Page 56 of The Wolf and the Chimera
Nothing happened.
“You said to call,” I mumbled. “I’m calling for you. Take me to my parents.”
Magic rumbled in my chest and made my blood pound, but the sorceress continued to evade me. Irritated, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Sorceress,” I whispered again.
Magic flared under my skin, and its heat made me gasp. A flash of impatience and frustration overwhelmed me. It left as quickly as it came.
Call me,the sorceress had said.
I turned the instruction over in my mind and, with a sinking sense of dread, I realized what I needed to do.
I cleared my throat.
“Medea.”
Power spread from my chest to my limbs like liquid heat. The crackle of magic lifted the hair on my neck and buzzed in my ears. Part of me—a part I would never admit to—relished init.
How could I enjoy power that stemmed from evil?
Evil?the sorceress asked.Isn’t that a bit dramatic?
You cursed an entire species out of existence,I reminded her.
When I got rid of the warlocks, I did the world a favor,she argued. Bitterness colored her tone.And the world condemned me for it.
Walker is good,I countered,and he’s a warlock.
Don’t remind me ofhim, she spat.You called on me for a favor, remember?
Right,I said.
I realized picking a fight with the sorceress had been my way of stalling the possibility of disappointment.
If you lied about them being alive,I warned,I will give myself to the High Witch so she can make sure you never rise again.
The sorceress’s anger matched my own.
Good thing I’m not a liar,she snarled.Keep going. There’s a portal that will take you to your guardians.
As I followed her instructions, I wondered if she couldn’t fully control me or if she chose not to. It had only been a couple days since the Sovereign drained us completely of magic. Though power now buzzed in my body with every step, I wondered if the sorceress’s will remained weakened.
The terrain grew steeper and steeper. I gripped tree trunks to steady myself down the rocky slope, but the sorceress didn’t correct my path, so I assumed I traveled the correct direction. As the sun rose higher in the sky, sweat trekked down my spine and coated my forehead.
When the roar of rushing water interrupted the quiet of the forest, I quickened my pace. Hurrying over brambles and rocks, I half-jogged, half-slid down to a creek. I walked opposite the direction of the flow of water and gasped.
A waterfall crested the cliffside and pooled in a beautiful, turquoise oasis. Hidden among the roar of water, magic hummed. Its power beckoned me closer, and thesorceress sighed in content.
This is not a normal portal,I argued.This is a ripple.
Very astute observation, pet.
I shook my head and stepped back from the waterfall. When I tried to get farther from it, the sorceress seized control over my limbs. Panic set my heart racing.
Calm yourself,the sorceress instructed.Did you really think you could get to your parents with a normal portal?
I was too ashamed to admit I hadn’t given it much thought.
