Page 94 of The Unbound Witch

She straightened, the fire in her eyes lighting. “I’m here. Let’s go.”

“Invisible,” he commanded, and she listened as we stepped through the second door.

It was weird, crossing one plane and appearing in the next in an instant, but it was stranger in the same lands, only the space of a short jog ahead of where we were. We could only go small spaces at a time, searching for the witches. Faster than running but still unsettling.

“We’re closing in on the books,” I panted as we ran. “They’re probably the length of Gravana Lake from us right now.”

“Do I want to know how you know that?” Kirsi asked, slowly.

“No.”

When Bash cast the next door, it took us further ahead. So far, in fact, we landed beneath a group of huts, hoisted on stilts. Torryn stepped out right behind us, having left Nym to Eden’s magic, looking around wildly with a curved dagger in his hand.

“Good for now,” Bastian whispered. “But at the end of this bridge above us is a larger building. Circe Rivervale’s home. I’m guessing she’s in there with the Grimoires.”

“And Willow,” I said, eyeing the place I thought Kirsi to be as she brushed my arm.

“I can pop up there and take a look,” she offered.

“That place has probably got barriers to the gills, and wraiths are no exception to them.”

“Oh, that’s what she did to me.” Kir nodded. “One of the swamp witches cast and it threw me backward. She must have cast a barrier outward, and it struck me.”

“I’m sure you’re right. And that hut over there,” Bastian pointed to the one left of where we were, “has got a spirit blessed witch inside with an alligator familiar. Sometimes she lets him loose in the swamp, so keep your heads up.”

“Imagine snuggling that at night,” Kirsi answered, still invisible.

“There aren’t any barriers,” I said, straightening myself up. “They’ve got both the books, and everything is normal here right now. They haven’t cast.”

“They could have had the barriers up and placed the books inside like I did,” Bastian countered.

“I don’t think they would have taken that risk.”

“Well, I’m not willing to find out unless we have to,” Bash answered. “Are you?”

I shook my head.

Moments passed as we listened to the footsteps move back and forth over the bridge, saw the shapes of people moving about through the cracks and gaps in the wood. No one spoke above, though. Whatever they were doing, it was silent.

“Hey,” Kir whispered. “They’ve got Atlas in the hut with the red lantern by the door, and the witches are evacuating this area on Circe’s command. No one is allowed to speak or cast magic anywhere near this place.”

I threw my hands on my hips. “You went up there?”

“You said you weren’t willing to take the risk, so I did.”

“How did you find out if they aren’t talking?”

“Oh, no. They’ve been told not to speak, but whoever the two in that hut over there are, they’re quite chatty.”

“You’re going to get yourself in a world of trouble one day,” Torryn said with a smile.

“You’re right. I could die. I’d better stop.”

The smile on Grey’s face took me back for a moment. Before he was Bastian. When he was just the king’s messenger riding in a carriage. For all the heavy happening right now, there was such a playful side to him that really spoke to Kir. They could have been the best of friends. Before the world broke and we were tasked to fix it.

“Thanks for going, Kir.”

Tor moved in. “I’ll go after Atty. You see if you can get to the coven leaders.”