Page 100 of The Unbound Witch

“I forgot how windy this place is.” Bastian blocked his eyes with his hand. “We’re going to need you to guide us as close to the Grimoires as you can. Remember that Endora and Dasha are both here with books. Do not cast unless your life depends on it. We’ll blend into the crowds and try to listen to the whispers. See if we hear anything about no casting, or the two witches we need.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You two aren’t going anywhere without being recognized. It’s a good thing we’re on the outskirts as it is.”

They shared an incredulous look and I couldn’t help my short laugh as I gestured to them with a single hand. “You’re literal giants. Practically baby trolls. Theyaregoing to notice you. It’s ingrained in our minds as children that shifters are larger. Plus, they’ve seen you, Bash. You’re not blending in. And I don’t need to follow the whispers, I can follow the Grimoires. I know they are in that direction.”

Bastian slumped his shoulders. “I can be a little smaller.”

“No, sir. You can’t.” I laughed again.

“What do you suggest, then?” Tor asked, lowering himself to the ground, so as not to be seen.

Bastian and I joined him and I wracked my brain for an idea. But there was only one and they weren’t going to like it.

“I’m going to have to go by myself. The Whisper witches keep their cloaks on all the time because of the wind. I can blend easily enough.”

“No. Absolutely not. Not with Endora nearby.”

“I’ll just go investigate. See what I can learn, where everything is, what people are saying. I’ll report back and we can make a plan from there.”

“Still a no,” he said, eyes narrowed. “I will not lose you to something so foolish.”

“She’s right and you know it, Bash.”

Tor’s agreement shocked and settled my resolve at the same time. I’d seen Bastian listen and take his advice on several occasions already. But the shifter had never balked at my ideas. Had never turned me down because Bastian was king. He was kind, fair, and brilliant. Level-headed when the rest of us were not. He’d grown on me so much, his presence always inspiring something within me to ground myself. To be calm. There were times when I found myself moving toward him in a room, just to feel that profound sense of tranquility.

I took a deep breath. “This is easy and something I can do. I’ve been mingling with them my whole life. I’ve basically trained myself to blend in when I don’t. They won’t be able to see that I’m missing markings. Any trouble and I’ll double back. I promise.”

Bastian’s teeth ground together as he covered his head with his arms and planted his face to the ground with a growl.

“I know where Dasha lives. I know where they gather. Why can’t we just go in hot and fast, grab the books and get out?”

“Bash …” Tor said, quietly. “You saw what happened with just a few swamp witches.”

Seconds ticked by. He knew he wasn’t going to win the argument, but he was desperate.

I scooted closer to him and lifted his chin until he was forced to look at me with those green eyes of Grey’s. “You wanted the witch with the fire to come back to you. I’m here now. And I’m ready to go. I won’t, if you don’t want me to, but I’m sure I can do this.”

“We have no other choice,” he ground out.

I blinked several times, letting those words settle in. He’d conceded. The all-mighty Dark King was letting a little Moon Coven witch go in by herself. Maybe he was a fool. But then I was too, so at least he was in great company.

“Just need to figure out how I’m going to get over there,” I said, pointing to the biggest island I could see. Though it wasn’t higher than the others, it was bordered with tall trees. There were several bulky isles, which I was sure held the vineyards and the homes of the witches. These small outlying ones probably saw few visitors.

“I can send you to a place closer in. One that’s got a bridge. You’ll have to follow it around several isles before you make it to the backside where there’s a path to get up. They sometimes have guards though, so you’re going to have to be careful.”

“How good is that lifting spell you have?” Torryn asked, studying the ground we lay upon. “The one that moves things.”

“It’s as strong as she is,” Bastian answered without pulling his eyes from me. “Flawless.”

Even full of nerves, even fighting for my safety, he still never wavered in his solid belief in me. If I could have crawled into his arms, I might have.

“Do you think you could move that boulder?” He pointed behind us, near a few trees.

“Sure. Do you want to use it to hide?”

“No. I think you should ride it over there. Get yourself up the wall and into the mass of people with magic instead of the bridge. It’ll draw less attention.”

I wouldn’t be the only one. Though we were far out from the main isles, we could see the small specs of witches, using whatever magic they had to move between the closer isles. Hardly anyone had taken the scattered bridges we could see.