“But you can certainlylearn,could she not?” Kaida asked, a bit of an edge to her voice.
Nuva eyed Nerissa, who nodded.
“Learning only,” Nuva confirmed.
I resisted the urge to pout. Queens didn’t pout, and the baby’s safety was the most important thing.
“So we need another draken then. Kieran?” I asked. “Or you, Kaida?”
Nerissa tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Groups of drakens. The more bloodlines, the better. We do four groups, mixed of drakens unrelated and unmated to each other, and witches from all the different covens. That should cover all bloodlines on the island.”
“Kieran is not the best at bloodmagick,” Benedict grumbled.
Kieran shrugged, not disputing it.
Nuva’s eyes widened in mild panic.
“I know, I know,” Nerissa said, running her hands over her face. “Getting everyone to perform everything exactly the same with no mistakes will be difficult, but imagine the wards that would be created if we manage to get it right!”
Nuva’s concern morphed into wonder, and mild awe.
I smiled at that because it sounded exactly like her, sharp and practical and unwilling to waste time on fear.
Benedict stepped forward. “Agreed. Let’s go find these drakens. Preferably Elders who are proficient and experienced in bloodmagick, but not so old as their scales and claws will shake with a knife in it.
Nerissa clapped her hands, eyes alight with the prospect of a new project.
Benedict held his arms out to me, ready to fly back to the village.
“Alright, let’s go save the word again,” I muttered to no one.
By the time we stepped back into the village below my treehouse, the unease had already spread to the rest of the witches and drakens.
“The wards?—”
“I felt it last night?—”
“The sacrifices were supposed to last?—”
I didn’t slow as I moved into the center. Benedict edged me forward, giving me a warm smile. I took a moment to close my eyes and open them again. The scents of roasting meat from the fire pit hit me, along with the tang of peppers growing nearby. The hot sun couldn’t get through the thick canopy of trees above us, letting only small beams of light in here and there.
“We feel it too. We’re going to take advantage of the presence of an expert bloodwitch while she’s here, and reset them. I need those with blood magick experience,” I called, letting my voice carry across the space. “We will need witches as well, one from each coven.”
The murmuring quieted, not completely, but enough.
A baby cried, and its witch mother hushed it, leaning forward to listen in.
Benedict stayed right at my right shoulder, Kieran on my left. The drakens gathered loosely around us, not suffocatingly close, but wanting to know what was going on. Nuva and Nerissa stood between us and the crowd. Nuva’s eyes darted here and there, still clearly nervous in front of a group, but Nerissa relished the attention. Kaida hovered, taking it all in.
“What do we need to do?” someone asked.
Nuva lowered her hand to the ground. I felt the response immediately, subtle but undeniable, as if the wards were trying to respond to her touch.
“We place one at each corner,” she said. “The weaving of the wards must happen at the same time. If one fails?—”
“They all fail,” Domik finished nervously. Nuva nodded.
I already knew that. I could feel it in the tension running through the island itself.
