“We can do that,” Paulina said with a smile.
Kessler rubbed the back of his neck. “Devon, give me all you’ve got. Surround the school. I wanna know if anything moves.”
She saluted then bounced off.
“Willow, can you set up an illusion to make us look like we’re back together? Just in case Joseph comes looking.”
Willow pushed her sleeves up and nodded. “On it.”
“Chutney, can you ask some of your friends to keep an eye on things?” Kessler snapped his fingers. “And see if one of them can check on Lonan? I want to make sure he’s okay after that fight.”
“Oh, Lonan is fine. I’ve checked him probably too many times than his pride enjoys.” Chutney grinned, completely unphased. “But yes, I will gather my troops.”
Bettina cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Um, excuse me, Kessler? What about food?”
Bentley jumped up from the step he’d been sitting on. “Oh, I handled that already.”
Kessler frowned and turned to him. “Say what, nephew? What do you mean you handled it?”
“I’m psychic, remember?” Bentley shrugged. “I saw, so I handled. Marcia Landry, her sister, and Cheryl Cole helped me.”
Kessler chuckled and shook his head. “Okay…uh, I guess I’ll leave you four to it. Go ahead, check with them and make sure everyone’s fed.”
“’Kay.” He spun and sped off into the building.
“Easton and Lily, I want you standing guard outside these front doors.” He pointed. “If anything not invited tries to get in…blind ‘em and bind ‘em.”
Easton laughed. “Blind ‘em and bind ‘em. I LOVE IT. Babe, we’ve got a catch phrase!”
“Look what you’ve done, we’ll never hear the end of it.” Lily chuckled then grabbed her boyfriend by the elbow and dragged him away.
It was just me and Bettina standing there now, and I was doing everything to avoid looking at her.
Kessler laughed. “All right, Bettina, I need you to report to Mona and Katherine in the infirmary. Make sure they’re good, okay?”
“No problem.”
I glanced up just as she slipped inside. Then I turned to Kessler. “I’ve never been picked last for the team.”
He hung his head and laughed. After a second, he rubbed his face. “You’re last because you’re first. You and I are going to move around, handle anything that arises.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tennessee
Tegan’s portal dropped us right inside Lookout Tower in Hidden Kingdom.
And it was weird.
For the last twelve years, this place was my second home. My father and I had been the ones to decorate it. I picked out that couch. As a matter of fact, I slept on that couch more nights in the last year than I did my actual bed in my house.
My house. I hadn’t actually been home since…since we got that call from Emersyn and Deacon in New York, then the call about Timothy. It all happened in the blink of an eye. One day I’d been a normal teenager without any tasks, the next day I was Coven Leader with everyone’s lives on my hands.
“She’s not in here.” Cooper sighed and put his hands on his hips, then glanced around. “Why isn’t she here?”
“I can’t believe we’re here right now.” Royce plopped down on the couch and leaned back, his sapphire eyes bounced around the room. “Like most of our entire lives were spent here, and then boom we moved. No warning. Weird.”
Henley sighed from behind him and ran her fingers through her brother’s hair. “There are so many memories here.”
“Some more than others,” Deacon mumbled. He smirked.
Tegan looked down at the couch then up to me and her cheeks flushed a deep pink. She turned her eyes to the ground but I saw her smile and chew on her thumbnail.
My heart fluttered. I knew which memory was making her blush. My face warmed.
Cooper scowled. He glanced back and forth between Tegan, Deacon, and I. Then his face paled. “HERE? That happened here?”
I cleared my throat and spun toward the door of the tower. That was not a group conversation I wanted to have. “All right, well – um – let’s go find Saffie.”
Deacon laughed behind me. I felt his energy follow me toward the door.
“Deacon, you’re as bad as Easton sometimes,” Emersyn said with a chuckle.
Royce whistled. “I knew we should’ve installed cameras in here back in the day.”
“Royce!” Everyone yelled at the same time.
I shook my head and stepped off the ledge and into the darkness. The December air in Florida was warm and sticky. By the time my feet hit the grass below Lookout Tower, there was already sweat rolling down my spine.
There was a flash of white light and then the others were beside me.
“Show off,” Royce grumbled. “You didn’t see me swinging from the vines like Tarzan to get down here.”
That made me smile. “Actually, Royce, I would love to see that.” I laughed and reached up to tie my hair in a knot on top of my head.
Tegan sighed and her eyes twinkled. “Goddess, I missed the man-bun.”
“Do you two need to go back up to the couch while we look for Saffie—”
“Deacon,” Emersyn hissed and smacked him in the stomach. She shook her head and laughed. “I swear.”
“Sorry – sorry.” Deacon grimaced and looked around. “This place makes me jumpy.”
“Me too,” Henley whispered.
Royce and Deacon reached out and wrapped their arms around hers. She sighed and gave them a small smirk.
“Let’s find Saffie so we can break the curse and get back to Eden,” Cooper said with a frown.
Emersyn perked up. “We can bring her with us finally!”
I felt a tremor in the air around me. With a frown, I turned toward the energy and found it coming from Tegan. She was frowning and staring into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest around us. I reached out and brushed her elbow.
Something isn’t right, she said into my mind. I feel…something.
“All right, let’s find her.” I turned and gestured for everyone to follow me. “Let’s check her old hiding spots, starting with the forest here first.”
I led us through the dark of the forest in silence. But it was too quiet. Usually this forest thrived at night. There were always birds chirping, owls hooting, and squirrels rummaging around. I usually heard the soft flutter of Saffie’s wings or saw the golden glitter of her magic. Yet tonight there was nothing.
Ever since we closed the Gap here in Hidden Kingdom, this place had become a ghost town. Literally. There were no more Fae slipping inside, and the demons were gone. It was just Saffie and whatever spirits lingered around.
I pushed through a few trees and stepped out onto the paved pathway. A cold chill slithered down my spine. I stopped short and narrowed my eyes. Tegan was right, something was off. To our right was utter darkness, but to our left there was a little glimmer of light. It was soft and faint, but it was there.
“Something is over there.” Tegan charged down the center of the pathway.
My stomach tightened into knots. I leapt after her and the others followed behind me. We hurried down the pathway that led to the fairy fountain courtyard, then followed it around a bend – and froze.
“What in the ever-loving hell is that?” Deacon whispered.
The path in front of us was blocked...by spirits. There were dozens of them, as far left and right as I could see. Their forms were glowing a soft blue-ish purple but they radiated golden light around them. Something was not normal about these spirits. They were translucent, but not as much as they should’ve been. And they stood tall and rigid, like statues.
“Can everyone see them?” Tegan whispered.
“Yes,” we whispered back.
She sighed. “Oh…that’s good.”
“Is it? These are not normal,” Henley grumbled.
But I knew what Tegan was thinking. Ever since we went in the
Garden of Eden she’d been experiencing weird things with spirits. I looked down at her then arched one eyebrow.
She took a deep breath then nodded. “After you, boss.”
I took a step forward, then another and another. Yet the spirits remained frozen. Usually everything registered my presence from this close. They didn’t and it wasn’t a good sign. My pulse quickened. The energy around us was cold and sharp. It felt hostile and angry. I frowned and moved faster.
As I approached, not a single one even flinched. I walked between them, until they surrounded me. They were lined up in perfect rows like – my eyes widened. Like an army. I stopped and spun around. My breath left me in a rush.
The spirits wore battle armor and had weapons draped from their bodies. Their faces were sharp lines and — and their ears were pointed.
I gasped. “FAE.”
Tegan was close, and I felt her pulse beating alongside mine even from a few feet away. She spun in a circle then faced me with wide eyes. “Why is there an army of Fae spirits —”
“SAFFIE,” we both said at the same time.
I turned and sprinted through the spirits with my heart in my throat. Something was wrong. I felt it with every step I took. The others raced behind me but my thoughts were only on Saffie. Ever since we gave her a phone and all our numbers she’d been texting us nonstop – until a few days ago.
A few feet and about two dozen Fae spirits later, I noticed all of them were facing in the same direction. Staring at the same thing – something toward my right. Something not on the pathway. Just then I felt a prickle of fear on the side of my face. I slid to a stop, then raced toward it. Now I was running in the direction of whatever they were looking at.
I swerved around a tree then skidded to a stop.
Saffie sat at the base of a massive oak tree about fifteen feet away but off to my left. Fear rolled out of her in strong, icy waves. She had her knees pulled up by her face. Her long red hair fell in wild curls over her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and staring at the Fae spirit standing directly in front of her.
And they were all locked in on her.
I licked my lips and stepped forward. Her hands were moving, rubbing over something she held. I walked closer, slowly. Then I spotted it. My ring. The one I’d given her in exchange for George. I’d given it to her for protection…and she was clinging to it. My heart swelled with emotions. My eyes burned.
I stepped around a few spirits then called out to her, “Saffie?”
She gasped and her eyes widened. “Who’s there?” she whispered.
“Saffie, it’s Tennessee.”
Her gaze turned and then she spotted me. She jumped to her feet and leapt toward me – and the Fae army moved. In perfect unison. Saffie froze. I froze. Everyone froze. Fear trickled through me, and I wasn’t accustomed to it. But these spirits were here for Saffie, without a doubt. She stared at them for a second, then dove to her right.
They turned again.
Saffie jumped back to the tree she’d been sitting at.
They turned again. Wherever she moved, they moved.
Saffie yelped and wrapped her arms around her body. “No, no, no.”
I cursed and charged forward. I slid to a stop in front of her then turned to face this army with my arms out wide to shield her.
Wings popped out of their backs. They pulled arrows from behind their heads and pointed them right at us. All in the blink of an eye and in perfect, eerie unison. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Saffie?” I glanced over my shoulder at her. “Are you okay?”
Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. Then she gripped my shirt and buried her face against my back.
Tegan appeared beside me, magic coiling at her fingertips. She flicked her wrists and our friends flew toward us. The tips of their toes slid across the grass and dirt until they were behind us – then she dropped them.
The Fae spirit army pulled their arrows back.
“Question, can these spirits actually hurt us?” Deacon said in a rush.
“YES. Fae. Yes. Yes. Fae can,” Saffie whispered as she trembled against my back.
“Can’t we make them leave? Isn’t that a thing we can do with spirits?” Emersyn said in a high-pitched voice.
Henley shook her head. “These are Fae spirits, they’re not of our realm.”
“Then maybe we send them back to theirs,” Tegan growled.
There was a flash of golden light and then Tegan held the Book of Shadows in her hands. She pressed her palm to the pages and whispered something I couldn’t quite hear. The pages flipped on their own then stopped about three-quarters of the way through the Book. Tegan’s eyes widened.
She looked up at the Fae spirits and her eyes glowed with rage and power. “For what I seek is deep and dire, I see my words burned in fire. Smoke and ember, cinder and ash, My spell in flames from magic’s cache.”
The Fae stepped toward us.
We moved closer together, surrounding Saffie.
Flames flickered from Tegan’s palms. Smoke coiled around her body and seeped up from the ground. The dirt shimmered with golden light. Deja-vu slammed into me hard. We’d done this exact spell back in 1692, when we tried to summon a Fae. The others must have remembered too because they glanced back at Deacon.
“Hear me now in this sacred hour, I call upon Earth’s ancient power,” Tegan chanted with a growl.
The ground trembled. Wind swept through the trees. Dirt and twigs lifted off the ground and hovered around our knees. Thick, white smoke rose into the air, blocking our view of the Fae spirit army. The air popped like wood cracking in a fireplace, and it sent chills down my spine. This was too familiar. The spell Tegan chanted appeared within the smoke as little flames.
“By strength and power, blood and bone,” Tegan shouted. “Leave us now or thy soul be thrown.”
The ground flickered bright orange light like it was on fire. I held my breath. Everyone’s tense energy pressed in on me. Hundreds of little orange specks floated down from the sky. In a flash, embers rained down on us like a monsoon. There was a flash of light and then it was gone.
The Fae were gone. It was just us. We spun around to face Saffie.
She sighed and collapsed to the ground. She buried her face in her hands.
I crouched down in front of her and put my hand on her shoulder. “Saffie? It’s okay, they’re gone now. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” she cried and her voice trembled. “They’ll come for me again.”
I shook my head. “No, we sent them back to their realm—”
“Not the spirits!” She yelled. “THE FAE. They’re going to come for me again.”
My heart sank. “Why do you think that?”
She sniffled then pulled the sleeve of her sweater up.
There, on her left forearm, were the black letters XIII.
My jaw dropped and the world around me spun.
Saffie had been Marked. Saffie was Death.
Chapter Thirty
Tennessee
The others gasped and sank to their knees around her.
“Oh my, Goddess,” Henley breathed. “You’ve been Marked.”
We all just stared. I couldn’t believe it. Saffie was now a Card. She was over three hundred years old and now she was one of us. I couldn’t wait to tell Myrtle, she was going to be so proud. Once we broke this curse, Saffie would definitely come with us to Eden. She wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.
“Saffie?” Emersyn moved closer and ran her hand through Saffie’s hair. “This is a wonderful thing—”
“BUT PAULINA!” Saffie cried and shook her head.
Em’s face fell. “Oh, no. Saffie, Paulina is alive. It’s a long story but she had to give away her Mark, she’s perfectly fine.”
“Yeah, she’s in Eden with the rest of The Coven now.” Royce ducked down and smiled. “She’s with Braison, she’s okay.”
Deacon frowned. “Saffie…why are you feeling so…scared? What�
�s wrong?”
“She thinks the Fae will come for her,” Henley whispered.
Saffie wiped her eyes but her fingers were trembling. “They know. That’s why their army came for me. Prince Thorne…Princess Sage…they’ll come for me. Like they did before…”
My heart broke a little. “When they cursed you.”
She nodded.
I swallowed through the lump in my throat. “We can protect you, Saffie—”
“HOW?” She waved her arms around. “I’m here, where they cursed me before and—”
“We came here tonight to break the curse,” Tegan said in a calm voice. “That’s why we’re here. Even before we knew you were Marked.”
She blinked those big lavender eyes of hers and looked around at us for the first time. “It’s just you guys, not everyone else…”
Cooper, who’d silent since we found her, reached out and squeezed her hand. “We’re the reason you were cursed, Saffie. We’re going to be the ones to set you free.”
“Free?” She repeated, like she didn’t know what the word meant.
“Yes, free. We were going to bring you home to Eden with us anyway.” Royce pointed to her Mark. “Now that’s where you truly belong.”
“We can protect you.” I shook my head. “If they come for you this time, we’ll be there with you.”
Saffie smiled up at me then looked down to my ring on her finger. Then she looked up to Tegan. “You can really break my curse?”
“Yes, she can.”
We all gasped and spun around.
Keltie stood right behind us. Even I didn’t hear her approach.
“Keltie,” Saffie breathed.
Keltie glided forward then crouched down in front of Saffie. I frowned and glanced back and forth between them. They looked alike. I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen that before. They had the same red curly hair and lavender eyes. Keltie even had Fae-like features. I blinked then looked over Keltie’s shoulder to Tegan.
Tegan shrugged. Yeah, I see it, too. I saw it before. There’s some kind of connection here but I have no idea what it is. And I know Keltie won’t tell me. At least not yet.
The Frozen Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 4) Page 14