Page 53 of Blood Currents
“There’s already no going back,” I said.“The moment we learned the truth about the corruption, about what they did to you, we became part of this fight.”
“Then let’s finish it,” Cyrus said, his flames flickering blue with determination.
“Together,” Elio added, his voice carrying a certainty I hadn’t heard from him in weeks.
Keane nodded, portal magic stirring around him like silver mist.“Together.”
Outside, snow had begun to fall more heavily, but I felt ready for whatever we’d find beyond the veil.We had each other, we had the truth, and we had magic that worked better united than apart.
My mom’s words echoed in my mind:I can’t lose you too.
24
Marigold
The mountain path was littlemore than deer tracks and wishful thinking, winding up through pine trees that grew thicker and more ancient with each step.Mr.Walton moved ahead of us with surprising agility for his age, following invisible markers only he could see.
Behind him, we climbed in careful formation—too much space between us, like we were afraid of accidentally touching.Cyrus walked close to me, but not as close as he would have a week ago.Elio stayed furthest back, his usual place at my side conspicuously empty.Only Keane seemed normal, steady and present at my left shoulder.
“How much further?”Cyrus asked, his breath visible in sharp puffs.The December air was thin at this altitude, and despite his fire magic keeping us warm, the cold seemed to seep everywhere.
“Not far now,” Mr.Walton called back.“There’s a clearing ahead—old ceremonial ground.The veil’s thinnest there.”
We’d been hiking for over an hour since leaving town before dawn, carrying nothing but water and the weight of everything we weren’t saying to each other.The whole plan felt impossibly fragile—four people who could barely look each other in the eye attempting magic that required perfect trust.
But as we climbed higher, I could feel something changing in the air around us.The dead things that usually whispered at the edges of my consciousness grew quieter, not from absence but from reverence.Even Scout had gone still against my neck.
“The magic here is old,” Keane said quietly, Wisp flickering brighter on his shoulder.“Older than the academy.Older than the war.”
“Here,” Mr.Walton said, stopping at what looked like just another stretch of forest.But as my eyes adjusted, I could see the subtle differences—stones arranged in deliberate patterns, symbols carved into tree trunks, morning light bent strangely through the canopy.
“This is where the first peace treaty was signed,” Mr.Walton explained, his voice dropping to something reverent.“Witch and vampire representatives met here in secret, trying to end the war before it consumed everything.The magic of that hope, that desperate attempt at understanding, soaked into the ground.Made this place a bridge between worlds.”
I stepped into the clearing and immediately felt the difference.The wellspring’s energy was here, but wilder, older.Like the difference between a tamed river and the ocean.
“I can feel the dimensional instability,” Keane said.“The barriers between worlds are thin here.”
“Good,” Mr.Walton said, settling on a fallen log.“The silver bell responds to intention, but it takes more than wanting.It takes harmony—the kind of magical resonance that proves you’re worthy of what you’re seeking.”
“And if we can’t achieve harmony?”I asked, though I could already feel our magic beginning to stir just from standing in the same space.
“Then Levon stays hidden, and we’re no closer to the truth,” Keane said simply.
We looked at each other across the clearing.Elio’s jaw was tight, his illusions carefully controlled.Cyrus’s flames flickered restlessly around his hands.Keane waited with patient certainty, and I stood between them all, feeling like the center of a storm I’d helped create.
“We’ve done this before,” Elio said, his voice carefully neutral.“During the trials.Our magic wants to work together.”
Our magic,I thought.Even if we don’t.
“But this is different,” I said.“We’re trying to breach the veil between worlds.”
“Then we trust what we’ve built,” Cyrus said, not quite looking at me.“Whatever else is complicated, that part’s not.”
Keane moved to form one corner of our square.“Portal magic was designed for this.I can provide the framework.”
I watched them take their positions—Elio opposite me, Cyrus to my right, Keane to my left.We’d used the same formation during the trials, but everything felt different now.Charged with things we weren’t saying.
“Together,” I said and reached out my hands.
