The ground rumbled under us.
He shot me a look. “Have the wards–”
“We were waiting for the weather to clear,” I shot back.
The ground shook again, this time for longer.
Panicked, I shot a glance at the volcano but it sat, still empty and cold.
Nerissa put a hand to the ground, closing her eyes. Her bloodmagick flared, dancing in
red and gold lines along her body as if cracking like clay. “I don’t think–”
BOOM.
The ground rattled beneath us, a loud roaring sound filling the air like the volcano was going to crash down on us. Drakens screamed and witches ran for cover.
Panic rooted me to the spot.
It couldn’t happen again. No.
Nonononononononono—
“BENEDICT! MOVE!” Ronan grabbed me and shoved me into the treehouse where Kieran and the others were already sheltering Wren, Veskor, and Enya.
“What is happening?” Wren cried out.
My mouth went dry, my voice dying in my throat. I couldn’t say it. I could only hold her. Was this the same terror my mother had felt? My sister, my?—
“Get out of the tree, down on the ground!” Ronan shouted, and without waiting Kieran picked up Wren and flew out.
“Benedict, help me with Veskor!”
I threw the sick draken over my shoulder and Enya dove out the window with us, Kaida at our rear. The trees bent and moved in my vision like rubber, making me wonder what was real and what wasn’t.
“Get on the ground! Out in the open! Away from the trees and structures!” Ronan ordered everyone.
A massive wave of us glided down and sprinted for the open cliffs of the eastern shore. Veskor groaned from my back, head bouncing up and down as I ran. I turned back to see Nerissa and a few bloodwitches sprawled with their palms in the ground, working in tandem with earth witches and chanting non-stop under their breath.
Most of the island made it safely to the high cliffs, where the land was flat and free of trees or anything that could fall.
As quick as it began, the rumbling faded away.
“What do we do?” someone asked.
“Is it the volcano?”
“It’s the new draken’s fault!”
“No, the wards are failing. We–”
“It was an earthquake!” Ronan roared over everyone, forcing them into silence. “Let the witches report back. Wehave no reason to believe the volcano is active. If it happens again, now we all know where to go.”
No one had anything to say to that, as Nerissa and the other witches picked their way against the crowd, heading toward us.
“It’s the wards. I think they’re tied to everyone living here. They’re unstable with the upcoming birth and all the newcomers. We need to start the ritual soon. Now, if possible. Wren, are you ready?”
Wren opened her mouth, but Kieran was already frowning.
