Chapter Thirteen

The light that guided Priestess Charlotte into Alora was so beautiful that I wished I had conjured the portal on my own. But I hadn't. Charlotte had done that all by herself.

My gaze lingered on the area where Charlotte had disappeared, before I turned toward Stella. "You can move on, too."

She shook her head. "I'm afraid the demon banished me here."

I recalled how her spirit disappeared during our trial, and we suspected Professor Leto had cast a spell to force her out of the courtroom. I never imagined his spell had forced her here.

"The demon is dead," I told her. "He holds no power over you now. You can choose to leave."

"I can, but make no mistake, the demon may have banished me here, but I have stayed by my own volition," Stella said. "I understand now what I must do, but I'm not there yet. I have much to sort out before I ascend to Alora, but I will go when I am ready."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Grant asked.

Stella shook her head. "Only I can make the decision to ascend, but perhaps I can give something back to the coven the way Charlotte has given you that Wand. If there is anything you need here in the Abyss, I will do my best to help you."

"Actually, there is one thing," I said. "You can provide us with information. We're looking for a reaper named Edgar Nowak."

"Yes, I know Edgar." Stella pointed down a muddy path. "He lives in a cabin just down there. If that is all the information you require, then this is where we must part. I must prepare for another trial."

It was sad to see she wasn't ready to move on, but I had faith she would get there soon.

"Thank you for your help, Priestess," I said. "We wish you the very best."

"Good luck on your journey." Stella waved us goodbye as the townspeople started gathering for the next trial. We weren't about to stick around for it, so we hurried off.

We followed the path in the direction Stella had pointed us, until we came upon a small cabin with a scythe leaning against the front of the building. This had to be Edgar's house. My friends stayed behind me as I nervously approached the cabin and knocked.

The door creaked open, revealing a dark figure behind it. The cabin was so dim that the man appeared as nothing more than a shadow. He wore a black cloak that concealed his features.

I peered inside cautiously. "Edgar Nowak?"

"Oh, it's you," he sneered. "I knew you'd be back."

"Then you know who I am," I replied.

"You are Lucas Taylor—the Reaper's Apprentice. I could never forget the man who sent me here."

My bones seemed to rattle at the accusation, though it was not a false one. Edgar was here because of me.

Edgar took a step forward and stopped in the doorway. He dropped his hood, and I noticed he looked vastly different from the last time I'd seen him. The night of the Reaper Moon, he appeared to me as a skeleton in long robes, with nothing but bony fingers and empty eye sockets. Here in the Abyss, pale skin covered his body, and dark eyes stared back at me. He looked old, with wrinkles across his skin, as if evidence of the wisdom he'd collected over the years. It shocked me at first, and I took a step back.

Edgar crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. He wore a bitter expression, like that of a cat that had just gotten wet. "Am I not what you expected?"

"You look different than the last time we met," I remarked.

"I take the form that you expect of me," Edgar explained. "On Earth, my skeletal form is an omen of death, a confirmation to confused spirits that they have passed. Here, the people are already dead, and so I look like them."

"You're not able to leave, are you?" I wondered.

Edgar shook his head. "Recall that reapers can take other reapers' powers. It is why you summoned me at the Reaper Moon. When we fought that night, you overpowered me. You took control over my sentence and sent me through that reaping portal. The magic bound my soul to this realm, and I'm unable to escape the Abyss. I am a reaper—a master of death. Reapers are not meant to be reaped."

"I never intended to trap you here. There has to be a way we can get you out," I insisted.

"The only one who can free me of this place is the one who sent me here, and that's you, Lucas. You must be the one to lead me out of the Abyss." Edgar glanced at my friends behind me. "But you didn't come all the way to the Abyss to save me. You are still living. You've come here for a purpose greater than my soul."

"We've come for the Oaken Wands," I admitted. "The coven is breaking apart, and the Wands are powerful enough to restore our magic—and our hope. We know that you possess the Mortana Wand, and that it's passed down among members of the Reaper Order. I know about the Warlock's Trial. It's a trial of death, so I have to demonstrate to you my Death magic."

Edgar frowned. "I cannot give you the Mortana Wand as you wish."

I certainly didn't like that answer, and I was desperate. I didn't come all this way to the Abyss just for him to tell me he wasn't going to hand it over. We needed those Wands to save the coven. This was bigger than any resentment we may hold towards one another.

"Then perhaps we can make an exchange," I offered. "If I get you out of the Abyss, then you will hand over the Mortana Wand."

"That isn't how it works," Edgar grumbled. "I cannot hand over the Wand because you are not yet a member of the Reaper Order. You must pass the Warlock's Trial before I could even think of giving it to you."

"If I have to earn it, then so be it," I said. "Let me show you what I can do, and when I join the Reaper Order, you can give me the Wand so I can help the coven."

I gestured for my friends to back up as I faced the forest. "My magic is strong."

I lifted my hands, and a shimmering shield bloomed around us, expanding to encompass Edgar's cabin, the woods, then all of the village. Edgar turned his gaze upward, but my shield had disappeared into the clouds. He barely blinked, and I could tell he wasn't impressed, but I was only getting started.

Battle orbs formed in my palms, and I placed my hands together, melding the orbs into a singular weapon. I aimed the high-powered orb at the forest, and the magic erupted from my hands. A deafening explosion sounded, uprooting trees in an instant and sending clods of dirt raining down on us. I quickly formed a shield, and obliterated bits of tree trunks bounced off it and went flying in the other direction. My friends flinched, but my shield protected them. In the distance, I heard the townspeople scream as the explosion rocked the forest.

The dust settled, revealing a huge crater in the ground where hundreds of trees once stood.

Edgar appeared unfazed. "Your magic is powerful, but this is not Death magic."

"I'm a reaper," I pointed out. "All the souls here are already dead. My powers of death are limited."

Edgar frowned. "You don't understand the power of death if you think it is limited here."

It was clear I had to pull off something big if I was going to convince him. It had to go beyond anything I'd ever done before—Death magic that exceeded all my perceived limitations. I wasn't entirely sure what that entailed. There was so much I didn't know about my powers, but I couldn't wait around to learn these things when I needed the Mortana Wand now.

I glanced around for inspiration and noticed townspeople sticking their heads out of their cabins or peering through the trees. Their ghostly faces stared back at me, as if cautiously anticipating another explosion.

A big explosion wasn't going to cut it. Any witch or warlock could make a shield or cast a battle orb. I had to show Edgar that I wasn't just any warlock. I was a reaper, and to become that, I had to become a master of death like he was.

I recalled the day Professor Warren tried to get me to summon spirits, because he thought I must be able to interact with them in order to help them cross over. I was going to take it one step further. I needed to not just become a master of death, but a master of the dead themselves.

I conjured all the Mortana crystals I had, every last one that I'd spent months infusing with my magic. They were like batteries charged with more Death magic than I could ever conjure up on my own in one go. With them, I withdrew the stone Beau Blankard had given me from my pocket. He'd enchanted it to amplify a Mortana's power, and I had to use everything in my arsenal to convince Edgar of my power.

I curled the crystals in my fists. Magic surged through me, filling me with power unlike ever before. I let it permeate every cell of my body until I couldn't hold it back any longer. I reached a tipping point, and Death magic blasted out of me. I heard my friends gasp in surprise, but I was too focused on my magic to turn and see their reaction.

Black tendrils of magic twisted through the streets of the village, aimed at the spirits of the dead surrounding us. There had to be over a hundred of them within sight. The magic seeped into their forms, until the spirits and my power were one and the same.

I swayed on my feet, but I willed myself to remain standing. I ordered the dead forward with nothing more than a simple thought. They followed my command and marched down the path to line up behind me like an army of soldiers.

The brief wave of dizziness passed, and I turned to Edgar with my head held high. His features hadn't changed, though. If anything, he appeared bored.

"You can't deny the power I have over death," I stated.

Edgar frowned, like I was merely wasting his time. "You think you are a master reaper, but a mistake you made bound me here, and I can see that you've only slightly grown in maturity since then."

"Slightly grown?" I balked. The day I met him was the first time I'd cast a shield. My powers were hundreds of times stronger now.

"I have conquered death!" I protested. "Look at all these spirits I can control. I am a reaper through and through."

"And yet you have still not mastered death," Edgar replied calmly.

My teeth gritted. I'd just pulled off the greatest feat of magic I'd ever done, and it wasn't good enough for him? "I'm in the Abyss. That's close enough to death."

"And still death eludes you," Edgar said flatly.

Frustration didn't even cover the rage brewing inside of me. Edgar was so calm and collected, when he should be doing everything in his power to help me pass this trial. It was like he didn't want to hand over the Mortana Wand and help the coven. I bet he wanted to keep all that power to himself.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded. "To die? I don't have to die to know death. I've seen death. I've felt the life drain from people's bodies. I've suffered with the grief of dead family members. I've watched the people I love pass away without me being able to do anything to stop it. Every day, I hear more and more voices as the coven takes its last breath. I've crossed over spirits, and I've brought them back to life. I'm here in the Abyss, controlling the spirits of the dead, and you still want to stand there and tell me I don't understand death?"

The rage building up inside of me snapped, and the spirits I controlled spoke my final words in unison. "Death is final, as am I."

I lifted my hands, and the dead followed my command. Our power combined, until a glowing column of magic rose to the sky behind us. Power pulsed through the village, so much that a hum fell over the town, and the magic lit up the forest like the sun. The column stretched far into the clouds and must've been at least a mile long, stretching so far we couldn't see the end of it. It was the kind of magic that could level the whole town in an instant if I commanded it to.

"Lucas…" I heard Nadine's voice in the distance, warning me not to take things too far. It was too late.

I ignored my friends and aimed my gaze on Edgar. I would command this spell to destroy him if I had to. Surely it wouldn't kill him here in the Abyss, but if the torture I saw in the woods was any indication, it would hurt like a son of a bitch. This kind of power could blast him apart, until there was nothing left to knit back together.

"I need that Wand, and I'm not leaving here without it," I growled. "If you won't give it to me, then I'll take it from you."

"You came here asking for my help, and now you want to hurt me?" Edgar sneered.

"If that's what I have to do," I stated. "Are you going to hand over the Wand, or not?"

He shook his head. "I will not."

"You just want the Wand for yourself!" I accused.

I couldn't say I hadn't warned him. The magic I'd summoned via the dead exploded forward, following my command. It slammed into Edgar's chest, and he was sent reeling off his feet, soaring backward over his cottage. Magic blasted straight through the walls of his home, reducing the house to mere splinters. Edgar landed hard on the ground behind the obliterated cottage. He didn't move.

I thought I might've killed him—again. I carefully stepped forward, but I only got a few paces before Edgar sat up, shaking leaves out of his hair like the blast had merely tickled. I stopped in my tracks.

Edgar stood and reached into his robes. He withdrew a white wand painted to look like bone, with the shape of a rib cage carved into the end of it. My heart leapt at the sight of the Mortana Wand.

"You want this Wand?" Edgar asked. "Come and get it."

I hesitated. "What kind of trick is this?"

"It is not a trick," he stated. "You have shown how desperate you are, and the lengths you are willing to go through to get it. If you want it, take it from me."

I wasn't sure what he was playing at, because this was the last thing I expected of him. But he seemed dead serious.

I cautiously stepped toward him. My fingers curled around the end of the Mortana Wand, and I could feel its power pulsing through it. But when I tried to take it out of his open palm, the Wand wouldn't budge.

"You see?" Edgar asked. "You can try, but even so, it will not work. The Reaper Order cast a spell long ago to protect this Mortana Wand, and the Wand accepts the protection spell. You could try to pry this Wand off of my soul, but my soul won't give it to you until you become a member of the Reaper Order. I was never your enemy, Lucas, nor am I now."

All my rage melted away, and I saw how ridiculous I'd acted. Edgar wasn't trying to keep the Wand for himself. He was only being reasonable, because there was magic here at play I clearly didn't comprehend.

My shoulders dropped hopelessly. "I attempted to hurt you and destroyed your home, all for nothing. You tried to tell me, and I didn't listen."

"I will find a new home," Edgar assured me as he placed the Wand back in his cloak. "Your intentions are noble, Lucas, but your methods are foolish."

"I've done everything I can. What more power do you want to see from me?"

"I don't need to see any of this." Edgar gestured around. "All this has shown me is that you are not ready yet. However, when the time comes, you will see me again."

I wasn't sure I believed him. "How will you find me?"

"You can put an end to my sentence and give me back control of my power," he said. "If you can get me out of here, I will be able to cross the spiritual realms once again. I want to go home, but I need your help."

"Will that earn me the Mortana Wand?" I asked.

Edgar placed his hands on my shoulders. I couldn't explain it, but something deep in his eyes calmed me. There was caring nature there, like he really wanted to help, but he couldn't. "There is no bargain you can make to obtain the Wand. The Warlock's Trial is not for me to judge. I have no choice. I cannot physically give you the Wand until you've earned it."

"We need the Oaken Wands," I stated desperately. "The coven is dividing, and we're losing access to our magic. If this continues, the coven will be destroyed. Then death itself means nothing, because our magic is what unifies us. If we don't have our magic, we will have no religion anymore. Our descendants will stop believing. We either live together, or we die alone. The Wands will give us our power back, and our people will come together once again. Please, Edgar. I'll do anything."

"Perhaps that is the problem," Edgar stated. "You will do anything, but all you need to do is the right thing. The Warlock's Trial is not by my design, and therefore I cannot tell you what needs to be done."

"You had to pass it in order to join the Reaper Order. What did you do?" I questioned.

He shook his head, like I still didn't get it. "My trial will not be like your own. You must search inside yourself for the answers. Dig deeper, Lucas, because power over death is more than just magic."

There had to be more to it than that. "I've done the inner work," I pressed. "I know it's not my job to carry other people's burdens, but obtaining these Wands is up to me. If I don't bring home the Mortana Wand, then I'm letting my people down. I can't do that. The coven's fate can't rest on me figuring out who I am or some bullshit like that. There are people counting on me to save them."

"You don't have to save the coven alone," Edgar assured me, shooting a glance toward my friends. "One man can't change the world, Lucas. He can only change himself, and then the world changes around him."

My breath wavered. "What if I'm too late?"

Edgar took a step back, releasing his hands from my shoulders. "I believe in you. Now, you must believe in yourself."

The weight of the magic I'd been holding on to crashed down on me, and I sank to my knees in the mud. The power I'd used to control the dead dispersed, freeing them from my control. Behind me, the townspeople muttered words of confusion, but I barely registered it.

I gazed up at Edgar. "Tell me what to do next."

"I cannot. That answer alone lies with you," he replied.

I didn't understand why he couldn't simply name me part of the Reaper Order and pass over the Wand. Surely he had power over such a process, and once I joined the Order, the spell binding the Wand to Edgar would release, until the Wand was bound to me.

Unless… it didn't matter one way or another. I could become part of the Reaper Order, but if the Mortana Wand didn't want to work with me, I couldn't wield its power. Edgar had no control over the Wand's decision. My friends had undergone their own trials to obtain their Wands, and none of them had been acquired by force.

I already knew what I had to do. I got back to my feet and stood tall. I hadn't realized until then that my friends had approached and were standing beside me. "If I am to wield the Mortana Wand, then I must earn it properly, or it will not honor me as its master. I must return to Earth and continue my work to pass the Warlock's Trial, as that is the only way I will rightly earn the Wand. I will guide you out of the Abyss, Edgar, if you are willing to trust me."

I reached out a hand, and Edgar took it. "I trust you, Lucas. I pray that you will trust me to return when you are ready. We will see each other again. That, I can promise you."

Edgar and I shook on it, sealing our promises to one another.

Nadine came to my side. "You're not giving up."

I wasn't sure if it was a question or not.

I glanced toward my other friends. Grant and Talia shared a crestfallen expression, and Chloe appeared disappointed. My gaze traveled to the Mentalist Wand in her hand. We got one Wand today, and that was worth walking through hell for.

"No, I'm not giving up," I said. "One way or another, we'll get that Wand, but not today. Let's go home."

I took Nadine's hand, and the others followed as we trudged through the swampy forest, the sounds of tortured screams fading behind us. We found the black river the Ferryman had brought us here on and followed its bank downstream.

The forest thinned, until the landscape ahead turned black with volcanic rock. The river became a stream of lava. We stood upon a tall hill, overlooking the hellscape. From here, we could see the lake of lava far in the distance, and the sound of monsters echoed across the realm.

We continued following the river of lava, until we came upon geysers I recognized. We passed by them, until we found the bubbling pits of sludge we'd come through. Grant squeezed Talia's hand, and Chloe approached one of the pits with cautious steps.

I stood at the edge, staring into the dark liquid. Getting through those pits hadn't been fun the first time, and I certainly didn't want to go through them again. But I also didn't want to remain in this hellscape any longer.

"This is the way out," I told Edgar, and he replied with an understanding nod.

Nadine squeezed my hand. "You ready?"

I shuddered to think what the sludge might have in store for me this time. I drew Nadine close. "Hold on to me, okay?"

"I won't let you go," she promised.

I reached out for Edgar's hand, and together, the three of us jumped into the pit. The darkness of the sludge surrounded us once more. I held my breath, but the thick tarry substance still filled my nose. Nadine's arms tightened around my neck as we sank deeper.

You failed the trial, and you've failed your people.

Death follows you wherever you go.

Everyone leaves you. Even Helena didn't say goodbye.

You're better off dead.

You should end it right now.

It wasn't like I hadn't already said all this to myself. The words barely seemed to faze me now.

Edgar's fingers slipped out of mine. The weight of the sludge pushed down on me, carrying me away from Nadine. She began to slip out of my hold, my hands trailing along her arms. I found the ends of her fingers and squeezed her hands tightly. My lungs burned…

Then I felt nothing.

For a brief moment, I was completely unaware. Then my head broke the surface, and I inhaled a deep breath.

I wiped sludge from my eyes with the back of my hand. I saw that I was back in the cave, surrounded by our cats. A witch light still hovered near the ceiling, illuminating the cavern. Oliver's shimmering form raced over to me, meowing in relief.

Nadine gasped from beside me as her head broke the surface. I quickly reached for the edge of the pit and climbed out. I grabbed Nadine's arm, fighting against hell to drag my wife out of its depths.

She emerged from the sludge, heaving heavy breaths. Edgar reached the surface after her and dragged himself over to the edge. Nadine and I fell onto our backs, panting.

She rolled over and placed her hand on the side of my face. "Lucas, are you okay?"

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of her touch on my skin. "Fine, Nad," I rasped.

"No, Lucas," she pressed. "Are. You. Okay?"

Her words held a deeper meaning. I was alive, but she wasn't asking if I was physically fine. She wanted to know how I'd handled the pits.

I opened my eyes to stare up at her. "The darkness of the pit is familiar, but I'm not going back to that dark place," I promised. "I'll be okay."

Coughing and sputtering came from the pits, and Nadine and I rushed over to help pull our friends from the sludge. We pulled Grant out, and he helped Nadine yank Talia and Chloe into the cave.

The cats gave a collective meow, and the glow from the spell faded. The cats laid down beside each other, appearing exhausted. The sludge drained from the pits until they were dry once more.

"We made it," Grant said in relief.

Chloe glanced around frantically. "Where's Edgar?"

"He's right here…" I trailed off as I turned back to him.

Edgar was nothing more than bones covered in a dark robe, though his form wasn't completely solid. I could see right through him—like he wasn't on the same plane as me. I realized I was the only one who could see him.

Edgar offered a kind nod. "Now that you have pulled me from the Abyss, I am free to journey back to Alora. It takes a powerful warlock to see a reaper on Earth, which means your magic is getting stronger. It shouldn't be long until we meet again. Goodbye for now, Lucas."

Edgar waved his hand, and a portal emitting a bright light appeared beside him. I'd felt the encompassing warmth of that light before, and I knew it was Alora.

"Edgar, wait," I called. "There's so much about my powers I have yet to learn. I don't understand how I"m going to pass the Warlock's Trial. I'm merely an apprentice, but I have no master. Is there no way you can help me?"

He turned to me. "I am a master of death, but I am not your master, Lucas. But I will leave you with this. Continue your fight, and you will join the Reaper Order sooner than you think. You will know when you have passed."

His words were ominous, as if warning me of something yet to come. It felt so final, as if he spoke of death itself—as if our fight with the priestesses was sure to end me.

"What does that mean?" I asked, but Edgar had already stepped into the light. His ethereal form faded, until my friends and I were alone in the cave.

"What did he say?" Nadine asked. Nobody else had heard him, and they all watched me curiously.

I couldn't answer for a beat, as if I was waiting for him to appear again and give more answers. All I was met with was silence. I took Nadine's hand. "He said I'm going to join the Reaper Order soon, but from what it sounds like, it's not going to be anything like what I've faced before."

"That means we're closer to the Mortana Wand," Nadine noted.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "Let's hope so."

Talia shivered. "At least we got one of the Wands."

"Well worth it," Chloe agreed. She flicked the Mortana Wand, and the remaining sludge dripped off our bodies effortlessly.

"Verla and Warren are waiting for us," Grant said. "Let's get out of here."

The cats led the way down the tunnel. Everyone remained quiet on the way back. I must've been walking slowly, because Grant, Talia, and Chloe went on ahead of us.

Nadine nudged me lightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Seeing the Abyss got me thinking," I admitted. "The night of your Evoking Ceremony, Mother Miriam asked you to go to the Abyss for me. She told you later it was a demonstration, didn't she? To show her where your heart lies. When you told me that, I thought maybe she never intended to send either of us to the Abyss at all, but maybe she had intended to send us there, knowing we wouldn't be there long. Because the thing is, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because we could've gotten ourselves out."

Nadine pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "Do you think we could've gotten out at the time? We've learned so much since then, about ourselves and how this all works. Could we have learned those lessons in the Abyss?"

"I think so," I said. "I think that's why Mother Miriam asked you to take my place—because she knew you'd get out."

"I think you would've, too," she argued. "It may have taken you time to learn the lessons, but you're strong, Lucas. You would've figured it out."

Nadine had faith in me I couldn't always understand, but I was starting to.

The trek didn't seem so long on the way out, and soon we emerged into daylight. I inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. We climbed the rocky slope of the cave entrance to find our fae allies waiting for us. Verla sat on the back of the wagon, leaning against Professor Warren. Her arm was in a sling, and her skin appeared ashen, but she was alive—thank Alora. A bundle of crushed herbs lay beside her, and Siona looked to be cleaning up from brewing an antidote. Kiara had returned and was helping Siona, but I didn't see Alexei anywhere.

Verla's eyes lit up when she saw us, and Warren sat up straighter.

"Did you get the Wands?" Professor Warren asked.

"One of them," Chloe said.

Verla glanced between us, looking worried. "And the other?"

"Not yet," I admitted.

"But we need that Wand!" Verla rasped. She tried to sit up, but Professor Warren insisted she lay back down.

"We still have a chance to obtain it," I said. "We'll tell you everything once we return home."

"Wait!" a voice called through the trees, and we turned to find Alexei racing in our direction. He slowed to catch his breath and survey the scene. His somber gaze roamed over Verla, settling on her injured arm. "Thank the gods you're all alive, though I see you haven't all made it out unharmed."

"We ran across the questing beast in the cave, and it harmed Clarice before we injured it and ran off," Nadine explained. "I suggest your people continue to keep an eye out for the monster, because it's bound to return to protect its lair."

I wanted to thank Alexei, Kiara, and Siona for their help, but I knew better than to thank the fae. It was a good way to get yourself into a bad bargain. Instead, I said, "It's time for us to portal home now."

"You can't," Alexei warned. "That is why I've come so quickly—to advise you to heed caution. I have received word that your last portal raised alarms. The enemy monarch knows that there are witches in the country. Her people are looking for you so they can kill you."

"The one who seized the city of Pruska a few months ago?" Grant asked.

"Yes," Alexei confirmed. "She's opposing Ethan and Emma in the revolution, and she's not kind to our people, let alone to any other supernaturals. Any witches found within her territory are immediately made an example of, and we are farther away from the protection of Dolinska than I would like. Her own army isn't stationed too far from here. She's been hanging any witches she finds, and leaving their bodies in the woods as a threat to any witches that might stray into the country."

"That explains the bodies we ran across earlier," Chloe mumbled.

"Then we should portal out of here as soon as we can," I insisted.

"If any one of us make a portal and a witch crosses through, her forces will be alerted, and they'll be here before all of you can portal out," Alexei said. "They won't hesitate. Our enemies are looking to recruit followers, and the rival queen knows the more witches she hangs, the more fae will join her. It's best we all avoid portals altogether, because they're already looking for you."

"How are we getting out of here?" Nadine asked.

The sound of flapping wings came from overhead, and a large shadow passed over us. I looked up to see a group of massive reptiles with large wings descending upon us. Talia screamed, and I grabbed Nadine as we scrambled backward. Branches snapped, and the trees groaned as the creatures landed in the forest around us.

"It's okay!" Alexei quickly assured us. "They're windfarers—friendly faekin."

Only when the creatures landed did I get a good look at them. The windfarers were over a dozen feet tall, with long necks, round heads, and colorful bodies covered in both fur and feathers. Their tails were skinny and long, and their wings appeared delicate and transparent, like those of a butterfly's. Five of them stood before us, all in different pastel colors.

"I thought faekin were supposed to be small," Nadine remarked, staring up at the marvelous creatures.

"There are many species of faekin, all related to our kind," Alexei explained. "The windfarers are friends with the fae, and they will take care of you as well. Take the windfarers to Malovia's border. You can portal back home once you're out of the country."

Cautiously, I approached one of the windfarers. He was light blue and the largest of the group. I reached out a hand, and he gently brought his velvety nose downward. I stroked his head a few times, and he cooed. Oliver followed along at my feet, and the windfarer bent down to lick him. Oliver meowed happily.

"They appear to be safe," I told the others. "We should get moving."

"I hope you found what you were looking for," Alexei said. "It's best if you don't return. It's not safe here even for our own people, but certainly not for your kind."

"We won't be back," I promised.

Professor Warren helped Verla to her feet, and they approached a lavender windfarer. He guided her onto the windfarer, then situated himself behind her to help her hold on. Grant climbed onto a pale green creature, while Talia took the pink one. Chloe rode a tangerine one, and Nadine and I settled onto the back of the large blue windfarer. Isa and Oliver jumped up beside us, then climbed into the hoods of our cloaks to hang on. The other cats settled in alongside their respective owners.

"Use the clouds as cover," Alexei instructed, before pointing in front of us. "Head straight that way. The border is miles off, but it's a short flight. There's a wide river that marks it. Dismount the windfarers before you reach it, then cross the river to portal home. Keep a lookout for potential threats. There"s an enemy fae general who scouts the area nearby. His name"s General Davor—big red dragon. He works for the rival queen and has given us plenty of problems. You"ll know if you run into him. If you do, fly as fast and far as you can, and pray to your goddess you make it out alive."

It sounded ominous, but I was sure we'd make it. "Take care."

"We will," Alexei replied. "And good luck."

The windfarer spread its wings and kicked off the ground. Alexei, Kiara, and Siona waved goodbye as we departed.

My stomach flip-flopped as we took off, and my arms tightened around Nadine. She leaned against me as if to assure me she was okay. This was different from riding the dragon, because the windfarer's fur was softer, and the beat of its wings quieter. The flight was steady and felt like floating upon an insect, instead of being on the jostling back of a dragon. I felt secure up here on a creature's back.

The windfarers flew us high above the trees. The Malovian landscape stretched for miles, the woodland giving way to the mountains. Wind whipped through our hair, and I felt free in the air.

I didn't get much of a chance to view the landscape before we flew into the clouds. The cloud cover concealed us, but every now and then, I caught glimpses of the landscape below. The ruins of an old battlefield appeared through a break in the clouds. I figured we had to be getting close to the border by now.

I caught sight of Talia on the back of a pink windfarer beside us. She clutched tightly to the Seer Wand, which was glowing at the tip. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and I knew she must be having a vision.

"Tal!" I cried. "What's happening?"

Talia winced, before her eyes shot open and she called out to us. "We've got company! Follow me. I know where we need to go!"

Talia leaned to the right, and her windfarer turned in another direction. The rest of us immediately picked up speed and followed behind her.

The sound of a terrifying roar rocked the skies. Nadine whirled her head around the same time the windfarer dove downward. Our cats squealed, and Oliver's claws clung to the fabric of my cloak. I had to grab tightly to the windfarer's feathers to keep us on his back. My heart hammered so hard I was sure Nadine could feel it against her back. She curled closer to me as we dipped downward.

Just as we broke out of the clouds, a large pair of jaws with razor-sharp teeth appeared above us. They snapped in our direction, and the windfarer banked left to avoid the monster.

"Dragon shifters!" Professor Warren's voice called through the sky.

I looked up to see the shadow of a massive beast closing in, its talons headed straight for us. The dragon was over twice the size of the windfarer, with long leathery wings and hard red scales covering his body. He had his eyes set on Nadine.

The need to protect overcame me, but a protection spell wasn't enough. This dragon shifter would die before it laid a talon on my wife.

The dragon snapped its jaws again, and the windfarer dodged its attack. The dragon flapped its leathery wings and rose above us once more. I raised my hand, and a high-powered death spell erupted from my palm, shooting straight toward the sky like a rocket. It slammed into the dragon's chest, and a cry of pain filled the air. The spell sizzled outward like lightning bolts consuming the shifter. He went spiraling out of the sky, and I watched as he hit the ground head-first. His chest continued to rise and fall, but he didn't get back up. My spell had been strong, but not enough to kill the shifter; I'd merely knocked him out. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

I frantically looked around for signs of my friends, and I saw their windfarers emerging from the clouds.

"There's more!" Grant screamed, pointing behind us.

My stomach plummeted when I saw a horde of shifters rising into the sky. Men morphed into dragons, griffins, alicorns, and wolves with wings, and female sorceresses mounted the shifters backs before they took to the skies to pursue us. Despite our best efforts to not raise any alarms, we had been spotted, and the shifters were closing in fast.

"Faster!" I ordered the windfarer. He beat his wings harder, but the shifters were still catching up.

"Lucas, you have to portal us out of here!" Nadine demanded.

I looked to our friends, who blasted spells back at the shifters. The windfarers swooped and twisted through the sky, avoiding dragon fireballs and illusion spells from the other shifters. There was no way to get us all through a portal up here. If I tried and didn't aim the portal just right, any one of us could be killed.

"I can't!" I shouted over the roar of the wind. "We have to get on solid ground!"

Off in the distance, I could see the river that Alexei had mentioned, but there was nothing between us and the river except a barren landscape. There was nothing to conceal us long enough to dismount our windfarers and cast a portal. The shifters would have us slaughtered before we made it that far.

Chloe flew up beside us. She whirled around and shot a spell behind herself. It hit a griffin shifter in the face, and he tumbled out of the sky. Several spells blasted in her direction, and I instinctually cast a shield around her. The spells slammed into my shield, unable to penetrate it, but my magic recoiled. Their spells were strong.

We had to be stronger.

Grant conjured the Alchemy Wand and aimed it toward the clouds above us. The clouds darkened, until the sound of heavy rain followed behind us. I wasn't sure what that was supposed to do, until I heard the pained cries of shifters as the rain hit their bodies. I twisted around to see the rain sizzling off feathers, fur, and scales. Roars of pain ricocheted through the sky as the acid rain burned holes through their bodies. Grant had used the Alchemy Wand to poison the clouds.

It wasn't enough to kill them all, though. Hundreds more were in pursuit.

Professor Warren lifted his hands, and at least a dozen bodies of dead shifters flapped their wings, following the command of his necromancy magic. He ordered the bodies to take flight and fight off the incoming shifters. Griffin talons tore at dragon's eyes, and wolvens gnashed their teeth at alicorns. Several more shifters fell from the sky, but it barely slowed the others down. It was an impressive feat to manipulate so many corpses at the same time, but there were far more shifters than Professor Warren could fight off at once. He slumped against his windfarer as he summoned more magic that continued to drain his energy.

Our windfarers climbed higher in the sky, traversing the clouds, until we broke through on the other side. Spells whizzed through the sky at random as the fae shifters tried to guess where we had gone. I shot a glance over my shoulder to see shifters rising above the clouds, closer than before. I wasn't sure we could outrun them.

Shifters with sorceresses on their backs broke through the clouds ahead of us. The windfarers nearly toppled out of the sky as they quickly shifted course.

"Emma and Ethan have let witches into our country!" a fae sorceresses yelled. "We must kill every last dark magic user."

A chorus of cheers filled the air, and a split second later, my vision went completely black. I blinked several times, looking one way and then the other, but I saw nothing.

"Lucas!" Nadine shrieked. "I can't see!"

I gritted my teeth. "Neither can I."

"It's a fae illusion!" Verla's voice came from far off.

Chloe gave a maniacal laugh. "Oh, no you don't!"

Magic crackled from beside me. My vision returned the same time screams filled the air. Ahead of us, shifters had turned on one another. Dragons lunged out for griffin shifters, tearing their wings off their bodies. Alicorns rammed their sharp horns into the bellies of the wolven men.

I was shocked, until I looked over at Chloe and saw her holding up the Mentalist Wand. She'd gotten into their minds and was forcing them to kill one another!

"I've distracted them!" Chloe yelled. "Let's keep moving."

I kicked the sides of the windfarer's body, and he flew above the shifters. Their dying cries grew distant, but flapping wings still followed. The original group of shifters were still in pursuit, and they'd nearly caught up to us.

"What do we do!?" Grant cried.

"We've always been told witches can break fae magic," I shouted to my friends. "One on one, they're stronger than us, but together we're stronger than they are! Let's see if the stories are true. We need to combine our magic."

We all lifted our hands in unison, and magic of all colors began to swirl through the sky. Nadine gathered the power of all five Casts into one central core at her heart. Then it expanded outward, encompassing us all in a protective shield. Spells slammed into the shield. Nadine gave a shudder with each one, but our magic held.

Then Nadine did the most incredible thing. She commanded the spell to grow, until our magic touched the fae. One by one, Nadine broke the fae spells and the shifters turned back into men. Screams tore through the air as the fae fell through the skies. Women tried to conjure their fae wings, but it was to no avail. Our enemies spiraled out of the sky, plummeting to their deaths.

Talia maneuvered her windfarer in the direction the Seer Wand had shown her, and we all followed. We banked to the right, avoiding the open space ahead. Instead, the windfarers landed in a cluster of trees, and we quickly made our way across the river. Our shoes squished with mud as we came out on the other side. The second we were across the river and outside the boundary of Malovia, I created a portal, and we leapt through.

The air shifted around us, and we stood in the forest just outside the safe house. I quickly glanced around to see if everyone and their cats had made it, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw we were all here.

"Thank the Goddess," Talia cried, before falling into Grant's arms.

Verla sagged against Professor Warren. "We made it," she breathed.

Warren got a worried look on his face, then turned to me. "The venom did a number on her. I'm going to get her to her room right away. You should all rest, too. It's been a long night."

The morning sun peeked through the overcast sky. It was only then that I realized how tired I was. The others looked exhausted. Warren led Verla inside ahead of us, and we followed behind them.

When we stepped into the living room, my stomach dropped. Tate and Mandy sat on the couch, curled under blankets. Tate was sleeping, though Mandy was wide awake, watching the door. Tate stirred when we arrived.

Miles and Onyx were both pacing the room, looking worried. It'd been over a day since I portaled them to the safe house, promising to return as soon as possible. It'd been a long time to make them wait. When we walked in, both of them gave a start.

"You're back!" Onyx cried.

"Finally," Miles added. "Is everyone okay? We thought maybe…"

He winced, like he couldn't bear to finish.

"We made it," Chloe said. "And we brought three Wands with us."

Mandy sat up straighter. "You found all the other missing Oaken Wands, the ones the priestesses don't have?"

"We found one of the missing Wands," Grant explained. "We stole the Alchemy Wand and the Seer Wand from the school where the priestesses were keeping them. Then we took a detour to Malovia, hitched a ride to the Abyss, and we came back with the Mentalist Wand."

Grant had a strange way of making it sound easy.

"The priestesses aren't going to be happy," Mandy said, sounding worried. "They'll come looking for the Wands. We should keep them in a safe place."

"The safest place is on our person, so they're readily available if we have to use them," Chloe suggested.

"Then the priestesses will come after you," Mandy insisted. "They should be kept together, somewhere the priestesses can't get to."

"Isn't it better to split them up?" Grant asked. "That way if the priestesses get one of the Wands, they don't get them all."

"I'm with Grant and Chloe," Talia agreed. "As long as the Wands are on us, we can use them. Then if the priestesses come after us, we're stronger with the Wands."

"Maybe each Cast should agree on what to do with their respective Wand," Nadine offered.

Talia turned to her sister. "All right. Tate, Miles? What do you want to do with the Seer Wand?"

Tate drew a deep breath. "I don't think that's something you should be asking me."

Talia tilted her head. "But you're a Seer—and my sister. I care about your opinion."

Tate stood. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think I can continue to be a part of this fight. I'm not in a good place mentally, and I'm at risk of a relapse if I don't get help. My time in rehab helped after I overdosed on nightshade, but I'm still not stable enough to stay and fight. Believe me, Talia, I want to help, but I know my limits, and I don't want to hold the team back."

"You're not going to hold us back," Talia pressed.

"Tal, be real," Tate insisted. "I know you want me around because I'm your sister, but I don't belong here. If I stay, I'm going to end up hurting people, and I don't want that for anyone."

Tears welled in Talia's eyes. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know, but I can't stay here," Tate replied. "All I know is that if I continue to be a part of this war, I'm going to relapse. I need to get out of here as soon as I can."

"I can portal her to Hok'evale," I offered. "She'll be safe there, and the healers can reverse the worst of her injuries. There's a rehab clinic. I saw fliers for it when we visited. She can stay there until she gets better."

Tate nodded. "I think that's where I need to go. And maybe when I'm in a better place, I can help others like me."

Talia reached out for her sister. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Positive." Tate's voice cracked. "I need you to let me go, or I'm going to end up staying for you, and that's not going to turn out well for anyone."

"Okay," Talia said gently. "Once the Miriamic Conflict is over, we'll come back and get you, and we'll bring you home."

Tate shook her head. "You don't understand. Octavia Falls is too triggering for me. Being there reminds me of everything that happened and all I went through. It makes me want to start using again, so I need to start over in a completely new place. I can't come back home ever again, even if the priestesses fall. I need to start over and make a new life somewhere else, because Octavia Falls isn't my home anymore. I love you, Tal, but this is what's best for me."

"Hok'evale is a good place to start over," Nadine said. "They'll welcome you with open arms."

Talia teared up. "I'm sorry for everything you went through, Tate, but I'm proud of you for knowing your limits and setting boundaries. If this is what you believe you need, then I'll support you."

Tate sniffled, like it was hard to admit all this. "It is what I need."

Talia drew her sister into a tight hug. "I'll come visit, all right?"

Tate squeezed her back. "I was hoping you'd say that. You and Miles can decide what to do with the Seer Wand together."

"You should keep the Seer Wand, Tal," Miles voted. "It chose you—you deserve it. And I agree we should have access to the Wands' powers at all times, in case something bad happens…"

He trailed off and glanced toward Onyx, like the two of them knew something we didn't. Something was definitely up. We could all feel it.

"What's going on?" Talia asked slowly.

Onyx twisted her hands together. "There's something you guys need to see."

Footsteps came from down the hall. Professor Warren stopped in his tracks when he saw the worried looks on our faces.

"Clarice is in bed," he said. "Is everything okay?"

Miles shifted his weight between his feet. "Not really, Professor. We ran across bodies on our way back, after Lucas portaled us home. We didn't want to touch them or move them until you guys returned. You should all come see."

Onyx and Miles led us out the front door. Mandy followed, but Tate stayed back, like she knew whatever they had to show us was awful.

They led us through the trees. Miles was silent for several minutes, until we got closer to the border of our ward. "Onyx cast some spells to see if she could figure out what happened to them. What'd you call it? A magical autopsy."

"Yes. I made a potion I learned in my nursing classes," Onyx said. "I sprinkled it around the scene. It's supposed to show the areas of injury, but we didn't find any injuries. We don't know how they died."

They hadn't exactly said what kind of bodies they found. I thought maybe they'd found dead animals or something. Then I saw where they were leading us. Ahead of us in the forest, not far beyond the boundary of our ward, two corpses lay motionless on the ground. The two men were dressed in identical black uniforms.

"Executors?" Nadine stopped in her tracks. She steadied herself against a tree, while Professor Warren stepped forward cautiously.

"We figure the priestesses sent more Executors looking for us, after the others we killed didn't report back," Onyx said.

"But they were dead by the time we got here," Miles added. "We don't know what killed them. It looks like they just collapsed."

Talia stepped closer. "We're at the border of our ward. If they came much closer, they would've found it. Nadine, can our ward kill them?"

Nadine shook her head. "No. Our ward keeps us concealed, but it isn't deadly."

I stepped closer to inspect the bodies. Something about this was very strange. Usually I could feel the emptiness of death permeating the air, but this was different. I felt less than empty.

I felt… nothing.

"Lucas, what did you hear when they died?" Nadine asked. "It might give us clues as to what happened."

I shook my head. "I can't be sure. I hear multiple thoughts every day. I can't identify whose thoughts they are if I don't know them personally. I've learned how to handle it so it's more like background noise. We were fighting Executors and then escaped to Malovia when this all happened. I wasn't paying attention, so I'm not sure what they said."

"Any idea how long they've been out here?" Chloe asked Professor Warren.

He waved his hand over the bodies, using his Death magic to assess the scene. "They haven't been here long. They must've died right before Miles and Onyx found them."

I looked at Miles. "Were you able to sense their ghosts when you found them?"

He shook his head. "No. I tried, but they must've already moved on by the time we got here."

Chloe turned to Talia. "Can you see into the past and find out what happened here?"

"I can try." Talia held up the Seer Wand, which began to glow at the end. She closed her eyes, and her lids began to flicker.

The Wand glowed brighter until Talia's knees gave out. Grant rushed to catch her, then gently lowered her to the ground.

Talia shook her head as she came to. "That was intense, but the details are fuzzy."

Mandy narrowed her eyes. "You have all the power of the Seer Cast with that Wand. Can't you see everything?"

"No," Talia explained. "The coven's visions are often hazy and left up to interpretation. We aren't as powerful as prophets. I can't tell you who killed these people, but I can tell you they were murdered."

"What did you see?" Professor Warren asked.

"I saw a person in a black cloak, but it was dark outside. I couldn't see their face," Talia said. "I saw them watching the two Executors from the tree line. Then there was a flash, and the Executors were on the ground."

"A flash like a battle orb?" Miles asked.

Talia shook her head. "More like a flash in my mind, like the vision can't read what killed them. Whatever the spell was, it was powerful, and it didn't leave any traces. Then I heard Miles's voice, and the person in the cloak fled."

Miles's features fell. "So we stumbled upon them right after they were killed. The killer didn't even get a chance to hide the bodies."

"Or they wanted us to find them," Chloe pointed out. "Like they want us to know they're here watching us."

A shiver traveled down my spine. "The killer can't be with the priestesses. They wouldn't have slaughtered their own people."

"Well, if the murderer isn't on the priestesses' side, and they aren't on our side, what does it mean?" Mandy wondered.

"I don't know…" I said, eyeing the bodies curiously. "Something about this isn't right."

"You think maybe it's some sort of trap?" Nadine wondered.

I glanced around the quiet forest. "If that were the case, the priestesses would've been here by now."

Nadine turned to Talia. "Can you use the Seer Wand to track down the killer?"

Talia closed her eyes again, but a confused expression crossed her face. "I'm getting images of a forest… this forest, I think. But it doesn't make any sense. I can't tell where the killer's gone."

"Either way, now we've got two more missing Executors the priestesses are going to come looking for," I remarked. "They're going to send more until they find something."

"Then let's give them bodies to find," Professor Warren suggested.

I nodded, understanding his intent. "We need to move them far away from the safe house. It will throw the priestesses off for a while, get them looking for us elsewhere."

"Let me cast a spell. I'll block any visions that might lead the priestesses back here." Talia waved the Seer Wand, and tendrils of magic settled over the bodies, then faded.

Professor Warren lifted his hand, and the bodies moved to his command like puppets. They started walking like zombies. I cast a portal leading several miles from here, along the river bend at the base of the mountain. Professor Warren puppeteered the bodies through the portal, until they were out of sight. The portal closed behind them.

"This doesn't change that someone still knows where we are," Chloe pointed out. "That black-cloaked murderer in Talia's vision is trying to tell us something."

"Well, he didn't get past our wards, so we're still safe here," I stated. "We should get back inside."

I started back toward the house, and the others followed.

"What do we do now?" Talia asked once we were back inside.

"We keep investigating the Wands," I decided. "We have three, so we're over halfway there. We still need to find the Curse Breaker Wand and obtain the Mortana Wand. We know where the Mortana Wand is, and we have a rough idea of how to get it. We need to put everything we've got into learning more about reaper powers, so that I can pass the Warlock's Trial and get the Mortana Wand."

"Where do we start?" Nadine wondered. "You've tried researching reapers before, and it didn't get anywhere."

"Then we need to ask for help," I said. "Maybe Hattie will have connections we haven't thought of. In the meantime, we can work on reinforcing our wards. Onyx and Miles can work with Talia on her visions to see if they can get more clues about this mysterious cloaked figure. That's all we can do for now. We all need to get some rest."

People started heading off to the respective bedrooms, but Nadine and Chloe hung back. I watched curiously as Nadine made her way over to Mandy.

"I'm really glad you're back," Nadine told her. "I know being friends with me hasn't been easy, and I'm sorry you were ever caught in the middle of it."

That was an understatement. Mandy had been in love with Amy, and Amy had died in the Burning because she'd helped us decipher nightshade ingredients to track down the manufacturer. Mandy had been stabbed by a ghost in Pinewood Manor because we'd asked her to help uncover the mystery of the haunting. Then Mandy had led the priestesses to our hideout in the school, which resulted in our trial. She'd come to us to apologize for turning us in before our trial, but it hadn't ended well. That was the last time we'd seen Mandy.

Tears beaded in Mandy's eyes. "You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that. I worried you wouldn't want me around, after I turned you into the priestesses."

"Not at all," Nadine said gently. "I want to be friends again. You're the first person I met on my first day at Miriam College. Our friendship means a lot to me. I understand if things got too intense for you, and I'm sorry we ever had to put you in that position. I want to move forward with a better understanding of each other so that no one gets hurt again."

"I want that, too," Mandy said. "I agree that things got hard, but if I could do it over again, I'd never turn you in to the priestesses. I never wanted to stop being friends, even when I couldn't handle the pressure. All I wanted was your forgiveness."

"And you have it," Nadine promised.

Tears streamed down their faces as the girls hugged.

"I owe you an apology, too," I told her. "The last time we spoke before our trial, I was very harsh with you. I should've put myself in your shoes. Maybe I would've understood better what you were going through."

"If you can forgive me for turning you in, then I can forgive you for what you said that day," Mandy offered.

"Then we have a deal," I told her, reaching out to shake her hand.

Chloe stepped forward. "If you'll accept my apology, I'd like to say sorry as well. I treated you awful, especially after you dated Ryan right after we broke up. I mean, the guy's not even worth it. There's no excuse for how mean I was, and I never should've treated you that way."

Mandy chuckled, like Chloe was already long forgiven. "Don't worry about it. I'm totally over him."

"So… we're good?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, we're good," Mandy said, glancing between the three of us. "We're all good. I've been through a lot since you've been gone. I used to think we couldn't go up against the priestesses, but I was wrong. I've never been more ready to face them. I want to keep working with you to find the Oaken Wands and do right by the coven."

I didn't think we'd ever be friends with Mandy again after she turned us into the priestesses, but I'd been wrong. If we could mend our relationship with Mandy and unite our friends, then we could certainly heal the coven, too.

We just had to keep trying.