Suddenly, the entire forest was silent again. The branches and roots were frozen in place once more, as if they had originally grown where they now stood.
My gaze moved back to the witch before us, whose focus remained forward on what the trees had been guarding.
An entrance resembling a cave materialized before her—an archway of stone with intricate ancient symbols etched into its surface. The arch revealed nothing but the forest's ongoing existence on the opposite side. The woods suddenly darkened, even though we were completely shielded from the sun by the mist and canopy of the trees.
Veli turned to us, her glowing eyes beginning to fade. “There will be no turning back now.”
I hesitantly stepped up to her side. “What was that spell you just said to have the trees reveal that arch?”
“It was not a spell. It was an announcement in the tongue of the gods,” she answered, as the other two joined us where we stood.
“Well, what did you announce?” Avery asked.
Veli’s stare remained on the ancient doorway she conjured. “A witch has arrived.”
Chapter thirty-one
Elianna
The four of usstood before the stone arch. My eyes wandered leisurely around the unusual carvings that were etched into it—not necessarily a language, but symbols that didn’t resemble pictures of anything I recognized.
“May I see your dagger, Elianna?” Veli asked, knocking me out of my trance.
As she extended her hand toward me, I blinked and quickly withdrew my dagger from its sheath on my thigh. The sorceress carefully examined my reforged blade, her gaze tracing the intricate antler carving of Nyra and lingering on the wyvern wings that adorned its hilt.
Her taloned fingers wrapped around the grip, and she instantly moved to slice her palm, letting out a hiss at the contact. The scent of iron clogged my nostrils as violet-hued blood pooled in her hand.
“Gods, Veli,” Avery huffed. “A warning would have been nice.”
The witch turned to my sister. “You were aware we needed blood to enter and summon my sisters, so I’m not sure why this would come as a surprise.”
“Shehas a point,” Zaela said with a harsh chuckle, earning an eye roll from Avery.
Veli looked back at me then. “If I say run…yourun. Do you understand, Elianna? This will not be a game you can talk yourself out of or a brawl you can fight your way through. This is magic. Ancient and all-knowing. You cannot win against it without owning it in return.”
Avery jumped in before I could answer. “She is to be their queen. They should listen to her just as you have…or just as you have attempted to in the least.”
Veli’s violet stare remained on me, unfaltering, as she answered my sister. “The creatures of the isles do not adhere to the rules of the rest of the realm, Princess.”
I sucked on my tongue as I took in her warning. “I understand.”
“Good. Now keep that one’s mouth shut, and there is a possibility that we may be able to walk out of here alive,” she hissed, gesturing to Avery, who let out a huff of annoyance.
Veli took a step closer to the archway and dragged her palm across the jagged edge’s surface, leaving a smear of her blood in its wake.
The moment her skin left it, the blood sank into the stone, vanishing before our eyes.
“Gods,” Zaela gasped.
The symbols etched into the archway held a faint glow, mimicking the golden hue of Veli’s eyes when she channeled her power.
“Follow me, and quickly, before the rip in the realm closes,” the witch urged as she stalked through the swirling haze that now lay before us.
I turned to face Avery and Zaela. “Stay behind me while we’re in there, okay?”
“Nice try, Lia.” Zae laughed as she stepped through the arch after Veli.
Avery and I followed her, and as we walked beneath the stone arch, I blinked repeatedly, astounded by the ethereal vision that replaced the forest in a mirage of magic.
