The weeks that followed weren’t any better. In fact, things got worse.
Ruth barely left her bedroom. She took her meals in her room, and that’s if she even ate anything. She seemed to wither away as the weeks went on. I knew she blamed herself for what happened to Bernard. And no matter how many times Dolores, Beverly, Iris, or I told her otherwise, it was as though she didn’t hear us—or refused to.
For the last four weeks, I’d called Grace every single day to get an update on the coroner’s report. And each time, she would reply, “I’m sorry. But I don’t have any new information to give. The chief will call if she deems it necessary to tell you.”
It didn’t matter how loud I became or how many obscenities I shouted to Grace, she wouldn’t give me anything. And I wasn’t about to call Adira either. That vamp made my skin crawl.
And in those four weeks, the idea of Marcus came and went. I won’t lie. I’d been livid after I left the chief’s office. The fact that he’d called Adira sent fury into my core. Rage shook me, but it also left me feeling ill.
Marcus had called Adira but not me.
And still no news from him.
All rational thought fled from my head. The kiss, his careful protection, carrying me home—everything—was a lie. Either that, or I had some serious imagination issues. I’d been played a fool more than once in my love life, and I thought at my age—nearing thirty in a few weeks—I should have known better.
Apparently, I didn’t.
Inside me, fury built and howled. I wanted to scream, to kick, to punch something—preferably Marcus’s face. I had to settle for imagining his junk exploding instead.
Worse, Adira was making herself right at home in Marcus’s old office and his hometown. She’d brought in her own team of four vamps—three males and one female. It was as though Marcus had never existed.
But I couldn’t think of Marcus now. I had more urgent and pressing issues in my life, like my Aunt Ruth and the witch trials.
With a heavy heart, I watched my beloved Aunt Ruth wither away and spiral into a deep depression, knowing I could do nothing about it. I felt helpless. If only she could have been allowed to do some of her potions, it would have brought her some joy and kept her mind on other things while she waited for that damned court date.
Yup, we had a court date. December 7. Ruth was to appear before the Gray Council here in Hollow Cove. And without any news about what the medical examiner had uncovered, she was going in blindly. But she wouldn’t be alone. I would be there. So would her sisters, and Iris and Ronin.
I didn’t know how or when, but I would make this right somehow. I would.
Suffice to say my four weeks of training didn’t go as well as I’d planned either. With this horrible mess about Ruth, I’d been left to my own to prepare for my very first witch trial, which was happening at this very moment.
My aunts had already done their best last month. It was up to me now. And I’d show them I was worth the name Davenport.
The morning of December first was a cold one as I marched back to High Peak Wilderness. An icy wind blew the leafless branches from trees of the dense forest that surrounded me for miles. The forest looked naked without its greenery, like it was missing something. A thin layer of ice covered a pond to my left as I treaded along the gravel path that led to the towering log mansion. Heavy gray clouds covered the sun, and the air smelled like snow. It was coming. A lot of it.
I might be a fool when it came to men, but I was no fool when it came to climate.
I’d dressed for the weather in the north. I’d put on my Merrell high winter boots and flexible black cargo pants over a pair of tights and packed on the layers of camis and sweaters under my North Face down-filled winter jacket. It was long enough to keep my ass warm but short enough to be flexible if I needed to be.
I had no idea where the trials would take place. If they were inside, I’d just take some layers off. I wasn’t taking any chances.
Feeling cozy despite the cold winds, I made it to Montevalley Castle, the giant, log-like mansion. I nervously climbed the front steps and waited as the massive, double wood doors swung open for me.
Just as I stepped through the threshold, the same, cold, hard pulses rushed through my body from the castle’s body scanner. Shaking away the odd feeling, I stepped into the grand foyer.
“Where’s everybody?” I spun on the spot, listening for voices but only hearing the beating of my own heart slamming into my ears.
I pulled out my phone and checked the time. “Seven fifty-two. I’m early. So where is everyone?” Yes, I was talking to myself like a lunatic, but no one was here to hear me.
A feeling of dread started to climb up from my toes all the way to settle around the back of my neck. Did I get the date wrong? I’d remembered perfectly that Greta had said December first at 8 a.m. sharp.
Panic hit and I burst into motion. I ran to the side theater, where all the witches had assembled last month. I pushed through the swinging doors and blinked… into a dark and empty room.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!”
I ran back to the foyer, passed the grand staircase of polished wood that led to the upper levels, and dashed toward the right wing of the mansion into the large common room. The space was decorated with rustic furnishing, lots of wood, and big, comfortable couches and chairs surrounding a large stone fireplace.
The room was nice. Big. And freaking empty.
“This is not happening.”
I stood in the large room and felt claustrophobic. Suddenly there wasn’t enough air, not enough space. How could I have screwed this up? Dread choked me. A fist grabbed my heart and squeezed it tightly into a painful ball.
I’d failed, and I hadn’t even begun.
I took the ball of guilt and fear that threatened to engulf me and stuffed it away, deep into the nooks of my mind. I needed to focus.
No, I hadn’t screwed up the dates or the time. So why wasn’t anyone here?
A shout from outside caught my attention.
It had come from the window across from me. With my heart in my throat, I dashed to the window and looked out.
About a hundred witches stood in the middle of a large open field roughly five hundred feet from the castle, all huddled around in a circle around a person. The person was the size of my thumb, but if I were to guess, that was Marina.
“Damn.”
No time to wonder why this was happening. I sprinted back through the castle and out the front doors. My boots hit the gravel path, and I put on a burst of speed, running around the right side of the enormous building. I hit the field at a sprint, adrenaline pumping my thighs.
I’d made it to the first line of witches in under forty seconds. Not too shabby.
Out of breath, I leaned forward and took a few gulps of icy cold air.
“How nice of you to join us,” said a voice.
I straightened, aware that the attention of all the gathered witches was on me. The group broke apart as a blonde witch with half her head shaved stepped toward me.
“Didn’t think you’d make it,” said Marina, a smile on her face. “You’ve already missed the written exam.”
“What?” I panted, the cold air burning my lungs. “But, I’m here on time. It’s two minutes to eight. Greta said 8 a.m. And I’m here. I’m on time.”
The witches around me whispered at each other, and some of them laughed.
“What?” I growled.
Marina cocked her head and made a false pout. “You obviously didn’t get the email,” she said, and my heart seemed to implode.
“What email?” I asked, my mouth dry and my words pasty like my mouth was full of cotton balls. “I never got an email.”
“Clearly,” said Marina, and a handful of witches laughed openly. “An email was sent two weeks ago about the time change. Seven a.m. was the written exam. You didn’t show.”
I shook from adrenaline or anger, perhaps both. “But I never got this email. Someone forgot to send it to me. Check your files.” I gave her a hard stare. “I didn’t get one.” I had the sinking feeling she’d done it on purpose. But she couldn’t… could she?
Marina raised her head. Power bristled in her eyes. She looked royal, like some arrogant goddess. I had to give it to her. She knew how to put on a show.
“Everybody got one,” she said. “You got one, but you didn’t show. Because what? You think you don’t need to? You think you’re better than everyone here?”
My face warmed. Not this again. “No. I don’t think that at all. I just didn’t get the damn email.”
“There are no do-overs here,” expressed Marina. “The witch trials are serious. If you can’t treat them as such and respect them, that’s on you. And if you can’t read your emails… well… that’s not my problem. The written exam was part of the first trial. You’ll just have to make do without it.” She turned and walked back to a spot in the field.
Yup. She’d done it on purpose.
I clamped my jaw shut before I made things worse. Okay, so I missed the written exam. But I was still in the game, she’d just said so.
I felt eyes on me, and I spotted the witch Willis giving me a small smile before turning around with a note pad and pen in his freezing red fingers. The others all moved away from me like I was a walking plague.
“Listen up,” called Marina. “There are no teams, no friendships here. You are each other’s enemy because, well, only a handful of you will make it. So why bother? You are on your own. The trials are fierce and only the fierce will succeed. If you can’t pass this trial… might as well give up because it’ll only get harder from here.” Her eyes cast around the waiting witches. “Depending on your scores from the written exam, your door will choose you. Good luck.”
“Door? What door?” My stomach cramped as I looked around, but all I saw were rolling hills and acres of forest. Forget about asking anyone. It seemed like I’d missed a lot more than just the written test.
Marina’s lips moved in a chant as Latin spilled from her mouth. A flash of sensation flickered over me as Marina drew in power. A lot of power.
Magic coursed into the words, and they reverberated with power, echoing from the surrounding forest and vibrating the ground where I stood. A powerful wind lifted, and I squinted through the debris of fallen leaves and dust as it formed into three giant funnels.
The wind died as leaves and debris fell back to the ground.
And there, standing in the middle of the open field were three doors.