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"Oh, thank God!" I exclaimed.
But then the strange symbols on the ribbon around my wrist began glowing more intensely, and I felt another powerful tug at my magic. The silver light went out completely, and the moment it did, the entire Gateway shuddered.
A deep, booming sound echoed through the underground chamber, followed by a tremendous pulse of neon-blue light which spread across the stone floor like a wave.
I stumbled backwards, finally able to move my hand away from the rune.
"Oh, no," I whispered.
The humming had grown louder—much louder. And somewhere on the other side of the enormous doors, I thought I heard something else—something that sounded almost like laughter. But it wasn't the kind of laughter that meant someone was happy. It was low and terrible, and it sent a chill racing down my spine.
"By the Ancients!" Garrik exclaimed, staring at the darkened rune. "The first protective seal is broken!"
Natalie looked absolutely delighted.
"It worked!" she exclaimed. "Oh my God, it actually worked!"
I stared at her in disbelief.
"Worked? Natalie, we just weakened the thing that's keeping a bunch of horrible dark spirits out of Hidden Hollow and the entire rest of the world!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" she snapped. "It's just the first step!"
"Yes—the first step towards catastrophe, if you ask me!" Bartleby exclaimed.
He was standing several feet away from the Gateway with his fur standing on end and his tail puffed up like a bottlebrush. His whiskers had curled into such tight little spirals that he looked as though someone had given him an extremely unfortunate perm.
Under other circumstances, I might have laughed, but I was much too frightened.
Because Natalie was already looking down at the spellbook again.
"The second seal is on the right," she announced, scanning the shifting red letters. "Celeste, go over there."
My legs began moving immediately. Oh, God! I tried desperately to resist, but it was like fighting against some invisible force which was much stronger than I was. The harder I struggled, the tighter the black ribbon seemed to squeeze my wrist, until I was afraid it might actually cut off my hand!
The worst part was that I could still think perfectly clearly. I knew exactly what Natalie was making me do. I knew that every protective rune I extinguished would bring the Gateway closer to opening. But I couldn't stop my body from obeying her commands.
There has to be some way around this! I thought desperately. There just has to be!
I looked down at the ribbon, remembering the way Natalie had commanded me to sit and stand back at her house. The enchantment had forced me to obey her physical instructions, but it hadn't stopped me from thinking whatever I wanted. And although Natalie had ordered me not to touch Garrik, she hadn't said anything about talking to him.
Maybe there was some way I could use that. Maybe if I could figure out exactly what the spell controlled, I could find a way to fight back.
"Garrik!" I called as my feet carried me towards the second silver circle. "The ribbon is making my body obey Natalie, but I can still think for myself!"
He looked at me sharply.
"Indeed?"
"Yes! I can't stop moving when she tells me to do something, but I can still say whatever I want and think whatever I want!"
Natalie looked annoyed.
"Well, that's not going to do you much good, is it?" she snapped. “You can’t think your way out of this. You’re going to open the Gateway whether you want to or not!”
I ignored her, because I was beginning to have an idea. It wasn't a particularly good idea, and I wasn't even sure it would work. But at that point, I was willing to try just about anything.
I remembered what Goody Albright had told me about being a Veil Witch. My magic wasn't like ordinary witchcraft. I had a special connection to the boundary between the living and the dead, which was why I'd been able to touch Garrik when nobody else could. And when we'd performed the True Love's Kiss spell, my magic had awakened his physical body and created a connection between his spirit and his heart.
