Page 90 of Midnight Reign
Zephyr, looking paler than usual, holds up the vial, the sacred water inside glowing faintly.
“We did it,” Addy pants, a triumphant smile on her face despite her exhaustion.
I nod, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Is anyone else thinking that if this was fucking difficult, how is the ritual going to go down?”
“Yep,” Zephyr says. “I need a fucking minute.”
“Take it, mate. You did good.”
He raises an eyebrow at my rare compliment and smirks but doesn’t say anything.
As we catch our breath, I look at Adelaide, seeing the power that now radiates from her, and I’m reminded of the enormity of what we’re trying to do. Getting that creature out of her is paramount now. She needs to shine under her own steam and not as some vessel for evil.
“Come on,” Zephyr says after a few minutes, pushing himself to his feet. “We should get to the circle.”
We rise and head away from MistHallow again, back into the forest on the opposite side.
As we approach the stone circle, I see Ignatius and Zaiah waiting for us. They look as battered and exhausted as we feel.
“You guys look like hell,” Adelaide says as we draw closer.
Ignatius snorts, a small flame dancing between his fingers. “You should see the other guys.”
We exchange glances, a silent understanding passing between us. We’ve all been through the wringer, but we’ve succeeded. We have what we need for the ritual, and now it’s time.
38
ADELAIDE
The stone circlelooms before us, ancient and imposing in the moonlight. Each monolith stands like a silent sentinel, their weathered surfaces etched with the passage of countless years. Unseen energies snap and fizz in the air, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. We’ve gathered all the ingredients - the Moonshade herb, still faintly glowing with its unnatural light; the phoenix ash, warm to the touch even now; and the vial of sacred water, shimmering with hidden power. Each one was hard-won, but now comes the real challenge.
Zaiah pores over the ancient book, his white eyes scanning the pages intently. It pulses with energy, the ink shifting and swirling on the yellowed pages as if alive. “Right,” he says, looking up at us. “I think I’ve deciphered the instructions for the ritual. It’s complex, to say the least.”
I nod, steeling myself. To say I’m shitting myself would be an understatement, but we are on this path, and nothing can veer us off it now. “Walk us through it,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel.
Zaiah takes a deep breath, his form shimmering slightly as he taps into his djinn powers. “We need to prepare the circlefirst. Adelaide, you’ll need to draw specific runes at each cardinal point. They’ll act as anchors for the magickal energies we’ll be channelling.”
He shows me a series of intricate symbols in the book. They shift and dance before my eyes, alive and nervous. Each one is a complex web of lines and curves, some sharp and angular, others flowing and organic. They speak of ancient power, of cosmic forces beyond mortal comprehension, or even immortal comprehension. I haven’t got a fucking clue.
“And I’m guessing one tiny mistake could blow us all to kingdom come?” I ask, only half-joking.
Zaiah nods grimly, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. “Or worse. These runes are conduits for immense power. A misdrawn line could tear a hole in reality itself.”
“Fabulous,” Ignatius mutters, a nervous flame dancing between his fingers. “No pressure, then.”
Corvus steps forward, a piece of chalk in his hand. His cool fingers linger on mine as he passes it to me, a silent gesture of support and encouragement. “You’ve got this, Dollie,” he says softly, his blue eyes meeting mine with unwavering confidence.
I take a deep breath, the crisp night air filling my lungs. The chalk feels heavy in my hand, more than it should. As I approach the first stone, the magick in the air thickens, pressing against my skin like a physical force.
Zaiah steps up beside me with the book, holding it up so that I can copy it exactly. Raising the chalk, I feel a strange sensation. The rune flows onto the surface as if it’s always been there, just waiting to be revealed. Each line and each curve feels right, as if I’m not creating the symbol as much as uncovering it.
“Whoa,” I breathe, stepping back to examine my work. The rune pulses with a faint inner light, shimmering in the moonlight. It’s a glimpse into a world of power and mystery that attracts but unnerves the fuck out of me.
“Perfect,” Zaiah says, his eyes wide with surprise and a hint of awe. “How did you...?”
I shrug, moving to the next stone. The chalk feels warm in my hand now, almost alive. “It’s like the runes were already there, waiting, and I just uncovered them. Or more likeshedid.”
“Take some credit, babes,” Zaiah says. “You give her way too much of it. This isyou,not her.”
