By the end of summer, marked on his trusty calendar stick, Hayden had fully recovered. He hauled water, chopped wood, and worked on the huge freestanding oven. There were spots all over the exterior where the clay had flaked away and smaller stones had fallen out, leaving holes where the heat could escape. Making the repairs was slow, backbreaking work—especially when he got to the top, where several of the larger stones had shifted.
He spent a number of unpleasantly warm afternoons atop the structure, bracing stones and plastering the cracks. Finally, he set the last stone and gratefully clambered down, wiping the sweat from his face.
High time for a visit to the bathing pool. He’d been thinking longingly of the cool grotto as the sun beat down on his back and the stones pinched his fingers.
Dapples of light glinted on the surface of the water, and ferns nodded softly at the pool’s edge. He quickly stripped off his clothing and waded into the cool, welcoming water. Holding his breath, he dunked himself under and sat for a moment on the rounded pebbles at the bottom. Curious minnows swirled about his arms, then darted away when he wiggled his fingers at them.
Finally, when his lungs were begging for air, Hayden stood, the water cascading off his sun-browned torso. He scooped his wet hair back from his face, absently noting it was time to ask his sister for a haircut. The warm air draped itself about his shoulders, and he sighed, filled with a sudden sense of wistfulness.
Movement behind the screening bracken caught his eye, and he tensed. There was nothing dangerous within the witch's enclosure—at least he didn't think so—but still, no man likes to be caught naked and unawares.
The underbrush rustled. Something larger than a rabbit stirred behind the ferns.
“Who's there?” he called, though he had his suspicions. “Show yourself.”
Slowly, Nissa emerged from the greenery. Her pale hair caught the light, and she regarded him steadily from her ice-blue eyes, something almost hungry in her gaze.
He brought his hands to cover himself and sank down in the water, though it provided little cover. “Are you spying on me?”
One of her pale brows rose. “No. Merely checking on you.”
Heat flared through him, a combination of embarrassment and interest. He had, admittedly, thought of Nissa from time to time in the dark hours of the night. But considering the witch in his dreams and facing her in the nude were two different things entirely.
Her eyes flicked down his body, and a flush rose on her cheeks, as if she regretted her intrusion.
“Enjoy your bath,” she said shortly, then turned and moved away, barely rustling the underbrush as she left.
He stared into the shadows of the forest for a long moment, waiting to rise until he was sure she’d really gone. Why had she been spying on him? Checking to see if he was fattening up, or was there something more behind her unexpected visit?
The water suddenly too cold for his liking, Hayden clambered out of the pool and hastily dressed himself, his clothing sticking to his damp skin.
Time was passing too quickly. If he and Gracie were to escape, he shouldn’t be loitering about in forest pools. Beyond the enchanted woods, fall was arriving, with bleak winter at its heels. Soon, travel in the outside world would become treacherous. It was time he started planning again.
The next day, when he went to check his snare lines, Hayden discovered the barrier had shifted position. Instead of being located far from the witch’s clearing, he glimpsed its glow in the forest behind his traps. Cautiously, he went to look at it. The green light hummed and sparkled, and his skin prickled uncomfortably when he got too close. Uneasily, he backed away.
All his snares were empty, no doubt because of the magic’s proximity. Frowning, he dismantled them and reset them some distance from the enchanted boundary. Then he went to find the witch.
“The barrier has moved,” he said, after he’d climbed the winding staircase to one of her upper rooms.
She moved around the table where she’d been sorting herbs and frowned at him. “I told you not to come up here.”
“It seemed important. Why has the barrier come closer?”
She let out a quiet breath, her gaze skidding from him to the doorway beyond. “The enclosing has begun.”
She was maddening. “Why won’t you tell us anything?”
“I can tell you this much.” Her eyes returned to him. “Everything has a cycle. It is time for the Stone to be renewed.”
That sounded ominous. “Does this renewal include some sort of human sacrifice?”
Her expression closed. “I will speak no more of this. Now, go.” She lifted one hand, blue fire flickering around her fingers.
Her non-answer told him enough. He stared at her a moment, his eyes narrowed, then turned and stalked down the stairs, frustration simmering in his belly.
* * *
Every day, the barrier came closer. Hayden began stalking its circumference, looking for any weak spots. The forest behind the emerald glow wavered, as though he were looking at it through water. The magpie accompanied him, and he didn’t bother hiding what he was doing. The bird could report to the witch, if it liked, but nothing would stop him looking for a way out.
At first it took him four afternoons to complete a circuit of the magical barrier. A few weeks later, it took only two. Then one, the green glow faintly visible at night from the window of his bedroom aerie. The magic was tightening around the witch’s clearing like a snare around a trapped rabbit.
Several times, he nearly made a run at the barrier, impatience burning through him, but each time, something held him back. Still, as the days passed, he felt his anxiety mounting. He and Gracie had to escape. They must find a way!
Finally, with only three days remaining until the year and a day was up, he discovered a thin place in the magical boundary. The green light passed through a gnarled rowan tree, and it seemed to him the glow was fainter around the tree. Heart pounding, he stepped closer and leaned forward, peering at the barrier, Yes. The view of the forest beyond was clearer, less wavering.
With a deep breath, he reached out and touched the emerald glimmer.
A slight prickle met his fingertips, nothing more. If he could press through safely…
The first time he and Gracie had crossed the barrier, it had let them through easily. From what the witch had said, it was only set to stop them from leaving. Once he got through, he should be able to easily step back across, fetch his sister, and escape.
He’d hidden another cache of food in his room, and their cloaks, too, as leaving now meant going into the teeth of winter. At least they were strong and well fed.
And it was still better to brave the bitter snow than end up as a human sacrifice for that thrice-cursed Stone.
Pulse pounding, he shoved his hand into the scintillating green light. His fingers tingled as though they were asleep. A moment later he pulled his hand back out and inspected it. The skin was slightly reddened, the numbness he’d felt already fading.
It might be uncomfortable, but nothing he couldn’t endure. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped into the glow.
The prickle became a burn as he forced himself forward, the barrier resisting his passage. He clenched his teeth, his vision blurring. He could do this. He must, for him and for Gracie. Keep. Going.
Pain buzzed through him, and then, like dry grass catching fire, roared up. He was falling into a pit lined with deadly sharp blades, he was falling into the sun, he was falling... into blackness.