Page 90 of Ashes and Lilies
“Here we are,” I told them.
“You found a fairy circle.” Brayden stepped beside me as he surveyed the area. “Nice.”
“I was doing some light reading and learned all about it,” I explained. Plus, Bryce had been complaining about this very thing when he could not contact Mr. Weaver. “The others won’t be able to summon the spirit if we can do it first. And if they can’t get ahold of him, Damen won’t be able to perform his ritual.”
“But what if it lashes out? It’s been violent before.” Anthony,who’d been standing beside Brayden, looked at me. “Or tries to run away?”
I shrugged. “Miles can put up a barrier,” I answered. “And trap it.”
“What?” Miles dropped his hand from mine.
Finn, who’d circled to the front of me, sighed. He dropped his backpack at my feet. “That explains why you wanted the salt.”
“Bianca,” Miles said, stepping between us. His features were tense with panic. “I haven’t graduated from my basic training yet.”
My heart began to race. This could be a problem. I knew he was still learning, but he shouldn’t be this poorly prepared.
“When do you graduate?” I asked.
“Halloween,” Miles answered.
“Ah.” I squeezed his hands and pulled them to my chest. That was only a month away. At this stage, he should understand the basics. He just lacked confidence.
“But you know how to do it, right?” I asked.
“Well…” he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Technically, yes… But how do you even know—”
“The ghost documentary showed me everything,” I confessed.
Miles’s eyebrows drew together. “What ghost documentary?”
Now, the others were looking at me curiously as well.
“Spectral Secrets: Tales of Ghosts and Witches,” I explained.
“Spectral Secrets!” Miles covered his mouth, sounding distraught. “That’s fake!”
He was lying. It was on the Science Channel, so it had to be accurate.
“Are witches able to trap a spirit with salt?” I asked. It sounded like he was just scared.
“Well, yes,” he said again, answering begrudgingly. “But—”
I gestured to myself and the other three as I interrupted him. “Do not worry. We will be here to protect you,” I reassured him again. Perhaps that was his concern. “Once you cast the circle, you can sit outside, all safe and sound.”
“I don’t want you to protect me!” Miles’s eyes were wide. “Why are you—”
“Please,” I asked, clenching my hands in front of me. “I can’t let Damen hurt it. You know I’m right.”
Or at least, I’d hoped so. Julian had said Miles was the only one with morals, and from the harsh way the other three traitors wanted to intrude into my territory I believed it. Besides, “I don’t feel like, at its core, it’s bad. I think it’s hurting.”
Finn rolled his eyes, and I scowled at him.
“What if...” I continued. For some reason, my eyes burned. “What if we can save it?”
Miles groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll do it. It’ll be good practice anyway. But Damen is going to kill us.”
“No, he won’t.” I shrugged, glancing at the other three—all of whom appeared highly invested in this conversation. “He told me it made him proud when I didn’t listen.”
