Page 133 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Miles POV
Bianca had a way of surveying my actions with reverencethat, instead of triggering my self-consciousness, made me feel confident. Her actions had the same effect now, as she silently sat while I pulled a fire together and prepared my space, which made my movements feel fluid and assured.
As I sat in the cleansed circle across from Bianca, the growing warmth of the flames reached for us. I felt as though I could do anything.
I touched the cleared ground directly around me, allowing the pulse of the earth to linger over my palms before I began to draw a symbol in the dirt.
“What’s that?” She was sitting on her ankles, and upon speaking, she folded her hands over her lap.
“Runes,” I replied, continuing to write the words around me. The earth responded to my command, and the ground hummed under my skin with the promise of unwielded power.
The runes probably weren’t necessary, but every little bit helped.
“What are they for?” she asked. Her shoulders were tight as her eyes gleamed—she was clearly expecting something dramatic to happen.
I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but witchcraft rarely worked that way.
“Focus,” I told her. I looked at the innocent-looking bottle by my knees. “Now, all I need to do is to take the potion. Then it should work?”
I hoped.
“Are you asking?” Bianca’s forehead wrinkled at her question. “You said you were sure my blood—”
“It’s not because of you.” I frowned at her. This was not the time to hesitate, but the fact that she still had doubts caused an unnatural wildness to rise through me. This matter would need to be addressed sooner rather than later. “Even with all the rightingredients, a spell also requires intent and confidence on the witch’s side.”
I could do this.
“It’s fine.” I pulled off the cork. “No time like the present.”
“Miles…” She began to sit up. “I don’t—”
I uncovered the jar and swallowed the bittersweet liquid before her doubt transferred to me.
There was a stillness to the air, heavy with expectation, as the bottle fell from my suddenly numb fingers. But outside of that, I wasn’t sure what to expect. A tingle in my fingers? Anything.
I held my breath as Bianca leaned forward. “So,” she began, gaze wary. “Did it work?”
“Maybe?” I held my hand in front of me, studying my fingernails. My skin, however, remained unchanged.
I wasn’t even remotely dizzy.
Could Kathleen have messed up? I doubted it. And I was certain that Bianca qualified. So why—
My thoughts halted as my stomach lurched. The aftertaste was far worse than the initial drink.
“Miles?” Bianca’s voice sounded from the distance. She was scared. I should respond.
But my head was spinning, and the ground shook under my knees. The last thing I saw before the light was shut away was her reaching toward me and her terrified, unsure face.
The damp wallsclosed in around me, yet instead of fear, their presence was almost comforting. Shadows danced off the stalactite-laden ceiling, their motions animated by the blazing torches fixed solidly to the earthen pillars guarding the exits.
As I stood there, a mix of warmth and a chill coursed through me, a greeting from the earth and shadow that seemed to grasp at my ankles, drawing me deeper into this cavern. Although this was my first visit here in this lifetime, it felt like I had come home.
“I thought you’d never visit,” said a voice behind me. I turned and wasn’t surprised to see Tu.
His orange robes flowed around him as he stepped forward, and dark eyes swirled with the power of untamable magic. When he met my eyes, his savage expression turned serious, and his gold earrings captured the firelight as he grinned. There was a sense of foreboding, an underlying threat, as his teeth bared. “Do you think you’re finally ready?”
No.
