Page 5

Chapter Four

Nine years and four months ago…

The Litha celebrations were well underway by the time Ena finished her chores and made it to the Sacred Grove.

Witches from the Aquilo Coven, their closest allies, were there, as were visitors from several nearby mortal villages, and other travelers from farther away who were passing through to attend the gathering.

They had all been filtering in slowly over the last week and their makeshift camps now extended deep into the forest surrounding the village, filling the air with campfire smoke and the sounds of voices laughing and chatting.

All these visitors were putting a strain on her Coven’s hosting capacity, and Ena’s chores had increased tenfold.

For the last several hours, she’d been busy hauling extra water from the river, since the witches’ magic could only produce so much, and harvesting and preparing foods and potions for trade.

But there was an undeniable energy in the air that Ena loved, and she was intoxicated on all the new faces and signs.

It was late afternoon when Ena finally arrived to wander among the revelers milling about in the clearing in the middle of the Grove.

The lively music was loud and drowned out the constant rush of the nearby River Wry.

The birds and animals that dwelled in the forest had long ago removed themselves to quieter trees and hovels, their everyday noises replaced by fiddles, drums, flutes, and a cacophony of voices.

The rumble of so many people laughing and talking created an underlying hum that seemed to resonate in the earth, and the feel of it vibrated through her.

Ena made her way over to the edge of the clearing which housed giant barrels of mead, ale, and wine sitting side by side on stands next to a large wooden table groaning with the abundant foods of early summer.

Ena perused the fresh berries, cheeses, pea and leek fritters, roasted asparagus, and various baked savory breads and sweetcakes with interest, noting several items to try later.

One of the visitors from Tyndell had brought a large sow all the way just for the occasion, and the smell of it roasting on a spit over the simmering fire filled the air.

Ena watched as the juices dripped down into the coals, wafting up to create a delectable steam.

After filling a wooden mug with ale, Ena turned to casually observe the madness.

Over near the musicians and dancers, she saw Greya and her friend Thyla, already deep in their cups, laughing and talking to some mortal boys.

Perse stood in the group, too, and she noticed the way his eyes never seemed to stray from Greya.

Perse was tall and thin, with long, chestnut-brown hair tied back in a low ponytail and large hazel eyes.

It was painfully obvious to Ena how in love with Greya he was, especially given how close he was standing to her, as if he could shield her from other male attention.

But while Perse was tall, his demeanor was kind and unintimidating, so it was definitely not detracting the other boys from flirting openly.

Ena rolled her eyes, wondering when he would get up the courage to make his feelings known.

Smiling to herself, Ena let her eyes roam over the rest of the gathering.

Despite the heat and mugginess of the late afternoon, witches and mortals of all ages were talking, dancing, and laughing—celebrating the triumph of the light on the longest day of the year.

It would be hours before the sun would set, and the air was alive with the signs of life.

Distracted by all the goings on, Ena didn’t hear the young man’s approach.

“Hey.”

Ena turned her head and was met with the face of the most gorgeous boy she’d ever laid eyes on.

He was tall, enough that she had to tilt her head upward to meet his gaze.

And what a gaze it was. His eyes were mostly light green, the same color as the new growth on the pine trees, with a dark-green ring around them.

They were framed by dark lashes and heavy brows that were just a shade darker than his light-brown hair.

Dragging her gaze up, she saw his hair was slightly mussed, and had grown to a shaggy length that made him appear unkempt in a delicious way.

His face was clean-shaven and the sharp line of his jaw could cut glass.

On top of all that, he was smiling at her with impossibly straight teeth.

“H-hi,” she replied, caught off guard.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked, with the calm confidence of someone who was clearly used to hearing yes.

Something about that sense of unwarranted assuredness made her bristle. She was not one to fall at a boy’s feet, no matter how cute.

“You don’t even know my name and you want me to dance with you? What if I’m a horrible dancer?”

“Are you?” he asked, those dark brows rising in challenge.

“No, I’m an excellent dancer.”

“Great, so dance with me.”

Ena scoffed. In all honesty, she was so flustered by his attractiveness that her heart was beating out of her chest, and she didn’t quite know what to do.

“I can’t. I already promised I’d dance with someone else.”

It wasn’t a lie. Cris, a witch from the Aquilo Coven visiting for Litha, had found her early this morning gathering water from the river and had asked her to save him a dance at the celebration.

But he was currently occupied playing a rowdy game of Three Covens with several other boys their age, and given the way they were all shouting and throwing their cards down on the table, he likely wouldn’t even notice if she did dance with someone else.

“Alright, then,” he replied, but he made no move to walk away. The way he was looking at her was so intense, staring right into her eyes and hardly blinking, as if he was a predator locked on his prey.

“Okay, so…bye.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile and walked away.

What in the Underworld was that? Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

Gaia, she was an idiot. Why didn’t she say yes?

It would have been so easy to just say, “Yes, actually, I’d love to dance with you.

Please dance with me all night long and keep smiling at me while I stare at your face.

” Okay, well, maybe not that last part, but the first part would’ve been the wise choice.

She was all at once mortified for being so awkward and mad at herself for missing such a wonderful opportunity. Not looking back, she went to refill her cup—with wine this time—and made her way over to Greya.

Her sister’s face lit up as she approached. “Hey there. Having fun?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s so busy. Lots of visitors for the gathering this year!

” she said hurriedly, and even she noticed the slight hint of mania in her voice.

Sweat was dripping down her back all of a sudden, which was to be expected given the heat of the day, but she was keenly aware of it, and quickly took a drink of her wine.

“I saw you talking to that boy over there. Who is he?” Greya asked, gesturing to the young man who had approached her, who was now over by the table of food talking to a few older men whom she also didn’t recognize.

“Oh, him? Yeah, I don’t know. A traveler, I guess. Probably a mortal from Northumbra or Tyndell. He asked me to dance.”

“Did you say yes?” Greya asked, giving her a look and smiling ear to ear.

“No, obviously not, because I’m standing here with you.”

“Oh, okay. And why didn’t you say yes?”

“I don’t know, he’s a stranger. And he just came up to me out of nowhere. I bet he’s asking every girl at the gathering.”

Dragging her gaze away from Greya, it landed on the boy once again.

Well, “boy” was maybe not the right term.

He looked to be close to Ena’s own age of seventeen, maybe a year or two older.

She watched as his group was approached by two witches in their early twenties who were a part of the same Coven as Cris.

The boy was smiling and talking to one of them.

His eyes flicked up briefly to make eye contact with Ena, who was openly staring at him.

She quickly looked away and refocused on Greya.

“See?” she said. “He’s already chatting up that witch from the Aquilo Coven. And besides, I told Cris I would dance with him.”

“Speaking of…” Greya’s eyes peered over Ena’s shoulder. Turning around, she saw Cris approaching her.

“Hey, Ena, ready for that dance?” he asked, smiling widely at her and extending his hand.

Cris was cute. He had a friendly face, with fair blond hair cut short to his head and kind blue eyes.

He was easy to talk to, and she’d always felt safe with him.

Their Covens, Aquilo and Auster, were allies.

They were both located along the Chasm Road, the main trade route that ran parallel to the Chasm Mountains, with Aquilo to the north, and her own Coven, Auster, to the south.

Members from each Coven often visited the other, so she’d known him since she was a child.

“Sure, Cris.” Ena smiled back. Taking his hand, they moved to the space in front of the musicians that was packed with dancers.

Without preamble, he grabbed her hands and spun her around.

Cris was a good dancer, and Ena soon found herself laughing and stomping her feet to the music with him.

Still, she couldn’t help but notice when the boy from before entered the dance floor, too, accompanied by a blonde witch from the Aquilo Coven named Lylith.

Purposefully avoiding his gaze, she focused on Cris.

One song turned into the next, and the next, and soon she was drenched in sweat and in desperate need of a drink. Explaining as much to Cris, she walked away to fill her cup.