AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Earth to earth, stone to stone,
Sever connections that have been sown.
The mist turned to green, and as it flowed into the circle, it felt like a landslide, rumbling. And then I was looking up as a billowing cloud of mud and rock towered over me. I gasped but there was no air to breathe, only the deep gases of the earth, only the dust and soot-laden clouds that swept around me. As the energy began to seep through me, it uprooted connections and bonds, and I felt numb. Empty, and so truly alone.
Anadey returned to the beginning of the circle, to commence a third sweep.
Fire to fire, flame to flame,
This questing love, the sparks shall tame.
Crimson . . . the mist was a crimson cloud and smelled of bonfires and graves, and hearth fires. It burned as it neared, chafing my skin, and brought with it the crackle of embers. And it ate—gobbling up the will of my heart, the love I felt inside, my desire to be with Grieve. As I felt my need for him seeping out of me, I opened my mouth to cry out but there were no words. My lips were silent.
Anadey paused, staring down at me. I looked at her, pleading. After a moment, tears in her eyes, she began her final sweep.
Air to air, gale to gale,
Travel now, beyond the pale.
As the mist faded into white, I felt myself melting, as a rush of air buoyed me up, and then—a sudden jolt and I was gloriously free, rising up in owl form to hover near the top of the ceiling. Anadey gasped, and the mist began to retreat.
“Cicely—get down here! You can’t break the spell, not this way—it will backfire in hideous ways if you don’t allow me to finish it.”
But I didn’t give a fuck what she was saying. As far as I knew, Anadey was my enemy, as surely as Myst. Even more so than Lannan.
At that moment, Peyton broke through the door.
“Cicely! What’s going on! Mother, what the fuck are you doing?” She gasped. “What’s all this?”
She’d no sooner spoken than I took a chance and dove for the door, winging my way out and up into the sky, and then headed for home, free and wondering just what the hell Anadey had done to me.
Chapter 16
I flew into the night sky, winging my way into the heavens as Anadey and Peyton shouted from below—Anadey yelling at me, while Peyton was shaking her mother’s shoulders. No way was I going back and chancing getting caught by Anadey again. Shaken, confused from the drugs and the spell, I headed in the direction I thought was home, terrified I’d transform midflight and go tumbling to the ground.
As I soared over the streets, my head began to clear and all of a sudden, I could hear Ulean. She was riding the currents beside me.
Cicely, Cicely? Can you hear me yet?
Ulean! Oh, Ulean, help me. I’m so confused and not sure where I’m going.
Keep on in this direction and I’ll get you help.
And then, her presence was gone. I focused as best as I could, following the breeze as it carried me aloft. The night was chill, but no snow was falling and the clouds parted to allow the moon to shine through. What was I going to do? She could have killed me. She could have killed both Grieve and me if she’d succeeded with her spell. But how much damage had she done?
And then it hit me. I thought about Grieve, and my heart didn’t skip a beat. I thought about my love, and realized that I felt numb. I tried to summon my wolf, but in owl form I couldn’t connect with it. Thoroughly defeated and afraid, all I could do was keep flying.
At that moment, another owl came gliding in from behind me. The great horned owl. Ulean was riding the slipstream along beside his wing.
Help me—something’s happened to me and I don’t know what.
Follow me. His thoughts came through clear and he turned, heading toward Dovetail Lake. I turned on my wing, following him, able to take direction better than make my own decisions at this point.
We flew under the moon until we reached the lake. A shimmer resonated through the night and the great horned owl flew into the light. It glimmered like summer, like warm leaves and dusky dreams, and a steady breeze that carried roses and night-blooming honeysuckle soothed my senses. I followed the owl through the portal and blinked as the land beneath us opened up, with rich grass untouched by snow, and lakeshore waters lapping gently.
The owl slowly spiraled down to land on a low branch near Lainule’s throne, and I followed suit. I’d never been in the realm of Summer while in owl form and now, every breath, every sound, every movement was magnified.
A moment later, the Queen of Rivers and Rushes appeared, dressed in gossamer white. She steadily approached the throne and looked up at the two of us. After a moment, she let out a long sigh and slowly inclined her head.
