Page 50 of Dragon Fires Everywhere (Witchlore #4)

Everyone is quiet at that. Our happy, excited wedding bubble is officially popped.

But Zander steps forward and puts his hand on Emerson’s shoulder. “We’ll head on down to the bookstore just as planned. He’ll

get there when he’s done. It’ll all be good. Maybe we start five minutes late, but that’s not the end of the world.”

“Have you met your cousin?” Rebekah asks, and I think maybe she’s trying to lighten the mood, but it doesn’t land.

Emerson reaches out and takes Zander’s arm. “Will you go be with him? Just in case he needs help after?”

“Of course.” He pats her hand, then disappears.

All of us are frozen for a moment. This was unexpected. I think maybe if it had been an attack on Jacob, it might feel more run-of-the-mill. We’re used to that.

But this is a happenstance we weren’t prepared for. It isn’t evil, per se. Sure, it’s black magic, and that’s evil, but it’s

not at Jacob.

It’s not aimed at us .

As far as we know.

“Come on, Em,” I say, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Zander wouldn’t make that up. Five minutes late, tops. Let’s head

over to the bookstore and get situated.”

She nods, and so we magic ourselves over to the bookstore. Emerson doesn’t even try to look outside to make sure everything

is set up the way she wants it, which is how I know she is Not Okay .

“We’d feel it if something was really wrong,” I tell her, giving her a squeeze.

“The black magic attacks getting worse are really wrong,” Emerson says, pulling away from me. She goes to stand behind the bookstore counter. Like that gives her some kind of strength or makes her feel more in control.

“Okay,” Rebekah agrees. “But that’s not something we can fix right this second, so let’s focus on what we can. Don’t you want

to see the chairs? They look great.”

She points toward the outside.

Emerson shakes her head. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

We all exchange terrified looks. But after another minute or two of painful silence, Zander and Frost appear.

With Jacob, thank Hecate.

They’re all dressed in the wedding suits Emerson picked out, but Jacob looks awful. Like he’s barely standing, and with the

way Zander positions himself behind Jacob, I wonder if he’s holding him up.

Emerson magicks the big comfy chair over and pushes him into it. Ellowyn magicks him a tea and keeps shoving the mug at him

until he drinks.

But he smiles at Emerson. “I’m not supposed to see you before the wedding.”

“That’s a human tradition, and we are not human,” she says to him sternly. Then she kind of crumples into a kneeling position next to him and presses her forehead

to his knee. “You have to stop giving so much of yourself, Jacob.”

“You first.” He runs a hand over her hair, careful not to mess with any of the pins. “I’ll be okay. Promise. But, Em...”

She looks up. We all look at Jacob because of the grimness in his voice. “It was Evie.”

It’s a blow. Evie North is a Healer, and attacks on Healers are the lowest of the low. And Evie is also Jacob’s sister .

I can see Emerson’s grip on Jacob tighten. “She’s okay,” Emerson says firmly, like if she says it, it will make it true.

“Mom’s with her. She wouldn’t even stay put. Said she had to come to the wedding. She’s okay, but...” Jacob trails off,

as if he can’t finish.

“But it’s worse. It keeps getting worse,” Emerson finishes for him.

Jacob’s expression is grim. “She said the attacker was almost familiar. That the face of her attacker looked like some grotesque

mix of Felicia and Maeve.”

But before we can deal with this—really deal with these attackers who resemble missing Joywood members—someone clears their

throat over a loudspeaker. A magical loudspeaker that treats each of us like we’re our own sound system, like what comes through

is directly in our faces .

We set it up ourselves.

“Good afternoon, St. Cyprian.”

It’s Carol’s voice. We all move to the door to see Carol on the little stage in the middle of Main Street, with the perfect

light dusting of snow framing her. Right where Jacob and Emerson are going to say their vows.

“I have received the most disturbing news that I’d like to share with you all while we... wait ,” she says, and she draws out the word wait like the wedding isn’t on time because Emerson has set out to insult us all.

I’m outside before I know I mean to move. I can hear Emerson tell Jacob to stay put, but when I look back, he’s followed her

out of the shop too.

Zander is still behind him, no doubt trying to be a very conspicuous wingman while downplaying Jacob’s injuries to Emerson.

“I have had news of a terrible attack done to one of our own.” She surveys the crowd. “Poor Evie North, a Healer , was clawed, burned, and nearly murdered .”

An echo of surprise and concern moves through the crowd. Carol’s gaze finds the little knot of us in the crowd. She smiles.

It isn’t kind.

“I’m so glad Emerson can engage in a wedding while we’re all being terrorized by a dragon,” she says, making sure it echoes through that speaker so she’s saying it to every single magical being alive.

“That attack was not done by a dragon, Carol,” Jacob says in a dark, if tired, voice, but he also uses the same magical speaker.

And Healers aren’t known for lies.

Unlike her.

But she is unfazed, as ever.

“Oh?” she returns, with a raised eyebrow and fake surprise all over her freakishly younger face. “That’s funny, because I heard that it was done inside the cemetery. Where, you might have heard, a dragon is imprisoned.”