I put Betty in the holster on my back along with Asael, since I need my hands free, and stride toward the first pillar.
My neck cranes backward the closer that I get to it, and I realize that it’s impossibly taller than I originally thought.
These had to have been placed with magic or the help of trolls or ogres, or something, because they are fucking huge, there is no way that I can see that they could have been put here by normal human means. Although it isn't a human monument, is it?
The Voices get louder the closer that I get to the pillar, and for a moment, I frown, confused about why, but then I feel it. A small, almost imperceptible flicker of magic, something so small that most would miss it.
My hand begins to reach for the pillar, but I stop myself. Doing things like touching things that are humming with magic is exactly how I get myself into questionable situations.
I will not prove the guys right.
Making sure my hands end up nowhere near the pillar, and that I keep a close eye on the flicker of magic in case it decides to get any bigger, I crouch down near the base of it. The magic seems to only becoming from the pillar that I’m near, and it’s such a tiny amount that it wouldn’t even be able to affect a bug, so I’m not too worried about it.
I start to look around the base of the pillar, and then look up to see if I can see any shelves carved out or something, somewhere that something could have been placed.
I don’t see anything on or around this one, so I move onto the next one, making sure that I’m checking the space in between the pillars as well. About halfway between one pillar and the next, something catches my eye, and I bend down to see what it is.
“A stick,” I mutter, and start to stand up, but before I can, the ground beneath me ripples and rolls and fucking pushes me into the circle.
I stumble, do a weird sideways rolly-poly, and then end up sprawled like a starfish inside the damn circle.
“Neith,” Griff starts with a warning lilt to his tone.
I pop up and point in the direction I think he is, only to find myself pointing at Coen instead, who just smirks at me.
“It’s not my fault!” I exclaim in defense of the fact that I am in the circle, which is the one place where I told them that I wouldn’t go.
“How is it not your fault?” Van asks, his eyebrow raised.
“The ground tripped me and then pushed me in this direction,” I explain. I’m very aware that my explanation sounds crazy.
“Again?” Reed asks.
“This has happened before?” Baz asks, sounding completely bewildered.
“Yes,” the guys all reply.
I pull myself up off the ground, giving it the stink eye in case it decides to trip me again, and then I grin at the guys.
“Well, at least this proves you all wrong, I’m in the middle of the ancient circle thingy, and nothing has happened,” I point out triumphantly.
The Voices rise in warning.
Fuck.
I jinxed it, I know better, why the fuck did I have to taunt the fates and say that nothing had gone wrong?
My magic starts to react as I feel something build in the air.
“For fuck sake, Love, you just had to say it,” Coen yells over the sound of the weather, as the wind picks up.
“Oopsie!”
“Oopsie?” River replies. “Neith, beautiful, you are by far the best thing that has ever fucking happened to me, but saying oopsie in this situation makes me question your sanity.”
“Fuck off, you know I’ve never been sane,” I call back, my heart beating double time at his sweet as fuck words.
“I don’t know how you’ve done it, but I think you’ve activated the summoning circle,” Baz says with concern as he reaches his hand out for me.
