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“Avenay.”

The words were a whisper, but she heard them and knew who they belonged to. She whipped her head to the bushes along the path. A flash of black hair, then a brown hand poked above the bushes, beckoning to her. Looking around, she saw no one, so she hastily ducked out of sight with Vasu.

“Why are you hiding?” she asked.

Fear colored every line of his face. “I stole a scroll. And they’re looking for me now.”

“Why did you steal a scroll?”

He produced the pilfered item from his robes.

“Read this spell,” he commanded.

She took the scroll and began unrolling it. “What is it?”

“It’s a power feeder spell. Read it in its entirety.”

The sun was setting, and Avenay had to adjust to block the rays from hitting her eyes. The first lines were so similar to her translation of what she’d found in the ancient text that she almost cried out, but Vasu quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wild, and shook his head.

“Keep reading, be quiet.” His voice shook with every syllable.

She continued on. The spell had odd and somewhat gruesome wording, but that wasn’t uncommon. Spell casters had always had a flair for the dramatic.

But the next part of the scroll had a description of how to set up the spell. It was exactly as Hevena had described what they would do to Onora.

With one major difference.

The person’s throat was to be cut and bled out on the altar in the center of the temple, her life force feeding power into the spell and into the pit to call forth beings.

It had to be a human.

It was to call the Holy Mother back.

And in the process, every warrior present around the temple would also sacrifice their soul to the darkness in order to give the Mother enough power to step through the gate.

She rolled up the scroll and hid it in her skirts.

“Vasu. This is what they’re doing tonight.”

“I know.”

“They aren’t breaking the enchantments.”

Vasu shook his head. “No. They are going to bring back the Holy Mother by killing our companions.”

And if what Avenay had read in the grimoire was true, that was a terrible, terrible idea.

Chapter 31: Enid

Enid strapped the bandolier on tightly, carefully placing each blade in. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it tonight, but she’d worn them every day of her life since she was sixteen, so it was more a habit than anything. She glanced at the open doorway. Avenay was gone when she’d risen, and Enid had hoped they would spend this time together, just in case…

She shook her head to loosen the thoughts hold on her. Failing wasn’t an option. Avenay’s sister needed this. And Enid needed to know she could succeed, that she could help those she loved, that she wasn’t a burden.

Her brothers were at the tavern down the road and had tried to get her to come along, but she’d wanted to wait for Avenay. Tapping her foot, she debated just going out with them.

Where are you, Avenay?

Worry bloomed, but she pushed that aside. What reason did she have to worry? Most likely, Avenay had gone to the library or the temple to see if she could find more information on the spells. As much as she wanted to see her and hold her, a smile lit her face at Avenay’s concern.