by Eden Tyler
TWENTY-ONE
After I have no doubt the spell is in my mind and my heart, and I have faith it will work, I know it’s time to go see Hollie. But first, Zoë and I need to make the protection amulet Landon talked about. I am not chancing anything when it comes to my oldest friend.
The guys stay in the house, drinking some of the famed fae lager and bs’ing the way guys do when bonding, while we venture outside, exploring a bit before getting to the task at hand.
I want to enjoy at least a little of the beauty surrounding me before I have to go back and deal with such darkness. Zoë lets me wander and look all around as we walk.
Entering the heart of the town, I almost drop my jaw. It is just like any other small town I’ve been in, with a street of shops making up the center. Zoë drags me into one of the first ones—it looks like an art store of some sort.
The bells jangle as the door opens, and an amazing array of smells overtake me. The display of colors dazzles me. Stones, fabrics, incense—and everything else they have for sale, much more than I would have imagined could fit in such a tiny storefront—every little thing catches my eye. The beauty is breath-taking … that is, if that was a possibility in Avalon.
I smile and wander aimlessly, touching everything I come across. It’s something I have always done in stores, taking in the feel of the place, but here I am practically compelled to touch and absorb what is around. I am experiencing my environment in a way I never have before. I feel lost, but with a purpose. Even as I think this I know it makes no sense, but nonsense can be good—and it is, here in this cozy atmosphere.
“Oh crap!” I can’t help but cry out when Zoë taps me on the shoulder, holding up a small paper bag.
“You are too funny.” She laughs and lets me know we are done here. “One more place to go and you will be on your way to Hollie. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Sure.” I look around, shocked the time passed so quickly without me knowing it, but I laugh along with Zoë, well aware of the silliness of my reaction.
Our next stop is a tree at the other end of the street, on the way toward a set of houses I haven’t yet seen.
“A tree? What are we doing here? We don’t need to buy anything else?” The thought of money makes me wonder how things are purchased here. Surely they don’t use American dollars, but what do they use? It is not the time to ask about it, though. I’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.
“Simple,” Zoë answers. “All we need is a piece of bark. It works best at dawn, but since you’ll be making it, it really shouldn’t matter. Hollie will be well-protected.”
“So we just take a chunk off this tree? Won’t it hurt it?” I crease my brow, surprised to feel soothing vibes making their way from deep inside of me out to my skin. Without controlling what I’m doing, I send them to the tree and can swear I hear a voice letting me know what we are doing is fine.
I shake out my arms and wait for Zoë to answer. She is resting her hand on the tree and her eyes are closed.
“I am talking to it right now—asking its permission to take from it for a noble cause.” She opens her eyes and continues talking, but still doesn’t look at me. “We just need to go to the east side … here.”
She walks around to the other side of the tree, her hand still on it, rubbing the trunk as she circles. “This is where it gets the morning sun. It should still be somewhat warm compared to the rest of the tree.”
As Zoë finishes preparing for us to make the amulet, my thoughts move to Hollie, for obvious reasons. I honestly have no idea how she is going to react to all of this, and if she will be there for me like she has always been. I have already lost Blake. There is no way I can stand to lose Hols, as well. Nothing has ever gotten between us, but we’ve never had to deal with something this huge before, either.
Zoë waves her hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my reverie. “Wow. You are really out of it today. Is all this finally getting to you?”
“Yeah… ” I shake my head—not in a ‘no’ fashion, but in an attempt to clear everything inside. “Yeah, I guess it is. I just want this crap all to be over.”
“Well it will be soon. Don’t worry about it. Just do what you have to and that’s it. After the hard part—the really hard part, unfortunately—is over, we can move on and everything will be better. So much better.” Zoë reaches her arm out and rests her hand on my shoulder. She squeezes gently and give me a reassuring smile. “I do feel bad this is all so new to you and you’re having to deal with so much. But if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
She holds my gaze, trying to make me believe what she does. And I do. It scares me, but I believe it. Satisfied, she pulls her arm back and motions to the ground. She sits, and I join her.
Sitting Indian-style, facing me, Zoë pulls a piece of paper out of her purse and unfolds it. She sets the paper down and, on top of it, she places the small piece of bark, a white piece of cloth, and a yellowish-gold colored piece of yarn.
She looks up at me and studies my eyes. She nods, obviously satisfied with something, and then speaks. “All right. This is pretty simple. All you have to do is repeat what this paper says—and truly mean it—while you bind the bark with the yarn. Then you’ll wrap it with the cloth, et voilà.”
“That’s it? Sounds too easy to be true.”
“It’s the power of the fae. When used for good, it is an amazing thing.”
I take the paper from Zoë and turn it so I can read it, looking over the words several times—trying to feel them while thinking of Hollie. Then I grab the bark from Zoë’s hand and hold it, forcing some of my strength into it, unsure as to how I even am doing it other than thinking about wanting to. I feel a next-to-immediate zap of, well, something…
“Whoa, that was weird. Didn’t think that’d actually work,” I mutter.
Next, I take the yarn and begin to wrap the bark, speaking the words as I do so. “Gathered from where the sun awoke, the power of protection and strength I invoke!”
I repeat the saying as I wrap the cloth around the yarn-bound bark, for a total of three times spoken, and then I sit for about a minute after, willing the amulet to truly protect my friend as I think the words silently.
When I feel confident it has the power to work, I stand up and place the amulet in my pocket, wanting to keep it close to my body.
“All right.” I look down at Zoë as I wipe the dirt off my butt. “I suppose it’s time for me to go.”
I hold my hand out for my new friend, helping her stand up. “I think I can find my way back by myself this time. I need Hollie now more than ever and she needs me, too. She needs this.” I pat my pocket.
“Can you tell Sloane that I’ll call him, or get a hold of him—somehow—when I’m done with this? And ask him to figure out a way to get me to Donovan so when I get back we can get this over with. Landon said we don’t have much time and, besides, I don’t think I can handle the stress of waiting any longer than I need to.”
“Of course.” Zoë smiles, wishing me luck. “Not a problem. We’ll see you soon.”
We hug and then both go in opposite directions—Zoë back to the house and me, toward a portal. I sense one nearby. A different one than I used before, but I am sure I can get to Hollie through it.
