Black Moon (The Moonlight Trilogy) (30 page)

“Of course, Archard,” Rachel said blandly and then left the room.

Chapter 35

Waning Crescent

July—Present Day

F
or a moment, there was only the promise of light, a glow behind the mountain peaks as dawn grew in the east. Then, suddenly, ripples of pink flowed over the sky. This morning the weather was pleasant, the temperature hovering between warm and hot. Willa whispered a morning chant to herself,
“Hail fair sun, ruler of day, burn clear and bright to light my way.”
An extra whisper of warmth touched her cheek.

A hum under her skin announced Simon
’
s approach. He stopped just behind her
, stood
silent for a moment as he too watched the sun rise. Then he said, “They
’
re ready for us.”

Willa turned and smiled at him nervously.

“You ready?” he asked as he stepped forward and took her hands. Dressed in T-shirts and shorts, they looked ready for a day at the gym.

Willa exhaled.
“Ready as I
’
ll ever be. Right now, I
’
m just looking forward to it being over.”

Simon nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

“It
’
s hard to focus on this with . . . everything else going on.” She closed her eyes, fresh fear rising in her gut.
What
’
s going to happen? Can we save Solace, Ruby, and the others?

“I know, but I
’m sure
, once the challenge starts,
we won
’
t be able to think about all that stuff.” He frowned.

Willa nodded,
folding her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling
chilled.

The couple turned and walked down the hill to the field chosen for the challenge. Rowan had picked an abandoned farm field with a spattering of old
cottonwood
trees, overgrown and wild, and just far enough out of town to be private.

The Luminary met them at a fallen rail fence, the boundary of the field. None of the other Covenant members were in sight. He folded his arms and smiled soberly. “Well, here we are. Everything is prepared. I know the circumstances aren
’
t ideal, but I have every confidence in both of you. Try to put aside everything else.” He blinked his blue eyes and then added, “Willa, you
’
ll go first.”

Willa
’
s stomach dropped.
“Okay,” she managed to say, despite the sudden tightness in her jaw and throat. She hadn
’
t practiced for a week, and she still had an exhaustion hangover from her vigil at the museum. Simon turned to her and took her face in his hands. His dark brown eyes focused on hers. “You will be amazing.” After a smile, he brushed a kiss onto her lips.

His words helped in a tiny way, enough to steady her nerves so she could follow Rowan out into the field without shaking knees. Touched by the bright light of dawn, the dry grass glowed gold and the trees
’
leaves shimmered green. As Willa followed, she listened to the sound of a running irrigation line, doing her best to clear her mind.

Rowan stopped in the middle of the field and turned to her. “Now, remember, you may only use the element I call out to defend the attack. It doesn
’
t matter how you use it, but it must be
that
element. And we will not go easy on you. Everyone will push hard.”

Willa nodded and chewed her bottom lip. “Okay, I
’
m ready.”
Am I?

Rowan smiled with empathy. “I know you are. I
’
m sorry we have to do this now, but know you can still triumph.” He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she nodded. “Best of luck, Willa.” And then he was gone, moving away to place himself behind her, leaving her alone in the middle of the field.

Just a test. Just a test. I
’
m good at tests.

Her heart tripled its speed; her pulse throbbed annoyingly at her neck and wrists. Two long breaths did little to help. Fists at her sides, Willa closed her eyes.

Breathe.

“Ready!” Rowan yelled from behind her. Willa braced her whole body, ready to act, trying to ignore the shaky sensation in her core. “AIR!”

Rain appeared out of nowhere and threw a wall of water at Willa. It hit her full force, knocking her off her feet. Soaking and sputtering, Willa scrambled to her feet. Instantly, another blast of water hit her in the face, the liquid pushing into her eyes, nose and mouth. For a moment, she was drowning standing up. Then with a forceful cough she steadied herself.

Air. Use the power of air.

With a quickness that surprised her, Willa rolled out of the way of the next water wall and sprang to her feet. She called to the magic. Another wall came at her; she ducked under it. Then two walls, one from either side, raced down upon her. Just in time, Willa dove out of the way but was again soaked when the two collided midair in a dramatic splash.

Focus.

She hurried to her feet.
Swift and effectual power of air . . . !
Immediately, her hands grew hot, she lifted them in front of her. The next wave rolled only a few feet away, glistening in the sun, churning over the grass. Her hands grew hotter. A small cyclone of air appeared before her. She gasped, but kept her focus. She pushed more magic and energy into the cyclone until it grew as tall and wide as she.

Unleashing it, the air pummeled through the wall of water, sent it spattering backwards in a million scattered drops.

“Ready!” came Rowan
’
s call. She didn
’
t even have time to smile at her first success. “FIRE!”

Oh, no!

Fire was her weakest skill. Her failure at the candle test haunted her.

Willa dropped to the ground in a crouch, eyes and ears attuned, waiting for the next attack. The field was eerily quiet except for the huff of her breath.

The ground around her trembled furiously, and the heads of plants erupted in a circle around her, growing faster than she could escape, encasing her in a ring of hawthorn bushes.

Pale pink flowers burst to life on the branches all around her, deceptively hiding five-inch-long thorns. She moved to push the branches aside, but they struck back as quick as snakes, leaving wicked slices on her forearms and hands. Jerking back, she hissed at the pain.

Fire. Find the fire.

Closing her eyes, ignoring the throbbing of the cuts on her arms, Willa focused.
Mighty fire . . .
The heat answered, and, when she held out her hand, a burst of flame shot outward into the bushes. It surprised her—never had so much fire come when she called.

More.

Soon her palms were torches, spewing out jets of flame that burned a large channel though the bushes. Sweat-soaked and breathless, Willa crawled out. The thorns grew back so quickly that her legs suffered a few more nasty cuts. Collapsing free of the bushes, Willa sucked in fresh air. Her body cried out for a rest, but immediately Rowan
’
s call came up.

“WATER!”

Willa clamored to her feet and spun, just in time to dive out of the path of a huge fireball. It crashed and erupted in the remains of the hawthorns next to her.

Great. More fire.

Focus. Use the water.

She pushed up and took off, the whizzing sound of another fireball close behind.

I need water.

Whipping her head side to side as she ran, she tried to orient herself. She had to find that irrigation ditch. For a few seconds, she held her breath, listening, waiting to hear the laugh of the water. She turned to the right.

There it is!

She moved toward the sound and soon saw the small ditch, overflowing with cool, clear water. Unfortunately, Darby stood just beyond it, a fresh fireball balancing on her hand. Willa pushed her legs harder.

Get there.

Darby launched the ball. Willa tensed to dodge it, but the ball fell short, hit the ground in front of the ditch and erupted into a ten-foot wall, blocking her way. The heat scorched her skin, Willa put a hand up to shield her eyes.

No! Now what?

An idea came.

Am I strong enough?

Willa squeezed her eyes shut and summoned the water. It responded quickly, easily, rising from the ditch in a tall pillar. She held it in place with her outstretched hand. The magic tingled along her arm, put energy in her blood. For the first time during the challenge, Willa marveled at how amazing it felt to have so much magic churning inside her.

She lifted her other hand, brought the two together and then slowly separated them. The pillar split into two. She pulled her right hand back, and the water fell on the wall of flame, extinguishing it with a loud hiss and a rush of steam; left hand thrust out, and the second pillar spiraled its way to Darby.

When the Fire witch cried out, her voice garbled by the water, Willa grinned, all nervousness gone, forgotten. The euphoria of her powers pulsed inside her.

More.

Rowan called the last challenge. “EARTH!”

Willa took a breath and scanned the field, waiting. The air around her began to churn, her hair whipping into her eyes. When she turned, she
stood
face to face with a towering, ugly tornado. It curled down from the sky, growling and twisting.

Willa bit her tongue to keep from screaming out, backpedaling away. Her mind desperately grabbed for an idea. The power-high she
’
d felt a moment ago puttered out.

Too much! How do I stop a monster?

The gray cyclone, now as wide as a car and towering to the clouds, surged forward; and Willa continued to back away. She tripped on a large rock and went down hard on her back. The funnel cloud took the advantage and scooped her up into its spinning
embrace
.

This time she did scream.

Upside down, disoriented and incredibly dizzy, Willa wanted to call out defeat, but gave one last ditch effort.

Focus. One more time. Find the power. Just like with the water.

In the chaos of the funnel, she managed to see the branches of a large tree not too far away. She reached out, but the tree was just beyond her fingers. With everything left inside her, she called to the Earth, to the tree.

Hear me. Help me!

Her hand trembled as she reached, her body continuing to spin.

The tree . . .

Heat leaped from her palm, arcing over to the branches. The tree shuddered in answer to her call, and, with a wooden grunt, leaned itself to the side, extending its
branches
into the tornado. Limbs and leaves tore at her face, but she managed to get a solid grip before the tornado moved away.

The tree snapped back into place, pulling her with it, free of the cyclone.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the tree, just before her arms gave out and she tumbled the long fall to the ground. She hit with a painful thud, knocking the breath out of her lungs. Her vision went black around the edges and bile rose in her throat. Her chest stuttered, trying to pull in air; and for a terrifying second she wondered if it would. Then, with a strangled gasp, the air rushed in. Choking on it, she rolled to her side, coughing and sputtering.

Then the pain hit. Her body felt like a piece of paper, crushed, wadded up, and set on fire. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

Simon arrived, his hurried footsteps crunching the grass. His strong arms caught and held her, one hand resting gently on her head.

In a wave of heat, all the pain pulled away. She blinked up at him. He had her cradled in his arms, his hand still on her head. The position brought a flash of the nightmare of the girl being burned, the witch holding her. She flinched at its sudden, powerful invasion.

“Are you still in pain?”

She shook her head, tried to smile, but was too exhausted. She pushed the image from her mind. “I fell out of the tree.”

Simon laughed and hugged her tight. “I knew you were tough, my Willa, but that . . . amazing doesn
’
t even come close.” He kissed her forehead.

Then Rowan was there, kneeling in front of her, his face alive with a smile. “Willa, lass, well done. So well done.” He leaned in, kissed her cheek. “Can you give me your hand?”

She raised it weakly, and he cupped it in his own.
“Powers of the Earth, mighty above all. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water now we call. A True Witch at your command, against the Dark she will stand.”

Willa
’
s
pendant
, tucked inside her shirt, flared hot, and where it touched her skin a glorious rush of power and energy moved outward until it had filled her. She gasped and sat up, no longer exhausted. The cheers of the rest of the Covenant made her smile.

The Covenant gathered around Willa,
offering congratulations and praise. Rain stepped forward, her black hair tipped with fushia, and held out her fist. “Wicked-good job, Willa.”

Willa bumped her fist into Rain
’
s. “Thanks. Those were some serious water walls. I thought I was gonna drown.” Rain smiled and moved aside for Darby.

Darby kissed Willa
’
s head. “
I don’
t appreciate being all wet, but I
’
ll give you credit.”
She grinned.
“So proud of ya, ya little peach.”

“
Thanks, Darby.
”

Wynter pushed through and took Willa into her arms, giving her a crushing hug. She pulled back, and the two exchanged a tender look.

Willa turned to Hazel and Toby. “
So
whose handy work was that tornado?”

Hazel smiled, her gray hair bright in the morning sun. “Both of us, actually.” She gestured to Toby who also smiled and adjusted his glasses. “We had to give you something hard.” The group laughed. Hazel hugged Willa.

Finally, Charlotte threw herself at Willa. “That. Was.
Incredible!
”