Page 137 of The Warlock's Trial

“No, because you aren’t demigods in this lifetime, but you are still very powerful,” Verla stated. “With enough practice, you may be capable of far more than you realize. With the two of your powers combined, there’s no telling what you might be able to do.”

We may not be demigods in this lifetime, but our souls had experienced it before. Demigod power could show up in our reality again, even if we weren’t demigods in this current incarnation.

This past-life regression had given me hope. It felt like no matter what lay ahead of us, we were destined to win—whether in this life or the next. The only question was, what were we willing to lose along the way?

* * *

Weeks passed, and the Winter Solstice arrived on December twenty-first. Yuletide cheer filled the house that morning. I’d slept in, because the pregnancy made me tired all the time, but otherwise I was handling it really well. I’d only had morning sickness twice, which was nice because I thought I’d be throwing up on the daily. So far, I was really enjoying my pregnancy, and I couldn’t wait to feel the babies kick for the first time. I hadn’t started showing yet, so I had a few more weeks until I started feeling them.

I tried not to think about what might happen if we didn’t make it that far. Lucas and I hadgiven ourselves until Christmas to break the Reaper’s Shadow curse, or we’d be forced to face the alternative. We were running out of time and hadn’t found any leads, but we still had a few more days. I wasn’t giving up yet.

Today, I chose not to worry; instead, I held on to the hope that through our ceremonies and rituals, we might call in a holiday miracle.

I’d never experienced a proper Yule celebration within the coven. My first semester at Miriam College, I’d left Octavia Falls over winter break. Last year, Yule had followed the Burning, and nobody had been in the spirit to celebrate. I was excited to finally partake in the traditions. Yule was a time of rebirth, to celebrate the longest night of the year and welcome the return of the sun. Today was supposed to mark the end of our descent into darkness, and new beginnings into the light.

The scent of spruce needles and baking apple pie filled the house. The hallways had been decorated with twinkling lights, and wreaths hung on each of our bedroom doors. We’d made them last night by twisting evergreen branches together and decorating them with pinecones and winterberries we’d found in the woods.

Meanwhile, Grant, Lucas, and Miles had chopped down a small spruce tree and dragged it inside, since evergreens were said to bring prosperity and protection. We’d decorated the tree with popcorn garlands and acorns we’d enchanted to sparkle like glitter. We didn’t have a lot of decorations on hand, but we worked with what I had. I thought our decorations turned out better using natural accents, anyway.

Verla and Onyx were already in the kitchen preparing the feast, and I still had to make a present for the gift exchange. Since we couldn’t leave the safe house to go shopping as often as we’d like, we’d agreed that instead of getting everyone presents, we would pick names and exchange gifts that way, with the caveat that our gifts would all be hand-made.

I’d picked Talia’s name, and I had this great idea to make a pendulum out of a crystal and an old necklace chain, but I couldn’t figure out how to secure the two together. I needed to find a quick solution or come up with another idea before this evening.

I approached Mandy’s room and knocked.

“Don’t come in!” Mandy called. “I’m wrapping a present.”

“When you’re done, can I get your help?” I asked.

Her door swung open a second later. “Everything all right?”

“I’m all right. It’s just this.” I opened my hand to reveal the crystal and the chain. “I’m trying to make a pendulum for the gift exchange. Any chance you can fix it?”

“I can give it a shot,” she offered, gesturing me into her room.

My shoulders fell with relief. “Thank you so much. I was hoping you’d still have your jewelry-making supplies, because that would make this so much easier. I tried wrapping the chain around the crystal and securing the end into one of the chain links, but it won’t hold. I think I need wire, so I can twist it to hold the crystal inside—like your necklace, but not as fancy.”

I gestured to the necklace she was wearing. A pretty red stone hung off the end of a chain, with an intricate metal design encasing it.

Mandy touched the necklace. “This is all my jewelry I managed to escape Octavia Falls with. I’m sorry to say I don’t have any extra supplies.”

I frowned. “Bummer. I’m going to have to think of something else before tonight. It wouldn’t be fair to leave Talia without a present.”

Mandy tapped her chin. “There is one thing we can brew up quickly, but I’ll have to sneak some supplies from the kitchen. We can make Talia some loose-leaf tea that will make her see colors when she hears music. You can cast Alchemy magic with the right crystals, can’t you?”

“Yes. Should I go get them?”

“Go get your crystals, and I’ll meet you back here in five minutes,” Mandy said.

I followed her instructions, and she returned to her room with a small draw-string bag and several bottles of herbs, which she spread out on the bed. I read the labels to see that she’d grabbed peppermint, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper.

“All you have to do is mix a bit of each herb in the bag, and we’ll infuse it with your Alchemy magic and it’ll be good to go!” Mandy held the baggie open for me.

I popped off the top of the peppermint container and gave a few good shakes into the baggie. I sprinkled in ginger, then cinnamon. “Where’d you learn to make this?”

Mandy dropped her gaze, and her tone shifted like she was trying to hide her sadness. “Amy made it for me once.”

Silence settled over the room, and I could tell Mandy didn’t want to talk about her.

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