deny you forever. And your sister will help.”
That’s what I was hoping.
Cactus jogged up to my side. “Are we going to Bella?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
Griffin cleared his throat. “Your sister isn’t in the Rim proper-like. She’s living in your old place at the very edge with her daughter.”
Adjusting my trajectory, I kept walking. Cactus brushed my hand with his and I took his fingers for a moment, squeezing them. Of all the people in my life, he knew how difficult this was for me. To come home and once again be treated like I was useless.
Or worse, a threat.
We stayed to the edge of the Rim, all the way around the perimeter, until we came to my home. The tree was wide at the base and had a pulley system with a simple loop of rope for a foothold that would take me up. The main living quarters were fifty feet above us in the tree and carved into the trunk itself.
I glanced at everyone. “Wait here. I don’t want to freak my sister out. Rylee, come with me.”
Rylee jogged over to me. “You don’t think I would freak her out?”
Bella needed to know this was serious. And if she saw Rylee, there would be no doubt we were fighting the final battle in a matter of days.
“Yes, you probably will, but I think you should come anyway.” I reached up and tugged the rope, the pulley system working silently as it sent the foot loop down to us. Stuffing my foot into the loop I held out a hand for Rylee.
I caught her around the waist, winding one hand through the rope as I tugged on a second rope that would release the counter weight with my other hand.
We shot into the air, almost fifty feet before we jerked to a stop. Rylee’s arm never tightened on me once. Trust . . . it was a strange thing to have so strongly between us already.
“So this is another cousin of mine then?” she asked.
Reaching out, I grabbed the platform and pulled us to it. “No, you and I are related on my mother’s side. I’m the only family you’ve got. But that won’t matter. Bella will recognize you for who you are.”
We stepped off the platform and I walked into the hollowed-out tree. The entryway was dark and I called out softly.
“Belladonna.”
There was a scuffle of sheets and then a thump of feet running toward us. A lantern flickered on and my older sister held it up. “Mother goddess, Larkspur, I thought you were dead!”
She ran to me, her long dark brown hair curling down her shoulders as artfully as if she’d never slept on it. I caught her in my arms and held her tightly, a shudder going through me. Nearly thirty years away from her, one of my best friends.
Bella let out a sob and pulled back, touching my face as if she couldn’t believe I was there. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I believed it myself. “You’ve changed, Lark.”
I gave her a half grin. “A little, maybe. The desert will do that to you.”
“So many questions; how is it that you aren’t dead? Father told everyone you died while helping a Tracker find Jonathan . . . .” She noticed we weren’t alone. I moved to the side.
“This is the Tracker I was helping, Bella. And the time has come for the elementals to stand with this world, or watch it go down in demon flames.”
She took a deep shuddering breath, then held out her hand to Rylee. “Hello, my name is Belladonna. You must be Elle.”
Rylee’s whole body jerked as if she’d been shot with the electricity. “What did you call me?”
My throat constricted. “No, this is Rylee, and we’re leaving it at that.”
Bella looked from me to Rylee and back again, her gray eyes catching the light. “All right, then. What do you need, Lark?”
She was backing me, and a piece of the anger for everything that had been done to me slipped away. “We have to take Jonathan with us. He’s going to help Rylee with the demons.”
Bella nodded, but her lips were pursed. “I can take you to him, but I don’t think he will help. We’ve never in all the years he’s been here
That’s what I was hoping.
Cactus jogged up to my side. “Are we going to Bella?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
Griffin cleared his throat. “Your sister isn’t in the Rim proper-like. She’s living in your old place at the very edge with her daughter.”
Adjusting my trajectory, I kept walking. Cactus brushed my hand with his and I took his fingers for a moment, squeezing them. Of all the people in my life, he knew how difficult this was for me. To come home and once again be treated like I was useless.
Or worse, a threat.
We stayed to the edge of the Rim, all the way around the perimeter, until we came to my home. The tree was wide at the base and had a pulley system with a simple loop of rope for a foothold that would take me up. The main living quarters were fifty feet above us in the tree and carved into the trunk itself.
I glanced at everyone. “Wait here. I don’t want to freak my sister out. Rylee, come with me.”
Rylee jogged over to me. “You don’t think I would freak her out?”
Bella needed to know this was serious. And if she saw Rylee, there would be no doubt we were fighting the final battle in a matter of days.
“Yes, you probably will, but I think you should come anyway.” I reached up and tugged the rope, the pulley system working silently as it sent the foot loop down to us. Stuffing my foot into the loop I held out a hand for Rylee.
I caught her around the waist, winding one hand through the rope as I tugged on a second rope that would release the counter weight with my other hand.
We shot into the air, almost fifty feet before we jerked to a stop. Rylee’s arm never tightened on me once. Trust . . . it was a strange thing to have so strongly between us already.
“So this is another cousin of mine then?” she asked.
Reaching out, I grabbed the platform and pulled us to it. “No, you and I are related on my mother’s side. I’m the only family you’ve got. But that won’t matter. Bella will recognize you for who you are.”
We stepped off the platform and I walked into the hollowed-out tree. The entryway was dark and I called out softly.
“Belladonna.”
There was a scuffle of sheets and then a thump of feet running toward us. A lantern flickered on and my older sister held it up. “Mother goddess, Larkspur, I thought you were dead!”
She ran to me, her long dark brown hair curling down her shoulders as artfully as if she’d never slept on it. I caught her in my arms and held her tightly, a shudder going through me. Nearly thirty years away from her, one of my best friends.
Bella let out a sob and pulled back, touching my face as if she couldn’t believe I was there. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I believed it myself. “You’ve changed, Lark.”
I gave her a half grin. “A little, maybe. The desert will do that to you.”
“So many questions; how is it that you aren’t dead? Father told everyone you died while helping a Tracker find Jonathan . . . .” She noticed we weren’t alone. I moved to the side.
“This is the Tracker I was helping, Bella. And the time has come for the elementals to stand with this world, or watch it go down in demon flames.”
She took a deep shuddering breath, then held out her hand to Rylee. “Hello, my name is Belladonna. You must be Elle.”
Rylee’s whole body jerked as if she’d been shot with the electricity. “What did you call me?”
My throat constricted. “No, this is Rylee, and we’re leaving it at that.”
Bella looked from me to Rylee and back again, her gray eyes catching the light. “All right, then. What do you need, Lark?”
She was backing me, and a piece of the anger for everything that had been done to me slipped away. “We have to take Jonathan with us. He’s going to help Rylee with the demons.”
Bella nodded, but her lips were pursed. “I can take you to him, but I don’t think he will help. We’ve never in all the years he’s been here
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