Okay, Bettina. Check out the skeleton. I reached out and ran my fingers along the sternum, and I was shocked by how smooth it was. The color was dingier than I expected. The bone that killed Timothy had been white—but it was probably best to not think about that.
Tennessee picked up the short sword lying across the skeleton’s lap and held it up for Tegan to see. He glanced over his shoulder then nodded. “Didn’t think so.”
Something glistened above the sternum, so I leaned in closer. It was wrapped around the neck and— OH, it’s a necklace! I carefully slid my fingers under the rusted, mostly silver necklace still hanging from this lady skeleton then looked back to Tegan.
She shook her head. I sighed and kept moving along. Together, we went down the skeleton, taking turns holding items and being turned down. Nothing had a red rose on it.
“Let’s try this dude,” Tennessee grumbled and moved over so I could get a closer look.
This skeleton had to be twice the size of the one we’d just inspected. Tennessee reached up and immediately lifted what looked like remnants of a hat of some kind. There was nothing else on its head, so I searched his neck. When that was empty, I carefully raised the metal breastplate off its chest and looked at Tegan. She shook her head, her entire body glowing like a full moon.
Tegan shook her head again—then again. I frowned and looked back to find Tennessee setting a sword and a dagger back on the ground.
He plucked a silver shield out from under some leaves and held it up. Tegan must’ve said no because he cursed. “It’s here somewhere. We just have to keep looking.”
Think, Bettina, think.
Binding runes fall on the line.
Why say ‘on the line’?
“Because there’s an actual line that unworthy mortals cannot pass,” Tennessee whispered, answering the question I hadn’t realized I’d spoken out loud.
I didn’t care that I’d thought it out loud. It was better for our hunt anyway.
Then his words registered. “Wait, where’s the line?”
He peeked up at me with his mismatched eyes and frowned. Then he turned, leaned forward, and pointed. “Right there. Why?”
“Well, I guess I’m thinking it made a point of saying on the line, when it could’ve said a bunch of other things to mean this place.” I threw my hair back off my shoulder. “Maybe the actual object is literally on the line?”
He opened his mouth then shut it. He stared at the ground for a long moment then nodded. “Logical, I like it.”
Doesn’t mean I’m right, though.
Tennessee sidestepped over two feet. The second he stopped moving, the ground beneath him lit up like an airport runway.
The line. My heart pounded in my chest, throbbing up my throat and into my ears. Adrenaline rushed through my veins.
He put one knee down on the line then leaned forward and buried his hands under the fallen dead leaves and chunks of bone. But as he slid his hands along the line, I saw something glisten. My eyes widened. I leaned as close as possible without touching the line… They were crystals.
The ground on the other side of the line was covered in chunks of crystal.
My jaw dropped.
As he pushed the crystals aside, I saw a black lotus flower on the back of Tenn’s left hand—the one on the other side of the line. I sat in silence with my heart in my throat as he ran his fingers up and down the line near the two skeletons.
The ground rumbled under my feet, sending energy vibrating up my legs. I frowned, glanced up, and found Tennessee’s eyes closed. His normally deep-tanned skin glowed like Tegan’s. The pink heart-shaped crystal on his chest sparkled under the light.
All around me, leaves and broken bones rose from the ground. The crystals on the Garden’s side pulsed and glowed within from where they hovered a foot off the ground. The line itself turned a lime green. The earth warmed, burning like hot summer beach sand through my Converses. The crystals, leaves, and bone particles spun in tight circles so fast they were a blur of color.
There was a flash of red light in front of us, and we both gasped at the same time. I started to reach for it then remembered I wasn’t permitted to cross the line. Except Tennessee hadn’t grabbed it either. I opened my mouth to ask why when I noticed the object was moving…toward me. I rolled onto my knees and held my hands out, ready and waiting. The second it crossed over the glowing line, I snatched it out of the air and jumped back.
Still crouched, I opened my hands and peered down into my palms at the object. And in that instance, I felt every bit like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. I was holding my precious and never letting go. With a shaky breath, I ran my fingers along the white-colored object. My breath left me in a rush. It was bone. On the narrow top, it had an intricate engraving in red of a rose. This is it!
Except it didn’t do anything when I held it, and I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to. I held it out to Tennessee.
He took it in his hands and inspected every angle. Then he pursed his lips. “It’s a pipe made of bone.”
Yeah, kinda creepy.
“Is it the right object?” Jackson said softly. His face seemed drained of color.
I stared at the pipe. “Maybe he needs to hold it to see?”
Tennessee shrugged and tossed it over to Jackson who caught it effortlessly. The second it touched Jackson’s bare skin, it shimmered with a golden glow. But nothing else happened.
“Is something supposed to happen?” Gen asked softly from a few feet away.
“Pipe, you say?” Jackson scowled and stared at it. “Perhaps…”
Then he shrugged and brought it to his lips. He took a deep breath, then blew into it. A cloud of glittery smoke billowed into the clearing…with neon blue runes glistening from within.
Harlan cursed. “Great, more angelic runes.”
“No, no, these are not angelic.” Cooper narrowed his eyes and moved closer to the shapes. “I recognize these, albeit not well.”
Tennessee shook his head. “No, these are the original dialect of our language.”
“Wait a second. Where’s the answer to the last clue?” Trey threw his hands up. “We found the object, so shouldn’t it have angelic runes on it?”
“Not necessarily.” Tennessee sighed. “I fear this mission will be a series of clues, with one directly leading to another.”
I sat up straight. “Like escape rooms, right, Tegan— Tegan?”
Tegan stood at the waterfall staring into the Garden of Eden. I hadn’t even seen her move. Her body glowed but her eyes were sheet white. The whole things. My heart skipped a beat. The black and pale green in them was gone. All that was left was solid white, and they shined brighter than the sun, pouring light out of them.
Tegan reached her hand out, and her fingers passed through the waterfall.
“Tegan, no.” Tennessee jumped forward and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her hands down at her sides. He leaned in with his lips pressed against her ear and whispered, “Tegan, come back to me.”
She wiggled under his grip, fighting to get away from him. He kept saying her name, begging her to hear him through whatever hypnosis she’d fallen under. Words left her lips, but they were soft and not in any language I’d ever heard before. Whatever was happening in this holy land had some weird effect on her. One I didn’t know how to stop.
A gust of wind slammed into them head-on. Their long black hair wrapped around them and squeezed tight. Tegan threw her head back and dropped to her knees. The ground under her exploded with blue light. Tennessee cupped her face and tried whispering to her, but she was busy mumbling things of her own.
I hadn’t even realized I’d moved over to them until I stood right beside him. I looked down at Tegan, and my heart climbed up my throat. Her eyes weren’t just white—they were gold and white. I didn’t know what it meant, but it couldn’t have been good. Her lips moved over and over.
“Tegan?”
“Haven. Haven. Haven,” she mumbled over and o
ver.
Tennessee cursed and squeezed her tighter. “Tegan? Tegan, come back to me.”
I felt a blast of magic rush toward me. The energy was raw and cold, like deeply buried dirt. A thick vine covered in wide leaves and little white flowers wrapped around Tegan’s head like a blindfold. Her grip went slack and her words died on her tongue... Then she fainted, sank into Tennessee’s arms, and her head rolled back.
Tennessee caught her in his arms, then stood. “I have to get her out of here.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Bettina
“Tennessee, maybe you should let me carry her?”
If he’d heard Cooper, he straight up ignored him. Though I wasn’t surprised. I knew by the sharpness in his eyes he wasn’t going to let anyone else carry his unconscious soulmate. I couldn’t blame him—not here in the Old Lands where anything could happen in one single step.
Tennessee turned to the side and slid between the two slates. Cooper was hot on his heels, with Willow and Chutney scurrying after him. Harlan looked around the bone-filled clearing and shook his head, then he leapt through the slates. Gen pulled her daggers back out and charged after them. Trey mumbled something then followed…and then it was just me and Jackson. That Christmassy scent of his invaded my senses, short-circuiting my brain.
Before I could stop myself, I looked over at him. “Are you all right?”
He stared at the ground for several seconds in silence, then nodded once and spun away from me without speaking.
Right. Lovely. Nice talkin’ to ya’. I really needed to get over him. Fast. Especially if he was going to revert to his old, cold, snappy ways. All right, rein these unhelpful thoughts in, Bettina. I didn’t hesitate another moment. There were too many thoughts and questions in my mind to stand still. I had to keep moving. We had a job to do—rescue Warner.
When I stepped out from between the slates and back into the clearing Lonan had dropped us in, my jaw hit the ground. The sky was a deep shade of purple. The sun appeared to be shining still, with golden light streaming through the trees. I blinked and looked around.
“I said I’ve got her,” Tennessee growled.
Cooper cursed and threw his hands up. “Fine. Just thought we’d have our best weapon available—”
“Lancaster can handle it,” Tennessee snapped.
Jackson nodded and pulled his swords out from their holsters.
Willow gnawed on her bottom lip and looked around. “Does anyone know how to get to the balefire from here?”
“Yup!” Chutney bounced over from the edge of the forest. “Well, kinda. Just spoke to this weird-looking squirrel who said we take that path over there, and it will eventually lead us to the balefire. It’s the same path we took last time.” She pointed to the path that curved to the right and dipped between two towering pine trees.
It appeared we were going back into the forest. This shouldn’t have surprised me.
“See, it’s fine. Let’s move.” Tennessee stomped off toward the path that Chutney had pointed to.
“What is wrong with you right now? You’re never this irrational.” Cooper followed after him. “You and I both know these pathways change on a whim. We need you to use George.”
Tennessee froze mid step. His back straightened, but he didn’t turn around.
Gen frowned and looked back and forth between them. “Who is George?”
“George is Tenn’s pendulum. So we need him to lead us with it.”
“I can’t,” Tennessee groaned and turned around. His eyes were wild, his face pale. “I can’t, Coop. I can’t put her down. I just can’t.”
Even if he wanted to, I suspected he still couldn’t.
I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Um, can I try to use George? Tegan told me all about him, and I’ve always had a knack for pendulums, even before.”
Tennessee’s eyes sparkled, and I recognized hope inside them. He wanted to do his part, but he was trapped. He nodded. “I’m happy to let you try.”
I walked forward, prepared to reach into his jeans pocket for him, when something flashed with blue light from his hip. Then I noticed Tenn’s fingers under Tegan’s knees were wiggling. The glowing blue object looked like a star as it flew through the air to me. I reached out and plucked it from the sky. It was cold against my skin and pulsing with energy. I peeled my fingers away and found a thin, bluish-colored crystal sitting in my palm with a silver chain attached to the top.
My heart kicked up a notch. I licked my lips and took the pendulum chain in my fingers, then let the crystal fall from my hand. It bounced in the air, and purple mist coiled around it. Raw, wild energy zapped up my fingers then shot up my arm. I gasped and blinked down at it. There was no time to delay. Tegan had told me all about this pendulum, how it worked, and how much of a personality he had. She could use him, and so could Emersyn. I wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as the three of them, but maybe, just maybe he would listen.
Hello, George. I spoke to the pendulum with my mind. I’m Bettina, Tennessee and Tegan’s friend. I know we’ve never met, but my friends and I are in trouble and need your help, except Tennessee needs to carry Tegan because she’s unconscious. Will you allow me to seek your guidance?
Nothing happened. The crystal just hung there. But I refused to give up that fast. I stood there staring at it, pushing my magic into the stone and pleading for George to listen.
And then it swung away from me and back.
Willow gasped. “That means yes! George likes you!”
I smiled and chuckled nervously. Thank you, George. Now, can you lead us to the balefire?
It stopped moving for a moment, then swung in the same direction. Yes.
Perfect. Please show us the way.
Instantly, the bluish-colored crystal swung in a diagonal line off to my right…exactly toward the pathway Chutney had told us to use.
“Bettina, take the lead. Chutney, follow directly behind her. Willow, you’re after them.” Tennessee moved to stand at the base of the path, with Tegan still draped in his arms. “Coop, I need your strength in the back. Jackson, go in after the girls. You’re our weapon here. You other three, follow after me.”
Bettina, take the lead.
Oh, for monkey’s sake. What did I get myself into now?
But I couldn’t let them see me panic. I had to stay strong. I took a deep breath then marched onto the pathway with the pendulum hanging from my fingers. No one spoke as we walked through the forest so Chutney could hear if an animal was coming.
The forest thrived all around us. The trees towered so high above us I couldn’t even see the tops. Little bits of weird purple sky poked through the branches and leaves. Streams of sunshine looked like spotlights. The air was warm and fresh.
George led us up and down steep hills, around stone mountainsides, and over fallen trees. My arm burned from holding it up for so long, though I couldn’t even tell how much time had passed. The sky was no longer purple but now a soft shade of green, and I had no idea what it meant. My feet screamed for mercy. My legs ached and throbbed. But we marched on. I didn’t look back at anyone else, but their ragged breathing told me they were struggling.
Chutney kept calling out types of animals and pointing, like knowing what was passing by us was somehow helping. I didn’t want to know what was out there.
Electricity shot up my finger and I jumped. When I looked down, George was swinging wildly in a diagonal line…pointing behind us and to the left. I frowned. Did I miss a turn?
The crystal stopped moving in an instant then swung in front of me and back. YES.
Ah, crap. I froze in place.
Chutney slammed into my back and cursed.
“Why did we stop moving?” Jackson growled right behind me.
My cheeks warmed. I turned to face them and grimaced. “Sorry, I missed the turn. We have to go that way.” I pointed in the direction I’d missed.
Everyone turned and stepped to the side to let me up to the front. I skipp
ed up ahead and led everyone down the path. We got five feet down the pathway when light flashed in front of us and a stone wall appeared out of nowhere. I tried to stop, but I slid right into it face-first. A large, warm hand gripped my bicep and yanked me back.
I stared at the wall. “I don’t understand. This…this is where George told us to go.”
“The path changed,” Cooper grumbled.
George, is this the path we need to take still?
NO.
Tennessee cursed.
Do we go back the other way?
I don’t know.
Can you still guide us to the balefire?
NO.
The Coven-members groaned.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I messed up.”
“Not your fault. The Old Lands are a tricky place to navigate.” Tennessee turned and headed back the way we came. “Let’s keep moving.”
I sprinted to catch up to him, then carefully slid his pendulum back into his pocket. When I looked up, my stomach sank. The path looked different than the one we’d just walked. A huge hedge cut across the path, blocking our way.
Tennessee cursed a long, nasty string, and the air around him pulsed. A wall of magic flew out of him and blasted into the hedge, blowing a hole right through it.
“Hurry!” he yelled then hopped through.
Crap, crap, crap. I leapt through the hedge—then slammed into Tennessee’s back. I bounced off of him then stumbled back a bit. And that was when I saw it, the reason he’d stopped so short. We weren’t on a path in the forest anymore. The sky had turned a dark gray, almost black, but the moon was bigger than I’d ever seen and bright enough to light up the horrible scene in front of us.
The dirt trail had turned to gray slate that was uneven and jagged.
Flames shot up from within the stone and danced in the air.
“What the hell is this place?” Cooper mumbled.
I heard the slide of metal as someone unholstered their sword, and then Gen cursed. “I don’t like the looks of this.”
The Fallen Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 2) Page 26