The tunnels themselves seemed almost carved rather than naturally formed. I hadn’t found any record of anyone creating them, or of anyone coming across the spring ever before—only those rumors I had uncovered. Even those hadn’t guided me here. No one seemed to know where the spring was.
So who had carved these? Had anyone?
The other thing that I hadn’t noticed the first time around was the light. I could see in the tunnel. Even if I couldn’t shift, I still had several of the heightened wolf abilities, including sight, so I hadn’t noticed it the first time around. Now, however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that, regardless of my senses, I shouldn’t be able to see this clearly here.
Those things probably should have unnerved me. Instead, they stood as an interesting curiosity. Another piece of what made these tunnels special.
The second I walked into the cavern, I felt at home again, as if whatever magic was here had wrapped around me like a blanket, welcoming me, wanting me to stay.
The water looked cool and inviting. I crawled into it and let out a soft moan of satisfaction as the cool water brushed against all my aches, soothing them. I settled in, letting myself relax for the first time in what felt like days.
I let my hand float in the water, watching it bob, fingers tapping the surface. Here, sitting in the oasis, magic suddenly felt easier, as if whatever connection I had to the water had been amplified.
Testing out the theory, I raised my hand and watched the water move with the motion of my hand. A tiny whirlpool formed in front of me as I waved my hand in a circular motion. The whirlpool deepened, turning more into a vortex. My fingers twitched, and it turned into a water spout, droplets spraying my face as it swirled around, spinning across the surface. It felt as though I barely had to put any effort into it at all.
I grinned, watching as it danced through the cavern before finally dropping my hand.
Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as I had feared.
Chapter 20 - Elias
My men stood around the meeting table, all looking down at the map sprawled out on it. Several new markers of recent wraith sightings had cropped up, dotting the paper erratically and with no rhyme or reason.
“If we can find out where it’s going to strike next, we can come up with a plan,” I said.
“Problem is, there’s no pattern,” Oz muttered as he scanned the map. “Even if we could, there isn’t a whole lot we can do.”
“We’ve got a plan to take care of the wraith, now that we know we can kill it with magic,” Sam said. “Though it’s hard to plan when we can’t figure out where it’ll show up next.”
“We don’t need to find out where it’s going to strike next if we can figure out where it’s living,” I said.
“And once we’ve figured that out?” Oz asked. “What’s the plan, then? Just waltz in and ask it nicely to stop?”
Oz was a good guy, a competent fighter, and smart. He was also a massive pessimist. But that didn’t mean he was wrong in his concerns.
“Emma will be able to help once we can pinpoint its location,” I said. “The problem is that we’re going to need to protect her.”
I didn’t just mean because she was our one chance of defeating the wraith. I meant it because I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, of her getting hurt. Unless I knew she was safe, I was going to have half my mind fixated on her instead of fighting the wraith.
If I had my way, she wouldn’t be anywhere near any of this. Even then, I would want her to have a guard if I couldn’t be there myself. Since she had to be at least close to the fray, I planned on sparing as many men as possible to protect her.
“So she really is a witch?” Oz, one of my men, asked.
I let out an irritated growl. I wasn’t sure exactly which elder had “accidentally” let it slip to the entire town the truth about Emma’s lineage and her powers—my guess was Romulus or Thaddeus, but I wouldn’t put it past any of them—but by now, rumors of Emma’s abilities had spread like wildfire, to mixed results.
“Part witch,” I said, staring Oz down. “And if you or anyone else has a problem with that, you can leave now.”
No one moved, though more than one person wouldn’t meet my gaze as it swept across the room.
“In a way, we need to be grateful,” Sam commented, breaking some of the tension rippling through the group. “If it weren’t for her powers, we wouldn’t have any way of fighting the wraith at all.”
A reluctant murmur of concession filtered through the group. I shot Sam an appreciative look and a brief nod. He cracked a smile and gave a quick wink.
“Emma’s training her powers. She’ll be ready when it comes,” I said.
“We need to keep an eye on her,” Sam muttered. “If the wraith finds out what she can do, she’ll become its number-one target.”
“Well, yeah,” Oz said. “She’s the only one who can beat it.”
