Page 32 of The Dragon's Warlock

The shaman let out a sigh. “It’s different with shifters. For humans, it doesn’t take much time. Sometimes with shifters, it won’t take much time either, so we need to start early just in case, and if it goes to plan, we can rest tonight and start again tomorrow.”

A woman she hadn’t noticed before walked over and handed Diem a cup. She handed one to Gideon and then to the shaman.

“Who are you?” Diem asked.

Ethno answered, “We have people watching to make sure we’re okay. We want answers, and we don’t want something to happen to you.”

That made her feel slightly better… until she got a whiff of the drink in her hands. It smelled like vomit, and she could barely hold back a gag.

Next to her, Gideon drank from his cup, and she did the same. It was worse than it smelled. The dark liquid was thick with a splash of water. It coated the inside of her mouth.

“Now we wait. Rest your back against the log,” Ethno said.

Nothing happened. She glanced down at her watch to see that thirty minutes of pure silence had passed. This wasn’t how she’d expected the ritual to go.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and she started to feel a little dizzy. The woman walked back over and handed her another glass. Diem downed the dark liquid like a shot. Drinking it fast didn’t help with the horrible taste. Gideon did the same next to her.

It wasn’t long after the second glass that things started to feel strange. Colors changed. Gideon said something, but his voice sound miles away. The rock in front of her started to spin on its own. She reached for it, but her hand went through the hard object.

Her stomach felt like it was spinning as fast as the rock. When she lay back, she looked up at the stars. She didn’t know how much time passed. She could only see the bear in the stars. Two bears. And that was the last thing she remembered before her stomach gave in to the nausea.

---