Marigold had made a camouflage spell for Pandora that allowed her to blend into the forest. Marigold, Pandora’s sister, was a florist by trade but a green witch by practice.
Jenna had tried twice to spot Pandora, and even though she knew where the witch was hiding, she couldn’t see her. That was good. It meant Sola wouldn’t see her either.
Just like Jenna prayed Sola wouldn’t see or smell or sense the wolves waiting on the ridge. Hopefully, the seer would be too preoccupied with her own devious plans to give much thought to Jenna having backup.
Although Jenna had had some last time, and Sola was no fool. But Jenna had a plan for that.
As the meeting time approached, Jenna pushed all other thoughts out of her head except for what she had to focus on. Defeat the wraith. Take Sola captive. Free Ingvar.
Helgrind sizzled with energy, the same energy that ran through Jenna’s blood and bones, the same energy she’d felt on the battlefield or while transporting worthy souls to Valhalla or pursuing a criminal.
Which, in all honesty, didn’t happen that much in Nocturne Falls. She loved being a deputy, but most of the things they did day-to-day was deal with speeders, the occasional drunk or cranky tourist, and, every once in a while, a shoplifter.
There was the yearly noise ordinance violation from old Mrs. Morris, a banshee well into her years who, on her birthday, liked to play her death metal a bit louder than the neighbors cared for, but really, that was about it.
And generally, Jenna found her work to be just fine. An uninteresting day when you were a sheriff’s deputy was also a safe day.
But safe could get boring pretty easily.
Facing off with Leif wasn’t something Jenna was looking forward to, but tasting battle again would be…okay, to be brutally honest, she was kind of looking forward to that part of it. It would be a lie to say she didn’t miss her time in service. The sense of duty, the thrill of battle, the accomplishment of being on the winning side.
Which wasn’t to say she wasn’t on the winning side every day, but being victorious in battle was something else. Was there anything like the feeling of victory? Yes, actually there was. Love.
She smiled. Tonight, if all went well, she’d have both.
She waited, losing herself in her thoughts and the sounds of the forest as the shadows grew longer. She kept a tree at her back and the breeze in her face.
Leaves crunched underfoot. She turned slightly to face the sound and saw Ingvar coming toward her from the direction of the river.
Jenna pushed off the tree and raised her hand in greeting, just as she would if the woman approaching actually was Ingvar and not the shell of her friend currently possessed by a disgraced seer. “Ingvar.”
The seer smiled and waved back. “I’m so glad you could meet me.”
“Same. Are you all right?” Jenna kept up the pretense that she had no idea what had gone wrong. “After what happened last night, I wasn’t sure if you’d been injured or overcome by the wraith or if the magic was bad. What on earth happened, Ingvar?”
The woman who looked like Ingvar stared at her, and for a split second, her eyes flashed green with hatred. In that split second, Jenna saw Sola.
Her own face twisted into a mask of revulsion before she could stop herself. She shook her head suddenly and dug deep for a way to cover. “I hate that I almost lost you.”
“You didn’t.” Sola was gone now, hidden in Ingvar’s pale beauty. “It was all my mistake. I used one wrong ingredient in the casting of the circle.” She sighed. “You’d think after all my years of training that such a thing should not be possible, but becoming a seer means being a student for a lifetime. I guess it had been too long since I’d cast that spell.” She looked around. “Where is the wolf?”
“He didn’t make it. Passed just a short time ago.” There was no other lie Jenna could use. Saying he was sick wouldn’t be enough. Not with the binding spell connecting them.
“What a shame. But not unexpected.” Ingvar shrugged. “I told him to stay away. Wolfsbane is deadly to their kind.”
She’d never once uttered anything close to that. Jenna’s anger bubbled up, and she wanted to punch her, but that was Ingvar’s face. No sense in hurting her friend further. She’d punch Sola once she was in custody.
Sola tipped her head, her bone earrings rattling softly. “Was he your friend?”
Jenna kept her face blank and uncaring. “Just an acquaintance.”
“I see.”
Sola seemed to have bought it, so Jenna prodded her toward the next step. “While that really is a terrible shame, shouldn’t we try again? I don’t see why the wolf’s death should hold us back. I’m here, and we need to deal with this wraith once and for all. More now than ever before.”
Sola looked genuinely surprised. “You really want to try the trap again? You’re not too distraught?”
“Because of the wolf? I didn’t really know him that well. If anything, my desire to end the wraith has increased. He can’t be allowed to roam free. Losing the wolf was awful, yes, but the wraith wants to kill me, too, Ingvar. I’m sure of it.” Jenna got a little worried Sola was having second thoughts. That wouldn’t do at all. Jenna decided to work on the woman’s ego. “Unless you’re too weak after last night. Or you’re not sure how to fix the thing that went wrong. Do you need more time?”
“No,” Sola snapped. “I can do it now. I just hope you’re ready.”
“I am. Absolutely.” Jenna took a few steps toward the river. “You need time alone again?”
“Yes.”
Was Sola’s grasp on Ingvar slipping? Her short,
