“Look, there’s no science behind this thing, Prudence. All I know is that my mother wasn’t strong enough to hold the circle.She needed me, and I wasn’t there. She died on this goddamn cliff. Ceridwen is injured. Yes, Seren and Deryn are there, but they are all exhausted. I don’t know if Ceri told you about circles. They’re not fun. Not some dancing ceremony. They’re hard, and they demand all your concentration and your craft and your energy. Victoria was never powerful enough to be part of one. Not even Mom’s…” Rhiannon trailed on, and from the corner of her eye Pru could see the sheer force of determination shine in those angular features. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stop her.
Pru threw the engine into fourth and prayed again.
A few feet away from where the forest started, and before the car even stopped properly, Rhiannon threw the door open and staggered out. By the time Pru reached the first trees clustered on the side of Sky Blue cliff, Rhiannon was limping into the deep of it.
Pru wondered where the strength came from. Visibly in pain, injured, drained of magic, Rhiannon bulldozed her way through bush and forest and into a small clearing where three figures were surrounded by ethereal light. She could hear chanting, but it felt more like cries. Something was clearly wrong. The power pulsed in waves from them, and Ceridwen was bowled over, her wounded arm hanging limply at her side.
Pru barely had time to assess what was happening when Rhiannon simply walked into the circle, grasping Ceridwen’s broken wrist and standing next to her.
For a moment the silence was absolute, no chanting, no desperate cries, just stillness of a kind Pru had never experienced before, and then as the light of the magic dimmed completely, it suddenly erupted back in a perfect circle, golden and pulsing, the four connection points between the sisters glowing particularly bright. The scent of petrichor was strong inthe air, and when the rain came, it fell down in warm waves, soft and carefree.
Pru watched as Ceridwen’s face filled with joy, the mask of pain and horror from earlier erased, her fingers clasped tightly in Rhiannon’s. Deryn was laughing, and Seren’s smile was for once full and open.
And Rhiannon… Rhiannon looked reborn. Her head was thrown back, rain washing her face, drenching her hair and clothes, and yet she stood still, taking it all in, her magic shimmering around her.
Pru felt her own tears mingling with the rain and wondered if she would ever be the same after witnessing Rhiannon step into the circle, and she knew she surely never would. Some things, some people, you never recovered from. And maybe you were not supposed to. Maybe you were supposed to be brave and never let them go.
25
RHIANNON, PROMISES & RETURNING HOME
DISGRACED MAYOR STEPS DOWN!
In a shocking turn of events—which is saying something, since Dragons has been shaken by several in recent days—Mayor Jedidiah Fowler has resigned, citing personal reasons, and has ended his reelection campaign. His statement also cites health reasons and relocation to the mainland as additional rationale for him stepping aside.
Crow’s Nest is still reeling from the destruction of Rhiannon Crowhart’s new antique bookstore, Crow & Cat. The cause of the fire remains undisclosed. Our sources have confirmed that the Fire Chief has been unable to establish the origin of the fire, and an ATF forensic arson investigators have been invited to assess the site.
Watch this space!
—Crow’s Caw
The second floorwas gone entirely. Rhiannon walked through the debris and the destruction of the main showroom, her bootscrushing glass under the heels. The sound was unnerving, and after a few steps she stopped, simply looking around.
Hours and days and weeks she had poured into this place were all ruined. Walls that stood for centuries were either broken-down bricks on gutted floors or skeleton bones sticking out from the husk of the Crow & Cat. Her Crow & Cat. Not the Atelier anymore. She realized she hadn’t called it that in weeks, always using the new name. The one she came up with.
And so was this space. She could see it as it had been before the fire ripped it apart and her storm scattered the pieces. Gleaming under the chandelier, wide windows letting the setting sun in, rows and rows of books, leather spines like soldiers on parade on oaken shelves. And above all, hers. Crow & Cat, unlike the Atelier, was hers.
“All the fighting against it and it had been mine all along.” Her words disappeared into the chilly morning air, a small cloud of sadness and regret.
“You can say that about many things, Rhy. This town. Your family. Prudence.”
Rhiannon flinched, surprised at her sister being so close to her. Ceridwen wore a leather jacket that hugged her prettily, and her wrist was in a cast with little green flowers on it.
“Deryn drew them.” Ceridwen sounded defensive, and Rhiannon smiled. Then her smile faded away. It was time to give voice to wounds that had been festering for a long time. And what better place than the one where so many of these issues took center stage?
“I don’t think I thanked you for summoning Deryn early to the island.”
Ceridwen furrowed her brow, the small wrinkle adding more worry to the already pale face, but she said nothing, just nodded, allowing Rhiannon to speak.
“Her linking hands with you at the fire probably saved my life. Thank you.”
Ceridwen stepped closer and laid her healthy hand on Rhiannon’s cheek.
“My sister was in trouble, Rhy. I’d bring the moon down if that meant saving you. Even from yourself.”
“I knew what I was doing.”
“So you already said to Deryn. But did you really, Rhy?” Ceridwen’s face was earnest, and Rhiannon couldn’t deny her an answer.
