As we approached what appeared to be the edge of the grove, a figure stepped out from behind a twisted oak, blocking our path. Hooded and robed like the cultists, but with an air of authority that made it clear this was no mere follower.
"The Chalice-Bearer," the figure's voice was smooth, almost pleasant. "How kind of you to gather all your Keys in one place for us."
More figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding us in a tightening circle. I felt Rook and Zane tense on either side of me, preparing for a fight. Milo's necromantic energy flared brighter, and Fenric's hands began to glow with containment spells.
"Let us pass," I demanded, drawing on the last reserves of my strength to stand straighter. "You can't stop what's coming."
The leader tilted their head, the hood obscuring any features I might have glimpsed. "On the contrary. We are what's coming, Chalice-Bearer. The Harbingers send their regards and a message: The choice approaches faster than you know."
With those words, they raised their hands, and reality itself seemed to tear around us. The ground buckled, trees twisted in impossible directions, and the air filled with a high-pitched whine that made my teeth ache.
"They're collapsing the grove!" Fenric shouted over the noise. "We need to run!"
We broke into a desperate sprint, the world unraveling behind us as we fled. I could feel the cultists pursuing, their dark energy pressing against my senses like a physical weight.
The edge of the grove appeared ahead, the normal forest beyond seeming impossibly distant. With a final surge of effort, we lunged forward, breaking through the boundary just as the pocket grove collapsed behind us with a sound like reality itself screaming in pain.
We tumbled down the embankment, landing in a heap at the bottom. When I looked back, there was nothing to see, the pocket grove had vanished completely, leaving only an empty ravine where it had once stood.
"Is everyone okay?" I gasped, taking inventory of our group.
Bruised, battered, but alive, we had all made it out. The connection between us hummed with shared relief and lingering fear.
"What did they mean?" Milo asked, his voice unusually subdued. "About the choice approaching faster than you know?"
I touched the Harbinger spiral on my side, feeling it pulse in time with my heartbeat. "I think they're accelerating their plans. Whatever they're doing to the Veil, they're doing it now."
"Then we need to be ready," Rook's voice was a low growl. "All of us."
Chapter
Forty-Three
Winter
Ileaned against the balcony railing, letting the cool night air brush across my skin. The lake below was a perfect mirror of the star-filled sky, each pinpoint of light duplicated in its dark surface. My body ached from our narrow escape, from channeling so much prophetic energy, from pulling Rook back from the Harbingers' grasp. Even now, the blue markings covering my skin pulsed gently, a constant reminder of what I'd become, what I was still becoming.
We'd barely spoken on the journey back to the cabin. Everyone was too exhausted, too shaken by what had happened. The collapse of the pocket grove, the cultists, the message from the Harbingers, it all hung over us like a storm cloud, dark and threatening.
I touched the spot over my heart where one of the blue markings felt warmer than the others, the tether connecting me to Fenric. Each of them was different, Rook's was a steady, primal hum; Zane's an ancient, subtle vibration; Milo's a bright, flickering energy. Fenric's was structured, orderly, yet with anundercurrent of something deeper, something he rarely showed the world.
A soft knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Come in," I didn't turn from the view.
The door opened and closed softly. I didn't need to look to know it was Fenric, I could feel him now, his presence distinct through our connection.
"You should be resting," his voice was softer than usual, lacking its bureaucratic edge.
"I can't," I still gazed at the lake. "Every time I close my eyes, I see the grove collapsing, I hear that cultist's words."
Fenric moved to stand beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. For once, he wasn't clutching his tablet. His silver-blond hair caught the moonlight, giving him an otherworldly glow.
"The others are asleep. Even Rook finally succumbed, though he fought it longer than was sensible."
I smiled faintly. "That sounds like him."
"And you should follow his example." Fenric's tone was gently admonishing, but something in it made me finally turn to look at him.
