Witch Unbound by Debbie Cassidy
Chapter Ten
The room was a pitch-black hole. Ida muttered something, and silver light that emanated from a multitude of painted symbols filled the small, windowless space.
“Protection runes,” Ida explained. “Keeps this space safe for the more dangerous spells.”
I stepped inside the circle painted on the ground. “I assume I need to stand here.”
“You assume correctly,” Ida said. “Bramble, Lauris, you two will stand outside the circle.” She pulled a switchblade from her pocket. “One second.” She left and returned with a small granite bowl. “I need blood from all three of you.”
We allowed her to slice and squeeze our palms so that our blood mingled in the bowl. She muttered more words that I didn’t quite catch, and the blood made a fizzing sound.
“You guys will be Cora’s plan B if things get hairy.” She looked to me. “This circle will be your safe zone. Once I shift you into the abyss and you leave the circle, you’re on your own. You’ll have to make your own way back to it to return here. However, if for some reason you can’t…” She took a green gem from her pocket and dipped it in the bloody bowl before holding it up. The blood clinging to the stone seeped into it. “If you can’t make it back to the circle, then you need to break this.” She handed me the gemstone. “It’ll activate the anchoring and yank you out. Do you understand?”
“I get it. Let’s just do this.” I tucked the gem into the hidden pocket in my boot.
“One more thing,” Ida said. “You can’t use magic there. It doesn’t work, at least that’s what I’ve been told.”
So, no teleporting. Shit. Okay. I could do this. I had a dagger in my boot. I exhaled and rolled my shoulders. “I’m ready.”
The runes flared bright, forcing me to throw up an arm to shield my eyes. The light winked out a moment later and darkness reigned. I lowered my arm to find myself surrounded by inky blackness. The only light came from the glow of the circle surrounding me. Beyond those lines was…nothingness.
The abyss.
Every instinct warned me not to leave the circle. Every instinct cautioned me not to make a sound. There were things out there. I could sense them, but so far, they hadn’t noticed me. There was no doubt that leaving this circle would make me visible to them. An icy ball of terror formed in my belly.
No. Shake it off, Cor. Jasper was out there somewhere. I had to find him. I had to leave the safety of the circle. I closed my eyes and focused on my malevolent lover, on the connection I knew existed between us, and reached for the two-way sense that I’d only recently realized was accessible.
There it was, steady and secure. Shame it couldn’t act like a guiding beacon for me the way it did for him. I’d just have to do this the old-fashioned way. I stepped closer to the glowing line, and the darkness beyond grayed to reveal shapes and forms in the rise of rocks and mountainous terrain. There was substance out there. Maybe it would be clearer once I left the circle.
Only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped over the glowing line and into darkness.
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