Page 180 of Sigils & Spells

He stood back and watched the door a little dead eyed. It was earlier than any of us were used to rising and Minho had woken up gray and grumpy. The whole reason we were going today was the new moon, when magic creatures were the furthest from their powers. It supposedly would make Elfhame easier to get into, but it also made Minho struggle with werewolf PMS. If he was the most connected to his wolf on the full moon, that meant he was the least connected on the new moon. He said he could still change if he wanted to, but it would take more energy than usual, drawing from his own reserves instead of whatever it was he shared with the wolf. Minho normally flaunted his cowboy aesthetic every day, but today he was in sweat pants and a shirt, his hair pulled back in a lazy pony tail.

Even so, he still had on his cowboy hat.

I had expected to struggle falling asleep sharing a bed with someone I barely knew, but somehow I was out the moment my head hit my pillows and slept like a rock until Alice’s alarm woke us.

Ruby answered the door and ushered us in. She kissed Minho on the cheek. “Oh, honey, you don’t look so good.”

“I don’t feel so good.” he grumbled and collapsed on the couch. Ruby turned to me, the first syllable catching in her throat when she saw Alice. Her eyes widened.

“Oh! Hi. Uh…” she looked at me a little lost.

“Ruby, this is Alice.” I said motioning awkwardly between them. “Alice, this is Ruby. She’s a witch.”

Alice’s face lit up. “You’re a witch?”

Ruby still looked shocked, but gave Alice a bemused smile anyway. “Um, yes, I am. Who… who are you? Are you sure you want to come?”

“It was my stable that Julian woke up naked in, and I watched him turn from a horse to a person after Minho rode him—”

“Wait!” Ruby put her hands up, stopping Alice mid sentence. “Sorry, did you say… Minho… rode Julian?”

Minho and I groaned in unison. I quickly explained what had happened the night before.

The girls were both stifling laughs, and though they’d known each other for approximately five seconds, they seemed to be laughing together.

“To clarify,” Ruby said, fighting a smile. “This was when Julian was a horse, right?”

“When Minho rode him?” Alice snorted, “yes.”

They collapsed into laughter.

“You know what this means, Minho.” I said melodramatically. My roommate groaned, too tired for antics.

“What?”

“We have to make out to show our dominance.”

“Yeah, you wish.” Minho rolled his eyes and pulled the brim of his hat down to his nose. “I can’t hear you, I’m asleep. And I’m a great Cowboy!”

“I’m sure you are, baby.” Ruby was still laughing, and patted his shoe patronizingly. “and Julian makes a great ride.”

Minho and I groaned in unison.

“Anyway!” I prompted. “Alice wants to come.”

Ruby took a deep breath, sobering quickly. “To Elfhame? Why?”

“Because there is no way in hell I’m missing this,” she said firmly. “I can’t walk away from magic now that I know it's real.”

There was understanding in Ruby’s blue eyes. “Ok. But you need to understand how dangerous it will be.”

“I read all the messages, and Julian filled in the rest.”

Ruby’s eyebrows were knit. “Alice, listen. This is dangerous. Not risky. Dangerous. I can’t promise you’ll come back. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to protect you.”

Alice’s eyes wavered, but her resolve didn’t. “I want to come.”

They locked eyes for a long moment, and some invisible language passed between them. Ruby nodded. “Ok.”

---