Page 25 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

"Containment wards," Fiona said, as if that explained everything. When I just stared at her, she added, "They're sucking up magic like a middle-aged divorced dad with a Dyson. And guess who's getting the power boost?" She jerked her chin toward the house. "I bet 'I-wear-fancy-robes-to-feel-special' is in there taking what he needs to get past the blow we dealt him at the cellars."

"That energy..." I shuddered, recognizing the ancient resonance we'd felt in the cellars. "It's like dinosaurs-were-babies old."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." Fiona's eye roll could have won Olympic medals. "This isn’t how I planned to spend my Saturday night. I had a date with a bottle of wine and that new serial killer documentary."

"Well, technically, we might still see a murder," I offered helpfully. "This one will have more potential for world-ending consequences."

"Gods." Aislinn pinched the bridge of her nose. "We really need to revisit our definition of weekend plans. Normal people go to brunch. We track down ancient horrors with a body count."

"Don't forget the part where we save the day and no one ever knows," Fiona pulled out her phone and checked the time. "Three hours until midnight. Any brilliant ideas for getting past those wards without dying spectacularly?"

"I might be able to create a temporary breach," I said, studying the magical patterns more closely. "See how the binding runes overlap there? It's creating a weak point. If we time it right..."

"We could slip through between pulses," Aislinn finished. "But we'd need a distraction. Those wards will alert someone the moment we start tampering with them."

"Leave that to me," Fiona grinned. That look usually preceded property damage. "I'm great at distractions."

"The thing with Grams doesn't count as a recommendation," I warned her.

"Hey, taking Grams skydiving totally worked! And the wings thing was completely accidental."

"Things are always accidental with you," Aislinn muttered. "Don’t do something like telling a magically de-aged ninety-something to 'think happy thoughts' mid-freefall. Shit always goes sideways for us."

"Details," Fiona waved dismissively. "The point is, I canget their attention while you two work on the wards. Just... maybe stand back a bit when I do."

"How far back are we talking?" I asked. "Regular 'oops' distance or 'Fiona's getting creative' distance?"

"Just regular distance," she assured us as she began pulling various items from her pockets. "Simple stuff. A bit of transformed matter, a touch of kinetic enhancement, and maybe a small temporal displacement..."

The business card in her pocket pulsed again, casting purple light that made the shadows dance. New text appeared.The vessels gather. The circle nears completion. We will succeed.

"Anyone else really tired of this thing's cryptic messages?" Fiona asked as she glared at the card. "Would it kill them to be more specific? Like 'Hey, we're going to do the apocalyptic ritual in the basement in one hour. Bring snacks'?"

"At least it's keeping us updated," I pointed out. Although, I had to agree. The dramatic messages were getting old. "Even if it does sound like a particularly pretentious fortune cookie."

"Remember the rules," Aislinn said as we prepared to move. "No unnecessary risks, no solo heroics, and absolutely no challenging ancient entities to any kind of contest."

The wind picked up and carried with it the sound of chanting from somewhere inside the house. The words were in that same ancient language we'd heard in the wine cellars. "Right then," I said, gathering my power and preparing to breach the wards. "Everyone clear on the plan?"

"Create a distraction, break through the wards, find out what's going on inside without getting killed or possessed by ancient spirits," Fiona recited. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't," Aislinn warned. "Every time you say that, somethingexplodes."

"Usually," Fiona agreed cheerfully. "But hey, at least we brought that bottle of Winter's Embrace. You know, for after."

"We're going to need something stronger than wine after this," I muttered, watching as more figures arrived at the house. Their movements were too smooth and coordinated, like pieces being moved on a game board. "Look. More victims of the head arsehole. Maybe we can take out all of his people."

"If only we were that lucky. The vessels gather," Aislinn quoted from the card with an eye roll.

"Lovely, isn’t it?" Fiona sighed. "I’m all for stopping an apocalyptic ritual, but do we have to do it without hurting a bunch of possessed idiots?"

“Not necessarily. They volunteered for this, which means they’re willing to cause problems,” Aislinn pointed out.

"Next time," I said as I started to weave the spell that would breach the wards, "we're definitely going to ask Artemis to help ensure we get our spa weekend. We’ll go somewhere nice and boring, where the biggest threat would be an overly enthusiastic masseuse."

“If only,” Fiona said as she threw something toward the front of the house. It was now or never. I cast the spell to widen the gaps enough that we could fit through. Whatever waited inside, whatever ancient horrors and bound spirits lurked in its shadows, we'd face it together. We always did.

CHAPTER 9

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