Page 26 of Thorn & Ash

Mona almost laughed. There were no eligible bachelors under the age of fifty in Krenia. And every time Prue suggested Mona flirt with someone, she laughed then, too.

Goddess, Mona missed it. All of it—the beach, the villagers, the narrow winding dirt path leading up to their home, the sound of Sybil and Polina laughing together in the kitchen as they cooked, Prue’s teasing…

Mona closed her eyes, the heat and pain of her loss rising up inside her, so intense it overwhelmed her. She unleashed a dry sob, knowing she couldn’t weep in her current state. But her wails echoed in the forest, fueling her with a strange sense of empowerment. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t cast spells. But she could shout. Another anguished cry poured from her mouth, more vibrant and resonant than before. She was reminded of her haunting melody when singing with Evander. Singing it had brought her the same strange sense of liberation she felt now.

Let the entire realm hear her sorrow. She would give anything to be home right now. Anything.

The air shifted. An eerie wind whispered over her skin. Mona opened her eyes to find herself on the beach in Krenia.

A gasp tore from her throat. She was here! Joy filled her chest, followed immediately by unease. Wait a moment… Was this really Krenia? Or was she between worlds with the prince of Hell who wanted her soul?

A quick glance downward told her she was a spirit. A ghost. Just like with Evander. Which meant she had to be truly here in Krenia, right? When she’d been between worlds, she’d been corporeal.

But she had transitioned to the mortal realm once, just briefly, right after arriving in Cocytus. It had only been for a few seconds, and then she’d been pulled back to the Underworld.

Had she managed to travel again? Was she truly home?

“M-Mona?” breathed a voice.

Mona glanced around and stifled a cry of longing. Prue stood next to her, her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks sticky with tears. Shock and hope flared in her gaze as she stared at Mona’s form.

A hard lump formed in Mona’s throat, and she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even process a coherent thought. “Prue.” Her voice was strained.

Prue rushed forward, obviously intending to embrace Mona, but her hands fell right through her, causing a shiver to ripple over Mona’s form. Prue stilled, tears leaking from her eyes. “What—what is this? Are you truly here?”

“I’m still dead,” Mona said quickly, not wanting to give her false hope. “But… it seems I can still visit you.” She offered a weak smile.

Prue raised her hands to her face and wept openly, her shoulders shaking. Mona longed to touch her sister, to hold her while she cried. Heat stung her own eyes, and she marveled at these human feelings, this sensation of being alive even when she wasn’t. Perhaps being here—being home—had that effect on her soul.

“I need you back,” Prue sobbed. “I have to get you back. It was a mistake, all of it.”

“I know,” Mona said, the sorrow twisting painfully in her gut.

“Please, Mona. You know more about powerful magic than I do. It must be possible. Can I bring you back?”

Mona started to object, but stopped herself. What if Evander couldn’t find a way to heal her? What if her soul was in danger of being torn apart?

What if Evander’s brother managed to find her and trap her forever?

Singing had seemed to help, but whatever magic possessed Evander was definitely growing stronger.

If it claimed him, Mona would be alone, with no way out.

But… if Prue brought her back, that might solve everything.

Mona swallowed hard before she said, “All right, Prue. I’ll tell you everything I know about raising the dead.”

* * *

Mona was yanked back to the Underworld far sooner than she would have liked. She collapsed with an ungraceful “oof,” her hands meeting dirt and the scent of pine overwhelming her. She’d talked with Prue for hours, outlining every spell and every ingredient she could think of to resurrect a lost soul. And afterward, Prue had poured out her heart, expressing her grief and sorrow. And Mona just listened. Because that was what Prue needed.

Before Prue had finished, however, something pulled Mona back to the river. She gasped, disoriented from the shift, and shook her head before rising to her feet.

The familiar babbling of a river met her ears. Around her spread the expansive forest she was so accustomed to gazing at while Evander roamed up and down the river. Her eyes latched onto the towering twin pine trees that marked the edge of the forest.

Everything was the same. Except…

Hold on. Her hands drifted over herself, and she let out a half sob, half laugh. She was real! Solid. Just like when she was between worlds. She stood here, in the flesh, as if she had indeed been brought back to life. Her skin, her hair, it was all real. She pressed a hand to her heart, and her joy faded.

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