As if anyone could deny her anything when she asks so sweetly. The big man knows he’s defeated too, tugging her into his chest in a crushing hug that has her chuckling against his bare skin. He then pulls a blanket from the pile beneath them and wraps it around Reva’s torso until it pools in her lap. Meanwhile, Kit’s ignoring everyone around him, settling himself just behind Reva and carefully draping her sealskin on the floor just in front of her. He then presses a kiss to her temple before pulling back, and she shoots him a soft smile.
I take a seat on the floor opposite him, waiting while the others find their places.
And then we begin.
I PRESS MY FINGERTIPSto the skin in front of me as my other hand reaches out to rest against Reva’s ankle. She holds out both hands and Torin and Kit take hold of one each. Finally, Captain Finch sits down to my left, his hand on her shoulder and his tentacle reaching out to touch my shoulder.
There’s an immediate low-pitched buzzing sound that sets up as soon as we complete the circle. Taking a steadying breath, I begin to read the words from the book in front of me. The ritual itself is in an ancient version of Magastrium, the language of witches, and I’m hoping that my intention overrides any mispronunciations. The words are oddly familiar, as I’ve goneover them again and again today, in between mixing up potions and getting the room ready.
Please let this work.
I send the words out into the ether, consciously ignoring all the other words I’ve sent out in my life that were never heeded. They’re the same words that Kit said to me earlier while he was fetching and carrying, helping me in every way he could think of so that we’d be ready for this moment.
I crush lingsom seeds with a pestle and mortar, adding a trickle of seawater gathered right as yesterday’s dawn arrived, and adding a droplet of my own blood.
There are five lines that I have to repeat three times. On my second loop through, the buzzing intensifies until it’s as though there’s a nest of bees just behind my left ear.
“From the depths, we call upon our power
Power gathered, power bound
What was lost will now be found
Return, reclaim until we’re whole.”
On the first line of the final repetition, the air in the room changes. It grows denser, pressing down on me and tightening my lungs until it’s difficult to take a full breath. I pant my way through the next line, taking my time so that I don’t make a mistake.
By the time I reach the second to last line, my fingers are buried deep into Reva’s sealskin and my entire body is wracked with shivers. The fingers touching Reva’s ankle are cold, and I can feel her shivering violently against me.
No one dares to speak, but the tension in the room feels brittle and as though it might snap at any moment.
Come on. Get it done.
The voice in my head comes as such a shock, I almost lose concentration. It’s entirely unfamiliar and female.
Still, I listen. Taking several shallow breaths before I’m able to voice the last line.
The moment I let out the final quavering syllable, the shaking in my body intensifies until it’s at a fever pitch. We’re lost at sea, trapped in the air as lightning and thunder fill the air and waves crash over us, taking us under into the dark where there’s no light and no air.
There’s a horrible moment where there’s no air left in my lungs and I’m left hovering there, knowing I won’t reach the surface in time. I’m stuck here in the dark, buoyant body rising through the water, but it’s not fast enough. I’m going to—
An almighty CRACK rends the air as a column of solid white light, as large as the room, shoots up from the floor through the ceiling and into the air outside. A blast of pure energy erupts from the centre of the room, throwing all of us backward. I fly through the air, the back of my head smacking into the wall with a sickening crunch. Then it’s like the entire world is screaming at me, a half dozen voices all raised and all yelling inside my head. My eyes are squeezed shut as the deluge of voices threatens to overwhelm me.
“What is happening?”
“Maybe all of this will turn out to be a dream.”
“What the fuck is that light? We’ll all go blind.”
“Deep breaths. Steady breathing. Do not lose control now.”
“I’m sorry. Oh gods, I’m so sorry.”
And then... silence. The voices stop.
When I peel my eyes open, there’s still that same blinding white light in the centre of the room.
Kit’s voice comes out strained as he breaks the silence. “What did you do?”
