AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” he answered, then began walking.
I turned to the car again, frowning that it was unlocked and parked on the side of the road for whichever lucky bastard would stumble upon it.
“Are you coming?” he eventually shouted at me.
I scrambled after him, following him into the woods.
We stopped at a huge tree. Its leaves were vibrant and fresh, the limbs thick and long, and it was so tall that I could barely make out the top without squinting. It looked nothing like the half-dead trees surrounding it, with their slim trunks and scarce leaves.
“This is an illusion,” Sariel began conversationally. “Technically, no one but the people she invites can get in.”
My brows furrowed as Sariel took a step toward the tree. “However, the actual spell specifies that only those with pure intentions may enter,” he explained.
My eyebrows hiked up into my hairline as he took another step and that foot disappeared. “I… Sariel?”
He took another step until one side of his body had disappeared. I could see through him to the forest behind him. I had seen many spells cast by witches while I lived at Homer Pack, but nothing as powerful as this.
“What if I’m not… I mean, what if my intentions aren’t pure?” I stammered out.
He stepped out of the illusion to glare at me. “You intend to hurt Grandma Credence?”
I glared back. “No, of course not.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“I’m not a saint or anything, you know? I’ve had evil thoughts, and like, what if it rejects me because of them or misinterprets my negative thoughts—”
Sariel sighed. “Are they about my grandmother, Aria?”
“No,” I mumbled, wanting to tell him some of them were about him.
“Then you’ll be fine.”
He stared at me until I nodded quickly. I took a deep breath as I watched his entire body and the bag on his back disappear.
A wave of panic washed over me. He was gone. The place where he stood was empty. I was alone.
The warm air ruffled the leaves of the trees gently, and I could distantly hear twigs snapping beneath the paws of small animals.
I knew my intentions weren’t bad, but the anxiety of having to test whether or not I’d been lying to myself made my knees weak as I moved toward the tree.
I stepped through the illusion with my eyes closed.
“I told you you’d be fine,” Sariel chuckled when I opened my eyes. I ignored him to gawk at my surroundings.
We were in a meadow, where wildflowers grew in clusters amongst towering sunflowers. We were standing on a well-worn dirt path at the bottom of a hill that led to a large log cabin fenced by thick brushes. The air smelled crisp, and the Earth damp was beneath my boots.
Everything was greener, lusher, and more inviting than the outside. Overgrown grass framed the cabin, giving it a wild charm that made me want to dive into the unkempt mess and roll around in the fields of flowers.
Sariel took my hand with a small smile and dragged me up the short hill. Barking sounded off inside the building, after which the door was yanked open before we reached the porch.
I froze when Credence Miller stepped out, a shotgun in one of her hands and her giant Doberman’s leash in the other.
She was beautiful in a way that only a human who’d learned to protect her peace could be. Her once-blonde hair was now white, but it was still as thick as a younger woman’s would be. She didn’t look frail, but instead perfectly aged, like wine that had been left to ferment and then opened at just the perfect time.
She was in army-green cargo pants, men’s sandals, and a black-and-white flannel shirt over a white tank top.
“Sariel Augustus Ambrose,” she scolded, releasing the Doberman, “you scared the shit out of me.”
