Chapter 34 #4
“You’re hyperventilating. I need you to take long, slow breaths,” Saint tried to guide her, but she stumbled away and out into the woods.
Her whole body shook, flashing from hot to cold by turn and she. Couldn’t. Breathe.
“They left me,” she sobbed.
She collapsed to the ground, rocking back and forth, dragging in oxygen until her lungs were full to bursting, but it still felt like she was drowning. Her vision darkened until all she saw was a pinprick of light at the end of a long tunnel. Saint scooped her up, pulling her into his lap.
“Mistress,” he whispered into her ear. “Stay with me. Breathe in slowly, match my breath. You’re safe now.”
He demonstrated, taking her hand and placing it on his chest while doing the same to her. Her end of the bond was a chaotic knot of pain, fear, and grief, so he overwhelmed it with warmth and love.
“Breathe,” he continued coaching, and for the longest time there was no change. “I know it feels terrible right now, but this will pass. You couldn’t continue being someone you’re not. You are not the mindless killer the hunters require. You’re better than that.”
He kept at it until she finally took a single long breath and let it out in a massive sigh.
“Good,” he crooned. “Slowly. You’re safe, Elsie. You’re with me, and you’re safe.”
Her heart-wrenching sobs eased, and her vision returned. Dazed, she blinked, unsure of where she was or how she’d gotten there. Lifting her head to see Saint’s strained and worried face, she collapsed against him, tears coming anew.
A heavy bird landed on a branch directly above them. It hopped closer and croaked, tilting its solid black head from one side to the other. Elsie blinked and rubbed her eyes, squinting hard until she was sure she wasn’t hallucinating. It was another raven, and it was looking straight at her.
“No!” she gasped, lurching to her feet. Pulling a dagger, she threw it, missing the bird by several feet as it took to the sky, chortling to itself. “What the hell are we going to do, Saint? We can’t stay here, but if we go–”
“We’ll have to take our chances. We can go to Frost Hollow for a while. With us around, they’ll never have to pay the hunters for help again, and you’ll blend in with the locals. The ravens have come before, and nothing has happened. There’s nothing left for you here.”
He was right. It was only a matter of time before Marley or someone else said something out of anger in front of the wrong set of ears. They needed to leave, and there was no better time than now, with Mordane and the others sent south for their meeting.
A violent lurch and shake of the ground stopped her response. The trees trembled, branches creaking. A low rumble filled the air, followed by an unearthly, metallic shriek. Elsie tensed up, and Saint’s arms tightened around her waist.
Red moon magic reeking of malevolence and rage consumed them, invading every one of their senses as fragments of magic fell from the sky.
“What the hell was that?” Elsie’s voice was nearly a whisper.
“Nothing we want to get involved in.”
“We have to find out.” Elsie took a breath to steady herself and walked forward, careful not to give herself away. Saint ghosted to her side, ears pricked and nose working hard to decipher the scents.
Low laughter and voices talking over one another hit them right before they spotted six figures in long black robes looming ahead.
Candles burned low in a circle they stood around; the wax melted in puddles on the ground.
The earth inside the circle was blackened and charred, and the witches wore satisfied smirks.
They’d just accomplished some massive spellwork, and the magic lingering in the area felt slimy and wrong.
“Careful, Mistress–” Saint started, but she bulldozed ahead, exhaustion from her full-on panic attack forgotten at the sight of the strangers.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Elsie demanded. Saint gave her an annoyed side-eye.
“That’s none of our business, we were just leaving.” He tilted his head toward the trees, pushing her to walk away.
The witches turned toward her voice, and hostile faces broke into grins.
“No way, it’s her!” one of them laughed, and Elsie recognized the witch with lightning in her hands from Cornick’s exam room.
“Would you believe we’re here for you?” another one cackled.
The hair on the back of Elsie’s neck stood on end. Her mind screamed that finding them immediately after the disruption in the area’s magic couldn’t be a coincidence.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said firmly, and they laughed even harder.
A low, eerie howl cut through the trees, the tone and volume growing to a scream—the emergency sirens in the compound.
“No.” Elsie half-turned back, torn between the threat in front of her and the threat back home.
The witches leaned in one at a time, taunting her in sing-song tones, vanishing after saying their piece.
“Oh, darlin’, you’re going to have the time of your life.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t stay and watch.”
“Orders are orders.”
The last one stepped close, his face inches from hers. “Almost forgot, Angus Cornick sends his regards.”