Ashlynn sank to the ground next to them and touched her palm to the seer’s forehead, then moved her fingers to Faith’s head, looking for something to explain her state. “Faith? Faith, can you hear me? What happened?” she asked Cian.
“I’m not sure,” he murmured, frowning. There was nothing he could see or sense causing this. As her body began to shake, he called out for help, loud enough that some of those closer to the forest heard and raced over.
But the milky substance in Faith’s eyes had begun to clear as they arrived and she blinked, clearing away the remnants. She struggled to sit up, so Cian kept his hand pressed to her back just in case.
“Are you alright?” Ashlynn asked, her tone worried.
Faith rubbed her face, which was drawn in exhaustion, showing her true age. “Yes, I’m fine.” She moaned as she climbed to her feet with Cian’s help. “It’s the locator spell I cast days ago.” Her head lifted and Cian saw a steely glint replace the weariness. “It worked. It’s finally complete. Which means she must have let down her wards for a brief moment. Long enough for me to get in.”
Ashlynn gasped. “You mean…”
Faith nodded to them with a triumphant grin. “I know where Serena is.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ashlynn couldn’t make her feet move fast enough.
Her heart raced as quickly as her mind as she ran back to the Jeep with Faith and Cian. What were they doing? Running into the face of danger without any assistance or plan? Faith had seen Serena in the middle of the woods near an old cave, far from the outskirts of town, far from any possible help.
“You’re sure she was alone?” Ashlynn asked Faith as they jumped inside the vehicle and slammed the doors. They were off before Ashlynn could even get her seatbelt on.
Faith focused on the road. “I’m not sure. I think so.”
Ashlynn leaned back in her seat and prayed to the old gods, hoping the seer was right. “Let’s hope so,” she whispered, pressing her hand against the small life growing inside her. It was strange, this feeling of protectiveness she felt after only minutes of being aware. Her mother’s assurances that one day she’d understand came back to her with sudden clarity.
Cian’s hand crawled across the space between them and grasped her hand tightly. She looked to him and smiled, offering reassurance to herself as much as to him. They were going to be okay. They were going to find Serena and finally get back the stolen grimoire that held the key to putting an end to the curse.
They had to.
It seemed to take forever, but they finally came to a screeching halt near the edge of a treeline and jumped from the Jeep as the dust from the dirt road began to settle in the air around them.
“She’s through these trees, near the mouth of an old cave,” Faith told them and then heaved a nervous sigh. “It’s now or never. I don’t know why but I know it’s true. We might never get another chance to grab her.”
“We trust you,” Cian replied emphatically, taking Ashlynn’s hands. “But maybe you should stay here.” His gaze fell to her stomach. “The baby. Faith and I, we can handle her.”
Ashlynn stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. She wanted to keep their miracle safe, gods knows she wanted that more than anything, but she couldn’t just stay behind. She needed to fight for her man’s safety. Masilda had given everything she was to save him and their people, she could do no less. She lifted her chin and looked Cian straight in the eye. “I’ll stay behind you but I’m going. The safest place for me and our child is by your side. Saving your soul is our priority.”
He stared down at her, uncertainty darkening his eyes, then he took a deep steadying breath and nodded. He squeezed her hand and said, “Together.”
They moved into the forest together, with Faith at the lead, followed by Cian and Ashlynn. They moved quickly, quietly, knowing Serena probably knew they were coming but each feeling the urgency of the moment in their own way.
Ashlynn’s mind was caught up in thoughts of all that could go wrong. Serena had possessed Feldham’s grimoire all this time, who knew what sort of magic she had up her sleeve. The ancient seer had been known for dabbling in the dark arts, playing with forces beyond even the greatest witch’s abilities.
Her lungs protested as the three of them whipped through the trees.
Finally, they broke through the treeline. The setting sun cast the clearing in an eerie shade of orange and purple. In the distance, the base of the mountain range that surrounded their little valley touched the ground and mixed the shadows of rock with grass. A small fire crackled near the mouth of a large cave, and a figure stood with their back to them.
Serena.
Ashlynn would know her anywhere. That blonde hair, the way she carried herself, the way her tiny shoulders carried so much strength. Serena’s head cocked to the side as she heard them approaching and she slowly turned. Her face poised and calm, almost…expecting.
“Well, it’s about time you all showed up,” she greeted them with a sneer. Serena held up an open book sprawled across her palms. The grimoire. “I’m just doing some light reading.”
“That doesn’t belong to you,” Faith said in a cold tone as she took a careful step forward.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Serena replied, lifting the book so it hovered over the open fire. “One wrong move and this becomes kindling. Capiche?”
“Please,” Ashlynn begged, casting her pride out with the desperate need to save Cian’s soul. “Just give us the grimoire. Let me heal Cian. If there’s any sliver of love left for him in your dark heart, you’ll let me save him.” She wished for hope, for some proof of a soul in Serena’s eyes, and saw none.
“Save him?” Serena cawed. Her eyebrows raised. “Honey, you’re the one who’s ruining him. This curse is a blessing in disguise. In a few days, he’ll be the ruler he was always meant to be. Next to me.”
“No,” Faith jumped in. “He won’t. We found a way to keep the curse at bay. You might have your hooks in him but we’re strong enough to fight you off indefinitely now.”
Serena looked genuinely surprised as her gaze moved from Faith’s to Cian’s, then narrowed in on Ashlynn. “You,” she growled menacingly and took a step forward.
Protective rage roared to life inside Ashlynn. Her jaw clenched as she registered Serena’s threat, to her, Cian, and their child. Power surged to life inside her, suddenly and forcefully. She let it slick over her skin, surrounding her in a layer of added protection.
Serena glared with barely contained rage in her eyes and formed a ball of red electrical power in her free hand, still holding the grimoire just above the flames.
“Serena, that’s enough!” Cian bellowed, stepping in front of Ashlynn. “You can’t win. ”
“No, you listen to me!” she cut in angrily as she gripped the leather text tightly. The red magick dissipating and absorbing back into her skin. “She ruined everything. We could have had it all, Cian. We could have ruled over our people together. Shared the power that came with the title, with our union. I wanted us to bring everyone to their knees and help raise a new clan of travellers, free from the reign of old monarchs and our stupid ancient ways. But, no!” She glared at Ashlynn. “This bitch had to come falling out of the sky and take you away from me!”
“Ashlynn did no such thing, and you know it,” Cian replied. “I never loved you like that. We were just doing what were told to do. For our people.”
Serena guffawed. “For our people.” She sauntered around the fire, fanning it with the grimoire. “I spent my entire life doing what was best for my people and look where it’s got me. I went from future queen to outcast overnight. Our people follow outdated laws and ancient traditions not fit for this world. It’s time for a change!” Her eyes flashed wildly as she raved.
“Serena, please,” Cian begged again, and Ashlynn’s heart sank as he took a few steps toward Serena. The last time he’d been this close to her, she’d almost killed him. She watched, forcing her hand to remain by h
er sides in case Serena see and discover their new secret. “You’re better than this. Just…hand over the grimoire. We can end this right here, right now. I’ll make sure you get the help you need. Nothing bad will happen to you.” Ashlynn held her breath and prayed Cian’s words would work.
Serena regarded Cian curiously, seeming to mull over his words as he neared with his hand held outstretched. Ashlynn’s breath came in shallow gasps. Was he actually getting through to her?
“Remember when we were kids? How inseparable we were?” Cian continued. “You’re like a sister to me. You’re family.”
“Family?” Serena repeated in a quiet voice, lowering her eyes to the fire.
Cian nodded with a hesitant smile. “Yeah. But family doesn’t do this. They don’t hurt one another.”
Ashlynn chewed her lip nervous as she exchanged a glance with Faith and then watched as Cian continued to break down the walls Serena had built up around her.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” he told her. “You know I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll figure this out.”
Serena held the grimoire in her hand, tested its weight, eyed it thoughtfully. Then, suddenly, just as Ashlynn expected her to turn it over, she raised her gaze and grinned evilly.
“You think I’m that naïve?” she asked rhetorically with a sneer, then tossed the book in the fire.
“No!” Ashlynn cried out and dove forward, toward the flames, desperate to save the grimoire and Cian. She called to her magicks and braced as it slammed into her, coming from all directions, all elements. She wasn’t ready for the power, she knew it on a primal level, but she had no choice. Praying for control, Ashlynn shoved everything she had toward Serena, knocking the bitch back, away from the fire, and onto her ass. Ashlynn reached into the fire, ignoring the searing flames that snapped at her skin, and grabbed the grimoire from the fire pit.
It flared in her hands, flaming brightly, too hot for normal fire. It would be lost to them within seconds, Ashlynn realized frantically as her skin bubbled and burned.
The scent of her own burning flesh hit Ashlynn’s nose and she screamed. Her magic pressed insistently against her mind, beating against her control until she could take no more. A brilliant light flashed, covering her body, washing her with soothing calm, and extinguishing the unnatural fire in an instant.
Faith stormed forward and towered over Serena. Her face contorted with rage. “Are you insane? That book is one of our oldest pieces of history! How dare you!”
Serena scrambled to her feet and the ground shook as she threw up a ward around her. The hairs on the back of Ashlynn’s neck stood on end as the blonde sorceress cackled with maniacal laughter. “Have your precious counter spell,” she ground the words out through gritted teeth and backed away as she fished something from her coat pocket. A piece of paper, Ashlynn saw. Serena fanned it in front of her face and grinned. “I found something far better in that old book, anyway.”
It only took a moment for Ashlynn to realize Serena had torn a passage from Feldham’s grimoire, then her blood chilled in her veins. There was no telling what evil had been recorded within the bounds of that grimoire.
Serena caught the look of realization on her face and cackled again, delighting in her revelation. “Cure the curse, I don’t care,” she hissed from behind the protection of her ward. “With this my power is limitless.” She shook the sheet of paper again, her eyes wide with madness. “I wonder what I’ll wish for.”
Faith’s sharp gasp made Ashlynn tear her eyes from Serena’s wild face. “What?” she barked, terrified of the answer she’d receive.
The seer’s face was drained of blood when she spoke. “No,” she whispered, her voice barely discernible above the pounding in Ashlynn’s head. “No,” Faith repeated, stronger this time. “She’s found the ritual for a single wish. Its power is limitless.”
“You bitch!” Cian screamed as the Ashlynn staggered from the implications. Cian dashed forward with his magic crackling and his mouth set in rage.
As he hit Serena’s ward, it shattered into a million pieces that fell to the ground like slivers of glass. Serena’s crackling magic struck the ground with a surge of power and a blood red bolt of lightning crashed from the sky to pierce the ground between them and Serena. A wave of energy hit Ashlynn like a brick and threw her back several feet, alongside Cian and Faith, and when she opened her blurred eyes, Serena was gone.
“Are you alright?” Cian asked, out of breath as he crawled up next to her on the ground. His hands covered her face, her arms, her stomach, searching for blood.
“Y-yes,” Ashlynn replied, shakily. “I’m fine.” She closed her eyes and looked inside, searching for the life within her. It was there, safe and warm, at her center. “We’re both fine.”
But the truth was that she wasn’t, none of them were. They’d retrieved the grimoire that contained Cian’s counter curse and would be able to save his soul, but what did that or the future of their people growing inside her matter when their enemy now possessed the ability to wish it all away?
The End
Continue Ashlynn and Cian’s epic story with book three, Reigning Hearts! Wherever books are sold!
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