“I found Anya and Bridget!” Owen’s voice cuts through the clearing air as the last flames die down.
“Crystal’s over here!” Bria calls.
Lexie and I head off toward Bria, who’s closest to our location. Lexie nearly pushes me out of the way to kneel beside her cousin. “Is she okay?”
Bria nods. “I’ve checked her over. She’s unconscious, but I can’t detect any damage.”
I can’t help marveling at the certainty with which Bria announces this. With all we’ve been through in the last week, it certainly is good to have a healer in our circle. If she says Crystal’s fine, I believe her.
“Do you think you should go check on Bridget an Anya?” I ask.
She nods. “Sure.”
Lexie brushes the hair off Crystal’s face. It’s as tender as I’ve ever seen her behave toward her cousin. While the two are closer in this reality than my own, Crystal and Lexie often seem more like rivals than friends. “Wake up, Crystal. Wake up.”
I kneel on Crystal’s other side. I’m not sure how she got knocked out, but whatever was used did a number on her. It’s not unlike the effect of the booby traps Sasha set around the cabin she held Anya in. Crystal’s consciousness is difficult to locate—hidden under layers of shadow. It’s only with effort I’m able to pull her waking self to the surface.
Crystal’s eyelids flutter for nearly a minute before she manages to open them. Her eyes are unfocused. “What happened?”
“We were hoping you could tell us that,” I say. “Do you know where you are?”
“The woods.” She tries to push herself into a sitting position, but she doesn’t quite make it. Instead, she props herself on her elbow. “We were waiting for the rest of you to come so we could dig up the Althea.”
“That’s right. Do you remember what happened after that?”
“There was a fire,” Lexie prompts.
Crystal’s brow knits. “Fire?”
Footsteps approach from behind me. “Yes.” Dad’s voice is heavy. “And whoever set it knew exactly what they were doing. All the Althea is gone.”
“It had to be Elliot, right?” Felix asks, following close behind him. “I know Anya said she didn’t tell Sasha anything, but maybe she was able to pick up on something and pass the information to Elliot before we got there.”
“The important thing isn’t how he found out,” Dad says, his voice heavy. “It’s what we do now. We needed this herb. Without it, we can’t do the vessel spell. Come Thursday, the elder council is going to unbind your circle, making your abilities vulnerable. And then they’re going to attempt to lock Seth away again.”
Something in the way Dad words his statement doesn’t sit well with me. Felix notices, too. “Wait—they’re going to attempt?” he asks. “You make it sound like they’re not going to succeed.”
Dad sighs, leaning back against a tree trunk. “They’re not,” he says flatly. “Anya’s known for years now. That’s why she sought me out. A failsafe. The council trapped Seth once—there’s no way he won’t be prepared for them to attempt to trap him the same way again. He’ll have set up defenses to guard against it.” He runs his hand through his hair. “Once you’re able to wake Anya and Bridget, we should all get back to the house. You might want to have the rest of the circle join us. It’s time we tell you everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Less than an hour later, the entire circle sits around the living room of my house. Griffin gives up his claim on the arm chair to allow Anya to sit in it. Mom starts to make her way upstairs to be out of our way, but Dad catches her by the hand and invites her to sit in on the conversation. I’m not sure whether this development is a good or a bad thing.
As Mom and Dad settle in chairs pulled across from the dining room, the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue is the same: What now?
“There has to be a plan B, right?” Griffin asks without preamble.
Dad exhales through his nose. “Honestly, I’m not sure what our next step is.”
I turn to Anya. At least whoever set fire to the Althea didn’t seem interested in causing harm to her, Bridget, or Crystal—all three were well outside the burn zone. Whoever. As if we don’t know who did it. Unless Sasha managed to fight her way out of the coma and break the confinement spell, Elliot is the only possibility. “You had visions of the future. Was there ever one where we beat Seth using a different spell?”
She shakes her head. “My visions were always the same—Ben going up against Seth. But there’s something about seeing events that are yet to come that I learned a long time ago: My visions don’t always contain all the information. It’s possible there’s something else that’s supposed to happen that I just don’t know about yet. It might not make sense until after everything’s over.”
“So, what exactly was the whole plan?” Felix asks. “Ben is supposed to take on Seth, but how’s he supposed to even get that far?”
Dad shifts in his seat. “That’s one of the parts Anya doesn’t see clearly. But what we were thinking is once we had the vessel spell ready, the psychics would locate Seth’s position and I would go to him to ask him to spare Krissa. I’ll promise she’ll never try to take him on if he’ll just let her leave Clearwater and live her own life. I might even ask if he can protect her from the council’s dispersal spell.”
A tremor of unease travels through the circle. West’s eyebrows pull together. “Have you been working on that for the last five years? Because it’s pretty lame.”
“I just need an excuse to get close to him,” Dad insists.
“And you really think that’ll work?” Lexie asks. “Because I’m fairly certain he’ll guess something’s fishy if you just show up out of nowhere wanting to chat.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter that his plan’s crap now, does it?” Tucker asks. “In case you guys forgot, the key ingredient just went up in smoke. No offense to your fortune-telling abilities, Anya, but it looks like you got this one wrong. We’re not going to be able to pull off this vessel spell thing.”
“Actually…”
Bridget’s voice is small, but at once she commands the attention of the room.
“What?” I press.
She purses her lips like she regrets having spoken up. But after a beat she takes in a breath and squares her shoulders. “It might still be possible to do the spell. The reason we needed the Althea root was because of its specific energy. That’s why you need any element in a spell. The energy has to be right to bring about the effect you want. I spent a lot of time with that plant the last few days, and I could feel that energy. It was almost ready to pick before the fire and I could sense the power in it. It might be possible to figure out a different combination of herbs with the same qualities.”
Felix cocks his head. “You really think you can do that?” He’s not questioning her abilities; instead, he sounds genuinely impressed.
The corners of Bridget’s mouth twitch. “It might be possible. Emphasis on might.”
“We can work with might,” Dad says.
Anya smiles. “Maybe this is the way it was supposed to happen all along.”
“You can head back to the greenhouse now, if you want,” I offer. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I mean, I can’t feel the energy in the herbs like you can, but if there are specific qualities you’re looking for, I can probably point you in the right direction.”
Bridget nods, standing. “Okay. I’ll get started.”
“While she’s doing that,” Griffin says, leaning forward in his dining room chair, “I say we come up with a new plan to replace the weak-ass one Ben’s thinking will get him in front of Seth.” He glances at my dad. “No offense.”
An amused expression flickers over Dad’s face. “None taken.”
“Now,” Griffin continues, “I didn’t know this Seth guy, but thanks to being bound to you psychics, I feel like I’ve got an idea about the kind of person he is. Going and asking him to do
something for you isn’t going to appeal to him. He’s going to want something in return.”
When I first met Seth, when he was pretending to be my long-lost relative, he appeared very much to be the kind of person who would go out of his way to help someone, but it was all an act designed to earn my trust. Griffin’s assessment of what Seth is really like is much closer to reality. Seth keeps people around because they’re useful, and when they cease being so, he no longer needs them. I lean forward, pressing my forearms into my thighs, and nod at Griffin. “What do you have in mind?
***
At just before eight o’clock the next morning, Owen steers his Grand Prix into the parking lot of the riverside park. So many things have happened along the banks of this river—the spell that took Crystal and me back in time, stopping Seth from reabsorbing his energy from the quartz he’d been trapped in. Last night when we discussed a place for a meeting, this one seemed the best fit.
“I don’t like this,” Owen grumbles as he pulls into a space. The place is deserted and the sun is only now cresting the treetops, giving the area a haunting, deserted look.
“Then why’d you volunteer to come?” Griffin mutters from the back seat.
Owen doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t have to: I know the reason. He’s here because I am. He wants to be on site in case our plan goes sideways. Originally I’d wanted Fox here, too. The three of us are linked by the binding spell and despite the complications in our relationships, I’d feel stronger with him here. But when I suggested it, he turned me down flat. Griffin eagerly took his place. He’s frustrated by yesterday’s setback and I’m pretty sure he’s looking for an excuse to punch someone. Felix also volunteered, but I insisted Lexie come instead. She’s proven herself a capable witch who’s good at thinking on her feet. And while I doubt we’ll be in any danger at this morning’s meeting, it’s best to be prepared.
Nervous anticipation builds in the car as the digital clock on the dashboard counts off the minutes. Seven fifty-eight. Seven fifty-nine. At eight o’clock, Lexie huffs. “What if he didn’t get the message?”
“He did,” I insist, even though I have no proof. This weekend we weren’t able to come up with any way to find Elliot, but last night we realized we didn’t necessarily have to. He’s a psychic, which means he should be able to pick up on a message directed at him.
We hope.
By four past eight, the anticipation has given way to irritation and doubt. If Elliot doesn’t show up, we’re back to Dad’s plan for getting to Seth—and that idea isn’t without its peril. If the psychics attempt to locate Seth again, we’ll open ourselves up to the same kind of attack we experienced before. There are safeguards we can put up, but none of them would be foolproof. No, things will only work if Elliot shows up.
An aging Honda Civic idles into the parking lot and slides into a spot three down from ours. I can’t suppress the bubble of excitement that wells in me. He got the message. He’s here.
I’ve got the passenger side door open before Owen cuts the ignition. By the time I make it to the driver’s side of the car, the others have joined me and Elliot is standing on the pavement. He eyes us warily, making no move to come to the other side of his car.
“That’s a lot of backup for a girl who just wants to talk,” he calls.
“Can you blame her?” Owen responds.
I put my hand on his arm. The last thing we want is a confrontation. “I have a proposition for you to take to Seth.”
Elliot raises an eyebrow. “Take to him? Are you telling me you lifted the barrier spell around the town?”
“I know you’ve got ways to contact him,” I say, ignoring his question. “In light of recent events, I’ve reconsidered his offer to join him.”
Elliot folds his arms on the hood of his car. “Recent events?”
I have to give it to him—his tone sounds sincere. If I didn’t know better, I might have an inkling of doubt about his involvement in last night’s fire. “Look, the fact of the matter is the circle’s been talking and none of us is interested in having our abilities dispersed by the elder council.” I gauge his reaction. His expression doesn’t change, but I didn’t really expect this news to be a revelation. He probably already knows what happened in Clearwater the first time Seth was trapped. There would be no reason to think that wouldn’t be the course of action planned if Seth ever returned. “We thought we had a way to stop it, but we don’t.”
He cocks his head and I sense the thing I’ve been waiting for: the gentle caress of his psychic abilities against my consciousness. He’s trying to find out if I’m being honest with him. Anya worked with the four of us last night to help us appear to be just that. I can only hope her lessons have stuck. “If I remember correctly, last time we talked about this, you weren’t even interested in hearing what Seth had to offer you.”
I take in a breath. “And I’m still not. You said he wants me—wants us—to join him. I’m willing to agree, but I have conditions.”
Elliot snorts. “Conditions?”
“Yes,” I say, an edge to my tone. “No one in Clearwater gets hurt.”
“You’re crazy if you think Seth’s giving up Clearwater,” he says, shaking his head.
“I’m not asking him to. He wants this town, I’m fine with that. But he has to give people the option to leave. And if they don’t want to, he can’t lay a finger on them.” We talked long and hard last night about what my conditions for coming to Seth’s side should be. There was no way Elliot—or Seth—would believe me if I simply said I wanted to join up. The conditions needed to be firm and real—things that are actually important to me—even if they’re things Seth won’t readily agree to. I figure the worst case scenario is I’ll insist Elliot get a face-to-face meeting with Seth for me. Anything will work so long as it gets me in front of him.
“That might be a hard sell,” Elliot says. “I don’t think you understand how Seth feels about the ordinary. They did terrible things to him and to people he cared about in his day.”
“I understand that.” Seth told me what happened to the girl he loved—Bess Taylor, Lexie and Crystal’s distant relative. She died in a fire caused by some of the ordinary people in town. “But these people aren’t those people. He can’t punish them for things they haven’t done.” I pause, waiting for Elliot to contradict me, to defend any actions Seth might want to take, but he doesn’t. “My other condition is that we lead together.”
Elliot’s lips twitch as he processes this second request. “What makes you think—”
“Those are my conditions,” I say, cutting him off. “Does Seth want us with him or not? Because unless he has a contingency plan, come Thursday night, we won’t have our abilities anymore and neither will he. But if we’re with him, we’ll be strong enough to stop the council.”
“He wants you to join him—don’t get me wrong. But I’m not sure he’ll go for your terms.”
“So set up a meeting,” Griffin says easily. His tone is overconfident, verging on rude, but for once I don’t find it grating. Its use is calculated, meant to make Elliot uncomfortable and pressure him into action. For the first time, I’m glad he’s here with me.
“And how are you going to meet?” asks Elliot. “No one with abilities can enter or leave this town.”
I’m prepared for this—something else we discussed last night. “Set the meeting for Thursday. Jodi worked a back door into the spell and I can get out during the full moon.”
“Thursday? That’s cutting it a bit close, don’t you think?” As Elliot speaks, I sense another intrusion on my mind. I’m sure he wants to know if there’s anything I’m hiding, any deception I have planned.
“Hey, I didn’t design the spell,” I say. In my head, I work through the training Anya gave last night, again hoping it’s enough to keep Elliot from delving too deeply. In truth, there is no moon-related back door, but there is a way out—for me. It turns out when Jodi added her blood to the spell, it wasn’t because it was a
necessary part; instead, the blood allows me, a close relative, to make adjustments to the barrier. A blood lock. It’s why Sasha cut me when she held me captive. According to Anya, there are different types of locks, and some can be influenced by lunar cycles—so even if Sasha told Elliot about what Jodi did, my lie is still plausible.
Elliot exhales heavily. “I’ll set it up.”
I nod. “If there are any problems, drop word at the shop. If not, we’ll assume everything’s set. All we need is a location.”
His lips quirk up in a humorless smile. “To be clear, I’m doing this because I know it’s what Seth would want. But I haven’t seen or heard from Sasha since Saturday night. Who knows what you guys did to her. I don’t trust you, so if it’s all the same, I won’t be giving you the location until the last possible minute.”
Lexie pulls her phone from her back pocket and taps a couple buttons on the screen. Elliot’s eyes go wide as it rings.
“Consider this an act of good faith,” I say as the call connects.
“Do it,” Lexie says, and I fight back a smile as her surge of pleasure at sounding like a secret agent.
Unease radiates off Elliot as we wait for news on the other end of the line. Seconds tick by before a muffled voice sounds and Lexie nods, holding the phone out to Elliot. “It’s for you.”
He circles his car cautiously and crosses the distance to Lexie. He takes the phone and brings it to his ear. “Hello?” After a beat, a female voice responds and relief washes over Elliot’s features. “Sasha. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“She’s safe and she’ll be dropped off at the diner in town,” I assure him as Lexie reaches for her phone. “My people are even giving her some money for a good breakfast.”
Owen crosses his arms over his chest. “Don’t underestimate what we’re doing here. She kidnapped and tortured two of us, attacked another, and knocked out someone else. As far as I’m concerned, we should leave her where she is. But if we’re going to do this, we have to start with trust.”
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