Page 57 of Knot Cursed

“This is impressive, little witch,” Rook said as he took in everything I had, then picked up my experiment notes. He flipped through but didn’t say anything as I sat down on one of the empty chairs.

“Let’s try this out,” I said, drawing them closer. The mirror was cold and dormant in my hands.

“Maybe think about Blake and put your intentions into it,” Dorian said in a hushed town. We barely breathed as the tension of the moment rose.

I didn’t think about not being able to do this, I focused on my best friend. Her presence, her scent, anything that would paint the picture in my mind.

“Show me Blake,” I demanded of the mirror as I held it in front of me. The guys stayed behind me so they could watch as the mirror swirled to life. At first all I could see was a swirling fog.

Then her screams echoed out.

A male’s rough voice growled out a warning. “Keep quiet or I’ll kill you early.”

“Fuck you!” she screamed out. I was both proud and terrified at her defiance. A face appeared on the mirror, contorted by fury but I recognized the man staring back.

“My brother has her.”

Tripp? Why was he here in Moonlit Grove? I hadn't seen him since my sentencing. That smug look on his face as I was taken from the only home I'd known and thrown here was forever burned in my memory..

"Brother?" Dorian asked, after shifting back.

I almost asked him to keep the ears and tail but now wasn't the time for indulgence. We have to keep focus on Blake and getting her out of his evil clutches.

"Yes. He and my parents never once defended me at my trial. They were glad to be rid of me. So, I don't understand why he is behind all of this," I explained as I dug through drawers. I searched for the map and crystal I had put up for safekeeping but now I couldn’t remember where.

"Can we help you look for something?" Rook asked, noticing the panic growing on my face.

"Sure, it's a folded map and a purple scrying crystal. They should be together in one of these drawers," I answered without stopping.

I heard them rustling around and I didn't breathe easier until Merrick spoke up.

“I think I found them,” he called out as he tugged a bundle from a drawer across the room.

On fast feet, I rushed across the little cabin and snatched the items from his hands. I planted a quick kiss on his cheek and muttered a thank you as I laid out the map on the small table in the center of the room.

"If I knew that was the reward, I would have searched faster," Rook sighed under his breath. Ever the dramatic one.

"Do you need something of Blake's?" Dorian asked. "I could run and get it."

"I don't think I do. She's my best friend and I think that connection is strong enough. Let me try and if we don't get something, I'll send you to her place. I want you three here to steady me, please," I said, almost pleading with them.

"Nothing is going to get us to leave, unless you order it," Rook stated, matter-of-fact. My alpha was as steady as they come when it mattered.

"Thank you. Can you each stand on a side of the table and focus on Blake? I know that you don't know her well yet, but I need all the energy on her, not me," I said.

The three of them moved without a second thought and closed their eyes. I could hear them mumble Blake's name quietly before I did the same.

I held the crystal over our little town, starting over her shop. We knew that she wasn't there but I hoped that we were wrong. The crystal swung back and forth without falling.

“Okay, that’s a no,” I breathed out before moving it slowly over the rest of the map. Trusting my magic to find her, I closed my eyes to focus on my best friend. Her smile, her laugh, and her sunshine in a dim town.

Once I felt the chain start circling in my palm, hope rose in my soul, but I didn't dare open an eye yet.

"It's stopped," Merrick said out loud right as I felt the sway come to a quick halt.

I peeked an eye open and he was right. We all leaned a little closer to see where it had landed.

It was at the old train yard, across town. It had been boarded up for all the years I’d been here. The one place that we wouldn't have thought to search.