Take Me

“No matter what, we have to keep going.” There was way too much tension coming from Elliott, and I didn't like it.

Through everything we'd been through together so far, I hadn't heard him sound this worried.

It didn't take long to understand why.

Just like in the mountains, when the Fae surrounded us, the hair rose up on the back of my neck. “You guys?” I whispered a second before the torches lit up.

One after another, all around us, torches flared to life and illuminated the robed figures who had somehow surrounded us without our noticing.

It wasn't even the torches or the robes that made me yelp with fear and cling to Parris, who'd been in the middle of picking me up. It was the masks they wore, all of them the same, painted with images and symbols I didn't recognize but which stirred fear just the same.

“What brings these trespassers to our sacred lands?” one of them demanded, while several of the others chanted loud enough to freak me out but not loud enough to understand what they were saying.

“And what will they be willing to offer in exchange for safe passage?” another asked, followed by more chanting.

“I can't move,” I whispered, horrified when I tried to take a step and found I couldn't move my foot.

Even worse? Neither could Parris, no matter how he grunted and struggled. Not even Elliot, who vibrated with intense, almost furious energy, could move.

“How dare you breach our borders?” screeched one of the witches. It was so unnerving, not being able to see their faces, just hear their words coming from behind expressionless masks. “What will you offer in return for movement? What of the silver-haired one? Is she worth your ability to pass through our sacred territory?”

“You're not going to touch her!” Garret roared. “Can't you recognize us for who we are?” He was rewarded with a torch waved close to his face.

“Synian,” one of them whispered, and the others followed suit.

Pretty soon they all sounded like a pack of snakes. Synian, Synian, Synian, their voices overlapped, and the torches grew closer as they tightened the circle around us. I could feel the heat from the flames, and the sounds of their voices wrapped around my head like a vice. I tried to lift my hands to cover my ears and couldn't even do that. The spells they’d placed on us were too strong.

We weren't going to make it through this. The knowledge hit with a thud in my gut. I couldn't even draw up my power and give them a little blast like I did in the mountains. Not with them so close, with their power throbbing in my head. What were they doing to me?

“Enough of this.” It was the first time Elliot spoke since we were surrounded, and his voice rang out over the hissing noise from the witches. “If you would stop for a second, you might have noticed I'm here.”

I had seen magic before. I had even seen it come from me. But nothing could have surprised me more than the effect Elliot's voice had on the tight ring of witches who looked like they were ready to burn us alive.

They all fell back a step, heads bowed. “What in the—” Garret and Parris exchanged a look, then looked at me like I had the first clue what was going on.

One of the witches stepped forward, closer to where Elliot hovered over me. Her head tipped from one side to the other, and though I couldn't see her face, I could feel her studying him. He held her gaze, lifted his chin, and I would have sworn a lifetime's worth of conversation flowed between them with neither of them saying a word out loud.

“Do you want to clue us in?” I whispered when I couldn't stand the suspense anymore.

“It's fairly simple.” He inclined his head toward the witch. “Jaide, this is Delphine. My mother.”