The smoke smelled of ice and ashes, of magic in its purest form.
Sweat beaded on my hairline. My hands began to shake. Acid burned up my throat.
And then darkness swallowed me whole.
“Kizziah,” a voice called, near and far, loud but soft.
I couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t smell anything. Couldn’t feel the air on my skin or the ground beneath my feet.
The only thing I could feel was Hex’s solid weight curled against my ankle. I almost cried at how relieved I was to feel them there.
“Kizziah.”
I didn’t know what happened to the ritual. Had I fallen asleep? Was this some sort of dream? The beginnings of panic fluttered in my stomach.
“Kizziah Cedarton. Answer.” The voice was haughty now. Impatient.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Y–yes?”
“You have summoned us,” the voice boomed.
“I what?”
“You have summoned us,” the voice repeated. “We have been waiting for one of our ancestors to call us back to the realm. Waiting and waiting and waiting. The time has finally come.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“We are on our way.” The voice was further now, slipping away. Sinking underwater.
“What? Who? Huh?” My mind fought to piece together what was going on.
What the fuck had I done?
I felt their presence drift away, and some of the overwhelming magic went with it.
And then I could finally pull my eyes open.
I was still standing in the circle, still holding the hands of two witches, and Hex was still perched on my foot with Casper leaning against the other.
What the fuck was that?
My bed had never felt so comfortable. I was exhausted, the kind of tired that sank into my bones and made them feel malleable.
I didn’t even have the energy to brush off the sprites as they settled on my shoulders, on my hair.
I readied myself for bed and sank into one of the deepest sleeps of my life, surrounded by Casper, Hex, and countless sprites.
CHAPTER 37
Tandor
Wind whipped by my ears as I ran through the Greenwood Forest. I wasn’t nearly as fast as some of the other folk, but I didn’t care. I pumped my arms, pushing myself as fast as I could go.
My thighs burned with the effort. It was a pleasant agony. I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t care. I just let my body carry me away. Deeper into the forest, farther from the familiarity of Moonvale.
A strange purple fog cloaked the forest, blurring the edges of trees, camouflaging the leaf-covered ground. It seeped into my skin, snaked up my nostrils. The ice and ash scent of it was pleasant—it made my blood feel thick and sticky in my veins.
A product of the witches, surely.
