AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We finally came out of the trees. Ahead of us lay the wellspring and, despite it being wrapped in multiple layers of protecting magic, it burned as fiercely as the sun. This wellspring, unlike Katie’s, had been here for a very long time, perhaps even longer than the werewolves. If a wellspring could be said to be in its prime, then this one was.
Aiden stopped a few feet away from the barrier. Though he couldn’t see the magic that burned the air, we’d ringed the entire area with white quartz stones to ensure no wolf stumbled unknowingly into our protective barriers. While none of the spells would hurt them, theywouldrepel them. The last thing any of us had wanted was an accidental injury giving Karleen additional ammunition against us.
I stopped beside Aiden, then briefly turned and scanned the trees. There were at least two dozen wolves that I could see and plenty more that I could smell. I wasn’t very good at sorting through the various scents to pick out one particular person, but I had no doubt Karleen would be in there somewhere. If things went wrong, she’d want to witness it firsthand.
After all, it was much harder to gloat or to use information against someone if you were relying on secondhand reports.
Not necessarily,Belle said,but if things do go wrong and she seizes the moment to use it against us, she’ll find herself at the wrong end of a telepath’s fury. She won’t even know what hit her.
I smiled.As tempting as that thought is, screwing with her mind will only cause greater problems for us in the long run.
If you get dead and she starts in on us or Aiden, I don’t fucking care.She paused.Just make damn sure you don’t get dead.
I’ll definitely try not to.I glanced at Ashworth as he and Eli stopped beside us. “How long will it take to weave the exceptions through the various layers of magic?”
I already knew the answer, but said it for the benefit of our watchers. There wouldn’t be many who had any real idea about what would happen or what we intended, and that needed to change if we were to live in this reservation without having the possibility of being evicted constantly hanging over our heads. Karleen might have failed to convince the council last time, but there was no guarantee that wouldn’t change in the future. Especially if her opposition to my very existence continued.
“Only a few minutes each,” Ashworth replied, then glanced at Monty. “You’re up first, lad.”
He immediately stepped forward and, after studying his spell for a moment, found and disconnected the completion line. He quickly wove in the exception, saying the spell out loud for the benefit of our watchers. Once it was done, he closed and reactivated the spell, then motioned Eli to proceed. He, and then Ashworth, repeated the entire process with their spells, but I didn’t need to. While a witch could generally pass through their own protective magic without an exception thread being added, I’d nevertheless fallen on the side of caution when I’d first woven my spell around the spring.
I took another of those deep breaths in a vague attempt to calm my nerves. As per usual, it didn’t help. Tiny sparks of energy continued to dance all around me, a starry light show none of those behind us would see.
“Ready?” Aiden said softly.
“No, but hey, when has that ever mattered.” I flicked off my shoes, then bent and picked them up. “Keep them safe for me.”
He snorted. “I think your ratty old sandals would be safe from thieves even if you dumped them in the middle of the street with a ‘take me’ sign attached.”
“They’re not ratty,” I retorted, in mock offense, “they’re just perfectly worn in.”
“If you say so.” The amusement dancing in his eyes faded as he leaned closer and kissed me softly, tenderly. “Come back to me.”
“Always.” I lightly touched his face then, before fear got the better of me, turned and walked toward the barriers. Magic briefly resisted my presence, each layer gently examining me before allowing me through. As I stepped through my spell, my wild magic surged, as if in response to a threat I couldn’t yet see.
In truth, I couldn’t even see the wellspring, simply because its glare was so damn bright it was nigh on blinding. I closed my eyes and used the heartbeat under my feet to guide me forward. I didn’t trip, didn’t fall.
Though instinct was very much suggesting that would change when I reached the wellspring’s source. I kept all things crossed intuition was just messing with my head.
Though I kept my eyes tightly closed, I could clearly see the wellspring in my mind’s eye. Rather than being an actual spring, as Katie’s was, this was a deep pit in the ground, with a mound of tailings on one side, and an old, rather degraded-looking wooden ladder on the other.
It was a mine. The wellspring’s source was a goddamn mine.
I guess, if nothing else, that explained my tendency to discover these things the hard way. Thanks to the wild magic, I had an unwelcome bond with them.
I stopped on the very edge of the shaft and glanced down. All I could see was the brightness. It was a heated river of power that flowed over me, through me, running through my veins like fire and making my whole body vibrate.
I had to step in. Had to become part of it.
For the longest of moments, I just couldn’t force my feet forward.
The heartbeat under my feet increased, and wisps of gathering fury ran around me. I had to do this. I had no choice.
I clenched my fists and stepped into the hole.
And fell.
But this wasn’t like the other times I’d fallen into shafts. This descent wasn’t rapid, wasn’t uncontrolled. My magic burned around me, meshing with the wilder power, and acting as some kind of a brake.
