Page 55 of Dawn Unearthed

“I tried to be reasonable last time, but you’re not listening. Now, I need you to understand. Oriel will bring war, and then you will know the true power you’ve been missing. Join us, Sage. Stop working with Ravenwood and join us. Choose the winning side, not those who will perish fighting for what they cannot have.”

She shoved out her hands, water pouring from her palms.

I threw my hands into the air, creating a wall of water to block Faith’s. My aunt Penelope let out a sharp sound and moved behind the counter. Laurel shoved a dagger into Penelope’s hands. “You know how to use it.”

I blinked. “She does?”

Laurel gave me a tight nod. “She does. We may not be able to use magic, but we can still fight. Weapons training will be next for you.”

“If there is a next,” Faith said, grinning.

Faith slammed down her hands, and revenants poured through the windows. Glass shattered, the door fell off its hinges, and books began floating in the water Faith slowly made rise within the building.

My aunt’s face blanched, and I wanted to kill this woman. I realized I would kill Faith if I could. At least hurt her if I couldn’t take a life. Because she was hurting my aunt, the woman I always came to when I needed help. My family.

Damn this necromancer for daring to try and hurt her.

I stood in front of Faith as Aunt Penelope and Laurel used their blades against the revenants.

A screech sounded as a giant hawk flew through the broken window and began clawing out some of the revenants’ eyes. Rowen was there an instant later, barreling through the line of revenants, using her air magic to push them out of the way.

“Faith is mine, Sage. Protect your aunt.”

The hawk flew above us, clawing, protecting us, and fighting. I used my water magic to create a long sword. It was the only weapon I could make, as far as we had gotten during training, and thrust it towards the revenants. It pierced their flesh, and water began to gurgle out of their mouths.

I tried to propel the water out of the shop, attempting to protect the books, the shop itself, anything that my aunt loved. I needed to safeguard those I loved. Rowen and Faith began circling one another, and Faith just winked.

“This is only the beginning, dear Ravenwood. Oriel says hello.”

Rowen frowned, her face fierce. “Who is Oriel?”

“You don’t know? You should. And you will. Soon.”

Rowen slashed out with a dagger, and a man came out of the darkness from the back door. I didn’t recognize him. A stone flew through the air in front of him, propelled by his magic, and smashed into the dagger.

“Not today,” he growled, and Rowen’s eyes widened.

Laurel grinned for a minute, surprise on her face, and I wanted to know who this stranger was. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and a strong jaw. The hawk shrieked, and the man winked at him before going back to fighting at Rowen’s side. My friend and fellow witch stiffened for a moment before she looked at the other man, nodded tightly, and they moved towards Faith as one.

Faith looked between them, a small smile playing on her lips. “Interesting. Very interesting.”

And then she shoved out her hands, lightning crackling on her fingertips. The revenants moved forward, and then…she was gone.

Laurel cursed under her breath, and the rest of us went to work destroying the remaining revenants. I hated what Faith had done with these corpses, with the bodies that had once contained the souls of those who had been loved. I didn’t see any of the bear shifters, but I knew they were out on a hunt. Those who remained were here, protecting us.

I hugged my aunt tightly as everybody began cleaning up. My chest heaved, and I looked over at the stranger. Laurel smiled and threw her arms around him.

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I didn’t know I needed to be here,” he said, his voice wooden.

Rowen rolled her shoulders back. “You weren’t needed.”

“What if I was?”

I now knew who this man was—this stranger who had saved us. When I looked over, I saw Rome running towards us, Trace at his side. They both had looks of surprise on their features, and I knew who was here.

Ash was back.

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