Page 130 of The Unbound Witch
A woman from the trees screamed the name of the fallen, running into the fold as if she’d been terrified and hiding, but spurred by fury to leave her position. Bastian tried to catch her, but she was too fast. Another ran out. And then another. Until the ones that had been slain were nothing compared to those that descended upon us. A test, if anything, to see how we might fight, which powers we’d use.
Those above raced down the staggered cliffs to join us. We were effectively herded like sheep into a circle, our backs together as we faced off with the Forest Coven. Slowly rotating, studying the faces of each adversary. Atlas lunged, his massive jaws snapping at a witch that stepped too close. As if on cue, they all began casting, magic raining down on us, striking and missing.
With no other options, completely backed into a proverbial corner, I grabbed Bastian’s hand as I pulled the power of death from within me and fought back. The spell that felt like cheating. Like each time I used it, Death would find me easier and easier, hunting me from the afterlife.
Animals poured from the forest on Nym’s command. But it was not enough. We were not enough. The heavy fog grew thicker, and I could not focus on pushing it away and keeping myself safe from the spells that flew. Within minutes, we were nearly blinded, missing more than we were gaining.
“I can’t see through this fucking fog,” Bastian yelled, a witch struggling in his grasp.
I gave up my defense to bring in a gale force wind so strong, it pushed us along the ground, combatting the other witches’ blinding spell. The moment we could see each other, the world grew silent. They had vanished, disappearing into the forest once more. I jerked around, looking behind me, seeing nothing but the bodies on the mossy earth. Bastian buried his knife into the back of the witch he held and dropped her, his silver eyes scanning me from head to toe, absolute death on his face as he heaved.
“Where the fuck did they go?” Kirsi whispered, appearing beside me.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like this,” Atlas answered seconds after he shifted. “I can only smell the blood.”
“Maybe if you didn’t bathe in it that wouldn’t be the case,” Nym said, looking him over.
“I’ll keep that in mind next t—”
From nowhere, a spell struck the wolf, taking him instantly to the dirt.
“Atlas,” Kirsi screamed, racing for him.
But she wasn’t fast enough as his giant, limp body lifted and vanished into the forest. Bastian swore, running for him. One moment he was on his feet, shouting for his brother, and the next he was out cold, falling. My ears rang, the world slowing to a stop as I yelled his name, sprinting after him. Torryn’s strong arms came down around me, lifting me away as Bastian Firepool, the love of my life, was also yanked into the forest.
I bucked, kicking and yelling and fighting to get to him as the world remained silent and still. An ache formed in the back of my throat as something within me collapsed. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to cast on Torryn. Nym stepped into my view, grabbing my face and wrenching me back into this world of pain.
“We’ll get them. I swear it, but you have to stop. We do this our way only, not theirs. They’d take us one by one if we let them. We cannot let them.”
“Come out and fight me, you fucking cowards,” I screamed, still struggling in Tor’s arms until I began to cry. “You fucking cowards.”
I spun, letting Torryn hug me. Letting the gentle giant speak calm words into my ear until time ticked by at a normal pace.
“They need you in the forest because that’s where they are strongest. It was a trap. A very dangerous trap.”
“They’re in there.” My throat constricted, limbs growing heavy. “They could be killing them.”
“They knew what they signed up for,” Nym said. “We all did.”
Torryn lifted my chin, one hand still on my shoulder. “If you can promise you aren’t going to run into that forest like a damn maniac, I’ll check and see what I can from above.”
I nodded reluctantly. What choice did I have? “I promise. Go, Tor. Right now.”
We waited an eternity. And then another. Time and time again I looked into that forest, took a step, before letting Nym yank me back. I had no idea where Kirsi had gone, no idea where any of them were. And like some kind of fool, I stood there waiting for answers, for a plan from a shifter flying so high he must have been hiding in the cloud bank.
“They’re alive. It was only a sleeping spell.” Kirsi popped into view, floating out from the trees. “There’s a witch with them that can use the foliage to amplify the power of his friends. It’s better not to chase them, but cut them off. I didn’t show myself, so they don’t know we plan to follow.”
Torryn landed behind us, agreeing. “I found Xena Foresthale. She’s just over that pass,” he said, pointing. “These witches were left behind as defense while she raced forward with two others. I’m guessing they plan to deliver the others to Endora, along with the book.”
A pulse of lightning flickered down my skin. “Over my dead body.”
56
KIRSI
Green and green and so much damn green I could have gone out of my mind searching through the gaps ahead of us for signs of movement from the Forest Coven witches like a hound. Fucking trees covered with moss. Mountains covered with moss. The path of patchy rocks covered in moss. I hadn’t seen them the first time, but I’d be damned if that happened again. With Tor in the sky, diligent and watchful, and Nym racing beside us, riding her beast with my familiar strapped to her side while I hauled Raven, we covered more ground in minutes than we had in an hour with all of us walking.
It felt good to be moving again, racing along, but the scenery was so boring and repetitive I had to make mental notes just to be sure we weren’t getting lost, following the base of stupid green mountains. It wasn’t long until Raven hissed and Torryn was back with us. She’d seen something just as he had.