Page 60 of Monster's Mystery

I frowned. “That sounds awful. That poor kid who was dropped into the game with only a few days to prepare and bond with our team.”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean it the way it came out. She actually did a really great job leading the team.” Bruce smiled. “So imagine how much better the team will be at the next match!”

“Looking forward to it!”

Aiden nudged me and whispered, “We should probably head out to the forest now. Try out your spell?”

I hesitated, and then wondered why.

Why had I been resisting this, when it was our best chance so far at figuringanythingout?

“We’re going to try my magic flow spell now,” I told the group. “Anyone want to come along?”

“I’d rather dance with my boo,” Lilia said, her arms wrapped around Brom’s neck.

Una was still nowhere to be found and Rhiannon was in her room, so I turned to Bruce, one eyebrow raised in question.

“Count me in,” he said immediately. “I’m not staying here with them.” He indicated Lilia and Brom with a thumb, who were starting to make out. “And maybe I can keep you two on track.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“No hanky panky out in the woods,” Bruce teased.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s way too damp and chilly out there. Besides, who knows what might creep out of the woods while we weren’t paying attention?” I shivered.

We snuck out of the dance hall and headed up to the main floor.

“Are you going to dress a little more warmly?” Aiden asked, his hand pressing against my bare back.

“Of course!” I transfigured my necklace into a warm sweater. “Didn’t even need to put it on!” I said playfully.

“Your mastery of magic is such a turn-on,” Aiden said admiringly.

“Just wait until I transfigure my shoes!” I said, wiggling my eyebrows. My high heels turned into knee-high boots with a heavy sole. “Ooh. Ahh,” I added dramatically.

It was Bruce’s turn to roll his eyes. “See? It’s a good thing I’m here, or you wouldn’t have even made it out the door.”

He led us to the back door of the kitchens, and we slipped out into the evening.

It was almost disturbingly quiet, the sound of wind whispering through the trees the only noise that reached my ears.

“Where are all the animals?” I whispered.

“Maybe there’s a bigger one hanging around,” Bruce said, frowning. “Maybe we should put this little expedition on hold until tomorrow morning.”

Aiden shook his head. “The three of us should be more than a match for anything that we might run into. Let’s give this a shot.”

I glanced at him gratefully.

“Cast your spell, babe,” Aiden said, waving me forward.

“I think we should be closer to the forest for that,” I said hesitantly.

“Then let’s do this,” Bruce said, striding forward until he reached the edge of the forest way ahead of us. He raised his hand toward the woods, swooping it through the air as he cast a spell. “Nothing big around. Go ahead, Siobhan.”

I took a deep breath and ignored the two men. They were both paying more attention to the woods than to me anyway.

The first thing I saw when I cast the spell was the overwhelming presence of the ley line intersection. Rapidly rushing magic, coming from far beyond the horizon in each of the cardinal directions, connecting underneath the island. I had to close my eyes to stave off the nausea. “It’s too much!” I gasped. “The ley lines—”

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