Carter is tapping furiously at his phone. He holds it up to Gray, with a photo of a stone circle on it. “This one?”
Gray nods.
“Great,” says Carter. He looks at everyone in the room. “It’s called Stanton Drew. It’s fifteen miles south of here. On the edge of a small village.”
The knot in my stomach tightens. I can see where this is going, even before Ned says it aloud.
“Is it an old fey portal?” The question is once again directed at me.
The room goes silent. Red pales, and Lello tenses in Carter’s arms.
“Probably. Most stone circles are,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. I’m sure they don’t need my magical education to know this, but I was asked, so I will answer.
“What made you think of that?” Red asks Ned. His face has gone deathly pale.
Carter’s arms tighten around Lello, and the kelpie bites his bottom lip. Poor Lello, this must be awfully frightening for him. It has to be bringing back all sorts of traumatic memories from when his herd tried to sacrifice him to the fey.
Ned shrugs, “Just a hunch.”
It is a good one. Jade is part fey. He has not been himself. Now he has scribbled all over his walls in High Fey and run off to a stone circle. All the clues are pointing to something truly terrifying. Jade is trying to open a portal to the fey realm.
We don’t have time for doubts or questions. We need to act. Right now.
“I suggest less chatting, more action,” Carter says, echoing my thoughts. “Everyone, get in the cars. Now.”
“Gray, come with us. Don’t go shadow walking. We need to stick together,” adds Red.
We move like clockwork, racing to gather what we need. I bolt to the driveway. Carter’s car is already packed tight, but he waves me in anyway. The tension in the car is thick as we speed toward the stone circle.
I stare out the window, my thoughts racing. Is Jade trying to open a portal of his own free will? Or are the fey controlling him? The idea of those ancient creatures returning sends a chill down my spine. I’ve read enough to know what they’re capable of. They are the race that invented cruelty.
When we arrive, the magic hits me before I even see the stones. It’s like static in the air, prickling against my skin. The glowing runes on the stones are unmistakable, as is the figure standing among them.
Jade.
My throat tightens as I take in his wild eyes and the words spilling from his lips. It’s chanting. Spell casting for a portal. Jade doesn’t know how to do that. Something, or someone, is controlling him. Or feeding him instructions.
“Jade?” Red calls out.
Nothing. He doesn’t even flinch.
The others seem frozen, unsure of what to do. Gray, unsurprisingly, looks completely unbothered.
“Stop him!” Ned hisses at Gray.
Gray simply shrugs. “He’s not in danger.”
“Not in danger?” Ned snaps. “He’s opening a portal for the fey!”
Gray blinks at him, unperturbed. “So?”
The frustration radiating from Ned is palpable. He looks at me, desperation flickering in his eyes. “Pink! Are fey really as bad as the legends say?”
I swallow hard. “As far as anyone knows.”
That’s apparently all he needs because I’ve barely finished speaking before Ned steps into the circle. My heart leaps into mythroat as the magic surges around him. I want to stop him, to grab his arm and pull him back, but I can’t move.
He calls Jade’s name, first softly, then louder. It doesn’t work. He tries again, using Jade’s old name, and this time, Jade blinks.
