Page 120 of Soul of a Witch

“I don’t think I’m ready.”

“I wasn’t ready either. But sometimes, we’re ready for far more than we believe.”

We kissed. Soft and desperate, deep and ravenous. We kissed to drown our fear, to silence our doubts, to smother our pain.

When we were ready, we went to the meditation room.

My hands were clammy with sweat as the door clicked shut behind us, and Callum set the metronome ticking. The sound made my brain feel softened, vulnerable even before I lit the incense. As fragrant smoke wafted around the room, the light dimmed. Soon, the only illumination that remained was the sparkling stars overhead, spread across the ceiling like diamonds thrown across velvet.

Callum took my hand, and together, we stood in the center of the room. Anxiety rose up in my throat, threatening to choke me.

“I don’t think I can do it, Callum,” I said suddenly. “I don’t think I can cast out. I can’t.”

“Forget the lies you’ve been told, Everly.” He lifted my hands to kiss my knuckles. “Forget everything that has made you doubt what youknowyou can do. I’ll show you the way. I’ll be right there with you, every moment. You’ve learned how to guard your mind, how to lock it up tight and let nothing in. Now, you need to learn how to let your mind wander again.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to convince myself this wasn’t one of the most foolish, dangerous things I’d ever done. But I was not the same frightened girl who had stood in St. Thaddeus and felt the Deep One assault my mind. I was no longer the inexperienced witch who feared her own power.

I would walk into Hell with my head held high. A witch to be respected and feared.

Callum used the palm of his hand to cover my eyes, encouraging me to close them before he took my hands again. “When you walk through the gates of Hell, there won’t be a single demon who won’t feel your footsteps. They’ll shake, woman. Relax now. I won’t let go. Lower the guards, darling. Let your mind roam.”

It felt wrong. Dangerous. Like touching a hot stove or stepping into the middle of traffic; instinct demanded I stop, that I turn back.

One by one, I relaxed my muscles. Even my eyes, twitching nervously despite being closed, were a point of tension I had to intentionally force to relax. As I exhaled, I imagined the unease seeping out of me, dissipating into the air like harmless vapor.

My body could be shed like clothing, stepped into and out of as I pleased. But I had to take care with it, like a dress made of expensive silk. If I wasn’t careful, I might never find my way back to it again. Witches had lost their way in the Betwixt before, lost to that vast expanse forever. Unable to truly live…unable to die…

“Ev.” Callum’s voice was gentle. “You’re pulling back. You’re heavy as an anchor. Relax.” His fingers brushed over mine, pressing harder against my palm. “Let go. Step into the Veil. Leave the weight behind.”

I focused. I let all the nerves and fear rush over me like cold water over stone. And as it washed away, I did feel lighter. Softer. In my mind’s eye, I envisioned myself like a willow tree, bending and drifting in a soft breeze, but so deeply rooted even a hurricane could not force me to break.

With every passing second, I felt more buoyant, less corporeal, my skin strangely numb.

Something cold and damp brushed my face, as if I had walked through a wall of mist. When I opened my eyes, I found I was facing exactly that: a sea of thick white fog in which Callum and I stood side by side.

The Veil.

We walked on, silent. The mist thinned; it twisted and swirled like smoke caught in a vicious wind. Streaks of color swirled around us, like paint drifting through water.

“We are now betwixt and between all realities,” Callum said. “All worlds. All universes. If you walk far enough, not even time is your barrier. The worlds as they are, as they were, and as they will be, are all accessible to you here.”

The colors kept swirling, and if I stared at them long enough, I could see even more details within the fog. Visions of landscapes flashed before me, blown away like dust in the wind. Vast, craggy deserts. Thick, luscious forests. Unfamiliar flora and fauna, structures that were clearly not of human design.

Curiosity demanded I keep chasing those visions, that I pursue them even deeper into the mist. But that was exactly how wandering witches became lost. I had to stay focused.

“What should I look for?”

“A massive gate, of wrought black metal, that rises high enough to touch the clouds,” Callum said. His hand, wrapped tightly around my own, was my greatest reassurance. “It’s framed by great warriors carved in stone, with wings that cast shadows so large they can make the fields look like night. Can you imagine? Can you see it?”

“Yes. I can see it.” I held the image in my mind. Staring hard into the swirling mist, I could see the iron bars rising toward the sky. The fields, rolling off into the distance, and perched above it all — a shimmering city, with towers that pierced the sky.

“Those gates will open for you, Everly. Walk toward them with confidence. Without fear. Hold your head high. Know that they will let you pass.”

Although I couldn’t see it clearly yet, I was certain the gate was there. I walked toward it, now leading Callum by the hand. Slowly at first, but with every step, I moved faster. It was there, it truly was. The gate, rising so high above I couldn’t see its end. The demon warriors stood tall on either side, their hands braced against the gates.

The mist parted. Tall grass brushed against my hand as it dangled by my side, and I looked down to find that the blades were pale as pearls. A sea of white grass, bending slowly in the breeze.

I didn’t stop, I did not pause. The gate appeared sealed, but no one guarded it, and nor was there a fence on either side of it.

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