Page 108 of The Unbound Witch

I paused. Frozen entirely for one second. Two seconds. Nym moved to my side, reaching for my hand. “We will do the spell.”

“No,” Atlas raged. “We’ll die in this hole.”

“We have to try to save her,” I said, my eyes pleading with him.

We couldn’t do it without him. The spell required one shifter, one wraith, one witch. If he crawled up that hole and left us behind, we couldn’t go on.

“I’ll release you, Kir. I swear to you. If this is what you want, I will find a way,” he said, sadness in his voice. “You won’t be left alone here. I know that’s what you’re worried about, but I won’t let it happen. And we can find another way to get the answers for Nym. I’ll search the entire world for answers. I swear it.”

“Atlas,” I whispered, moving toward him. “We have to do this. We don’t have time to wait, and you know it.”

His massive shoulders rose and fell as he clenched his jaw. “Fine. But do it quickly. And you have to answer the Harrowing questions first,” he said, turning toward the wraith.

Her eyes glowed from within. “No. You must place the items first. I will not be fooled.”

“Then we aren’t helping you,” Nym said, casting until Talon was full sized. “You can take your answers and be damned to haunt this world forever.”

I moved my fingers into phantom hair, frustrated. “No. This is exactly what is wrong with our world. No one can trust each other. I’m not going to be part of that anymore.” I turned to Atlas. “You know how much you mean to me now. I hate you, but I love you. And every witch that condemns you for who you are is missing out on loving you, too.” I turned to Nym. “I’ve loved you since we were seven and you cast a snake, sending it up Zennik’s pant leg and forcing him to his knees. You are fierce and loyal, but you are also loving and would never see someone suffer if you can save them. We can save her.”

The isle jerked to the side and the two corporeal beings jerked their hands out to steady themselves as the sound of Talon’s claws scratching the rocky surface made me shudder.

“Make the circle,” Atlas whispered.

I could feel a steady heartbeat now. Not a phantom feeling, nor an echoed sound. It was there, truly. And those quiet words from Atlas nearly broke me.

Nym took two steps forward, placing the seed first at the northern point of the circles. The pyrophytic plant seed would only activate once covered in flame. She lifted her hand to cast, but the isle shifted again, sending the three of them tumbling.

“Damnit,” Atlas yelled. “Faster.”

He grabbed the waterfall stone and placed it closest to the waterfall. “This isle is falling. If it goes again, this is going out the fucking entrance. And then we move, spell be damned.”

“Agreed,” I yelled over the commotion outside, grabbing the whispering pearl and screaming as it seared my palm.

“Oh, you can’t touch that,” the wraith said as she watched us scramble. “It’s for the living only.”

The isle dropped several feet this time and with it, my composure. “Thanks for the fucking warning, asshole. If they drown in here, no one is going to be left to save you. Do you want to be freed or not?”

She swept around the room, looking out the cave entrance, the waterfall now completely gone. “Desperately.”

Nym grabbed the pearl and held it in her hands. “Move into the center, where the circles intersect, and I’ll begin.”

The wraith did as she was told. Atlas took his spot on the floor next to the fireseed and Nym cast once more, a golden hue of her magic filling the room as she placed the whispering pearl below the wraith. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out the dried fig, moon water, and earthworms. Each item was rushed into place and, as if the world felt the seance initiate, the screams from beyond silenced. The room sealed with magic. The world outside dropped again, but this heavy spell felt immune, though I knew it was not. Nothing moved. Nothing shifted. The power of the spell circle was electric.

“Answer the question,” Nym demanded, her eyes beginning to glow with power.

“Say the spell first,” the wraith countered.

“No.” I shifted toward the ethereal being. “You will answer. We’re all here, risking our lives and to help you. It’s time to follow through with your part of our bargain.”

The ghost looked down to the pearl and back to Nym before she turned to me. “The Harrowing can be stopped. Though several more innocents will likely die before you can manage and there’s no way to save your friend other than to hurry. Those that cast the spell mustallbe killed. Their blood gives life to the curse. Take away their lives, take away the curse. That is the answer you seek.”

Dread fell over me as I realized what she was saying. Endora would have to die and there was a good chance Nym would go before her.

The isle fell into complete free fall and Talon hunkered down at Nym’s feet. Within seconds, we crashed into the ocean.

“A spirit held and thrice released behind the veil atop the world. Unbound of spirit. Unbound of heart. Unbound of mind.”

Water seeped into the room, locked beyond the barrier of the spell, but rapidly growing. The wraith spread her hands, waiting for the spell to ooze over her, a smile on her lips. I wanted to be strong, to push away my desperate curiosity, but as half of the ghost vanished, knowing she’d be completely gone in less than a minute, I surged forward, into the circle.