“It doesn’t. But do you know where she is?”
“Dead. Vindictive, that one. Mean-spirited. And it got the better of her when she went up against a meaner, more vindictive sorceress.”
I blew out a breath. That was a bad end. And it was bad for us. I hadn’t wanted to meet her, but if I couldn’t break the curse, she would have been the only one capable.
That left one option. “Is it all right if we go to the stone circle?”
“Of course,” Laurie said. “You’ll need one of us to accompany you so that the protection spell doesn’t repel you. Would you like to go now?”
“That would be fantastic, thank you.” I rose, and Rafe followed.
Laurie led us from the cottage. “I’ll drive my car and you can follow, okay? Then you can have as much time as you like.”
Rafe and I drove in silence as we followed her to the stone circle. Fortunately, it was only twenty minutes away via a single-track road. She pulled over into a small, unmarked lay-by, and Rafe squeezed his large car in behind her. She climbed out of her vehicle and gestured for us to follow her. “This way.”
We climbed up a hill and through some trees, which were turning with the season, red, orange, and yellow leaves falling like brilliantly colored confetti. A family of curious red squirrels followed us, chittering away as we walked on the crunchy leaves.
After about fifteen minutes, we reached a clearing at the top of the hill. The sun peeked out from behind heavy clouds, shining a single beam of light onto a massive stone circle in the middle of the clearing. Twenty-one tall granite spires reached toward the sky, each slender yet strong and decorated with beautiful carvings.
“Well, that’s quite a sight, isn’t it?” Laurie said. “The sun rarely cooperates like that. Your visit must be fated.”
I hoped so. I wanted success so badly that I thought I could taste it.
“Let me walk you in.” She started across the soft green grass toward the circle.
The air prickled with protective magic as we walked, but Laurie murmured a quiet incantation. The air shimmered around her, and the prickling sensation calmed. When we stepped inside the stone circle, it died completely. A sense of welcome enveloped me, and I smiled.
“This place is wonderful,” I said.
“Isn’t it?” Laurie smiled and spun in a circle. “I just love the energy here.”
She said her goodbyes and left us in the circle.
I turned to Rafe. “Ready?”
“You’re sure you’re not going to pass out?” Worry creased his brow.
“I’m sure. That had everything to do with Avalona Island and nothing to do with your curse, I promise.”
He sighed and reached for the bottom of his shirt. “Same as last time, then?”
“Afraid so.” I smiled, but it was a weak gesture.
It would be impossible not to think of last night while touching him. But it was the best way to read the curse, and I was determined to succeed.
I tried to keep my eyes averted from his pecs as he stripped off his shirt. The cool autumn air blew past us, but he didn’t so much as shiver. A family of birds piped up as if singing a glorious chorus to his nudity. I wanted to hiss at them to chill out, but that was an entirely outsized reaction.
“All right.” I rubbed my hands together like a magician preparing for a trick, and he stepped toward me. “Same as before.”
He nodded and closed his eyes as if unable to bear my touch. Or perhaps it was too much for him. He’d certainly liked it last night.
I shoved the thought away. There was no point in trying to guess at his feelings. Instead, I put my energy toward reading the curse. A deep breath steadied me, and I pressed my hand to his chest, feeling a shiver run up my arm at the contact.
I called upon my magic, opening myself to the enchantment all around me. It felt familiar now that I was touching him, as if his body had stored some of the magic of this place. It probably had. Visions flowed easily though my mind, and I watched as a dark-haired woman stood in front of a young Rafe, chanting words that I could now recognize. They seared themselves into my mind.
At her feet, flowers sprung up, orange, yellow, and red. I was annoyed that something so beautiful had been used for such a horrible curse.
When it was over, the younger Rafe in my visions collapsed. Coraline stalked away without another glance, and I scowled. I shook it away and blinked, my vision returning to the present day.
“Are you all right?” Rafe asked. “You’re pale.”
“But not unconscious.” I grinned, thinking how far I’d come since last time. “It was much easier to read the spell here. I think I’ve got it all.”
“Really?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I’ll have this curse broken in no time.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
I shrugged. “So many people have failed before me. Heck, I doubted myself. But coming here was the right call.” I stepped away from him, moving toward another part of the circle, and bent over to inspect the grass.
He pulled on his shirt and followed me. “What are you looking for?”
“This is where she performed the spell.” I pointed to the ground. “Can you see the way it glows pale white?”
“It just looks like grass to me.”
I shook my head and knelt. The glowing ring was the spot where the flowers had bloomed around her. I needed some of those seeds. They probably still lay dormant in the ground, having been dropped by the blooms as they faded.
I pressed my hand to the grass and closed my eyes, asking permission from the towering stones that stood sentinel around me. It was a wordless process, my soul speaking with the ancient magic inside the granite pillars, and a faint buzz of approval shot up through the dirt and into my palm.
I pulled up the grass, digging into the cool earth and retrieving some of the seeds. Once I’d collected a variety, I held my palm out to show Rafe. “These are the key. They were an integral part of the spell, and they’ll help me break it. I just need to get them to sprout first.”
“You’re incredible,” he said, his voice soft with wonder.
I laughed awkwardly, then stood. “Save that until I actually succeed. Now let’s go home.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Isobel
The ride home passed in silence, and I would have fiddled around with my phone to pass the time, but the battery had died that morning. Of course, I’d forgot my charger.
It was dark by the time we arrived, and the contractors must have finished up at the house, because it was empty.
“I’m going to go check the progress,” Rafe said as soon as he parked.
“That desperate to get me out of your house, huh?”
He just gave me a long look, then climbed out of the car.
I groaned and flopped my head back against the seat. Why had I said that? At some point in the last few days, that joke had clearly worn out its welcome.