Winter Fire (Witchling Series) (28 page)

“What happened yesterday?” Connor asked. Walking behind Decker with Beck trailing, Morgan’s brother glanced over his shoulder.

“I’m not sure,” Beck replied.

“You said you were going to take her somewhere safe.”

“Really?”

Connor glared at him, as if uncertain if Beck was serious.

“I’m serious. I don’t remember,” Beck replied.

“You don’t remember the tree? Morgan getting blamed for it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Someone burned down the Christmas tree in the Square. The fire damaged the dorms and the forest,” Decker supplied. “Morgan is the only fire witchling on that campus.”

“She didn’t do it,” Beck replied quickly.

“Well, she threatened to burn it down in class and wouldn’t tell me where she was last night,” Connor grumbled. “I want to believe her, too, but it’s hard.”

“She spent the night with me,” Beck said. “She didn’t leave my side.”

“She what?” Connor spun so fast that Beck had to take a step back. “Didn’t I tell you not to get involved?”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your pants zipped?” Decker added. “Can’t you just not sleep with every pretty girl you meet?”

“I don’t sleep with every girl,” Beck replied. He could feel how tense Connor was. “I didn’t sleep with Morgan. We were at my cousin’s wedding ceremony, surrounded by people, the whole night.”

“Stay away from my sister, Beck,” Connor snapped.

Beck was quiet for a moment. “No. Unless she tells me she doesn’t want to see me, I don’t care what you guys think.”

Decker snorted. Connor mumbled something.

“Case closed,” Beck said firmly. “Let’s go. I promised I’d take care of her, and I will.” He brushed by both and moved into the forest.

“You’re finally growing a backbone,” Decker observed. “Maybe this new Beck will turn the other cheek and let me do what should be done with Dawn.”

“I’ve had a backbone, Decker,” Beck replied. “I still believe we can resolve issues in the Light way, not the Dark way.”

“What’s the Light way? Hugs and kittens for everyone?”

“The same way Summer keeps you and the Darkness in check.”

Decker was silent. Beck knew he’d scored a point with his brother – which was difficult to do – but didn’t gloat. His mind was on Morgan. And Dawn. And what might happen, if he didn’t reach them in time.

Decker’s phone rang, the sound unusually loud in the otherwise silent forest. Beck heard him answer.

“So you can’t bring food or use magick but you can bring a phone?” Connor asked, amused.

“I think they’re making one exception,” Beck replied, stopping.

Decker was still, speaking too quietly for Beck to hear. Impatient, Beck knocked snow off a tree branch then shifted feet.

His twin hung up then cursed loudly. “You had to pick this week for our rite of passage!”

“Who was it?” Beck asked, ignoring the outburst.

“Biji,” Decker answered. “She’s completely panicking. Says they’re at one of the abandoned resorts, but she doesn’t know which one. I told her to climb a tree and find the lake then go towards it.”

“Oh, god,” Beck breathed. “Is she okay?” Biji had become like a little sister to him. Sweet, loyal and fiery, she was one of the few people who befriended Summer when she first arrived.

“She is, Summer is. She said she doesn’t know about Morgan.”

Beck’s breath caught.

“I guess she fell through the flooring in the resort. Summer shoved Biji out a window into a snowdrift before she could see what happened.”

Connor was silent. Beck’s heart felt like it had stopped at the idea that Morgan was seriously hurt. He couldn’t let himself think about something worse happening.

“We have to go,” he whispered.

“We need to find Biji. She’ll freeze to death otherwise,” Decker said.

Beck took it as a sign that Morgan was alive. He wasn’t going to let himself read into the fact that Morgan fell. She had to be all right, or he wouldn’t be. He turned back towards the direction they were headed and started walking.

“You’re sure Biji’s okay?” he asked.

“She’s scared but yeah,” Decker answered. By his distracted tone, his thoughts were on Summer. “She says she’s going back for Summer and Morgan.”

Urgency descended over them, and they quickened their pace. Beck glanced towards the sky. It was going to snow soon. He stopped.

“With all due respect, dad and elements, we aren’t walking around the damn lake.”

“I tried to start the snowmobiles before we left. They wouldn’t start,” Decker said.

“No technology on our rite, except the phone, apparently.”

“So you can’t start them. I’m not on a damn coming-of-age journey,” Connor said, frustrated. “I’ll start them.”

Beck glanced at Decker, whose features showed the same reluctant hope he felt. What happened if they tried it and it didn’t work? They’d lose valuable time to find the girls. If it worked, they’d save hours walking.

“You’re call,” Decker said.

“I’m glad you’re here, Connor,” Beck said. “We’ll try it your way.”

Connor rolled his eyes and turned, all but running back toward the cabin. The twins followed, and Beck prayed the snowmobiles wouldn’t shut down like the elemental magick did. He didn’t know how powerful the rite was before setting out this night. If the vehicles didn’t start, they’d lose precious time retracing their steps.

They reached the garage, breathless. Beck typed in the code to open the garage door. Decker waited for it to lift far enough for him to duck under. He stood with the keys in hand by the time the door was fully raised.

Decker tried first. The machines didn’t start.

Connor snatched the keys from him. Beck saw him hesitate.

“On the right. Mine is the blue one. Decker’s is red.”

“Mine’s the one with the full tank,” Decker said. “I’m usually the responsible one.”

“Whatever, Decker,” Beck grumbled. “Mine’s full.”

“Knock it off,” Connor said. He fumbled with the keys and sat on one of the snowmobiles.

Beck held his breath and heard Decker do the same. A long moment passed. The snowmobile roared to life.

“Thank god,” Beck said and released his breath.

Connor leapt off and started the second one. Beck slid onto the cold seat of his vehicle and backed it carefully out of the garage. Connor started Decker’s and stood. Beck motioned him over, suspecting Decker didn’t want someone else riding with him.

Retrieving goggles from the wall, Decker tossed them all a pair.

“First resort?” he shouted above the roaring motors.

“Yeah!” Beck replied. “You lead!”

Decker nodded.

With the snowmobiles, they stood a chance of reaching the first resort in fifteen minutes. Decker shot forward. Beck gunned the engine, following.

Chapter Nineteen

Biji almost flung her phone. The signal hadn’t just died this time; her whole phone did. She wiped away tears. Her hands shook from exertion and cold. Neither she nor Summer had grabbed a coat when they left the schoolhouse. Morgan’s flames had faded, and Biji was cold. Alone. Lost.

Climb a tree and find the lake.
She swallowed hard. Decker was right; she needed to figure out where she was first. There were three abandoned resorts around the lake. Unfortunately, at night, the forests around them were identical, and she hadn’t looked back to see which resort it was.

She ran, because she thought Summer was still behind her. The footsteps she heard weren’t her friend’s, she discovered, but those of one of the Dark boys.

The Dark teen had given up on her. She was small and nimble from running track every year. Though this was the offseason, her talent of running with the wind held true, aiding her to escape. Focused only on getting away, she wasn’t even sure which way she’d come from.

Her air magick was chilling her from the inside. She suppressed it. She rose from her hiding spot at the heart of a tree. She didn’t have gloves, and her hands hurt. She shivered almost too hard to reach the lowest branch of the nearest tree.

With effort, she hauled herself up and began climbing. The movement warmed her body, though her hands grew numb quickly from the direct contact with the snow and ice. The night sky was growing cloudy in the west, a sign there was a storm coming.

She climbed until she could see the lake. It wasn’t far, maybe a quarter of a mile. The dark surface of the massive natural body of water glistened with starlight. Biji twisted to see behind her.

She didn’t see the resort anywhere. Just trees. Angry with herself for not paying more attention to where she went, she summoned her air magick. It wasn’t just cold; it was freezing! It spun and eddied within her chest, but using it was the quickest way down. She launched away from the tree and wove a spell for the air to catch her.

It obeyed and lowered her to the ground. She landed softly and sank into the snow. It was way above her tennis shoes; her calves and feet would be wet before long.

Decker said they had issues but were heading towards the first of the resorts around the lake. If she couldn’t find her way back to the other girls, she could find her way to him and Beck. She just had to reach the lake.

Assuming I don’t freeze to death first! She sighed and started out as fast as she could go, given the snow and cold. It was the longest quarter mile she ever went, but she finally reached the lake. It appeared to be frozen around the edges. She took a few minutes to orient herself.

She was at the resort farthest from the school. Of course. The main road leading to the lake was cleared from the southern approach but not all the way around. The three abandoned resorts were located on the north side, with the one she hoped she was at on the opposite side of where she stood.

If Beck and Decker were coming from their cabin, they, too, were on the far side. There was no way to get help, if her phone didn’t work.

Biji eyed the lake. The fastest way around was straight across. Or maybe, around the frozen edges. If she started to fall through the ice, the air could catch her, she reasoned. She rubbed her hands together. Some feeling returned.

She carefully made her way to the edge of the lake and tested the ice. It seemed solid. She set one foot down then the other, her air magick ready to grab her if she fell. Biji went a couple of steps, slipped, caught herself then continued.

When she was confident enough that the ice was solid, she released her hold on her magick. The wind that swept over the lake was cold enough without the chill of air magick in her body. She focused on her journey across the lake, placing her feet one at a time. It was silent, peaceful. Or would be, if she didn’t know what was behind her.

Panic rose at the thought of Summer and Morgan at the hands of the crazy bitch, Dawn. She’d been with Summer the night she went Dark and again the night when Summer regained her soul. Dawn was behind both of the tragedies that occurred those nights. Biji would never forget the pain her best friend went through at the hands of Dawn, or how Dawn caused Beck grief. Both of them almost died; the idea of losing her two closest friends filled her with fury and sorrow.

Biji drew a deep breath to calm herself. She could do nothing to help them without Beck and Decker or at least, her phone. Dwelling on the past was just distracting her.

With a glance at the shore, she moved further onto the ice, wanting to cut down her time across the lake as much as possible. Shaking from cold, she hugged herself and tried to concentrate on her footing and not the growing fear that her now numb feet weren’t going to get her across the lake.

“That’s a really stupid way to cross the lake.”

Biji blinked. Her spirits rose at the male voice; she prayed the Turner twins had found her. She faced the shore and saw a tall, athletic form at the edge. His arms were crossed, and he glowed faintly with Darkness.

It wasn’t Decker, though. One of the Dark teens Dawn hired as lackeys had found her. She squinted in the dim starlight and recognized his blond hair and blue eyes.

Noah.

No, it was worse. It was Dawn’s brother.

“Get away from me!” she said through chattering teeth.

“I’m just saying, if you come back this way, I promise nothing bad will happen to you.”

Biji laughed at the absurd statement. Did he think she was a complete fool?

He shifted his weight between his feet.

“Leave me alone,” she repeated.

“Biji, really. Come back, and I’ll give you a head start. The ice you’re on isn’t as solid as you think it is.” His soft voice grew urgent.

“Right. Like I’m going to listen to you.”

“You should. I’m a water element. Right now, the lake is telling me you’re in trouble.”

“I don’t believe you.” She paused and looked down. The ice didn’t creak or crack. It was as hard as concrete.

“I’ll take you right back to Dawn, if you make me fish you out.”

Biji glared at him. “She wants us dead, Noah.”

“No, Biji. I can’t believe that. My sister wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Are you serious? Like she didn’t kill Tanya or try to kill Summer?”

“That’s not the version of events I heard.”

Biji shook her head. Dawn somehow managed to brainwash those around her. Biji didn’t know how. She’d been in the field three weeks ago when Dawn tried to kill Summer for the second time, and everyone knew Tanya was taken out because Dawn was jealous. Dark Noah was lying to her. She moved forward again, faster this time, in case he tried to chase her.

“I don’t know how you can justify what she’s going to do. It’s on your soul, Noah, if Summer and Morgan get hurt!” she snapped.

The sound of a muffled explosion startled her. She looked around then down. Water was bubbling under the ice beneath her feet.

“Don’t move,” Noah’s voice was closer.

Before she could summon her magick, she plunged into the frigid depths of the lake. The cold sucked the air from her and drove her to the edge of unconsciousness. Biji ordered her legs to kick her up towards the surface, but nothing happened. They were too numb to respond. She sucked in a breath of nothing but water, gagged, and panicked.