning toward the Academy building when Orion snorts. “We got kicked out of Scouts.”
I laugh. “Oh, I remember.”
Orion and I are still cackling about childhood antics as we run across the manicured lawn, Wylder and Rowan flanking us. The Academy looms ahead, its spires reaching toward the afternoon sky. Students linger in the courtyard, but they scatter when they see the look on Wylder’s face.
“I’ll speak to Headmistress Briar,” he says. “Rowan, help them gather what they need. The three of us leave in five minutes, no more.”
Rowan scoffs. “Oh, hell no. I’m coming too.”
Wylder frowns. “What? Why?”
She pegs him with a look. “Because if you’re battling demons and shadow minions, who do you think is best suited to be on the team—you, a plant guy? Or me, a witch with Shadow Manipulation and Cursecraft?”
Wylder lets out a sigh and holds up his hands. “If this pisses off your folks, I’m not taking the heat.”
Rowan laughs. “My folks will be relieved I’m not coming back yet. My gift gives people the creeps.”
“Preach, sista!” I hold up my knuckles for a bump as we continue toward the dormitory.
