Page 74 of Found in Obscurity

“Whenever you’re ready then,” his grandma said.

He looked down at Kit once more. The fox yipped at him softly, as if giving him that final push, and Lorin realized he didn’t have any reason to stall anymore.

It needed to be done.

“Okay,” he said to Kit. “You know where you need to be.”

Kit nosed at Lorin’s calf before hopping into the first pentagram, perching in the middle of it, his paw placed on the bone set there.

Lorin felt his stomach turn and he was glad he didn’t have to be the human vessel for Kit, because that would have meant touching the human bone on the other end. Absolutely not.

He took several benzoin resin pebbles and walked over, sitting down in between the two pentagrams, making sure he wasn’t touching either one. He placed the benzoin resin in a neat line leading from the edge of one pentagram to the other, creating a little path.

“Last chance to back out,” he said, looking around the room, and when nobody gave any sign of wanting to stop he pulled out a pack of matches and took one out.

With a quick flick of his wrist he lit the match and brought it down to the first benzoin pebble. The one closest to Kit. One final look at his familiar, and Lorin allowed the match to touch the resin, setting it on fire.

It was a flame unlike any other Lorin had seen. It looked like a child had drawn a candlelight—sharply defined and perfectly tear-shaped, bright orange in the middle and paler toward the edges. It grew in size and tilted to the side. Like a finger, reaching over to the next pebble.

Lorin took a steadying breath and whispered the incantation when the flame touched the second pebble, setting it on fire.

This flame was larger, just as sharp and defined as the first one, but bigger. The warmth of it could be felt around it if you were sitting close enough. And Lorin was. He could feel it touching the skin of his hands, warming them up.

He looked at Kit before the third flame could be lit. He still looked the same, but the flames reflected in his gorgeous eyes made him seem more…otherworldly than before. Like he was slowly stopping being a part of Lorin’s realm. Like something distant was taking over.

The third flame ignited.

Lorin repeated the incantation. Louder this time.

Kit shivered inside the pentagram. The third flame brought a scent with it, sharp and not entirely pleasant. Powerful like the plant the resin was collected from. Mysterious like the substance itself.

It reached over to the fourth pebble and lit it on fire.

Lorin chanted once more, his voice growing steadier, surer. The human bone in the second pentagram gave off a faint glow, but Lorin didn’t want to focus on that at all.

One last pebble.

One last chant.

He poured his all into it. Reached deep and convinced himself he was powerful enough to pull it off. A good enough witch to perform a ritual that had been lost for decades. He had to believe he could. He had to trust that the magic knew better than he did. It wouldn’t have allowed itself to be seen by him if it didn’t think him worthy.

He had no choice. He had to believe he was truly the witch he was destined to be.

The final pebble burned. The room lit up around them.

A spiritual pathway formed between the two pentagrams. Like a guide. A roadmap for Kit to follow.

Lorin looked at his familiar and caught the flicker of movement under his skin. Noticed the gentle flex of Kit’s muscles and the subtle groan he let out when his body started changing. Expanding.

The fur pulled back in. His paws extended into legs and arms. His face lost the fox features and gave way to the beautiful young man Lorin had the privilege to call his own.

Kit was there. His mate. His human. His familiar.

“Hi,” he breathed out, staring into Kit’s eyes, mesmerized by their beauty once more.

Kit opened his mouth to speak, and this time a tiny little croak managed to escape.

“H—” He clasped his palm over his throat after that, face contorted in pain. Lorin jumped to his feet and rushed to the table, grabbing the notebook and the pencil and bringing them both down.