“No. No, I’m n-not okay,” I replied, the words catching on the sobs that kept ripping their way up my throat. I struggled to catch my breath, while Nova patted me awkwardly on the back, looking alarmed. “It’s the pageant… something happened…”
With many starts and stops, I managed to explain what I’d witnessed at the festival —how the words of the pageant had acted as a sort of incantation, and how every member of Sedgwick Cove’s magical community seemed to be in its thrall.
“Hmmm… it sounds like an enchantment. It needs a powerful incantation.”
“There was no incantation! Not that I heard. They just… performed the words on the…” My voice trailed off as a fresh horror took root.
“I don’t understand. We’ve been using that same stupid script for like a million years,” Nova said. “How could it possibly enchant anyone?”
“It’s not the same script,” I whispered. “There was a book… a very old book, about Litha. It had a poem in it, and Zale decided he wanted to use that instead.”
Nova groaned. “Oh my God, was he out of his mind? He should know better than to use something he found in a book! Where did he find it?”
“It… it was me. I found it. In the bin of old costumes and stuff,” I said. “I had no idea what it was… no one seemed concerned.”
“Well, they should have been! Words have power, and using words when you don’t know their source or their intention?” She shook her head, looking uncharacteristically grave.
Guilt was squirming inside me like a living thing, but I pushed it down. There was no time to dwell on how this was, apparently, all my fault. “It’s not just that the whole damn town is under a spell, Nova,” I said, and explained about Bea.
Nova frowned again. “But why wasn’t she under the spell? That doesn’t make sense at all. She’s a witch, too.”
Impatience was swelling inside me. “Nova, I don’t know, okay? I don’t know anything! I’m surrounded by spells and enchantments and glamours, and I don’t know how any of it works! All I know is that Bea went with the Gray Man, and I need to find her!”
Nova bit her lip. “Sorry. I’ll help you.” She jumped to her feet and held out a hand. “Let’s go.”
I took her outstretched hand gratefully, and got to my feet. It wasn’t until I’d given in to my fear that I realized how tired my body was. My legs shook under me as I tried to stand up, my muscles fatigued and aching with the effort of the chase.
“Thank God you were grounded,” I gasped. “How did you see me coming?”
“I’ve been sitting on the porch listening to the music coming from Main Street, and I spotted you stumbling toward the house. I thought you were a drunk tourist at first.”
“But you didn’t see Bea or the Gray Man?”
“No, there hasn’t been a soul on the beach or the road that I’ve seen.”
I swore under my breath. “They must have gone the other way.”
“Well, then let’s follow them!” Nova said.
At that moment, my phone buzzed, and I fumbled it out of my pocket.
“It’s Luca,” I muttered.
“Luca? Luca Meyers?” Nova asked, eyebrows raised.
But I was already answering. “Luca?”
“Wren, I saw her!”
“You did? Where is she?” I gasped.
“How the hell is Luca Meyers involved in this?” Nova persisted, but I waved my hand impatiently at her. I didn’t have time for stupid questions, not with how much time we’d wasted already.
Luca’s voice was cutting in and out, so I was only catching every third word.
“That… girl… you…name… I saw… the theater… inside…”
“Luca, I can barely understand you, what?—”
