formed a circle. When he looked to me, I shrugged. “Have Royce do it since he’s deeply connected to this realm.”
Royce looked absolutely gutted. “Okay…”
“Pardon me…” Riah narrowed his eyes and pointed. “Is anyone aware of the other small children here?”
We all turned to see who he was talking to. The others all relaxed like this was no big deal. I however did not recognize them. The one looked a lot like Deacon, especially with her violet eyes and sandy blonde hair, but the other was unfamiliar.
“Should they be here?” Riah asked, his voice was soft but there was an edge to it.
Deacon hurried to them. “She’s like my sister. She was here when that thing was, so I don’t want her out of my sight.”
“Ah, understandable.” Riah cocked his head to the side. “But the other is not arcana.”
Tennessee sighed. “Landy is a shifter, cousin of the king. And for that, I’d also like to keep her in our sight until we can eliminate the threat and return her to Issale.”
“Issale. Oh yes, I’ve been there.” Riah turned to Landy again with a kind smile. “Is Locke still king?”
Landy shook her head. “N-no. Kothari is. He’s his great-grandson.”
Riah sighed. “Ah, that’s too bad.”
Despite everything, that made me smile. He was just so adorable.
The back door opened and trouble walked out into our metal cave. I knew they weren’t really trouble but hell they looked it. Lennox and Savannah were covered in tattoos and had wild colored hair. Henley’s whole vibe was dark – or goth, as I’d recently learned. Bettina’s mismatching eyes made her look wild. And then there was Tegan. The unnerving part of her wasn’t even visual.
Tegan walked straight up to Riah with a piece of parchment in her hand. “What do you think?’
Riah nodded and handed it back.
“I want to read it in angelic language.”
“Smart.”
Tegan nodded and turned away. “Okay let’s do this ritual – oh, nice metal cave. Anyway, Saffie, we’re going to require your help to ensure her spirit is not damaged. OH, hey nice salt circle.”
No pressure. But I nodded and sat Olli in Riah’s arms. “What do you need me to do?”
“Babe, purify the circle please?” Tegan walked to the far side, then turned to face me. “Henley in the middle. Saffie take the bottom right point. Bettina the bottom left. Savannah and Lennox take a side point. I’m going to read the spell in angelic for an extra layer of protection, so all you have to do is stand there and give your magic to me.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tennessee walking the circle and reciting a spell, but I focused only on getting to my designated spot. Thanks to the metal walls there was absolutely no breeze, and with the Florida heat sweat was already dripping down my spine.
“Okay, we’re ready.” Tegan licked her lips and held her hands out to the side, palms facing the grass. “Do what I do. I’ll read the spell.”
“Henley…” Royce called out. “Henley, please rethink this.”
“I’m doing this, Brother.”
He cringed and hung his head.
Saffie, your job is to stop me if her spirit feels off in any way, okay?
I looked up and met her pale green gaze and nodded.
Rainbow magic burst from her palms and slammed into the ground. All around the circle I saw splashes of color. I glanced down at my feet and saw myself in a sea of golden glitter.
Tegan chanted words in the angelic language. I recognized it but didn’t know the meaning. As her words grew louder and louder, golden light shined from within our circle. Haven’s gold wings popped out. Bettina’s lines on her fingers sparkled.
Gold light shined right down on Henley’s head like a halo. The ground rumbled under our feet but Tegan kept chanting. My pulse quickened. Everyone glanced around to each other. Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around her ankles and wrists. The vines slithered across her body and then went up and over her head. Henley threw her head back and gasped. Her back arched. The vines dug into her skin. Blood trickled over and spilled into the air.
The vines slithered up and over her entire body, coiling around every surface.
That golden light exploded like the fireworks at Hidden Kingdom.
Henley floated down slowly, her back landing gracefully.
“Henley?” Royce cried. “Hen, are you okay?”
She didn’t get up, but a grin spread across her face. “I’m fine.”
“All right.” Tegan grinned and clapped. “Who wants to go fishing?”