Page 109 of The Unbound Witch

Nym screamed and Atlas growled in frustration.

“Can I become a witch again? Please, if you know, you must tell me.”

The pull at the bottom of my form was immense. A sliver of blissful peace crept upward. I pushed away the desire as I reached for the wraith, failing to grip her ghostly hair, wishing she would look me in the eyes.

“Answer me!”

“You’ll need a much older wraith for that answer, witch. Seek Meliora within the cliffs of Fiannah.”

“Why do you call me a witch?” I asked as I realized I couldn’t hear Nym’s scream.

“Not awitch, girl.”

“I don’t understand.”

She laughed, pushing me out of the circle, that pull on my lower half being sucked away. “You have never been a wraith. You are simply a wish.”

43

KIRSI

All this time. All this time, I’d thought I was just like them. I’d seen the differences and not seen them at all. I refused. In many ways, appearance mostly, I was absolutely a wraith. But I also wasn’t. I wasa wish. Raven’s wish. Somehow that made being here less like a jagged knife in the heart. Whatever the rules were for me, Icouldfeel things. Ididcare when it was so obvious the wraiths were lacking such a depth of emotion. Their only solace in this world was gossip. We were not the same.

The spell circle dropped, and water rushed over us, bringing me back to the present disaster. The isle was sinking.

“I’m going to bring you back to life just to kill you myself, Kirsi Moondance,” Nym shouted, wading in water that rose to her chin. “If you want to leave so badly, then you should have just gone.”

The hurt in her voice was devastating. She hadn’t heard what I’d asked the wraith. Hadn’t heard the answer I was given. She thought I wanted to leave her, and I didn’t have time to correct her as she moved toward the upper hole to leave the cave.

“No time for threats,” Atlas roared, swimming in the rising water that sat nestled under his chin. “Up. Get up and out of here, now.”

I shot straight through the ground, circling to help them out of the hole. Talon went first, his great claws digging deep valleys in the dirt as he pulled his soaked body from the cave ceiling. Nym came next, struggling as she fumed, but managing as Atlas pushed her from behind. By the time the pup got himself free, the top of the island was sopping wet. It was sinking into the ocean, and we were the only ones left. The waves crested, shoving into their legs as we raced for higher ground.

“Take Nym and get the fuck out of here,” Atlas yelled as they ran.

Nym cast, leaning down to scoop up tiny Talon.

“I can take you both,” I shouted over the crash of waves.

“No,” Atlas yelled. “This isn’t just a few hops from isle to isle, Kir. It’s too dangerous and you have no idea how much you can handle.”

“I can do this,” I insisted, stopping in front of him.

He shook his head, ashy white hair falling across his scarred brow. “No, Kirsi. I won’t negotiate. Take Nym and go.”

“Atlas,” I began.

But instead of listening, he shifted into that beautiful white wolf and darted away, leaping into the tumultuous ocean. The pull of the isle sinking to the bottom of the sea would drown him. But I couldn’t leave Nym behind to save him, either. My newly discovered heart shattered into a million pieces as I surged forward, scooped that angry witch into my arms, and lifted her off the isle.

She tried to push at me, to scream for Atlas, but I hardened my resolve and raced for land.

“You were going to leave. You don’t get to save me after you were going to leave me again, Kirsi Moondance,” she bellowed.

I looked down, trying to see the snowy fur somewhere below as we moved. “I wasn’t trying to leave you. I was trying to stay.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you about it later. Help me look for Atlas.”