Page 21 of Spellbound
She gave me a look. “It’s not his fault, Elle.”
I blew out a long exhale. “I know.” I rolled my eyes. “Maybe he will be terrible at translating Lor.”
“Maybe.” She half smiled, then grabbed the day’s newspaper and scanned the articles. The latest murder was scrawled across the front page. A girl, no older than me, had been found in the woods.
Young Woman, Eighteen, Found Dead in Another Murder Sacrifice.
Dora shook her head, letting out a heavy exhale. “Whoever is it, Estia will see they’re caught.”
I stared at my breakfast. I didn’t have much faith in anything other than us to find the murderer. I hoped what Maddox had said was true, and it was some crazed witch who was great at cloaking spells, but something in my intuition told me it wasn’t the case. If they weren’t a witch, then they were more dangerous than anyone was anticipating. Bringing in a caster was of utmost importance, although Edmund was certain they would bring one in today.
I skipped lunch and headed for the woods, my sketchbook and charcoal in hand. Maddox was still teaching Viktor Lor, and he apparently was a natural. Go figure. I needed some time away from hearing everyone sing his praises as he inched closer to taking the spot that was supposed to be mine.
If I had any chance of finding Mona, I needed to become a keeper so I could have access to the ring, powers, and the travel I needed to go into Salvius.
The tall trees narrowed as I walked, the sun casting a glow onto the dewy logs and leaves coating the uneven ground. Peering through gaps in the trees to the left, I eyed the babbling brook leading downhill. I always walked to the meadow, but something lured me in the other direction. I’d only ventured this way a few times before, when I’d felt adventurous on my afternoon runs.
Stepping over roots that had broken through the earth, coiling in and out of hard mud and undergrowth, I moved to my left. I crunched leaves beneath my boots as I ambled forward, taking in the world of hues of green, gold, and red melting into each other as time-chiseled trees grew closer together. Through fallen branches on the ground, pink wildflowers had sprouted beneath. A mossy, ripe scent filled the woods.
I walked for hours, until the sun set enough to cast a deep pink and purple blot across the sky. After carefully tiptoeing through a patch of bluebells, I decided to turn back. I hadn’t even stopped to draw as planned. It was just nice to be out in nature and clear my head.
I furrowed my brows when I noticed something out of place behind a tree, among a pile of dead leaves. Squinting, I swore it looked like a pair of legs, but they were grayish blue. As I neared the tree, my heart skipped a beat.
It was a body. There were legs poking out from leaves, which had purposely been pushed over the body. I scrunched my nose as I neared. The smell was unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. It was different than the pungent smell of death lingering around rotting animals’ corpses I’d come across before on my runs. No, this was unique, a cloying, thick smell with a sweet undertone to the decay. A stench I was certain I’d never forget.
Trembling, I moved the leaves off their face, closing my eyes as I did, not ready to see what was set to greet me. When I opened them, I let out an unexpected scream. Bugs crawled out of the man’s mouth, and ants had gathered on his hands and arms. As I shuddered back, my hand shot to my mouth, masking my next scream. His eyes... They were gone. The markings on his body were the same symbols I’d seen in ancient books I’d studied. They were markings of the gods.
Darkness loomed, enveloping the woods in indigo. The sunset pinched the horizon into purple. Oncoming night splashed shock through me, tingling every nerve to flight mode. I needed to get out of there, fast. Who knew if the killer was still in the area, or if they were watching me right now?
CHAPTER SIX
Someone had coveredme in a blanket. Another person brought me a water I didn’t drink. Night had coated our small town, but everyone was outside as if it were the middle of the day. A crowd of people surrounded the tape cordoning off the entrance to the woods. Edmund clawed through them, to the same bench I often drew sunsets from.
The body from the woods was taken away in a black bag, after the casters had come to check the area for lingering magic or spells and the protectors came to sweep the area.
“Elle!” Edmund rushed to my side, panting. “We just heard. They took their time telling us. I’m so angry, but...” He paused, seeing my expression. “That doesn’t matter. How are you feeling?”
