Suddenly, silence crackled across the night. After such a cacophony of sounds, Savine found the silence jarring. He waited a few minutes after the sounds died before he emerged from his shelter.
All around him, where snow once laid, were delicate white flowers blooming out of stardust. Three broad petals and stick straight leaves emerged from the glittering ground.
Then, the forest exploded into a chant that chilled him to his marrow.
“The two born of one womb shall return to take their place. Death shall follow in their footsteps, and all shall bow to their power. The fae and the witch shall be joined under the moonlight. Kin will rise against kin. Nation will destroy nation. The mother shall rise to be reunited with her other half. None shall stop her from taking back what she has lost.”
Chapter one
Avery
Breathing in the fresh scent of pine, Avery Hollis took another step along the dusty mountain trail. The warm breeze of late summer rustled against her sweat-soaked skin. Her tank top stuck uncomfortably to her body, and her hiking boots kicked dust up with every step. The mixed spruce and pine forest would go on for a few more miles before they entered the higher alpine meadows and firs that dotted Montana’s peaks.
The idea of backpacking into Quartz Lake on this hot August day made a lot more sense back at home in the air-conditioned comfort of her small house in Golden, Montana. But the cozy little home she’d lived in since graduating college wouldn’t be hers much longer. Between her roommate moving out of state, and her rent increasing by hundreds of dollars, she needed a new housing solution fast. As she took another steadying step on the trail, she realized what she had become: a broke woman living in a house she couldn’t afford in one of the most overpriced housing markets in the West.
As Avery shifted her hips to move her heavy backpack into a new position, she snapped out of her memories. Her twin sister was getting farther ahead of her with every step, setting a pace that typically wouldn’t feel so brutal. But she was distracted, and her thoughts kept her from focusing on the real purpose of this trip: spending quality time with her sister on their annual backpacking trip.
“Morgan, hold up. I can’t keep going on like this,” Avery struggled to mutter over her rapid breathing. Sweat-soaked, golden-blonde hair fell in front of her face as she leaned forward, placing her hands against her shaking knees.
“Avery, this isn’t like you. I’ve never heard you so out of breath on a hike.” Morgan eased her rapid pace, turning back to Avery. Morgan’s light skin glistened, and her dark hair rested on her shoulder. The backpack she wore was just as large as Avery’s, but she barely looked winded. Morgan took in a deep breath as her green eyes met Avery’s. “Why don’t we take a break? We still have about two miles before we reach Quartz Lake.”
Avery let out an audible groan as she said, “No. If I take this backpack off now, I’ll never get it back on. Besides, the elevation is going to ease in the next mile, right? Just let me lead, okay?”
As Morgan stepped to the side of the trail, Avery took a deep gulp of water from her water bottle and trudged ahead of Morgan. The two fell back into silence as they walked through the woods. The first of the alpine firs filled the landscape. Rocky outcroppings ran to their right, showing granite formations.
The harsh elevation climb leveled off, and they left the steep mountainous landscape for an alpine meadow. The meadow teemed with wildflowers in full bloom. Indian paintbrush, penstemon, and more beargrass than Avery had ever seen covered the ground in a vibrant carpet of reds, purples, and whites.
“This is gorgeous,” Avery whispered.
“Nothing like an alpine meadow, is there?” Morgan asked.
Avery took in a deep breath and let the beauty of the meadow settle into her soul. “We’re never giving up this tradition, okay? We’re going to be old ladies with bent backs, but we’ll haul our asses into the wilderness together. Promise?” Avery said.
Morgan laughed and rolled her eyes at Avery. “Of course, Avery. Two wrinkly old ladies trudging our gear into the woods. I still can’t believe you’ve never been here. Your mind is will be blown when we summit Quartz Mountain tomorrow morning.” Morgan grinned as she spoke, and her dimples popped as she smiled through her words.
They were summiting the famed Quartz Mountain. How had she lived in Golden her whole life without climbing to the peak of the legendary mountain topped with brilliant quartz crystals? Morgan had climbed it one weekend with their dad. Avery had gotten sick, and she and her mom stayed home. Morgan and her dad couldn’t stop talking about the gorgeous, quartz-laden mountain peak. But somehow, another trip never happened, and here they were at twenty-five, finally making their way to the crystals.
Avery took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the wildflowers, her sister, and the stunning mountain in the background before getting back to the hike. This place was amazing. Avery didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world, but she had this unsteady feeling at the back of her neck, like someone was watching her or she had forgotten something important at home.
“You seem off right now. Are you okay?” Morgan said.
“Oh, you know, one of those weird premonitions or something. Or else I forgot to lock the car. I’m just feeling uneasy.” It was actually the fact that she didn’t have next month’s rent ready and couldn’t secure a new roommate, but Avery wasn’t ready to unload that news yet.
“That twitchy itchy feeling, huh?” Morgan asked. Avery knew what she was talking about. Ever since they were little, they both would get strange premonitions before something major happened. They started calling it their twitchy itchy.
Both sisters had always had this emotional connection and a deeper level of sensing events before they happened.Their mom, Cara Hollis, always joked that it was their twin connection. But it felt like more. They could sense things that others didn’t. Once, Avery had a rising sense of panic while skiing with her dad, Glen. She had wanted to return to the lodge and call her mom and sister, who were taking their own ski runs. On their way back to the lodge, they found Morgan and Cara being helped down the ski hill by ski patrol. Cara had pulled her ACL while trying to ski a challenging ski run.
“There’s been plenty of times when one of us feels uneasy, and nothing happens. So, let’s keep going. I’m sure we’re fine,” Morgan said as she began walking down the trail.
The feeling faded as the two crested a small incline, and they saw Quartz Lake. Brilliant cerulean blue water sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Two other tents were already set up on the far side of the lake near the foot of Quartz Mountain. The mountain glittered as the crystals caught the sunlight. Both sisters gasped at the sight of the sparkling lake. Morgan reached for Avery’s hand and gave it a squeeze as she leaned her head on her sister’s shoulders. “Worth the hike, isn’t it?” she said.
“It’s incredible,” Avery whispered. She paused for a moment before adding, “Let’s set up camp on this side of the lake. This way, we can see the lake and mountain together.”
At that moment, a man’s voice startled both sisters as he called out, “Hey, bear!” Avery instinctively touched the bear spray attached to her hip belt and saw her sister do the same.
A man walked out of the woods, still calling out, “Hey, bear!” He was medium height and in his thirties, wearing a small backpack. He seemed to be hiking alone.
Avery called out to him to not startle him, “Hey there! Any bear action up here?”
