Page 92 of Magic's Rise

I shiver, not just from the cold, but from the eerie silence in this poisoned part of the forest. No wildlife lives here.

Aspen inspects the sickly tree beside him. “No, I can’t save them. All I can do is stop the spread.”

Levi’s expression darkens. “If the poison is here, why is the barrier weakening on all sides?”

“Forests share a root system. It’s how they communicate, distribute nutrients, and support one another.” Aspen gestures toward the base of the tree, where a white film coats the thick bark. “The rot is being carried through the roots.”

He turns to me. “How much of the barrier is left here?”

I shake my head. “There are only a few silver threads holding it together.”

“Given time, without intervention, the poison will continue to spread,” Aspen says gravely. “But the barrier will fall before then. Once the western side loses its anchor, the rest will collapse.”

“I can strengthen the threads that remain,” I offer. “That will buy us some time, at least.”

Aspen nods. “Do it.”

I catch Tris’s hands. “I need you to help boost my magic, since I can’t touch the ground.”

“I got you, sparky.” Tris moves behind me, and his hands curl loosely around my throat, skin to skin.

Prickles shiver through me, and the barrier snaps back into focus. Or what’s left of it, anyway.

Tris lets out a sharp breath, his fingers twitching, but he doesn’t break contact.

As I work on reconnecting the broken threads, Aspen says, “We have no choice but to set up a barrier like Hartford Cove’s until we figure out how to recreate the original one here. It’ll keep Silver Hollow hidden while I stop the spread of rot.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I say, focusing all my energy on repairing and reinforcing the shimmering threads. “It takes a day to prep the goop, unless you’re as strong as Mel’s moms and can pop one up by yourself?”

“No, I am not as powerful as a trinity of witches,” he says dryly. “We should bring Elana here to help with the poison.”

“Can we trust her?” Levi asks, skepticism heavy in his voice.

“Either she will help, or she’ll show her hand. If she’s behind all this…” Aspen shrugs.

“The Alpha will deal with her,” Levi finishes darkly, making it clear that Elana won’t survive her betrayal if she’s found responsible for the poisoned forest. “Because of this poison, my people will be forced back into cages.”

“I’ll get into the Rothaven grimoire before it comes to that,” I say as I concentrate on the delicate, silver threads in front of me, where they glow brighter as they mend together.

“You’re doing great, sparky.” Tris’s thumbs massage the back of my neck. “It’s getting stronger already.”

“Thanks.” Despite the dire circumstances, I can’t help but feel a flicker of pride at my newfound magical prowess.

For once, I’m not a failure of a witch.

Aspen turns to me with a furrowed brow. “Rowe, did you tell anyone else about the western woods before the party last night?”

“Only Tris.” I peer over my shoulder at him in question.

“We were out in the open, though, surrounded by werewolves with superhuman hearing.” Tris frowns and glances toward Levi. “Anyone could have heard her.”

Levi stiffens at the implication that someone in his pack might be behind this. “The man who attacked Rowe wasn’t a werewolf, and he definitely wasn’t one of my people.”

“True,” Haut concedes, “but the monster who chased us in the woods had similarities to a werewolf. Magic was also in play.”

Levi shakes his head. “It wasn’t the full moon.”

I rise onto my toes to reach the end of a broken thread. “What about your moon-madness amulets? Are you confident that they’re secure?”

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