Page 26 of Hex
“What us? What happened to who?”
Sighing, she looks to the sky.
“Baba Yaga found a way to connect to your spirit, and therefore mine, and she has been feeding from your youth for the last two-thousand years. It’s why she hexed you to die before you ever reached the age of thirty, so that she could keep you from coming into your powers and destroying the hex. Because you are more powerful than she will ever be, partially thanks to her, actually. You were not destined to be a witch, but when she infused you with the hex and her blood, the call came for your familiar. And here I am.”
Wow. This is a whole lot to take in and I’m filing away the Baba Yaga shitshow information for another time.
“So my choices are to keep you as a prisoner for the rest of my life and delay a few wrinkles, or set you free? I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that it’s a pretty easy decision, Reina.” Shaking my head, I chuckle because this all seems bizarre.
“I will not judge you for choosing to have me stay. I would be honored, my family more so. It seems like an easy decision, but you have to consider all the factors. Without a witch family, you haven’t been prepared for this. You will have to walk the path and get all the way to the end for your choice to take root. With or without my help…is entirely up to you. I am yourprotection, your extra eyes and ears, and if you wish for me to be by your side, I will be there always.”
Okay, so I can see why there are those who decide to keep their familiars. If they’re anything like mine…they’re not necessarily that easy to detach yourself from. She’s so encouraging, positive, and I kinda want her to stay. Not for the power, but for the friendship I know we could have.
“Reina, don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope to never see you again if choosing the light path, with no familiar, means that you get to be free. Changing into your raven form whenever you choose is not something I want to take away from you. Now, how does this work, exactly?”
She smiles, wider than before, and I know I have made the right decision.
“For the light, take the path to your left. For the darkness, take the path to your right. I will be waiting for your call should you need me.”Bowing her head is the last I see of her as that dark mist returns, enveloping her right in front of me, before it disappears and leaves the beautiful black raven in her place.
Well, this is a little fucked up, but whatever. No more so than anything else that has happened to me lately.
I don’t hesitate in heading down the left pathway, frowning as the trees continue to close in the farther I go, almost like they’re trying to trap me and stop me from turning back. I look behind me and, sure enough, the way I just came is blocked.
Ooookay…
As I walk, one of the spells that Hekate enlightened me with springs to mind. Something for clothes, which is going to be so handy if it is real and works.
Bending down, I scoop up a small amount of soil and hold it in my palm as I look up to the moon peeking through the trees.
Closing my eyes, I imagine myself wearing something badass, like the women from the fantasy novels who rock the ass off ofleather pants with a matching leather halterneck top. I picture the thigh holsters housing several daggers, my hair scraped back into two french braids, and a giant sword in a sheath against my spine. My bare feet are covered in a pair of beautiful, black ankle-boots with a small heel, much like my favorite ones from home. At the same time, I rub the soil between my fingers and allow it to spray into the air around me.
After a few seconds, I know it worked and I open my eyes to find myself now fully clothed. Well, maybe notfullyclothed. My top half is a little skimpy, to say the least, but I can’t deny how great my boobs look in this top.
Fist-pumping the air, I allow the rest of the soil to fall to the ground and continue walking. It’s much easier with the boots on, because my feet were beginning to protest at the continuous small stones I was stepping on.
It’s only now that I’m realizing that midnight must have rolled around because if I have power…I’m thirty!
A hiss from the bush a little farther ahead gives me an awful flashback to the snake-women—lamia—from my apartment, and Gregor, and sure enough, the head of a giant snake peers over the gray leaves.
Great.
Just as I find something to celebrate, a fucking snake wants to join the party.
The gray path beneath me is clear, and it goes straight through that particular bush. I’m guessing that I shouldn’t deviate from the path to avoid it, so I rack my brain trying to find knowledge of a spell that can help.
It could be friendly, but my past experience with supernatural snakes hasn’t been fun. I don’t want to take the chance that it isn’t.
“I can help you…”
Reina’s voice is still clear in my mind, even though I have no idea where she is.
“No!” I shout, because in the last twenty minutes, I still haven’t figured out the whole mind talking thing.
Shocker.
You know what…fuck this shit. I need to do this quickly and get back to Hack, freeing Reina at the same time, and maybe I can actually help instead of being hoarded beside a tree by a pissy valkyrie.
“Move.” I surprise myself with how strong the single word sounds, but it’s an order, one I hope the snake listens to.
