My modern, shoe-conditioned feet couldn’t handle such things, but the tennis shoes I’d worn when I traveled into the past were soaked from our earlier adventure—searching the nearby swamp for potion ingredients. They’d take days to dry.
“Here we are!” Morgan called out, jostling me from a daydream involving dry, warm, well-fitted shoes and the fluffiest socks imaginable. “Hurry, loves!”
When we caught up, we found ourselves in a clearing that looked like the others we’d passed on the way, with one notable exception.
Gray stones, still damp from the last rain, formed a circle within the clearing. At hip height, they weren’t even close to the size of the huge monoliths of Stonehenge, but they gave off that important, ancient vibe all the same. I was sure they’d be incredibly heavy. It must have required a great deal of effort to get them here—the middle of nowhere.
“What is all this?” Eva asked. “Is it fae in origin?”
Morgan twirled her hand in the air dismissively. “Why would I bother you with fae nonsense? No, girls, this is something bigger. Much more special—and necessary, if I’m to test you.”
A shiver of anticipation sprinted down my spine. “What are you testing us for exactly?”
“Now that your magic has settled after timewalking, I think it prudent to examine your demon-touched marks. However, we need to be in a safe place to do so—a godswood.”
Goosebumps pebbled my skin as I looked around, seeing the verdant, dewy clearing ringed with stones with fresh eyes.
A godswood.
There used to be many godswoods. Although, in the era I hoped to return to, few remained. The old gods who ruled over magicals and humans alike had been long forgotten—at least by the humans.
And perhaps for an excellent reason. The legends rarely painted them in a good light. They were largely cruel, and demandedallhumans and magicals worshipped them.
“A godswood,” Eva murmured. “A place where the old gods used to congregate?”
“Precisely.” Morgan looked pleased that Eva understood the significance of this place. “But godswoods weren’t only meeting places for the gods. They were sanctuaries too.”
“Sanctuaries?” I asked. “What could a god need sanctuary from? Weren’t they made of pure aether and nearly indestructible?”
“And yet, they’ve disappeared from our lives.” Morgan arched her eyebrows. “Everyone requires a safe place. Had the gods used theirs more effectively, they might still be with us. Never underestimate the power or necessity of a sanctuary.” She waved us inside the circle.
I joined her, and a surprising wave of pleasant warmth rolled through me. My shoulders loosened. It felt like I’d just received a massage, I was so relaxed. Not at all the reaction that I’d been expecting considering that I was demon-touched, but perhaps that was a good thing. Maybe it meant that the light in me greatly out-weighed the dark.
“So what did they do here?” Eva asked, walking around the outskirts of the circle, occasionally placing her hand on one of the stones. She didn’t seem negatively affected either.
“They hid from the royals of Hell—their greatest adversaries. Their own kind, turned dark.” Morgan made a gesture to encompass the circle. “But within the stones, demons, even the royals, cannot pass.”
“Interesting . . .” Eva said. “So why arewehere?”
Morgan stayed quiet for a second longer than normal, and suddenly, I understood.
“You said you wanted to test our demon-touched mark . . . Like you want to see if Ishtar will come here? Will we be safe in this circle?”
A tinkle of laughter left Morgan’s ruby red lips. “No, we won’t be calling any demons today. However, we will be investigating demon magic. For that reason, I wish to be here so that the godswood can cloak you.”
Eva and I exchanged long, confused glances. When she shrugged, I turned back to Morgan. “Okay, we bite. What are you talking about?”
“You two went to Hell, correct?”
We nodded.
“No one who has gone to Hell has ever returned unchanged. And though I cannot provide evidence that someone who is demon-touched might also have absorbed demon magic, I sense that this has happened to you. Or rather, the dark magic within you has now been activated.” Her eyes landed on Eva. “I can sense it in you both, but particularly in you, Eva. However, I will need to study your scar closely to know.”
Eva’s hands flew up to cover her mouth.
“What?” I asked, nervous.
“The night we fought the demons,” Eva whispered. “Something happened that night to my magic. I didn’t understand it at the time, but the color was off—a darker, murky kind of yellow.” She shot a glance to one of the stones and shook her head. “I thought it was because of the stressful situation. That I was manipulating my powers in a new way—like how some people can make their magic colorless . . .”
