5. Any Price #2
“She went to the cemetery, Your Grace.” He raised his gaze as if wanting to see inside his skull. “She’s still there.”
“Thank you.”
I crossed the garden and hurried up the steep path that led to Willow Grove Cemetery. The flat hilltop had been the final home of supernatural creatures for centuries. Although I had no idea who the people buried here were.
We, vampires, lived for centuries and, when stabbed to death with a blessed stake or a silver blade, our flesh turned to dust. Nothing remained to be buried. It was part of our curse. No body left behind. No graves. Nothing that would mark our passage.
Wizards lived for centuries as well, and wilis like Irene were immortal spirits. The werewolves were too loyal to their pack to let one of them be buried alone. They preferred family crypts where a werewolf was surrounded by his ancestors.
Yet rows of graves crammed the cemetery. Ancient tombstones and obelisks rose from the earth and leant in different directions as if a giant snake were twisting and turning underneath them. Moss clung to the stones and the tree bark, slowly conquering the place.
Short hedgerows and bushes formed an intricate maze of passageways I had no patience for. I inhaled deeply and caught a whiff of the witch’s scent—something between burnt ginger and allspice. I followed the trail.
Carabosse was standing in front of the only grave that wasn’t half covered with chickweed and cleavers. The moonlight lit the dark hood of her cloak, but instead of making her look ethereal, she looked like an assassin waiting for her victim in the shadows.
I stopped a few yards from her. There was no need to talk. She would realise I was here soon.
She angled towards me. The hood hid her features, except for her dark gaze.
“Ravenhill.” Somehow, she made my name sound like an insult. “What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for you. I need to talk to you.”
She shifted and blocked the view of the tombstone as if I would argue or make fun of her about whom she was visiting. “About what?”
A whisper in the back of my mind begged me to be careful, but I was tired of being careful. I needed results. I wanted to change. No matter the price.
“You made me an offer a while ago.”
Her expression changed from guarded to delighted. “I did. Have you made a decision?”
“I have.”
She pulled back the hood, revealing her pale skin. “You’re aware of the consequences, aren’t you? Every spell requires payment.”
“What is your price?”
As she walked over to me, a cold sensation slithered down my neck, but I ignored it.
“I can’t say.” She didn’t use her usual condescending tone. “I don’t decide the price. Magic seizes it, taking whatever it deems fit. But I can tell you this: The price will be something you deeply care about. There’s no magic without sacrifice.”
I narrowed my gaze. Sacrificing a part of myself was one thing. But I would never use someone I loved as payment. “Irene?”
“No.” She folded her hands in front of her. “Dark magic requires something personal. It isn’t cruel. It doesn’t take a life unless you’re casting a spell to kill someone. That’s evil magic. I practise dark magic.”
The explanation made little sense to me, but as long as Irene was safe, I was happy.
“Your magic is different from Darius’s.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “Very different. I don’t need to devour food every time I cast a simple spell. Magic doesn’t deplete me. It makes me stronger.”
“Why?”
She rolled her gaze skywards. “Do you want to realise your dream, or do you want a lesson on the different types of magic?”
Hell. Sod it. “Fine. Do it.”
She came closer, forcing me to step back not to touch her. “You must be more specific. What do you want? Think carefully.”
A purple light glowed around her.
I didn’t need to think too much. “I want to get rid of my fear of touching. Forever.”
She searched my face in an intrusive way that made me want to hide. “Are you ready to face the consequences?”
What did I have to lose? As long as Irene was safe, I was ready to sacrifice anything to be with her.
“Yes, I am.”
The consequences couldn’t be worse than the nightmare I lived every day.
Shadows flickered behind her. Darkness gathered around us. Only the purple light coming from her lit the cemetery. The tombstones blurred and vanished. The trees around the cemetery disappeared, and the ground was replaced by a dark floor.
Cara and I were alone in the centre of a dark world.
The shadows engulfed me, and while I was no stranger to the darkness, a choking sensation gripped me.
A smoky mist rose and wrapped itself around me. I couldn’t breathe. Every time I tried to inhale, the mist slid deeper into my lungs, leaving behind a bitter taste. I preferred Darius’s glittering and joyful magic.
“Don’t panic, Ravenhill.” Cara’s voice sounded far away. “Stay calm. Don’t fight the magic. Let it do its job.”
My legs gave in, and I collapsed.
I lay on the hard ground, shaking as the dark mist coiled around me. It curled around my fingers, snaked up my arms, and filled my mouth.
When I thought the spell was going to smother me, the moonlight broke through the darkness. The choking sensation died quickly, and I inhaled the humid air of the night.