Page 59

4

WILL

After a small rest to regroup from our long night kicking ass, we let Fran lead us to the secret caverns. Up until now, we haven’t known their exact location in case we'd gotten captured, and anyone who leaves lets themselves be spelled so they forget it. But with the house compromised, this is going to be our new base of operations.

Although I can’t imagine these caves will be nearly as pleasant as Callie’s house. I actually hope her place hasn’t burned down. I’d started thinking of it almost like a home.

Which was weird. I didn’t even see my own house as a home.

Maybe the firehouse...

But at least we had a place to go, because I doubted anywhere we visited frequently in town would be safe to go to right now, so we’d be screwed without the caves. We could’ve maybe called Sugar and found out where she managed to go when she “went away,” but she was currently on one of her mystery trips. Which meant she wouldn’t be answering her phone.

I want to be annoyed, but Sugar saved our ass too many times for me to be upset about her not being here for us this one time. Besides, not many dragon shifters got involved in witch business, as far as I knew, anyway.

The caves were it. Which means the sooner Callie defeats the king, the better. Then we can start going back to a normal life. Along with the rest of the town.

Well, whatever kind of normal came with Callie being queen.

"Phoebe and I discovered these caverns many years ago and enchanted them to look like more woods, too thick to try to go through," Fran says, her voice lingering on her dead lover's name. It's unfair to her, but I keep thinking of the dowager as Callie's grandmother before I think of her as Fran's partner, despite the fact that Fran knew her better and is probably struggling more with the grieving process.

Indeed, she walks us toward a copse of trees that look so overgrown and wild I would've walked around rather than tried to hack my way through, even with magic. It looks like way too much work. They wove their enchantments on this place well. There's barely even a magical trace around the area to give it away.

But when Fran touches the first tree, it melts away to reveal several more feet of sand leading up to a rock that disappears into the ground. The rock has a massive hole in it.

"Home sweet home," she says. "We were using the cave system on the far side of the town, but that was discovered. We figure they'll expect us to go somewhere totally different this time, so we tried another cave."

That makes sense. Almost like a fake-out. We amble into the cave, and the temperature drops significantly. When I see Callie shiver, I shrug out of my leather jacket and put it around her shoulders.

She turns back to me, and a tired smile lifts her mouth, a smile that reaches all the way to those startling blue eyes of hers. “Thank you.”

“No worries,” I say.

When Hank smirks at me, I look away from them both. Damn it. Why does he always seem to notice when I do something cheesy for Callie?

Callie’s eyes are back focused in front of her when Hank wraps an arm around my shoulder. “I think she put a spell on you.”

“And you,” I grumble.

He laughs. “You better believe it!”

I shrug off his arm, but we’re suddenly grinning like idiots. James looks back at us and lifts a brow, but I shove Hank before he starts spouting off things that will only make us all uncomfortable.

When we get to the bottom of the initial incline, we stop short and look up in awe. The cavern is full of crystals. Pure white and of every different size and shape, they sparkle from every surface. I follow the others in amazement as we gently touch one of the walls of crystals.

Instantly, I stiffen as a strange feeling rushes over me. Without thinking, I warm one of the crystals with my fire and feel its spirit inside.

These aren't regular crystals.

"How?" I ask.

Fran smiles. "They're like our little family. Or they were. We loved spending time here. It's a wonderful place to recharge and connect with the magic of the Earth."

Callie is mesmerized as she looks around the cavern. "They whisper to me," she murmurs. "I want to touch them."

"Reach out with your magic," Fran whispers, awe dripping from every word. She has a lot of respect for this place. As she should. "Feel the stones."

Callie closes her eyes and a few seconds later, the stones nearest us begin to glow in a rainbow of colors. I gape at them as she laughs in delight. "They're giving my power back to me stronger," she says. "Like enriching it."

Fran nods. "They like you. They used to respond to Phoebe the same way, glowing and giving her a small boost of energy." A sad smile stretches over her face at the memories.

Callie stays that way for several minutes, happily staring at the stones as they lit up one by one. The light reflects off her skin, making her look breathtaking. No one would be able to keep their eyes off her if they saw her like this. Add in the power aspect, and she could have anyone she wanted eating out of the palm of her hand. Eventually, she stops, and the stones fade.

"It's not a lot of power," she says, a little breathless despite the fact that she's been standing still.

Fran nods. "No, they aren't like precious gemstones. But they're so lovely."

Callie nods enthusiastically, and I find myself wishing I could connect with the stones like she can. But I don't have that kind of magic. I've never felt like I'm missing out on the other kinds before, but not being able to share this with Callie has driven home that I can't.

I push the thoughts aside. It doesn't matter. I have my own power and my own strengths. We all do. That's why we make the perfect team.

Fran leads us through a small stone corridor and into a large cavern. I get the feeling that this is only the start of the warren of caves that make up this place, but this is the main one in use. Firelight flickers around the walls, illuminating the bunk beds roughly hewn in one corner and a camp stove in another. The fires make up for the lack of crystals but give the place a surprisingly homey feel. Even before I get to the people. They're so numerous that they manage to make the huge cavern feel small, as if that should be possible.

"I didn't realize there were this many," I say out loud. Obviously, I knew there were a lot of people who came to us for protection, but it looks as if there's almost a third of the town's witch population here. More than I expected.

Fran nods and looks around. "They keep reaching out. Magically sending a message for Callie. I've been watching for the messages and the cries for help and intercepting them. Keeping them safe here until we can act against the king."

She leads us over to the sitting area. As we get closer to the bunks, I realize they're all full of sleeping people. We settle on a pile of blankets as someone takes Hank's dad and the others over to the kitchen area for drinks and a snack.

I take a moment to look around and try to spot my mom, but I can't find her. That's all right. I know she'll turn up at some point, and it's enough knowing she's here and safe.

"You sleep in shifts?" I ask, realizing the beds are full, yet other witches are all over the cavern, and every one of them is awake.

"We have to. The men build things during the day like more beds, but we only have so many blankets and mattresses that we've snuck from one empty house or another," Fran explains.

Callie's breath hitches, and I realize she's crying. Hank puts an arm around her, pulling her close. She sighs in relief, and I can relax knowing he's got her. The last thing I want is for Callie to feel pain.

And, of course, she is. One of the reasons she'll be a fantastic queen is because of the compassion she has for everyone. No one will suffer if she can help them avoid it.

She sniffs and wipes some of the tears from her eyes. "All these people are living like this for me," she says. The words come out stronger than I expect them to. Another reason she'll make a good ruler. I've never met anyone as smart or as strong as she is.

"Let me give all of us some privacy." Fran waves her hand, muttering a few words I remember Hank's mom using when she wanted to talk to his dad or one of his siblings without us eavesdropping. I wish I'd asked her to teach us it.

A pang of worry travels through me at the thought of her. She did as much parenting for me as she did for her own children. I hope we can get to her in time, and not just for Hank's sake.

"There," Fran announces. "Nobody can hear us now. No, child, it's not for you. It's for themselves. They're here because they'd rather live like this than continue to live under Robert's tyrannical rule. It is their choice to be here, and it will be their choice to fight. You don't get to take all the blame, or all the credit, or all the guilt."

Callie shakes her head. "Of course not. I don't expect to be able to do this alone, but if I hadn't come back?—"

I put my hand on her arm. "They'd still be oppressed and miserable."

Her eyes widen, and she sucks in a shuttering breath. "Okay. Yeah. This is temporary and will all be better soon, and I'll make sure all these people are well taken care of." She only half believes it, but that's better than not at all. So many people would have it so much worse if she wasn't around.

"As you will all your subjects, even the ones that are too scared to speak out," Fran says.

"After those witches destroyed our ward and overpowered us so easily, I'm no longer sure it’ll be easy to win. I just thought I'd go to the solstice, and the magic would choose me." Callie looks to Fran for guidance and wisdom. Hell, I hope she's got some of that for us, too.

"You are the apple of your grandmother's eye for more than one reason." Fran pats Callie's hand. "Your grandmother was so tied to the magic of the Earth that I wasn't convinced she wasn't a modern-day goddess. Those stones in that cavern never lit up for me like that, but they always did for my Phoebe."

Callie's face softens. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. And you’re just like her."

"I've thought I felt the woods calling me," Callie whispers. "This morning, I almost went into the woods alone because such a strong force compelled me to."

Fran's face lights up. "That's wonderful. You're really coming into your magic. Did it feel like the epitome of goodness luring you?"

Callie laughs and nods. "Yes. Like if I found it, I'd bask in a heavenly power."

Fran grabs Callie's hands while we all look on in amazement. "You must go to the stones. Connect with them again as soon as you can. You will find that euphoric power there. If you're powerful enough now, it’ll work." She sucks in a deep breath. "But if it doesn't. I promise you, Callie, I will take these people away. We'll find somewhere safe. I don't know what kind of life it will be, but I will do everything I can to keep them safe. I promise you that."

Callie nods with wide eyes but doesn't respond. What should she say to something like that?

Hank's dad catches our attention, and Hank runs off to talk to him. James follows, saying he wants to inspect the wards, even though we all know they're perfectly secure. Fran gets up after him and chastises him for suspecting her wards might not be good enough. Their voices fade as they good-naturedly rib each other about wards. It's all a front, anyway. They're giving Callie a moment. One I can share with her.

Callie stays on the blankets beside me, looking overwhelmed.

I hold out my arm, and she snuggles into my side.

"This is a mess," she whispers after a moment.

"Fran is right, though." I rub my hands up and down her arm as she tucks her head into the hollow of my shoulder and looks around the cavern. "You're something special."

"I don't know why. I'm half-human. Shouldn't I be weak?" She sighs, and I know she wishes she had all the answers.

"Maybe you got powers from what you endured as a child. Maybe you're just such a fan-fucking-tastic person that the magic decided to bless you. All I know is that you're the most powerful witch I've ever met, and you're barely tapping into your potential."

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I smile down at her. "I can't wait to see all you do."