“Oh, god.Aurora?” Was she down there?
Gia scraped frantically at the earth. What if the Thornfields believed Aurora had died but hadn’t put her to rest in the crypt? Being buried outside a cemetery brought to mind old traditions, how churches excluded some people from hallowed ground.
Did witches have similar customs?
“Aurora!” Gia screamed, and her throat threatened to close around the pained sound. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Her hands were a blur as she dug in the dirt. “I’m coming! Please!”
A faint sound replied, almost too muffled to hear. Was that Aurora? Was Gia imagining things? There was no time to think. No way to be sure. How long could a person live buried underground before they suffocated?
If Aurora was in her body, she could die.
Gia’s nails broke as she forced her hands deeper into the earth, clawing faster and faster, heaving sobs tearing from her throat. It wasn’t enough. How deep was the grave? Gia swallowed a scream of agony.
Out of all the things she’d seen, this would be what broke her. She could take anything Franco had done, but not this. Not losing Aurora.
Magic! Gia had magic. Her motions slowed a fraction, but she couldn’t stop digging. Did she know any spells that would help? Could she use magic to find out if Aurora wasburied?
She sent her magic forth, probing the earth and hoping to find nothing but proof she was losing her mind.
A flicker responded.
There was someone with magic under there. And detectable power meant they were alive.
A scream tore out of Gia, her throat burning. She could hardly hear her own voice over the blood rushing in her ears. Her bleeding fingers turned numb as she clawed at the dirt, feeling nothing but a hollow, sinking dread.
She directed her power into the earth, letting it burst from her. The ground vibrated, loosening the soil, she released her magic again and again, throwing gobs of dirt to the side, but it wasn’t enough.
Gia gathered her power and slashed her hand violently through the air as she’d done countless times before, sending men flying at Franco’s command, and the earth opened, rocks and dirt exploding into the air. A nearby tree cracked.
It still wasn’t enough. The hole she’d gouged from the earth wasn’t deep enough. Gia did it again, cutting farther into the ground, scooping loose dirt out of the way as fast as she could.
She readied a third hit, and the ground vibrated. Gia hadn’t done that. She froze, and Aurora’s muffled scream shook her to her core.
TWENTY-TWO
AURORA
Aurora’s whole body shivered,every bit of her cold and stiff.I’m in my body. There was no mistaking the weight of her flesh and bones. The cool air on her skin.
One second, she’d been with Gia, and the next, everything was black. Why was it so dark? Were her eyes even open?
Yes, they were. She must be in the crypt.
Being drawn into her body was unexpected. She’d assumed she’d have to float into herself once Gia got her body out in the open.
Another shiver raced through her. She’d think about the details later. It was damp in here, the air stale.
Why wasn’t she covered with a shroud? Had they put her in the stone burial chamber without one?
She reached in front of her, unable to see her hand, and felt for the edges of the space. Instead of being met with stone, her fingers brushed wood.
What?Where was she?
Aurora’s hands moved frantically, feeling all around. Rough wood surrounded her on all sides. This wasn’t the crypt.
She was in a box. A wooden box that smelled of earth and must.
“No. I can’t be.” Was sheunderground?
