Devil's Frost, Spellspinners Series #3 (The Spellspinners of Melas County) by Heidi R. Kling

Chance.
    Jacob continued. “He’s been laid to rest on the slab on stones in the forest. We are waiting to see.”
    “Can I go to him?” Before I could believe a word he said, I had to see for myself.
    “When you are strong enough, son. For now you should rest.”
    I cried out a guttural, angry sound. Adrenaline flooded me and maybe a little magic, too, and Jacob looked legitimately worried for his safety as my restraints unbuckled and I broke free. “I’m going.” Yanking out the IV that was pumping who-knows-what into my veins, I stood up, leaning against the bed for a minute so I wouldn’t pass out from the head rush. I was still wearing my torn pants from the Gleaning. Blood dripped from the spot on my forearm where the needle had just been, but I didn’t care. There were also strange circular burn marks on my chest, the results of whatever the witch doctor had done to heal me.
    I had to get out of here. I needed to see Chance for myself. Find out if Jacob was full of shit or telling me the truth. If it was true—if Chance was dead—Jacob was dead. It was only a matter of when.
    Jacob seemed to understand that I wouldn’t be stopped. He and the second warlock caught me as my knees began to buckle, but instead of putting me back into the bed, they assisted me out of the infirmary. Their help annoyed me to no end, but what choice did I have?
     
    I watched from under peeling eucalyptus trees in the back of the clearing as, one by one, warlocks approached our fallen brother. I was still so weak from what happened in the Gleaning and warbled from whatever that witch doctor did to me afterward that everything was muddy—a blur of nightmarish details. My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and my body trembled under the thick wool blanket hanging over my shoulders.
    I couldn’t believe my eyes.
    Chance was fine not a few hours ago.
    How could he be dead ?
    I’d been to several warlock funerals; all the deaths I’d been witness to had been from natural causes. The way the Gleaning worked, or was supposed to, no one ever died. Just depleted of energy and magic, enough to recover from later. I never in a million years thought I’d be at this slab of stone for one of my warlock brothers, never mind for Chance.
    When it was my turn to kneel by the body, I’d see for myself if this were some trick of Jacob’s or if the unthinkable had happened.
    “She did this. Slew your brother in cold blood.” Jacob stood behind me, his gnarled fingers curled around my shoulder like wet vipers holding me in place.
    I flinched out of his grasp and tugged my hands through my hair. It was all I could do not to wring his neck. “Must’ve been a reason. Lily wouldn’t hurt Chance unless she had to.” I prodded a little. See what he’d tell me. What else could I do? I had to bide my time.
    “Revenge? Cruelty? What reason could she have, Logan?”
    I stared at my friend, his large body, once so full of life, now so still on the slab.
    I hated myself. It should be me up there, not him. I was the one who’d started things up with Lily. This was all my fault. My responsibility. I buried my face in my hands, scratching at my temples while Jacob rambled on. “The witches…they seem so innocent and lovely, but on the inside they are cruel, Logan. I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way. There is a reason we are kept apart. And this is the main one. Who needs this kind of pain?”
    You. In order to keep our covens from being reunited.
    I couldn’t see him, but his fingers on my shoulder twitched.
    Of course he’d had a hand in masterminding whatever had gone down.
    “One day, son, you will understand that everything I do is for the greater good of the Sons of Darkness. The greater good for you.”
    I bit my tongue to keep from responding. If I ignored him long enough and didn’t engage, eventually he’d wander off. It wasn’t as much fun for him to kick a dog once he was down.
    Sure enough, after a bit, his hand left my shoulder