Page 84 of Magic's Rise

“I… well, no, but I was right next to it!” Mina stammers, her face turning red.

“Jacob.” Griffen turns toward Kaela’s werewolf companion, who stands with a protective arm around the witch. “Did you see anything?”

The young werewolf shakes his head, his shaggy brown hair flopping over his eyes. “Sorry, Alpha.” Guilt flickers across his face, and his arm drops from Kaela. “I was too distracted.”

At his admission, Kaela blushes. “I was also distracted.”

Griffen looks from them to the surrounding werewolves. Any of them could have slipped up to the table and spiked my drink, though Mina still seems the most likely culprit.

Ezra returns, a fresh cup of punch in hand, and he holds it out to me. “Test this one for contamination.”

I take out my wand and dip the little potion bottle into the liquid. Instantly, it lights up green. “No poison. Everyone else is safe.”

Tris grabs my hand. “Which means the poison was targeted at you.”

“Let’s check the others to be sure,” Ezra suggests.

A dozen cups litter the table, and I check each one, receiving an all-clear until I reach Aspen’s cup, where the charm turns red.

Fear roils in my stomach. Someone was targeting us. Realizing that Aspen has been unusually quiet amid all this chaos, I spin toward my mentor.

He rests in the same pose he took when I joined Tris on the dance floor, his head tipped back and his eyes closed.

“Aspen?” I call out, worry gnawing at my insides.

He doesn’t respond, so I shake him gently.

His head lolls toward me, and in the flickering light from the bonfire, I notice a blue tinge to his lips.

Panic shoots through me. “Tris! I don’t think he’s breathing!”

By now, the rest of the partygoers realize that something’s wrong, and the music comes to an abrupt halt.

Tris swoops in, checking for Aspen’s pulse. “It’s slow, but it’s there.”

I turn to Mina, Kaela, and Aris, desperation creeping in. “Do any of you have a spell to fix this?”

They exchange worried glances before shaking their heads.

“Maybe Phoebe with her ability to heal, or Lyra with her water magic could help,” Kaela suggests, “but it will take time for them to arrive.”

“We can call the town doctor,” Levi says. “But…”

“Too long.” I shove my hand into Tris’s pocket, grabbing his phone.

Fear makes my fingers shake as I dial Mel’s number.

“Wha… Hello?” she answers, her voice thick with sleep.

“Mel! Aspen drank poison and is now unconscious! What do we do?” I blurt out in a single breath, struggling to keep the panic from taking over.

“Rowe? Slow down. What happened?” Mel snaps to alertness, her grogginess gone.

“Someone poisoned Aspen,” I repeat, fighting to remain calm. “He’s unconscious, and we don’t know how to save him.”

“Listen closely. Aspen has a counter-curse tattooed on him for situations like this, but if he’s not conscious, you’ll have to activate it for him,” Mel instructs, her voice steady and reassuring. “Lay him flat on his back and open his shirt.”

“Got it,” I say, motioning for Tris to help me.

---