“Come, Brummy,” I called, my voice trembling.
For the first time ever, he didn’t come when I called him. Instead, he danced in place, his gaze darting between me and the lake. It was as if he wanted me to follow him. But why? My stomach churned with unease. Something wasn’t right.
I hurried to the little garage and pulled out the golf cart. Brumous loved riding in it, his ears flapping in the wind as we zipped around the grounds. But this time, he didn’t jump in. He just kept barking, his eyes fixed on the lake.
“Brummy, come on,” I pleaded, but he didn’t budge.
Addison and Mrs. Wentzel were calling after me now, their voices faint in the distance.
“Lady Seri, come back!”
But I couldn’t. Not when Brumous was so upset. Not when something might have happened to my mates.
Had they changed their plans? Decided to train him by the lake instead? But why wouldn’t they have told me? And why was Brumous alone?
Ignoring the gravel path, I drove the golf cart straight down the slope, my hands gripping the wheel tightly. Brumous ran ahead, his barks growing more frantic as we neared the water. When I reached the edge of the lake, I parked the cart and got out, my heart pounding.
“Brummy? What’s wrong sweetheart?” I called, but he was already wading into the shallows, his paws splashing in the water.
I hesitated, then kicked off my new sneakers and set them aside. The water was cold, biting at my ankles as I stepped in, but I barely noticed. All I could think about was Brumous. About the others. About what might have gone wrong.
“Brummy! Are you hurt?”
I waded deeper, the water soaking the hem of my lavender t-shirt dress, and I pulled up the bottom of Casimir’s sweater to keep it dry. It was butter-soft cashmere and soaked with his moonflower scent, the two reasons I’d stolen it from his closet this morning.
Suddenly, Brumous stopped and turned to look at me, his eyes wide and pleading. And then he barked again, a sharp, desperate sound that sent a chill down my spine.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
“Where are the others? Zane? Koa? Casimir? Did something happen? Are you here? I thought you took the car!”
And then I sawher.
At first, I thought it was a trick of the light. A reflection, maybe, or a shadow beneath the surface. But no. My breath caught inmy throat, my chest tightening with suffocating fear, as I realized she was really there.
Eluned. Floating in the water like a drowned bride from a twisted fairy tale. Her white gown billowed around her, pale and ghostly, her brown hair fanned out like a dark halo.
Her eyes were open, staring up at me, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. It was like the last few weeks had never happened, and I was back in my old house, back under their cruel hands, their mocking laughter ringing in my ears. They’d taken everything from me. My magic, my confidence, my sense of safety.
And now she was here. In Evermere. My sanctuary.
“Eluned?” I whispered, my voice trembling.
She rocketed to her feet, water cascading off her in sheets, her gown clinging to her like a second skin. Her lips curled into a smile, sharp and vicious, and she said the words that sent a chill down my spine.
“Hello, dear stepsister. Did you miss me?”
I stumbled back in a panic. This couldn’t be happening. Not now.
“What areyoudoing here? How did you—”
She hurled something into the water. Seconds later, the lake erupted.
The creature was monstrous. A crawfish, but unlike any I’d ever seen. It was the size of an elephant, its armored shell rusty red, its claws snapping as its fan-like tail thrashed. Propelling itself through the shallows, it lashed out with its whip-like antennae and dragged itself onto the shore.
I screamed, stumbling backward, my hands flailing for something,anything, to defend myself. My magic. I needed my magic. But when I reached for it, all I found was a mere spark in the aching hollow that should have been slopping over with power. Still, it was what I had, and I hurled it at the creature.
It hit, but the flash of silver fizzled against the crawfish’s hard shell.
