Page 93 of Spirit Storm

"And the lockstones not broken?"

I swallow as the path starts to take form in my mind. "We could shield them before Tharuzel gets to them. Asher's energy seemed to stop him, or at least cause him trouble. He'll beat us to some, but he won't be able to get to all of them before us."

"And the demon itself?"

"We're close. Mica thinks my blood is the key. She thinks Tharuzel marking my bloodline and creating the blood bond makes it so she can focus the weapon's purpose and tailor it directly to him."

Birdie arches a silver brow. "Almost as if it were meant to happen that way."

My mind stalls out on that, and I close my eyes. I release a long breath that had set up shop in my chest and then nod. "Almost as if it were meant to happen."

Birdie grins. "All right, then. Off you go. Worlds to save and demons to vanquish, and all that. Take Trolliver Queen. He'll bring you good luck."

I hug Birdie and kiss her cheek. "Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me, Petal. You got there all on your own. You just needed a little distance from the problem."

When I open my eyes and find myself blinking at the ceiling of the Arcana infirmary, a rush of adrenaline hits. I can do this. I was literally born to do this. I stare up at the soft amber light filtering through the high, narrow windows and lie still for one breath.

The heaviness that threatened to crush me before is gone. I sit up and hold up the troll doll. "Birdie is one smart lady."

Because at some point between the troll dolls and the wind chimes and the click of her knitting needles, I found my center again.

And now that I'm back…

I swing my legs off the bed and spot my clothes stacked on the dresser. Jeans, my soft gray pullover, my boots lined up beneath. Someone, probably Asher, folded everything perfectly.

I grab the pile and cross to the washroom.

I splash water on my face, finger-comb through my blue hair until it stops fighting me, clean my teeth, and pull on my clothes. I look at myself in the small mirror above the sink, just long enough to confirm I resemble a functional person, and then I'm out the door.

I hear them before I see them.

There's a little family area at the end of the hall, and Asher is there, trying to cheer up my younger sisters. Wylder is there, too, but he's lost in his thoughts and looking broody and worried.

Violet chuckles mildly at something Asher says, but it’s half-hearted at best. Lily is cross-legged on the widest chair with her sketchbook open across her knees.

Wylder sees me first. He stands, reading my face. "Hey."

"Hey back." I stop in front of them, pulling on my jacket. "What's everyone doing moping out here? We've got work to do."

Asher blinks. "We do?"

I wink at him. "Damn skippy. Wylder, you go with my sisters and get them packed. The Hallowind sisters are leaving this pocket world. Grab a couple of conduits from Briar before we go, because I gave my word to the Guardian that once my sisters left, we would never come back." I shift my gaze to Asher. "You're with me."

"And what are we up to?"

"We're going to the forge building to speak with Mica. I've got an idea about how to make our weapons stronger."

The room is quiet for half a second.

Lily is on her feet, grabbing her pencils and shoving them into her backpack. "You mean it? We're done here?"

"I mean it. We played by everyone else's rules, and we've done what we've needed to in order to survive, but it's time we reclaim our lives. Go get your stuff and say your goodbyes. Asher and I will wait for you at the forge building."

She doesn't wait for a second telling. She spins and grabs Violet's wrist, and they head down the corridor together. Violet says something about needing to say goodbye to the other rescued witches, but Lily tells her they don't have time to be precious about it.

Wylder lingers a moment and brings his hand up to press to my cheek. His green eyes ask everything without him saying a word.