Page 13 of Wicked Angel
Abbie’s frown deepened, and she turned to me, a silent plea in her eyes.
But I shook my head. “Sorry, Abbie, but I think Maggie is right. If she really saw the path there, we need her … she should come with us.”
“Fine,” Abbie said, but her tone was tight with worry. “But you promise me this, Maggie: if things go bad, you stay back. Run to safety. No arguments.”
Maggie hesitated, then nodded. “I promise.”
Abbie let out a shaky sigh, and we moved into action. Well, they acted. I just watched from the circle, itching to help. Abbie sent a protesting Gwen back to the hall, then she helped Lacey and Abbie fortify the cuffs. Meanwhile, Levi called the warlocks to see if anyone of them could come to open a portal for us.
About thirty minutes later, we were almost ready. Aspen and Boise had arrived and talked to Maggie and Levi about locating the place in her vision. After some spells, Aspen and Boise were pretty sure they could take us there—wherevertherewas.
When everyone was really ready, Lacey came to the circle with the cuffs. “Sorry. I know they are uncomfortable.”
I extended my arms to her. “Better than exploding my friends.”
She winced and I sighed, hating my failed joke.
With the cuffs secure around my wrists, I started taking my first step over the circle and hesitated. What if the moment I crossed over, the magic surged up and I couldn’t control it?
Levi stood tall, his sure eyes on mine. He tipped his chin once. His trust in me was all I needed. With a deep breath, I crossed the circle and almost did a shimmy dance when nothing happened.
Just the constant hum of that strange power taunting me.
“Everyone ready?” Aspen asked.
All six of them looked at me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, my voice steady despite the sudden growing jittery feeling in my chest.
As if a switch had been turned on, my magic started thrashing beneath the surface, eager to break free, but I shoved it down, focusing on the task at hand. We had one shot at this, and I couldn’t afford to lose control now.
With a murmur of words, Aspen opened the portal. The air shimmered, and a purple sheet of magic appeared. I took a deep breath, then stepped forward into the portal, feeling the world twist and bend around me.
We emerged in a dense forest, the air thick with the scent of pine and wet earth. The ground beneath my boots was soft, covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves. Above us, the canopy was so thick it blocked out most of the sky, casting long shadows across the forest floor.
Maggie adjusted the straps of her backpack, looking around as if comparing the scenery to what she’d seen in her vision. “We need to head east,” she said, pointing toward a trail that wound through the underbrush. “It’ll get steeper before we reach the clearing.”
We fell into formation, with Levi leading the way and Maggie close behind him. Because of my unstable magic, I was put in the middle, while Aspen carried the rear, keeping an eye on the shadows that moved between the trees.
There was a sense of unease in the air, the kind that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I could tell the others felt it too—every snap of a twig had us on edge.
As we hiked deeper into the forest, the trees grew closer together, their trunks twisted and gnarled as if some unseen force had shaped them. Mist curled around our ankles, thickening with every step until it swallowed the ground beneath our feet. The air grew cooler, carrying with it a faint, metallic scent that reminded me of old blood.
“This place isn’t natural,” Lacey murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper. “It’s like someone doesn’t want us here.”
“No kidding,” Levi muttered. “Stay sharp, everyone. We’re not alone.”
I tried to ignore the way my heart pounded in my chest. My magic shifted inside me, reacting to the unease that settled over the group, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep it in check. Now wasn’t the time to lose control.
After what felt like an eternity, we reached a clearing where the mist thinned, revealing a large, moss-covered stone half-buried in the earth. Maggie paused, staring at the stone, then turned to a tree nearby, its trunk twisted into a shape that almost resembled a clawed hand. Her breath quickened, and she nodded.
“This is it. The cabin should be close.”
We pressed forward, pushing through a dense thicket until the outline of a cabin emerged from the shadows. It was small and weathered, its wooden boards warped and darkened with age. Vines crept up the walls, curling around the windows like fingers. The air around it felt heavy, like it was pressing down on my shoulders.
Levi stepped forward, testing the door, which swung open with a creak that echoed through the clearing. “Anyone home?” he called, his voice cutting through the silence. “We’re here for a chat about magical crystals and hidden caves.”
When no response came, we cautiously entered the cabin, checking each room. Dust coated every surface, and the furniture was covered in a layer of grime, as if no one had set foot inside for years.
