“That’s not an elemental.” And it still made Trevor a dilute like me.
“It’s better, more powerful. I can see into the future, see into the past, and see into the present.”
“All without a crystal ball, huh? I don’t believe you. You got one of the elder witches killed. Did you see that coming?” My heart pinched at the thought of Serenity, her life lost because of this woman before me. Hatred burned behind my eyes.
“I foresaw the death of the eldest high priestess. Several more will die before this ends.”
It didn’t take a soothsayer to predict something like that. It was war. We were gearing up for the battle of our lives. Literally. Some of us wouldn’t make it. None of us would if we didn’t act fast. It was only a matter of time before the Council figured out we were hiding in plain sight. Alec had already figured out I had the power of invisibility.
“Uh, Montana?” Clay handed me his phone. “Check it out.”
And, once again, un-fucking-believable. This woman’s stupidity and apparent need to blindly follow like a lemming astounded me. I quickly scanned the social media post, shaking my head. It was a copy of the latest webisode, the one I’d just posted, completely deciphered and giving up the location of the grove.
The activity outside the protective veil. We were being surrounded.
The Council had found us.
20
“The veil will protect us. The only way in is with one of our crystals to create an opening.” Renee held hers in the palm of her hand. The other high priestesses followed suit. I did the same, not understanding why, but waiting to find out. She waved her other hand over the top of the crystal as she chanted something that sounded like Latin but also sounded like incomprehensible song lyrics.
The others repeated the incantation, along with the gesture. Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know the song. I tried repeating what she’d said, but nothing happened. Maybe I didn’t say it right. Why spells had to be in Latin still baffled me.
“Here, let me help.” Stace stood and pushed away from the table we all sat around to plan out our next move.
“I got it.” I closed my hand over the crystal.
She nodded sadly and sat back down.
“Your crystal needs no additional enchantment,” Renee pointed out as she took Stace’s hand. Stace offered a wilty smile in thanks. I refused to feel guilty for pushing her away, despite what the pinch in my midsection meant. “Its power is far greater than ours. No enchantment will work on it. Serenity and the witches before her made sure of that.”
Good to know. I slipped it back over my neck and tucked it under my shirt for safekeeping. “According to the air pixies, the Council’s patrol continues to circle the area. They know we’re here.”
“They won’t be able to pass through the veil.”
“The protective veil is a spell, right? An enchantment?”
“That’s right.”
“Then isn’t there a chance the spell can be broken? They have sorcerers on their side who have no problem using dark magic.”
We all exchanged looks around the table as that awesome dose of reality sank in.
“Why can’t we just storm the castle and take them out?” Clay asked as he and the guys all restlessly paced around the treehouse.
“It’s their home turf. It gives them the tactical advantage.” Leo once again pointed out the obvious.
“I’m with Clay,” Rob growled. “We have to do something. We can’t just wait around for them to figure out a way to break down the veil.”
Bryan jumped in. “What if we use a sleep agent on the patrols? The latest batch we cooked up works in an instant.” He snapped his fingers to drive home his point. “Have the pixies sprinkle it on them. Once they’re out, we sneak past them and onto school grounds.”
“And then what?” I challenged. I didn’t hate the idea, but it wasn’t fully baked and would wind up getting us killed when we the dark elementals spotted us. “We need to be smart about this. Clearwater isn’t just home base for dark elementals, it’s our home. Period. Taking the battle to them will destroy the academy.”
The guys knew what that meant. Destroying the academy destroyed its founder, the one who’d made the ultimate sacrifice by merging her essence with the school to keep it safe. I couldn’t let that happen. Losing Cressida would be like losing my mother all over again.
For reasons I didn’t want to acknowledge, my gaze drifted to Stace. She caught me watching her, causing my stomach to flip. When our eyes met, I quickly looked away.
“There is a way to do this without them seeing us.” Stace’s lisp really took flight with that statement. She glanced around the room before settling her attention on me. “We use the void.”
“Are you crazy?” I launched out of my chair and backed away from the table as if it had just burst into flames. The mood I suddenly found myself in after her suggestion, I just might set it on fire.
“Hear me out. The void isn’t just purgatory for the mind. It’s a portal, a way to teleport from place to place in the blink of an eye. I know how to send people there. You know how to get them back out.”
“I’m not a strong enough teleporter.”
“We’ll use the crystal.”
“I can’t speak in the void. No one can. Without reciting the incantation, I can’t create the portal.”
“Katy, you found Bryan in the middle of a vast array of nothing. You can make this happen.”
Not just no, but hell to the in-fucking-sane no. “I only found him because of this.” I held up my hand, palm out, showing off my gently shimmering ward. “It took three of us keeping each other from slipping into a catatonic state. Not everyone here can teleport. They’re not even all elementals. I have
