Winter Fire (Witchling Series)

by Ford, Lizzy

  He kissed her. Biji froze. It was a quick, warm, gentle kiss.

  When Biji opened her eyes, he was gone, racing down the driveway to beat the SUV. She stared after him, stunned. It warmed her in a way the fire hadn’t: from the inside out.

  Her first kiss.

  With Dawn’s brother.

  Biji stood motionless for a long moment, awed by the circumstances and sensations.

  The sound of the truck inching down the road brought her back to her senses. She shook off the spell Noah put on her and began to struggle through the snow and forest.

  Summer and Morgan first. Then, she’d tell Noah exactly what she thought of him kissing her like that.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Beck stopped his snowmobile as he drew abreast of Decker’s. His twin hadn’t waited; he was disappearing through the doorway of the first resort, where Beck had found Tanya a few weeks before. Beck killed the engine of his vehicle and launched off it, dashing after Decker. Connor was close at his heels. The snow fell hard enough that Beck wasn’t able to see the trees outside the windows of the resort.

  Aware of the condition of the deteriorating resorts, he slowed.

  “Decker!” he hissed.

  “Second floor,” his twin responded from somewhere in the dark.

  “I didn’t see any car tracks,” Connor said anxiously.

  “They’d be filled with snow by now anyway,” Beck replied. He took a minute for his eyes to adjust then started down a hallway littered with holes the size of his foot. “Be careful. These places are falling apart.”

  From somewhere ahead of them, the wood flooring cracked, and Decker cursed.

  “So much for discretion,” Connor muttered.

  Beck smiled tightly. “You okay?” he called to his brother.

  “Good. Your earth talking to you?”

  Beck listened. His magick was humming, an unusual sound for the earth magick, unless it was agitated. It wasn’t telling him why, though.

  “Yes and no,” he said.

  “Yeah, me, too,” Decker replied.

  “What does that even mean?” Connor asked.

  “It’s trying to talk to us. Something’s very wrong,” Beck replied. “What’s yours saying?”

  Connor hesitated. The floor beneath them creaked. Beck’s instincts told him what they sought wasn’t here.

  “I don’t know exactly,” Morgan’s brother said finally.

  Beck rolled his eyes. They just had to bring along the only witchling that wasn’t able to talk to his magick yet. He shook his head and paused.

  “The earth sees a lot of things and shows them to me in visions. Has the water ever done that to you?” he asked.

  “Sorta.”

  “Meaning …”

  The sound of Decker crashing through the floor above interrupted them. He landed hard a few meters from Beck.

  “I’m thinking they’re not here,” Beck said, hurrying to his twin. “With all the racket you’re making, someone would’ve appeared by now.” He held out a hand. Decker took it, and Beck hauled him up. “What do you think about a crash course for Connor in communicating with his element?”

  “Water?”

  “Yeah.”

  Decker was quiet for a moment. “That might work. Connor, can you understand your magick when it talks to you?”

  “I want to try it,” Connor said. “If it helps me find my sister.”

  “To the lake then,” Decker agreed. By the doubt in his voice, he wasn’t certain Connor was going to be of use.

  Beck ignored the tension in his brother, but was secretly proud of him for remaining relatively calm. He felt it, too, and knew they weren’t going to have much time to find the girls. There was no telling what Dawn was up to or how far she’d go. Morgan pissed her off. In Beck’s experience, this never ended well.

  They took the snowmobiles as far as they could towards the lake then left them and hoofed it the rest of the way.

  “It’s mostly frozen,” Decker said. “Connor, come on.” He strode out onto the ice, unafraid. Connor trailed a little less certainly and Beck followed in Decker’s footsteps. Decker stopped several feet onto the ice and crouched.

  Beck hung back. He squinted against the falling snow. It was impossible to see the other side of the lake from where they were now. Lights marking private houses and the resorts punctuated the forest on the south side. The north side, however, was completely dark.

  He paced, needing to feel Morgan’s magick, her skin. He wasn’t certain what he’d do, if anything happened to her. Decker and Connor spoke quietly. The air filled with cool water magick, and Beck waited.

  Connor placed his hands to the ice to try to communicate with his water element.

  Beck watched. The purpose of the coming-of-age rite was to connect with nature and oneself. He felt cut off from everything, including the woman who was in danger of stealing his heart.

  If she chose Light. If she lived through the night.

  Beck stilled his breathing, begging the earth to talk to him. Morgan was protective by nature. If someone tried to hurt her friend, how far would she go? Her choice wasn’t something he could save her from. He learned that with Summer; he was a bystander during the trial.

  Knowing almost everything was out of his control at the moment, he felt something he genuinely hated: Despair. Light was hope and good, but right now, he was having trouble believing in either.

  “Beck!” Decker waved him over.

  He went quickly, sliding to a halt beside them.

  “Connor says the lake remembers Biji. She fell, and Noah fished her out,” Decker said, standing quickly.

  “The lake said she was on the far side,” Connor added.

  “The fastest way there is across the lake,” Beck said, adrenaline surging.

  He and Decker looked at Connor, who shifted. He glanced down nervously, and Beck saw him considering the unasked question.

  “If you kill us, it’s cool,” Beck said, unable to help the dark humor.

  “If you kill us, it’s not cool, but we’ll let it slide,” Decker corrected him.

  “I, uh … all the way across the lake?” Connor turned to look. For the first time, Beck was glad they couldn’t see far. Connor didn’t need to see just how far away they were from where they needed to be.

  “Something tells me we shouldn’t take the snowmobiles,” Beck said to his brother. “I’m thinking he won’t be able to control his magick like you can.”

  Decker was watching Connor carefully, as if trying to assess whether the water witchling was going to drop them in the middle of the frigid lake. Connor took a step closer to the center of the lake, where the ice was thinner. Beck tucked his hands into his pockets, waiting to see what Connor did.

  Morgan’s brother walked cautiously to the edge of where the ice formed, concentrating hard. One foot went through the ice, and Beck grimaced. Connor recovered. The ice solidified beneath him then raced ahead of him, fading out about three feet away. They could barely see farther in the snowstorm.

  “He’s doing it,” Decker said, a slow smile crossing his face.

  “Not that I doubt your teaching skills,” Beck half-joked. “But what did you tell him? I can’t get Morgan to focus on her fire.”

  Decker winked. “Secret.”

  “We’re twins. We have no secrets,” Beck objected.

  “No secrets?” Decker demanded, facing him. “Who hid my girlfriend from me for three months?”

  “Here we go again,” Beck said and rolled his eyes. “Come on. Let’s go.” He walked away, following Connor.

  “I swear, Beck, you’re more of an ass than I am,” Decker muttered.

  “Connor, don’t drop us,” Beck ordered.

  The water witchling nodded tersely, focused on his mission of getting them across the lake. His step grew surer the farther they went. Beck refused to look back or down, instead keeping close to the water witchling, who would be the only one to save them if the ice cracked. Decker
was at his shoulder, silent to keep from distracting Connor.

  The snowstorm continued, and Beck grew anxious at their pace. There was no way of knowing how far they’d gone. Connor had quickened his step to a brisk walk, but it still felt like forever.

  Beck began to think they’d never reach the other end when suddenly, branches appeared before them. Connor raced forward to the shore, and the twins followed. Morgan’s brother collapsed onto his knees once back on solid ground, shaking from the effort of channeling his magick.

  “Good man,” Beck said, clasping his shoulder.

  “C’mon,” Decker said as he passed. He grabbed Connor’s arm and hauled him to his feet. “Beck, tell me you know where we are.”

  Beck paused before entering the forest. He closed his eyes and centered himself. With the snow, he could only see a few feet in front of him. It wasn’t far enough for him to identify any landmarks that would tell him where they were.

  Please, he called silently to the earth.

  The magick didn’t respond.

  Beck drew a deep breath. He blew it out and concentrated on listening to his instincts. Right now, they were all he had to guide them. They’d done little to make his life anything but hell lately, with Dawn and his fumbling attempts to protect Light witchlings. But they were all he had. Without his magick, he had to trust himself.

  A flare of warmth.

  He opened his eyes. He wasn’t certain what he felt, but the heat came from a definite direction.

  “Beck,” Decker said impatiently.

  “Follow me,” he replied and started into the forest.

  “You know where you’re going?” Connor asked, trailing.

  “We’ll find out.”

  Beck moved as fast as possible through the forest. His instincts pulled him in one direction, and he followed without knowing if he went the right way. It felt right, but … if he was wrong about this, he’d never forgive himself.

  A few minutes later, he saw the blocky shape of the resort. Beck stopped in place, astonished that he’d found it. The chances were slim that Connor got them to a point close to the resort and even slimmer that he blindly led them in the right direction.

  But he did.

  A light glowed from the otherwise dark structure. Beck started forward.

  “Wait,” Decker said, catching his arm. “Lectures about the Light way aside …” he held out a knife.

  Beck glanced at it then at his twin. He took it.

  “You remember what I showed you?” Decker asked.

  Beck nodded. He tucked the knife in his pocket and trotted towards the building. They moved around it. Beck knelt by fresh tire tracks while Decker strode through the front door.

  Standing, Beck followed the tire tracks with his eyes. They went towards the east side of the lake. Snow had barely filled the bottom of the tracks, indicating they’d just missed whoever was there.

  Beck trotted towards the resort, eyes on the ground for signs of how many there were.

  “Which way?” Decker asked, appearing in the doorway.

  “East, around the lake,” Beck answered. “Anything?”

  “Blood.”

  Beck frowned, searching his brother’s face.

  “Not a lot,” Decker added. “Melted handcuffs, a couple of smoldering doors. It looks like they left in a hurry. All their gear is still there.”

  “She’s alive,” Beck said.

  “Beck, we haven’t found Biji,” Decker said quietly. “She’s at the lake somewhere.”

  Beck ran a hand through his hair. It came away covered with snow.

  “I’ll – “

  “No,” Beck said. “Take Connor and use him to talk to the lake and find Biji. I’ll go after Morgan and Summer.”

  “I don’t like that.”

  “Of the two of us, I’m the only one likely to leave someone standing long enough to tell us where the girls are,” Beck pointed out.

  “No. Summer is - ”

  “A Light witchling. One I’m sworn to take care of,” Beck said. “Find Biji. I’ll text you.”

  “Beck, this is –“

  “Look at it this way. If the Lake picks up on the girls or Dawn, you’ll be able to reach them faster than I will,” Beck said. “If splitting up helps us find them, then that’s what we need to do.”

  There was a pause. Beck felt his brother struggling.

  “Alright,” Decker said finally.

  “Hey, Connor,” Beck addressed the teen hanging back. “If the Darkness comes for Decker, do yourself a favor and run. You’re better off in the frozen lake.”

  Connor’s eyes went to Decker uneasily.

  “If the Darkness comes, he won’t have a chance to run,” Decker said. “Be careful, Beck.”

  “You, too, Decker,” Beck said. He turned and jogged, keeping to the track of the vehicle the Dark teens had left in. He didn’t know which way was best: following the vehicle or going across the lake.

  The warm instincts that guided him this far were flickering like a flame, urging him to hurry. He ran, slid and stumbled his way up and down the snow-covered road, attention on the tracks he followed. He knew the roads and forests well, the benefit of spending the past few years at the school and being an earth element. What he didn’t understand: why Dawn decided to move the girls. The road went south, back towards town. He didn’t see Dawn taking them to the Dark Campus, where Decker could find them.

  Something told him she had other plans. He couldn’t imagine what those were. Silently, he cursed himself for not waiting on the rite that prevented him and Decker from using their magick. Dawn hadn’t been after Morgan on Sunday, when Beck told his father this week was a good one for their rite.

  The tracks were at risk of being buried in snow. Beck went as fast as he could, his face soon numb. The forest on either side of the narrow road was silent. Though he couldn’t see it, the lake was beyond the trees to his right. He’d know when he was close to civilization again: the road was cleared around the southern side of the lake.

  Finally, the tracks disappeared under the snow. Beck’s step quickened. There were a few houses tucked away on the east side of the lake. The vehicle he was following hadn’t left the road. He continued down it, assuming it wouldn’t without understanding where else Dawn had been going.

  His phone vibrated, and he yanked it out with clumsy hands without stopping his jog. Decker had texted.

  No Biji. Any luck?

  Beck’s heart fell at the thought of his friend in danger somewhere.

  … you can’t save the world or prevent everything bad from happening. You can only really pick which battles you choose to fight.

  Morgan’s wisdom returned to him, along with a vision of her pretty features. They tortured him, even if she were right.

  He had no way of knowing this would happen this week. This was one battle he wasn’t going to back down from. Her life, Summer’s and Biji’s were too important to him. He couldn’t stand aside and wait for the elements or trial or rite to finish. He had to act, even without the guidance of his magick and friends. He had to trust himself.

  He texted Decker quickly. No. Nothing here. Where could they be going? He hit send and concentrated on moving fast along the slick road. Sooner than he expected, he reached the cleared road lining the southern rim of the lake and launched onto the road, grateful for the salt and gravel crunching beneath his snow boots instead of the ice and snow.

  Beck ran. His thoughts were troubled and heavy, his heart racing out of fear for his friends. Fear that he wouldn’t be able to do what he was supposed to as the Protector of Light. Fear that he might make another mistake, one that would cost him the life of the girl he was starting to think he loved.

  It drove him to run faster, until his lungs burned and he was out of breath. He stopped, then bent over, chest heaving. The sky was lightening. He was able to see the salt stains on his jeans. Beck glanced up at the clouds. He checked his phone next and saw it was almost five thirty. Decker had t
exted and tried to call while he ran.

  Beck called his brother. “Hey,” he said breathlessly.

  “Where are you?”

  “Uh, not sure. South of the lake.” Beck looked around him. The snow had lessened, and he tried to orient himself. “Maybe two miles from the bay.”

  “We’re at the bay. Connor’s out of it. The trip across the lake wiped him out.”

  “I’ll be there in a few,” Beck said. “Did you learn anything from the lake?”

  “No,” Decker’s voice was hushed.

  “They left the lake. I don’t get it,” Beck muttered.

  “Hurry up. We need food and a plan.”

  “On my way.” Beck hung up and paused in the middle of the road, listening. His instincts had given him some guidance this evening. All he needed was a direction.

  Dawn wanted Morgan out of the way. Beck no longer believed Dawn was incapable of killing. Why she didn’t do it at the resort, he didn’t know. She had a hefty head start, yet she’d left the resort sometime in the middle of the night and taken Summer and Morgan somewhere else.

  Beck thought hard. Dawn was hurting, even if it were the result of a delusion. She thought there was a chance with him or at least, to prevent him from moving on. Morgan had drawn the girl’s ire in the worst way possible, first by calling her out, then by beating up Alexa.

  I trust you, Beck.

  Morgan’s whisper was soft in his mind. She’d said the words, but when?

  A wave of heat washed over him. He closed his eyes, trying to recall whatever it was he’d forgotten that resulted in him waking up at home in bed.

  I’m scared.

  Beck squeezed his temples. He dropped his hands to his sides with a sigh then dug out his phone. His fingers brushed the small notebook he kept with him to record the visions the earth showed him. His instincts tingled again. He opened it and flipped through it, using his phone as a light source to see the pages.

  He stopped at the last entry.

  Fire. Soul stone.

  Sam’s lesson about the line of witchlings charged with safeguarding the soul stone returned to him.

  I trust you, Beck.

  Morgan. His breath stuck in his throat.