My mom glanced at her watch. “Sure, it’s only eight o’clock. Where are you—oh!”
I watched as a realization lit up in her eyes, and then a slow smile crept over her face.
“What?”
“I just remembered what day it is.”
“Does that mean you know where I’m going?” I asked, slightly annoyed. “Because I still don’t.”
The smile broadened into a grin. “I think I’ll let your friends surprise you.”
“Mom, don’t you think I’ve had enough surprises lately?” I asked.
She laughed and ruffled my hair. “Not the good kind. And this is the good kind, honey. Trust me.”
“Fine,” I huffed, and bolted into my room. I dug through my closet until I found a black pair of leggings, a black t-shirt, and a black sweatshirt, which took almost no time at all, because as a theater techie, fully half my wardrobe was black. I threw them on and, because I was on edge, I also grabbed my old protective charm from Asteria and slung it around my neck. The charm was no longer active, but it made me feel better to wear it. I tucked it down the front of my sweatshirt, and bounded out to Nova’s car.
“Finally,” she muttered.
I opened my mouth in a fresh attempt to get information, but Eva forestalled me. “Hey, are you good? After last night?”
I froze. Had Xiomara let something slip in front of Eva?
“You looked kind of upset when you came back. Where did you go anyway?” she continued, and I relaxed just a little. I decided yet again on only part of the truth.
“We went to Shadowkeep. I’ve been trying to commune with Asteria, since she’s my most recently departed relative, but I’ve been having trouble. Your grandmother thought it might be easier if we went somewhere Asteria was connected to, and Shadowkeep was closest.”
“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Eva asked with a tiny, sympathetic smile.
“No, it didn’t,” I said shortly.
“Try not to stress out,” Zale said, reaching over to pat me on the shoulder. “Spirit work is intense.”
“Maybe you’re just not a spirit witch,” Nova said from the driver’s seat.
“Of course she’s a spirit witch,” Eva said. “She’s a pentamaleficus.”
“Maybe she’s not,” Nova said, shrugging. “Maybe they’re wrong.”
“So you think the Darkness made a mistake then?” Eva asked, hoisting an eyebrow.
“Can we stop talking about this, and can you all just tell me where we’re going?” I asked, raising my voice over them.
“We don’t need to tell you,” Nova said as she stomped on the brake a little too hard. “We’re already here.”
I turned to look out my window. It was so dark that I could see little outside of the harsh beam of Nova’s headlights. I hurried to get out of the car with everyone else. We were parked off the side of the road where it ended near the cliffs above the beach. If I squinted, I could just make out the place where we had held the bonfire, a huge permanent heap of ash surrounded by logs worn smooth into benches by generations of witchy teenagers gathering there. It was the spot where Zale had introduced me to the origin story of Sedgwick Cove. But the benches were deserted now. No embers glowed among the ashes. And the others were walking away from it, in the direction of the woods.
“Where are we going?” I asked, jogging to catch up.
Eva’s eyes, as she turned to answer me, were alight with excitement.
“We’re going to the Shadow Tree.”
8
Ifelt a frisson of fear skitter up my spine. “What’s a Shadow Tree?” I asked.
It was Zale who answered, which shouldn’t have surprised me. Zale loved to spin a good yarn.
