Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)(64)

“Sam’s orders,” he said with a small smile.

She held out her hand. Michael took it, and she resisted the urge to sink into his arms. She didn’t deserve to be comforted after all she’d put the family through lately. She took them to where Sam was.

The yeti stood a few feet away, as still as one of the trees. The night was cold, and magick sizzled in the air with intensity that made her bristle. She let go of her husband’s hand and set up wards around him to protect him.

“What’s going on, Sam?” she asked.

“It’s time.” Sam pointed.

Rania turned to face a familiar field near the school. She stepped closer to the natural ledge of a rocky spur jutting from the nearby mountains. It overlooked the clearing beside Miner’s Drop.

Autumn was in the clearing with Dawn and two Dark teens. Rania’s heart quickened as she realized what exactly Sam was talking about.

“Michael shouldn’t be here for this,” she said.

“Yes, he should,” Sam replied.

Rania looked at them, meeting her husband’s dark gaze. He was calm and steady, as always. He offered his hand. She shook her head and turned away. If things went as badly as she expected, she’d be headed down the same path as Decker, once Michael left her for destroying the lives of their kids.

“Whatever it is, you know I believe in you,” Michael said, approaching her.

“You don’t know what I’ve done, Michael,” she whispered. “You don’t know what it might cost us.”

“I figured most of it out.”

She didn’t dare look at him, terrified he really had.

“Beck dropping of a mystery girl he wasn’t sleeping with was the first clue. Her scars, the accident in Boise three months ago. The chain.”

“What chain?” she asked.

“The silver one. I gave it to you when you turned eighteen. The link patterns are for protection.”

Rania almost cursed aloud. Weeks ago, she’d dug through her jewelry box to find a chain for Autumn’s amulet. The worn, silver one jammed between the drawers had seemed unassuming. She should’ve noticed the draw of his earth magick guiding her to the chain. Hurried to return to the hospital before Autumn awoke, she hadn’t thought twice about the silver necklace.

“I love you, Rania, and I believe in our boys.”

She squeezed her eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. She didn’t resist; instead, she rested against him. After all, it might be the last night his touch silenced the Darkness within her.

“We are watchers,” Sam seemed amused.

She glanced at him as he moved to stand beside Michael.

With Michael there, she felt as if her soul was stripped bare. Everything she’d risked the past few months, all the distance she’d been forced to put between herself and those she’d loved, every fear … he was about to discover everything. He knew part of the story and was going to learn how much damage she’d caused.

This was her day of judgment, and all she could do was watch.

The scene unfolded slowly. Not much happened for a few minutes. Rania studied Autumn’s slight shape, once again humbled by how far the girl had come and how strong she was to survive what she did. It gave Rania some hope, though not much when it was clear the three in the field meant to hurt Autumn. The girl wasn’t physically able to fight.

The night Autumn stayed at the cabin, Rania had stood over her bed for a long time, marveling and terrified. The girl touched both boys, and Rania had tried hard to figure out what her trial was going to be. Even now, she wasn’t certain.

Fury filled her as one of the teens hit Autumn, and she shifted. She had the power to help.

“You cannot interfere,” Sam reminded her.

“I know, Sam. I’ve done my part this whole time.” The anger in her voice was at herself, not him.

She watched with increasing unease as the three surrounded Autumn, with Dawn brandishing a knife. She gasped as Autumn blocked with air magick. Heart pounding, Rania began to think the girl was going to make it, if she’d figure out how to defend herself.

The four began to fight. Concerned, Rania tried to figure out what was going on, why the two Dark teens suddenly turned on Dawn. It wasn’t clear until Dawn’s magick lashed out at Autumn.

Rania felt the slap of a soul going bad. She pulled away from Michael, still affected by the instinct to silence the alarm that went off whenever a soul went Dark. Pacing, Rania kept her eyes on the field.

Decker was coming and bringing his madness with him. She shuddered, feeling her son’s magick as he materialized. A flash of black but also a flash of white. Rania froze as Beck appeared as well. Closing her eyes, she touched Decker’s mind.

Darkness. She didn’t sense her son at all. When she opened her eyes, Beck had stepped in front of the girls while Decker strode across the field towards him. Distraught, she faced the yeti.

“Sam,” she urged.

He said nothing, grave gaze on the clearing. Magick ripped through the air, the charge of both her boys readying themselves to fight.

Rania spun, unable to watch her sons kill each other. She had to act!

Michael grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She looked up at him, expecting him to condemn her. She tried to resist the affect his magick had on her, needing her anger to counter her terror.