Chapter 29
Much like Lloyd Dobler standing in the yard with a boombox overhead, the song drew me to my window, almost against my will.
I looked out to the front yard but saw nothing.
Then the direction of the song shifted. Or maybe my perception of it did.
I couldn’t tell which. All I knew was my feet were moving toward the front door before I realized I’d left the bedroom.
Then I was outside. Then I was in my backyard, barefoot, my toes soaked from the morning dew.
The song wasn’t “In Your Eyes,” but it was having a similar effect: waking up something familiar and long dormant inside me. I turned in a circle, trying to find the source. Brisk air raised goosebumps on my legs and arms. A strange fog settled over the grass, stinging me with its cold.
“Where are you, little tune?” I spoke through chattering teeth, my voice tinny and distant. “Who’s calling me?”
Something scraped the bottom of my foot.
I looked down, surprised to find concrete underneath me.
I’d moved away from the Magnolia, away from Cecelia, though I could still feel her pull.
There was something urgent about it. A loud clatter, like a fire bell, rang furiously behind me.
But I walked forward, and the sound of it grew dim.
I was so tired. It wasn’t enough to note the fatigue in my body. My very soul had grown suddenly and completely weary. But the beautiful humming, amelodic and alluring, promised to soothe me. It was a ballad of hope and reprieve. Like a hymn of worship, sung at the altar of my magic.
Though my eyes were open, my vision blurred into contrasts of light and dark, objects and shapes.
A tree branch slapped my cheek. I lifted my hand to the sting, tasting blood inside my mouth and feeling it on my skin.
I’d made it to Illusion Square, and the Mighty Oak herself was trying to stop me from inching forward.
“Mother Oak, whatever are you doing?” Branch after branch landed at my feet. I stepped over them. Then crawled under them. Nothing could stop me from reaching my goal, though I had no idea what that goal was. It was intangible. It was the song.
Until I reached her.
Nina, with her hair long and sleek and black and beautiful, emerged from the very edges of the Wanderer’s Woods. Her smile beckoned me. Her arm was outstretched. The Wanderer’s Woods were not what they seemed. A person could get lost in the mile-deep stretch of trees.
I’d wandered there myself for hours during the Trials. I’d not returned since, fearful of the dense magic hidden in the forest. A flare of warning erupted in my belly. If I stepped in there with Nina, I would not return. I’d lose myself in her song. I’d bury myself in her hair.
She sang, ending each note with a trill and a giggle.
The sound danced in my head like a dozen giddy sprites.
And I didn’t care to be warned. I’d rejected the image of my mother in these woods, but Nina was no image.
She was real, and she promised the same maternal affection I’d longed for all these years.
I reached for the hand she’d held out to me, noting with some dim curiosity that blood dripped from my thumbs. I couldn’t feel it. It barely registered as a reason for concern.
All of the roadblocks were inconsequential. Why would the universe want to keep me from something so … perfect?
Our fingers touched. The scorch of it burned through me like a wildfire across dry land.
It was my coven that saved me.
Lydia, eyes fierce, blocked my vision. She shook my shoulders while shouting, but her voice was a mere ringing in my ears, drowned by Nina’s song. Brianne gripped both sides of my head, directing my line of sight to Lauren, standing over Nina.
She said a few words, and Nina collapsed to the ground.
The moment she hit the dirt, her song died.
My body jolted like a blast of electricity had been pulsed through me.
I blinked until the blurriness disappeared and only my tears, tears I’d had no idea had fallen, remained.
My breath came in short pants. My knees buckled.
Lyra and Lydia flanked me, each of them taking an arm to keep me from collapsing entirely.
“I’m okay,” I said, but I grabbed them harder, unwilling to test that theory. “How …?”
“Shh. Cecelia called us. Lydia got us here in time.” Brianne stroked my hair as they turned me away from the woods, guiding me to a nearby chair.
Someone shoved a thick mug into my hands, but my fingers were so bloodied I couldn’t grip it, let alone bring it to my lips. “You’re safe now. Just breathe.”
Gradually, I returned to myself, and my awareness of my surroundings sharpened.
Well, as sharp as I normally was. We were sitting in the Illusion Square courtyard.
Though I had a vague memory of the tree falling down around me, no debris littered the Square.
Everyone was tending to me. Even Lydia. And while it was heartwarming, I felt overcrowded.
“If I could have a minute.” I held up my hand and closed my eyes, checking in with my breath and body.
Aside from the scratches on my face, hands, and feet, there were no major injuries.
But something … other … burned inside me.
It started at my fingertips and ran up my arm, as if she’d injected me with some venom when we touched.
It snaked across my shoulders and clawed at my neck.
The thought gave me chills. I hugged myself close, not liking the sensation of being violated.
I was so careful with my magic. So thoughtful about using it only when given permission, and with an open and kind heart.
Especially given how Julia had used her powers to manipulate others.
The idea that someone could be so self-serving saddened me.
I mean sure, I had my moments of selfishness, but to work my mojo on someone just to benefit myself?
It was an ugly reality to face. I let my own abilities flow through my veins, finding any of the places that felt black or dark and flooding them with light.
Once I felt clean, I opened my eyes to find Lauren standing nearby, hands planted on her hips, looking crestfallen at the crumpled heap that was my attacker.
“I should have talked to you about it sooner,” I said.
Lauren turned to me, dragging her gaze away from Nina. “About what?”
“Nina,” I answered. “There’d been a few instances where she tried to bespell me. Cecelia stopped her.”
Lauren came to join us at the table. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was worried it would keep you from planning your vacation. I didn’t want you to find another reason to stay here.” I shook my head. “To be honest, I didn’t think Nina was that big of a threat. I didn’t even know what she was until last night.”
Had that really only been one night ago? It felt like a million years. Which I guess happens when you aren’t sleeping much. It lengthens the days until they all stretch into one.
“What is she?” Lydia had a sharp bite to her words I didn’t often hear. “And you should have told all of us, for the record.”
Though my instinct was to defend myself, I took a breath. “You’re right. I have a dozen excuses why I didn’t, but bottom line, that’s not the coven way. We don’t keep secrets.”
“Is she a siren?” Lauren’s lips took on a tremble. “She told me her species was harmless. I wanted her to work so badly I didn’t press.”
“Not a siren.” I took her hand for a quick squeeze. “Ethan and Ray have been researching. They told me last night. She’s a Capoeira.”
She furrowed her brow at me. “Like the dance?”
“No. That’s not it.” I scrunched my eyes closed to dig the word out. “Ciguapa. It’s like a forest siren.”
“I wonder what she wanted with you.” Brianne’s voice was far away, her eyes on Nina. “What do we do with her?”
Lydia glared at Nina’s form. “Put the bitch in jail.”
“What if she hurt someone else? We have to hold her in the Magnolia.” Even as I said it, I could picture the makeshift holding cell Cecelia was creating.
“I’ll call the sheriff when we get back,” Brianne said. “He won’t object to us holding her magically, but we should keep him in the loop in case you want to press charges.”
“That works.” The sun was lifting past the Mighty Oak. It wouldn’t be long before we were no longer alone. “We should get her out of here before we’re seen. Anyone object to me using magic to take us home?”
“I do. You’re too tired.” Lyra had been silent so far, her skin subtly glowing. But now that I was looking at her, the beads of sweat along her brow caught my attention. She was holding Nina under her power, and it was starting to drain her. “You need to recover. Let us do it.”
She looked at her sister, who nodded. Before I could blink, we’d all been swept back to the Magnolia.
Cecelia’s relief washed over me, and I sent her a magical hug.
She sent me an image of Nina in the padded but safe and comfortable room she’d created down the hall from our supply closet. Far away from our bloom.
“She’s in a contained space for now. We can interrogate her later.” I hugged each of them. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”
When I reached Brianne, she tapped her watch to show me the time. Hours had passed. Cupid would be here any minute.
“You should cancel him,” Brianne said. “You really need to rest.”
“We don’t have time for that. So many arrows to shoot and not enough time to shoot them.”
Though my legs were unsteady and my emotions shaken, I rushed out to clean up and face what I hoped would be a productive session with Cupid.
It was not.