Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Traditionally, there were several magical trees that the Druids worshipped. One of them had been made into the Oak Throne. Sansara had been drained and rebuilt by Jason when he’d been a Druid named Cillian Ryan.
Kierse, Gen, and Ethan had created the new one. They were a triskel—Druid, High Priestess, and wisp—who worked together to work bigger magic. Together they’d saved Kierse’s life from the god magic on the winter solstice, and then as they trained, their magic had turned into this tree.
But now they couldn’t even connect. Fucking Lorcan.
“So about three days ago, I was tending to the tree,” Ethan said. His magic was plant based. He could make them grow or use them as weapons. He’d always loved plants even before he discovered his Druidic blood. “And out of nowhere, it changed.”
“I was working with my healing magics nearby, and I felt it,” Gen said. “The triskel connection activated, and I hadn’t felt it since we made the tree.”
Kierse stopped dead in her tracks as the tree came into view. It was easily twice as big as the last time she’d seen in it, towering into the upper reaches of the rotunda and obscuring the painting. The power that emanated from it was staggering.
And directly before her was a door.
Chapter Thirteen
“There is a door in the tree.”
“Yeah, the day that you learned portaling, a door appeared in the middle of the tree’s trunk,” Ethan said.
“The Ash Door,” Kierse said as if she had always known its name.
Ethan shivered. “Yes. The Ash Door.”
“We both came running when we felt the connection and watched it appear like it was being painted onto the tree,” Gen said.
Niamh crossed her arms and looked on, pensive. “I’ve never heard of such a thing happening in all my years.”
“But none of the other wisps were directly connected to a sacred tree, were they?” Ethan said.
“No.”
Kierse shook her head. This made no sense. She stepped forward and touched the handle. A sense of rightness fell over her body. As if this was the entire reason she had been made in the first place. As if everything else would just disappear the moment she opened the door.
“Can you open it?” Kierse asked.
“No luck,” Gen said. “Ethan couldn’t manipulate it open, either.”
Kierse should be able to. It was right there. It was her door. She painted it into existence with her magic. She twisted the handle, pulled the door, grunted, and pushed it.
It didn’t budge.
But it didn’t disappear into smoke like the ones she tried to make with Kingston.
She dropped her hand. “Well, that sucks.”
Gen blew out a hard breath.
“Maybe I have to train my portaling?” Kierse suggested. “If I can’t open my portal doors, maybe this one won’t open, either.”
“We can do that,” Niamh said. “I don’t have the best experience with portaling, but we could try it.”
“Yeah. Come hang out in Brooklyn more,” Ethan said, slapping her on the back.
“You know who has experience with portaling,” Niamh muttered.
Kierse narrowed her eyes. “I’m not talking to him.”
“Lorcan?” Gen guessed. “Your aura is all black when you mention him.”
Kierse sighed. “Yeah. He’s been in my head, and the bond is…” She trailed off and pressed her chest. “Annoying.”
“Should I get my cards out?”
“No. No cards,” Kierse insisted. Tarot was Gen’s specialty, but Kierse wasn’t sure she wanted to know her future right now. “They almost always make me do things I don’t like.”
Ethan snorted. “Isn’t that right.”
“I’ll keep working on it,” Kierse said. “We have enough to figure out anyway. The stone is still missing. The Fae Killer is still out there somewhere. The convocation is coming up fast. Did you see the trolls are openly advertising the Men of Valor now?”
“Yeah, that started this weekend,” Niamh said. “We’re looking into it.”
Kierse nodded, but she couldn’t help but feel like they were two steps behind whatever Amberdash was planning. She wanted to stomp up to his tower and demand answers. Before he’d been the leader of the Men of Valor, he’d been someone she trusted, after all. Well, almost.
He was clearly even worse than a monstrous wraith who literally fed on human souls.
“Okay. I have to get going,” Gen said.
“Going?” Kierse asked. “I thought we’d hang.”
“That’s what happens when you don’t text back. I make plans.”
“She has a date,” Ethan cooed.
Niamh’s face went purposefully blank. She could give Graves a run for his money with that expression.
“With Ronan?” Kierse gushed.
“Yeah. We went out this weekend, too,” Gen said, her cheeks turning the color of her hair.
Kierse loved that Gen was making things more official with the new Dreadlords’ werewolf alpha. “I need all the details. Actually, if you’re going to Five Points, I’ll check in on Maura.”
Nate’s wife had discovered that she was pregnant only weeks after his death. The news had been wonderful and devastating after everything they had done to help her break the incubus curse from her youth. Only for her to end up with a child and no Nate.