I wake up to a finger stroking my cheek and someone is playing with my ponytail. I take a deep breath in, they are all still here with me. I sit up and look out the window. It doesn’t look any different than when we were here the other day. It’s a clearing similar to the one behind the packhouse that the students use, but the twenty foot circular patch of wolfsbane lies in wait.
The tall plants are deceivingly beautiful with their long pointed leaves scaling up each stalk meeting up to brilliant purple trumpet shaped blooms. Even with the pointy leaves the plant looks soft and unassuming as it sways in the breeze blowing off the ocean a few miles away.
“Gentry needs us, are you ready?” Cam asks softly.
“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going out there.” All three of them laugh at me as we climb out of the truck.
I notice Mateo, Jena, Sam and Sierra are evenly spaced around the circular plot. Ava, Brett, Kyle, and my dad make a second circle behind them. For the first time I wish that Gwen was here in this mess too, but she is helping with all of our pack members in the Royal pack. Gentry and Elena motion us forward and I see stones and bundles of different herbs on the ground all around the circle.
We walk up and Gentry positions me inside a ring of clear stones. She places Cam to my left and Dakota to my right, but a step behind my position. Oliver stands directly behind me so we form a diamond. They are each only about a foot away from me. If I wanted to I could reach out and touch all of them which makes me feel so much better.
Elena and Gentry take their positions behind us, completing the second circle. “Skylar, there is nothing for you to say or repeat, but you will be our conduit for the spell. Everyone needs to maintain their positions at all times, you will be tied to her and any movement can harm her.”
Gentry begins and as anyone could have predicted there are several growls from the circle. “Relax gentlemen, she knows what she was unwillingly signed up for. She can handle this, but she needs all of us.”
Gentry talks as if I am not here and I am actually okay with the whole thing. I am trying to tune her out. If I don’t have to say anything or repeat anything then I am going to stand here and just let her do her thing and try to get this done as soon as possible. The first experience is always the worst.
They both start chanting in a language I don’t know, but it sounds like deep humming music to my ears. I just stare at the unassuming wolfsbane and as I do I see the magic floating around it. The protections cast on it are purple like the flowers. But instead of a bubble like I saw on the packhouse it is like a mist or more like dust particles floating around.
Little motes you can see when the sun hits them just right. Each lazy mote just sways with the flowers, not floating up or down, just hovering through the plants. I can feel my eyelids getting heavy again, but before I can fall asleep a sharp pain rips up my spine and I let out an involuntary scream.
“DON”T YOU MOVE!” Someone shouts behind me and all I can think is, ‘my f*cking feet are glued to the ground I couldn’t move if I wanted to.’
More chanting, this time it is less melodic and more sharp and spiky like the leaves of the plant I can’t seem to look away from. Now it looks like there is a gold translucent ribbon floating around the plants and the people surrounding the patch.
Another pain rips through me this time it starts at the center of my ribs and flies down my arms and out my fingers. I can see more gold light flying around and weaving around my friends and family. My hands grab each of the twins’ arms. “OLIVER!” I need him too, but I don’t have another hand.
