Winterwood Academy Book 3: Hunted

Chapter Three

Chapter ThreeMy friends were still muttering about our encounter with Rhea when we finally made it to the boundary of the campus. I’d remained unusually quiet throughout the whole thing deciding that it was better not to add fuel to the fire. My friends were wound up enough for me, and I had to admit that their loyalty was heart-warming.

“You’re late!” Merrin’s disgusted tone hit my ears just before I saw her appear from around the trunk of a large oak tree. Its branches were overhanging, and she had to shove one out of the way as she stumbled over the leaf mulch at its base.

“I’m sorry. We ran into some trouble,” I said, finally finding my voice.

“I guess you could call her that,” Zoe grumbled.

“I can think of much worse things to call her.” Keeya’s hands tightened into fists once more, and I could tell she wasn’t over her willingness to fight just yet.

“Well, whatever has gotten you all worked up, you’d better centre yourselves,” Merrin advised quickly as she gestured for us to follow her around the tree, “You are going to need all of your energy to pull off this plan.”

“Speaking of what exactly are we doing?” Luci asked, her voice much more chipper than the voices of my other two friends who were still so obviously angry with Rhea. Luci, on the other hand, now sounded more excited than angry.

The moment we stepped into the clearing shaded by the oak tree’s branches, I didn’t need Merrin to answer her question. The candles that were placed in the form of a circle on the ground told me everything I needed to know.

“I’m glad you asked, Lucille,” Merrin smiled, her voice softening as she gestured at the candles, “I needed you all here to perform a circle spell.”

My three friends looked at each other, suddenly worried. The air around them became thick with tension.

“Let go of all that worry,” Merrin insisted. “It’s not going to be helpful.”

“You want us to perform a circle on our own?” Luci gasped. “We haven’t ever done that before.”

“Everyone must start somewhere,” Merrin said with another encouraging smile. “Besides, you won’t be doing it alone. I’m right here with you.”

“What is the circle for exactly?” Zoe asked, always the level-headed one. She liked to get all of the facts before jumping into anything feet first.

“Brianna needs to get off campus and she can’t do that without disrupting the Wardings, so we need to disguise her so that Celestria won’t pick up on it.”

“How will a circle help us do that?” Zoe demanded, yet again needing all the information.

A part of me wanted to shake her and remind her that we just had to trust Merrin. We had to believe that she knew what she was doing because the truth was none of us had any clue of what else to do.

“You just let me worry about that,” Merrin insisted before she turned to me and added, “Now take your places and get ready. I need to speak to Brianna alone for a moment.”

She gripped hold of my shoulder and led me a little way off even as my friends began to argue over which element they would be representing.

“I’m obviously going to stand in for water,” Keeya chimed, but that was a given with her mark, leaving Zoe and Luci to argue over the other three elements as if they were the last good chocolates in the tray.

“Brianna, do you have everything?” Merrin asked, dragging me away from the argument.

I lifted my bag from where it hung over my shoulder and gave a shrug. “It’s not much, but it’s all I have. You said I’d be the only one going through the wardings?”

My stomach clenched when Merrin nodded.

“Not to worry. I have a good friend of mine waiting for you on the other side,” she assured me, and I suddenly felt as though she was sending me over the rainbow bridge.

I’ve died once already. I don’t intend to do it again any time soon.

Of course, that wasn’t really up to me and who knew what might happen if the wardings decided not to let me through. I, for one, had absolutely no idea but then again, I was still new to all of this witchy stuff, even if I was marked by a Goddess.

“Who will be on the other side?” I asked.

“Her name is Joan Sage. She will take good care of you.”

Well, that didn’t give me much to go on, but I guess all I could do was trust her. After all, she was risking her life going against Celestria.

With that, Merrin led me back to the others who appeared to have finally decided on where they were going to stand in the circle. Of course, Keeya was holding onto the blue Water candle while Luci was clutching hold of the green Earth candle. Zoe, to my surprise, was holding onto the red Fire candle as though her life depended on it.

“We thought you’d be best holding the Wind candle,” Zoe told me as soon as I stepped onto the circle.

“Good choices,” Merrin said before I even had the chance to open my mouth. She slipped past me into the very centre of the circle and gestured for me to pick up the brown candle at my feet.

As I did so she picked up the largest of the candles. It was a beautiful lilac purple that almost looked white in the light of the moon.

“Let’s get started before the witching hour closes,” Merrin insisted and we all watched as she produced a long candle lighter from her black leather jacket pocket. For a moment I found myself wishing that my own leather jacket hadn’t been confiscated along with all my other things. As much as I liked Zoe’s plain black hoodie, it didn’t quite sit right on my shoulders and it was a little tight around the chest.

My clothing worries were completely forgotten the moment that Merrin began to speak. She lifted her head towards the sky and said, “Goddess Selene, we ask that you join us on our journey this evening and bless us as we perform your most sacred circle in the hopes of protecting our sister Brianna Winterwood from the evils of this world.”

So, she truly believed without a doubt that I was a Winterwood and she hadn’t even seen me open the book. A book that could only be opened by a witch of Winterwood blood.

My friends all looked at each other as if they were having the same thoughts.

None of us voiced our thoughts as Merrin moved North to stand before Luci, or as she liked to call her by her full name, Lucille.

“I stand before our sister Lucille and humbly ask that Earth join us from the North. We ask for you to offer up the darkness of your caves to hide our sister Brianna,” Merrin’s voice rang out as she invoked Earth and I was more than a little glad that we’d had to walk a mile away from the academy to reach the edge of the wardings.

She lifted the lighter and the flame burst to life as she lit the green candle.

Luci gasped and the moment I breathed in I understood why. The thick and heavenly scent of fresh cut grass and meadow flowers was suddenly all around us as if we had been transported to a countryside field.

Of course, we were practically stood in a field, but the scents were definitely far stronger than they had been before.

Next, Merrin moved to stand before me and when she spoke again, I began to feel wind whipping my face, casting my hair all over the place.

“I stand before our sister Brianna and call upon you Air from the East. I ask that you carry her swiftly and safely to her destination.”

With that she lit the candle, and the wind grew in strength until I felt like it might knock me right over. Still the candle remained lit and I was determined not to drop it, clinging tightly to its base.

Swiftly, with the strength of wind to guide her, Merrin moved to stand before Zoe.

“I stand before our sister Zoe and ask you to come forth Fire from the South!” Merrin’s voice seemed to boom off the tree trunk as she spoke. “I ask that you warm our sister Brianna on her journey and shield her from those who might seek to do her harm.”

The candle in Zoe’s hand needed no help to be lit. A rush of energy ignited inside me as the flame burst to life and my friends gasped in shock and awe, staring at Zoe who looked as if she was suddenly lit from within by the flames of a winter fireplace.

The smoky scent of it clotted in my nostrils, bringing with it the smell of cinnamon.

Without pause, Merrin moved to stand before Keeya, and we all struggled to take our eyes away from Zoe as she began to invoke the fourth element.

“I stand before our sister Keeya and ask that Water from the West join us now. I ask that you come forth and cleanse our sister Brianna, washing away all trace of her identity until she is safely on the other side.”

Again, I began to feel as though she was sending my spirit on to the next world, but I didn’t find the urge to protest as I suddenly felt as though every fibre of my body was washed clean. The sensation of water washing all over me told me that Water had definitely come to play in our circle as Merrin lit Keeya’s candle.

She let out a small yip as if she felt the refreshing sensation of her element just as keenly as I did. When I looked at my other friends, I saw that their eyes were wide too.

Finally, Merrin returned to the very centre of the circle and lifted her lilac candle heavenward.

“I stand in the centre of the circle and ask that Spirit that is all around us, join us here tonight to envelope our sister Brianna in love and protection as she makes her difficult journey.”

With that she lowered the candle just enough to light it although I was almost certain that it lit all on its own.

Suddenly I was washed with a fresh wave of energy even as the circle of white candles still set on the ground around us suddenly burst into brilliant flame.

The scent of musky earth filled my nostrils as air whipped through my hair. Fire warmed me even as water lapped at my feet as though I was standing barefoot on a sandy beach. My spirit was suddenly lifted as if the Goddess herself had reached right inside of my chest.

“Do you feel that?” Zoe whispered and when I glanced at her she was staring back at me as if she thought all of that energy was coming from me.

All I could do was nod, made too speechless by the fact that the candles seemed to be getting brighter and brighter.

“I now close this circle but humbly ask that the five elements remain with our sister Brianna until she is safely through the wardings.”

Just like that the candles flames suddenly went out one by one as Merrin continued, “Spirit, I thank you for your assistance. Water, I thank you for your cleansing. Fire, I thank you for your warmth. Air, I thank you for your guidance. Earth, I thank you for your protection.”

Although the candles were blown out, I could still feel the energy of every one of the elements. Every one of my senses was alive with them as my friends rushed up to me, wrapping their arms around me in a giant group hug.

“It’s time to go.” Merrin said not unkindly as she stepped away from the centre of the circle and gestured towards the open road that stood a little way off. “I wish you well on your journey, Brianna.”

All I could do was nod, too overcome with emotion to speak as each of my friends offered up their protests.

“You must go before the magic wears off,” Merrin warned and I reluctantly stepped out of my friends’ arms.

“You know I’ll be back, right?’ I told them with a stern expression.

“You better be!” Keeya glared at me playfully even as Zoe gave me one final eye-popping hug.

“I’ll keep my promise, Bri,” she assured me. “I’ll make sure that we figure out the Booth thing.”

My cheeks flared with embarrassment and I glanced over my shoulder at Merrin but luckily for me it seemed she was willing to give us some privacy.

“Make sure you grab one of those crappy phones and give us a call!” Luci insisted as she quickly replaced Zoe in the hug department.

When I turned back to Keeya, expecting her to hug me, she shook her head. “I’m not much of a hugger.”

She could have fooled me after being first in line for the group hug, but I could see the tears brimming at the corners of her eyes and I understood why she didn’t want to give me another.

“I’ll see you all again as soon as I can,” I promised and instinctively offered up an air kiss.

“Come on, please, Brianna. Your ride will be waiting just down the road.”

Merrin’s words made me reluctantly take a step forward.

“Is this going to hurt?” I asked and Merrin’s expression filled with sympathy.

“It shouldn’t be too bad if we cast the circle right.”

I was surprised when Merrin leaned down and cast me into a protective sort of hug.

“Be careful out there Brianna. Keep your eyes open. There’s still danger even where you are going.”