Hail to the Queen (Witch For Hire 2)

“Is she okay?” Ruby asks.

“Yes, she’s starting to receive the things she needs to know in order to do the job. We do the ritual the day before to keep all the unpleasant side-effects that might occur in private.”

It’s like being plunged into icy water. I lose touch with my physical body and find myself standing at the entrance of a forest with Alida waiting.

A long, white gown brushes the tips of my toes. The sleeves caress my fingertips. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She hugs me.

“You feel solid,” I marvel. “And I can hear you.”

She nods her head. “I hoped I would be the one to greet you.”

“Why is this possible?”

“Because we’re not on your plane or mine. We’re somewhere in between where many rules no longer apply. I want to show you something. For when the time comes.” She holds out her hand.

Taking it, I allow her to guide me through the woods where we now regularly cast circles. “I know this place.”

“Yes, but not where I’m going to take you.”

We move past the space for casting, through the thicker, dense forested area. I feel the pine needles under my bare feet. A bird caws.

“That’s a raven,” I whisper, recognizing the sound.

“Have you figured out why that bird is special to you?” Alida asks.

“It’s one of Cristobal’s forms.”

“And your spirit guide. Whenever you need help, it will come to you. Often it’s one of your ancestors in disguise.”

“The Fae land,” I say, remembering the strange disturbance when I tried to choose a door.

“Yes, one of us was there. You’re never truly alone because we walk through all the trials and challenges with you.” Her words are comforting. “Can you hear what the raven wishes to tell you?”

I tilt my head back and find the large bird perched on a low hanging branch a few feet above my head. It cocks its head to the left and the right as we size one another up. It caws and flaps its wing.

“Yes?”

It straightens. I feel a sense of pleasure before it takes off to the next tree and comes back. On the third fly back, it clicks.

“You want me to follow you?”

Caw. It leads us deeper into the woods, pausing to caw every few feet.

“Where are we going?” I ask Alida.

She shrugs. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

He leads us to a tree that’s glowing white. “Ghost tree,” I whisper. The light-colored bark is known to reflect the moonlight, giving it an unearthly appearance that earned its nickname. The raven flies to the ground. His dark beak pecks at the soil.

“What are you doing, buddy?” I ask softly. He caws at me and returns to his pecking.

Can a bird have an attitude? He’s making a hole.

“Are you digging?” I kneel down beside him and grab a flat rock. Together we continue to dig. I lose track of time until I hit something substantial. I brush away the dirt on the surface to reveal what looks like a wooden box.