Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
My heart gave a painful little jump.
“Of course,” she continued, “it will be up to you to open it. Your magic alone can break the seal and allow your Shadow lover to return to you.”
“But I don’t have any magic!” I cried. “If I did, don’t you think I would have tried to fight that thing that killed Shadow?”
“You weren’t thinking about trying to use your magic—you were concentrating on getting away from the evil that was seeking your life,” Goody Albright said gently. “Tonight, when we call a doorway to the Shadow Lands, you must reach inside yourself and concentrate on your love for Shadow. Call him back to you. I’m certain you can do it—you’re a powerful witch—you just haven’t had much time to practice your magic yet.”
She squeezed my arm.
“Now don’t fret. Go home and try to eat something and get some rest. Get ready for tonight. We’ll be calling the circle in the middle of Main Street, which is the center of town, when the moon rises. And remember—if you are able to get your monster under the bed back, you must bind him to you quickly. For the magic we cast won’t last forever.”
I swallowed hard.
“I understand. I know it won’t be easy.”
But for the first time since last night, I felt something stirring in my chest.
Hope—real hope.
I stood, setting my mug down carefully.
“I’m going to do my best to bring him through that door,” I said quietly. “And if I get him back, I’m never letting go of him again.”
39
DANNI
I was naked under my cloak.
Naked. On Main Street. In public.
Okay, technically, it was the middle of the night and the witches of Hidden Hollow had gathered for the All Hallows Eve ceremony where being "skyclad"—a polite witchy word for butt-naked—was apparently a requirement.
So at least I wasn’t the only one. Still, the chilly autumn air kept making me shiver in places that hadn’t seen the light of day in years.
When Goody Albright and the others had first arrived, I’d been bundled up in boots, jeans, and a knit hat as well as my adult-sized kid coat. But then I realized I was the only one wearing anything underneath her coat. Everyone else—Harmony, Goldie, Willow, Celia, Sarah, and even Goody Albright herself—was completely bare beneath the flowing cloaks and swirling capes they wore.
I’d gaped until Harmony, cheeks pink with cold, leaned over and whispered,
“It’s a tradition—you have to be skyclad for big rites. It shows trust, vulnerability, and openness to the magic.”
“Oh,” I’d said faintly, thinking I didn’t feel magical—I just felt embarrassed.
Luckily, since my little cottage sat right at the end of Main Street, it only took me a minute to sprint home. And, as if it knew what I needed, the cottage had anticipated me again. A thick, forest-green wool cloak was waiting on a hook by the front door, smelling faintly of clove and pine.
I stripped fast, knocking my elbows into a towering stack of boxes in the process. I’d opened a few earlier in the day to kill time before the ceremony and discovered that—sure enough—they were filled with exactly what I’d asked the Wishing Tree for. Yarn in rich jewel tones…crystal-clear glass jars for buttons…a fancy espresso machine…even a shop sign that read THE WITCH'S STITCH in curling black letters were all waiting for me.
My wish had come true…but it had cost me everything. I was tempted to throw it all away—I probably would have if I hadn’t had hope that I might get Shadow back again. But if he was lost forever, I was going to move away from Hidden Hollow, I told myself. I didn’t want to be here without him. I’d go home and live in my car in the Human World.
But hopefully that wouldn’t be necessary.
Now, I stood at the center of the cobbled street, barefoot on the cold stones, wrapped in my new cloak and trying not to shake. Whether I was shivering from the cold or my nerves, I couldn’t tell.
Goody Albright stood before us, regal in her deep purple cloak and silver cat-eye glasses, holding a large white pillar candle in both hands.
“This meeting of the Hidden Hollow Coven will now come to order," she said in her usual calm, ringing tone. "Tonight, we have two orders of business—first, we will strengthen and renew our town’s guardian bubble. Second, we will be opening a door to the Shadow Lands."
There were murmurs of surprise around the circle.
"Why are we doing that?" Sarah asked.
"One of our number has lost someone dear to them," Goody Albright replied. "We will only be calling the door into existence—it will be her responsibility to open it and bring him from the other side."
My voice wavered, but I forced myself to speak.
"It’s me. I…I lost the monster under my bed."
The admission hung in the air like fog.