“Vethalan kaetrhis,”I spoke the words to release the spell, and the beetle started moving again."Kythara vel'neth, thaelon mi'dar. Seren'dor kalanis, veridian talar,"I chanted, and the beetle froze once more. It didn’t even slow. It just froze.
My smile widened. For the first time since this nightmare began, hope rose within me, cresting like a wave of possibilities.
Again. I needed to do it again.
"Vethalan kaetrhis." The beetle resumed its crawl. "Kythara vel'neth, thaelon mi'dar. Seren'dor kalanis, veridian talar." It froze once more, caught mid-step like a tiny sculpture.
Smiling to myself, I repeated the process three more times, each casting feeling smoother and more natural. The magic flowed through me like water finding its course, and the golden threads responded to my will with increasing eagerness. On the final attempt, I barely had to concentrate. The spell felt as easy as breathing.
My heart hammered with excitement, and I thought of the task that lay before me.
"Sirril said she came this way." The sudden sound of Arielle's voice cut through my triumph like a blade.
“Yeah, he told me that, too.” That was Garrick. “Thought she might be blowing off some stress.”
Shit. I really didn’t want to see either of them.
I knew they meant well, but I…
I just wanted to be alone, and I didn’t want to feel guilty about what I was planning to do.
The library door creaked open, and I quickly spoke the release word as their footsteps echoed across the stone floor.
The beetle scuttled away into the shadows just as I spotted Arielle walking between the towering bookshelves. The floating books nearby drifted toward her, begging to be read, but she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
I was still quite far away. If I were quiet enough, I could sneak out through the back unseen and avoid them completely.
Quietly, I picked up my journal, the spell book, and two other books on phasing I’d borrowed from the shelves, then I tiptoed across the room, keeping close to the tallest shelves.
“Elariya,” Arielle called out.
“Maybe she went back to her room,” Garrick said, his footsteps overpowering Arielle’s.
“No, I was just there.”
I reached the far wall with a narrow door that led out to the manor's back gardens. The brass handle turned soundlessly under my trembling fingers.
Cool night air rushed in to greet me as I opened the door just wide enough to slip outside.
I pulled the door shut behind me with the softest click. Hopefully they didn’t hear.
I made a move, rushing into the garden. I’d have to go through the woods to get back to the main section of the house, but I didn’t mind. I’d prefer to get through the night without seeing anyone.
Before me stretched the manor's back grounds, manicured gardens giving way to wild grass, and beyond that, the dark line of the forest. I clutched the books tighter to my chest and hurried along.
I moved carefully through the undergrowth, letting the darkness swallow me whole. The deeper I went, the more alive the forest felt. Ancient oaks swayed lazily in the wind, night creatures rustled in the shadows, and the distant sound of waves crashed against the shore.
The woods grew thicker, wilder. Moonlight filtered through the canopy in silver patches, just enough to guide my steps.
As the trees began to thin, I caught the scent of salt in the air and heard the rhythmic crash of waves growing stronger. The forest was leading me toward the coast, to where the woodland met the beach.
I’d come out here yesterday for a break.
A different sound made me freeze. A low, rumbling growl that seemed to shake the very ground beneath my feet.
I crept up to the cluster of wild branches and peered ahead.
There, in a clearing where the forest opened onto the moonlit sand, stood Wolfe.
