Page 7

After we came up with a plan, the demon hunters left. We agreed to call them back when we had the crystal.

Levi, Lacey, Abbie, and even Maggie and Gwen started talking about the crystal and the demon, and researching more, and finding a way to make the cuffs stronger.

“We have to do this now,” I blurted out.

They all turned to me and I glanced around the dim warehouse, meeting each of their eyes in turn.

“But the cuffs—” Abbie started.

“Just infuse more magic in it right now,” I said.

“And—”

I lifted a hand. “I’m serious. I’m tired of sitting here and just researching and waiting. We finally have something tangible in front of us, a real something to do that will move the needle forward. Please, don’t make me wait.”

The shine in their eyes showed me they understood my plea.

Levi crossed his arms. “All right, but we need to do a quick plan.” I opened my mouth to argue. “No, I mean it, sweetheart. We need to find out exactly where we are going, what we will encounter, and how long it might take. We need to eat and pack.”

“He’s right,” Lacey said. Of course she would back her brother on this. “Thirty minutes. One-hour tops. Then we can get going.”

Abbie nodded.

Maggie nodded too. Abbie groaned as she turned to Maggie. “No. I know that look. You’re not coming, Maggie. It’s too dangerous.”

“I have to,” Maggie insisted, her voice sharper than I’d ever heard it. “It’s my vision. I saw the cave, the path, the crystal. You need me to guide you. I can do this, Abbie.”

Abbie’s frown deepened, and she turned to me, a silent plea in her eyes.

But I shook my head. “Sorry, Abbie, but I think Maggie is right. If she really saw the path there, we need her … she should come with us.”

“Fine,” Abbie said, but her tone was tight with worry. “But you promise me this, Maggie: if things go bad, you stay back. Run to safety. No arguments.”

Maggie hesitated, then nodded. “I promise.”

Abbie let out a shaky sigh, and we moved into action.

Well, they acted. I just watched from the circle, itching to help.

Abbie sent a protesting Gwen back to the hall, then she helped Lacey and Abbie fortify the cuffs.

Meanwhile, Levi called the warlocks to see if anyone of them could come to open a portal for us.

About thirty minutes later, we were almost ready. Aspen and Boise had arrived and talked to Maggie and Levi about locating the place in her vision. After some spells, Aspen and Boise were pretty sure they could take us there—wherever there was.

When everyone was really ready, Lacey came to the circle with the cuffs. “Sorry. I know they are uncomfortable.”

I extended my arms to her. “Better than exploding my friends.”

She winced and I sighed, hating my failed joke.

With the cuffs secure around my wrists, I started taking my first step over the circle and hesitated. What if the moment I crossed over, the magic surged up and I couldn’t control it?

Levi stood tall, his sure eyes on mine. He tipped his chin once. His trust in me was all I needed. With a deep breath, I crossed the circle and almost did a shimmy dance when nothing happened.

Just the constant hum of that strange power taunting me.

“Everyone ready?” Aspen asked.

All six of them looked at me.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, my voice steady despite the sudden growing jittery feeling in my chest.

As if a switch had been turned on, my magic started thrashing beneath the surface, eager to break free, but I shoved it down, focusing on the task at hand. We had one shot at this, and I couldn’t afford to lose control now.

With a murmur of words, Aspen opened the portal. The air shimmered, and a purple sheet of magic appeared. I took a deep breath, then stepped forward into the portal, feeling the world twist and bend around me.

We emerged in a dense forest, the air thick with the scent of pine and wet earth. The ground beneath my boots was soft, covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves. Above us, the canopy was so thick it blocked out most of the sky, casting long shadows across the forest floor.

Maggie adjusted the straps of her backpack, looking around as if comparing the scenery to what she’d seen in her vision. “We need to head east,” she said, pointing toward a trail that wound through the underbrush. “It’ll get steeper before we reach the clearing.”

We fell into formation, with Levi leading the way and Maggie close behind him. Because of my unstable magic, I was put in the middle, while Aspen carried the rear, keeping an eye on the shadows that moved between the trees.

There was a sense of unease in the air, the kind that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I could tell the others felt it too—every snap of a twig had us on edge.

As we hiked deeper into the forest, the trees grew closer together, their trunks twisted and gnarled as if some unseen force had shaped them.

Mist curled around our ankles, thickening with every step until it swallowed the ground beneath our feet.

The air grew cooler, carrying with it a faint, metallic scent that reminded me of old blood.

“This place isn’t natural,” Lacey murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper. “It’s like someone doesn’t want us here.”

“No kidding,” Levi muttered. “Stay sharp, everyone. We’re not alone.”

I tried to ignore the way my heart pounded in my chest. My magic shifted inside me, reacting to the unease that settled over the group, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep it in check. Now wasn’t the time to lose control.

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a clearing where the mist thinned, revealing a large, moss-covered stone half-buried in the earth.

Maggie paused, staring at the stone, then turned to a tree nearby, its trunk twisted into a shape that almost resembled a clawed hand. Her breath quickened, and she nodded.

“This is it. The cabin should be close.”

We pressed forward, pushing through a dense thicket until the outline of a cabin emerged from the shadows.

It was small and weathered, its wooden boards warped and darkened with age.

Vines crept up the walls, curling around the windows like fingers.

The air around it felt heavy, like it was pressing down on my shoulders.

Levi stepped forward, testing the door, which swung open with a creak that echoed through the clearing. “Anyone home?” he called, his voice cutting through the silence. “We’re here for a chat about magical crystals and hidden caves.”

When no response came, we cautiously entered the cabin, checking each room. Dust coated every surface, and the furniture was covered in a layer of grime, as if no one had set foot inside for years.

“Looks empty,” Boise said, wrinkling his nose as he brushed cobwebs away from a bookshelf.

“Well, we’re not here for the decor,” Aspen replied. He glanced at Maggie, who had wandered to the back of the cabin, her eyes distant. “What else did you see?”

Maggie’s expression sharpened, and she pointed toward a narrow door at the back of the cabin. “Through here. There’s a path behind the cabin that leads to the cave.”

We followed her out the back door and into the thick undergrowth beyond.

True to her vision, there was a hidden path, barely visible beneath layers of tangled roots and overgrown foliage.

The air grew colder, a chill seeping through my jacket and into my bones.

It wasn’t just the temperature—it was the sense that something ancient and powerful lurked nearby.

The path opened into a rocky hillside, where a jagged cave mouth gaped in the earth like a wound. Moss and ferns hung down over the entrance, hiding it from view, but Maggie’s hand was steady as she pointed at it.

“This is it. The crystal is inside.”

Just as we stepped toward the cave entrance, a shadow passed over us, blotting out what little light seeped through the trees. My head snapped up, and my blood ran cold.

There was our dragon.