Gravebriar by Casey L. Bond

Author:Casey L. Bond [Casey L. Bond]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, witches, Young Adult, Teen, Romance, Accused
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Published: 2021-03-16T23:00:00+00:00

Shaken, I pushed through the tent’s flaps, unsure where to go. My mother had warned me away from Forge. She begged me to run – far and fast. Now Arum, a complete stranger, was doing the same. Was he duplicitous? Should I run? What if he wasn’t talking about Forge at all? If not, to whom could he be referring?

Shadow was outside, her voluminous dark hair expertly tucked into a bright purple wig, wearing a tight bodysuit the color of a plum’s dark skin. The fabric was silken and the cut flattered her well. “Lilith? Are you okay?” she asked, drawing closer.

“I’m fine,” I tried to reassure her, and myself. “I’m just nervous, I guess.”

She gave a knowing nod. “Performance jitters. They get even the most seasoned of us at times, and this is your first show, right?”

“The first of two. Tomorrow will be the last,” I replied shakily. My fingers trembled as I checked my hair for the thirteen thousandth time.

She waved me over. “Do you want to see the snake?”

Why she thought that might settle my nerves, I wasn’t sure.

I didn’t normally fear snakes, but knowing it had tried to strangle her – a talented Shade – gave me pause.

Still, I’d like to see what I was dealing with. “We should probably get acquainted before the show.”

“The stands will be teeming with people within the hour. Not to add to your anxiety,” she added hastily. “Look, I’m terrible with apologies, but I’m sorry I was rude earlier. It’s a poor excuse, but I was just tired. My mother was Shade, my father Nocturn, and while my power favors hers, I’m afraid I took my sleeping habits from him. I usually sleep until just before the show, but…”

I wondered if she took anything else from her father. The Nocturn consumed blood and survived on little else. They were the quietest among the covens, but I wondered if that was true or if we just slept during their boisterous hours. The Nocturn preferred darkness and sought out the shadiest places and darkest of corners while visiting. I wondered if the light hurt their eyes. They seemed most at home in the heart of night.

A few years ago, a young Elementine went missing in the wood near dark. The Nocturn fanned out and covered the forest. One found her huddled beneath a tree, cold from the chill of autumn the night, and brought her home safely.

Arum woke Shadow – during her sleeping hours – so she could help me get ready. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb your rest.”

Shadow shrugged, her sleek wig bopping with the motion. She led me past a large open-air trailer lined with steel bars. In the corner, curled into a ball like an enormous house cat was her lion. His lids were folded tightly, but he flicked both eyes open and focused on Shadow immediately. He purred, the rumble vibrating his pen and the earth under our feet. I could feel it reverberating in my heart’s bony cage.

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