Page 102 of Spirit Storm

I shrug. "I'm struggling to figure out what my new affinity is all about, and, unfortunately, Orion bore the brunt of the learning curve."

"I'm fine," Orion calls from behind me.

Xavier's gaze moves from the group assembled behind me and back to the sea, but says nothing.

"Xavier." I extend a hand. "I want to thank you for all your help. You were head down and hard at work yesterday when I stopped by, and I didn't want to disturb you. I'm Poppy."

He shakes it once. It's firm, brief, and impersonal. "I know who you are."

Right then.

"I'm sorry about what happened, and completely understand your dislike of me. But please know that I abhor everything that happened, and I would never have knowingly or willingly allowed Tharuzel to damage your lockstone."

He dips his chin but doesn't respond.

Khylie clears her throat with the practiced ease of someone who has been smoothing over her brother's silences her entire life. "We have news. Good news. Xavier, tell them."

He unfolds his arms long enough to pull a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. He opens it and holds it toward me, though he doesn't quite offer it. "I have four stone witches lined up to help with the repairs. Including me, there is one for each of the remaining damaged lockstones. All you need to do is arrange transport."

I take the paper, examining the list of names, which mean nothing to me because I don't know any of these people. The information includes their names, addresses, and contact numbers, listed neatly over half the page. "Xavier, this is incredible. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Make sure I don't regret putting myself out there for you. The people on that list are putting themselves at significant risk to clean up a mess they had no part in making. They are my friends and are good people."

"Hey, now," Asher says, joining us.

I hold up my hand and take the hit of his words like a slap to the cheek. "You have every right to be angry and to be worried about your friends. I won't be part of the repair teams, so you don't have to worry about me putting them in danger."

He pierces me with a long, measuring look, and then lifts his chin. "What about Khylie? Can you say the same for her being on your spirit witch team for the warding reinstatement?"

"Xavier, stop." Khylie flashes me an apologetic smile. "I told you this is important to me. What happened wasn't Poppy's fault."

"But if it happens again, will you be any less dead? And even if her demon doesn't come to stop you from performing the ritual, will her best intentions keep you alive?"

I open my mouth to speak, and Khylie shakes her head to stop me.

She squares herself off with her brother, who stands more than a foot taller and carries an extra hundred pounds over her. It's almost comical how she takes him on, but hey, I've never had a brother, so I can't say I know much about this kind of dynamic. "This is what being a Descendant of the Nine is all about, Xavier. I was drafted to this purpose centuries ago. Yes, it's dangerous, but if a building was burning, you'd be the first one to rush inside to rescue anyone trapped. Do you expect me to do any different?"

His jaw tightens. "I don't like it. Look what happened to that guy from Denmark. And he only touched the chamber runes. He wasn't even trying to power them up."

Khylie touches her brother's arm. "Xavi."

"No, don't Xavi me. Spirit witches died performing that original binding. The journals tell us that." He looks at me. "You know that, right? You're asking her to do something that kills people."

"I'm not going to pretend it's safe. It isn't. The ritual is dangerous, and I won't dress it up as anything else. But think about what happens if we don't do it." I hold his gaze. "If Tharuzel breaks the remaining lockstones and his master comes out of its prison after being locked away for centuries, furious and starving, who do you think is first on its list to eliminate?"

I let that sit for a moment. "Not the Order. Not the Brigade. The spirit witch Descendants of the Nine. The ones with the bloodline, the power, and the knowledge to lock it away again."

Xavier says nothing, but something shifts in his expression.

Around us, the beach grows very quiet.

I turn to see the weight of my words on the faces of my friends. "What? You didn't think of that?"

Wylder frowns. "I've thought of little else."

"Well, I didn't," Asher grumbles, "but I'm also not going to let that happen. Super mega major demon or not, he's not taking you down, P."

Khylie rests a hand on her brother’s crossed arms. "Yes, it's dangerous to do the ritual and to oppose Tharuzel. But Poppy's right… it's more dangerous not to."