Page 115 of The Silent Mountain
“Just like that,” another agrees. “As if their fighting spirit suddenly left them.”
“How does that make sense?” Stefan mutters. “When we came here, they mindlessly attacked us without any care in the world, without any thought of self-protection. As if they were cursed…“ he trails off at his own words. “Maybe they were?”
“That’s a possibility,” I say. “Maybe whoever they followed did something to them. We won’t know, though, unless we hear from Elio and Alana what they saw here.”
“Maybe their leader is dead too?” Cassie asks hopefully.
“We didn’t find anyone who remotely looks like he could pull this off,” the warrior admits.
“I thought so,” I state. “I am sure they had a backup plan, just not for the whole cult.” I turn to Cassie. “Come, let’s check the origin of the dark spell.”
The path leads us to a gigantic hall with high walls and statues made of stone. It looks like a ceremony hall. Feathers are sprinkled around. They are black and look like they were dipped in blood. There in the middle is a fountain, holding a bowl. When we get closer, I notice that the liquid in it is red, seeping into the water. It turns black the moment it meets the water, and then disappears. “Is this blood?” Stefan asks.
“I think so,” Cassie says, scooting closer with interest. “And now?” She turns and looks at us.
Stefan and I stay quiet, none of us sure how to tell her that we can’t do anything. She catches on fast.
“Wait, I am supposed to do it?” she exclaims.
“We can’t,” I say.
“But Favia-“
“Favia’s main focus is to find the person behind all of this and to make sure that Elio doesn’t die,” I explain.
“I can’t do it,” Cassie whispers. “I can’t!”
“Cassie,” I say seriously. “You single-handedly restored my clan’s, and my, faith in witches. You are a clan member now, one of us. A couple of months ago, this would have been unthinkable. You can do anything!”
“I did that?” she gapes. “I, alone? But Erin-“
“We only invited Erin because you were here,” I say. “We were able to trust her because you took the first steps with us.”
“All that’s stopping you is your own confidence,” Stefan adds.
“You too?” Cassie gapes again. “You think I am part of your clan, too?”
“Our clan,” Stefan emphasizes. “Who knows, maybe a handsome dragon mate will be waiting for you once you are an adult.”
“A dragon mate?” At that, Cassie’s face flushes. Somehow, it seems Stefan’s words gave her the last push, however. “I can do anything,” she exclaims.
Before I can so much as blink, she has already grabbed the bowl with both of her hands. A shiver goes through her body before she convulses, grimacing in pain. She keeps mumbling something, but I can’t make out what it is. Pausing, she stares at the bowl, before she frowns. “I can do it,” she mutters. “I am one of them. I have a home.”
When I took Cassie into the clan, I was barely able to interact with her, hating the fact that she was a witch. I didn’t care about her background, nor felt for her in any way, but seeing how she clings to the hope of having found a home stings my chest. She is so young, and her witch coven kicked her out because they deemed her useless.
“You are not useless, Cassie,” I say quietly. “We need you.”
“You are a clan member with all the rights the shifters have,” Stefan says. “Erin told me she thinks you have great potential.”
Cassie glances at us for a moment, a smile curling her lips. “I am one of you,” she says. “You are my home.” She grips the bowl tighter, her stance becoming more confident. I can make out her words clearer now, though I don’t know what they mean. Stefan reaches out for me and pulls me back, right at the moment when a warm light engulfs Cassie, getting more intense the more often she repeats her spell. The water in the fountain and stream gurgles, with bubbles appearing on the surface before black dust starts to rise from it. The dust accumulates and, for a moment, it seems like the world stops moving. No wind, no breeze, nothing can be felt or heard, then like a flash, the dust disappears into Cassie. She screams in pain, the sound of her despair piercing my heart, yet she keeps her hands firmly on the bowl. The light around her flickers as the dust leaves her body again and is swallowed by her light.
Cassie pants. “I did it,” she mutters. “I did it.” She tosses the bowl aside as her strength leaves her. Stefan catches her before she can drop onto the ground. The air around us suddenly smells fresher and less moldy, and the atmosphere is lighter.
When I look around, eyeing the bodies of the cultists that were killed, I can see that their facial expressions turn back to what I assume they formerly were, not the emotionless masks that they recently wore. I wonder if all of them truly followed their leader of their own will. They all carry the same tattoos, though, indicating their unity.
“Her hair,” Stefan mutters, pulling my attention back to him. I step closer, noting how Cassie’s wild, brown locks have strands of gray in them.
“She must have used a lot of her strength,” I say quietly. “Let’s take her outside, and make sure to get away from here. I want Elio, Alana, and her safely back with the clan.”
