Page 25 of The Banshee and the Warlock

I shake my head. "Typical. It interrupts us at a great moment, and then disappears as soon as we're trying to work it out." I pick up the ring and slip it into my pocket with the button. I know there's nothing special about either of them, but it feels like they're important. Maybe because the raven is supposed to be connected to me.

He chuckles. "It was a great moment."

"I suppose it just gives us an excuse to have another great moment." I lean back in. "If you want one?"

The purple glow returns to his eyes.

I guess I have my answer.

Chapter 11

Anja

The mist swirls around me and the distant wailing grows stronger than ever. I can already feel the panic starting to build within me as I make my way over to where I know the river is waiting for me.

Everything seems a little sharper than it has been in the past, as if my mind is trying to tell me that this isn't just a dream, it's some kind of manifestation of my magic.

The moment I think that, something shifts within me, as if the part of me that is magic is confirming the truth. I guess it's something I've known for a while, but I've been trying not to think about it too much because I don't know precisely what it means.

The same old woman I always see appears in front of me, dunking the white dress into the river. Red streaks run into the water, making it seem as if she's washing away blood.

What does it all mean? If it is linked to my magic, then I'm a little worried about what precisely that means I can do.

The woman turns to me, though to my surprise she's not a mirror image of me. I don't know if it's different from last time, or if I've not been able to see clearly enough to tell before. There are still similarities between us, and they seem to go deeper than the deathly pale skin and the silver-white hair that we share. She opens her mouth, a scream ripping free and reverberating through the air.

The sound shocks me, sending my mind spiralling out of the dream.

My eyes snap open, and I find myself looking up into the darkness of my room with the woman's scream reverberating in my ears. I clutch at my throat, but there's nothing there, probably because I wasn't the one screaming this time. Despite that, I can still feel myself drenched in sweat, and the echo of the dream is still living within me.

I roll over and grab my handheld mirror, groaning when I see it's already past midnight. A chat notification catches my attention, and I click on it, finding myself in my chat with Cethin.

The timestamp is from half an hour ago, which means he's probably still awake.

I send back.

My heart swells at the fact he's already figured that out. It's nice to have an immediate distraction from everything going around my head.

I take a deep breath. I've only told him bits and pieces of what happens in my dreams before, but maybe it's time I tell him more. I start typing out a message before realising that there's just too much for that.

I throw off the bed covers and pull on some clothes, already feeling relief at the decision to finally properly talk to someone about this.

I leave the flat as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Nati or my other flatmates. People can be grumpy when they're woken up earlier than they should be.

I hurry down the stairs, making good time to the courtyard. My heart skips a beat when I notice Cethin sitting on the bench, and I make my way over without even questioning whether this is a good idea.

He looks up from his book and a wide smile spreads over his face, though it does nothing to hide the worry lingering there.

I pause, realising I don't know whether I'm supposed to kiss him hello or not. This is still sort of new and it's not like we've had an in-depth conversation about it.

He rises to his feet and pulls me to him, and the moment he leans in, I realise I have the answer to my question. My eyes flutter closed as his lips brush against mine in a surprisingly sweet kiss.

"Talk to me," he murmurs without pulling away very far.