Ozark Omens (Hedge Witch Diaries Book 3) by Theophilus Monroe & Michael Anderle

Author:Theophilus Monroe & Michael Anderle [Monroe, Theophilus & Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798888783702
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2023-12-12T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I shoved through the underbrush with thorns and branches tearing at my arms. “Where are you?” I shouted, my voice echoing through the forest. A flock of spirit crows burst from the trees, cawing angrily at the interruption. I glanced up, watching their translucent forms disappear over the treetops.

“Please, help me find him,” I called, softer this time.

A rustle sounded to my left. I turned to see a deer regarding me silently, its dark eyes solemn. It dipped its head once before bounding off into the woods. I scrambled after it, nearly twisting my ankle on roots and stones.

We didn’t follow the beaten path I usually took, but I knew where the spirit was leading me. We were headed toward Dorian’s sanctuary.

The trees thinned ahead, and I stumbled into the clearing, breathing hard.

Charlie was there, curled up inside the stone circle. A sickly green light writhed around him as his body morphed and changed. One moment, he was a wolf, then a bear, then some strange creature I couldn’t name. He howled and growled, clearly in agony.

“Charlie!” I cried, starting forward. The green magic flared, forcing me back a step. I reached for my own power, calling on Isis, but the spirit energy surrounding the circle lashed out. No way I was getting through that. Not even as a goddess.

Charlie’s form settled into something almost human, though antlers still sprouted from his head. He began chanting in a language I didn’t know, his voice guttural. The foreign words sent a chill down my spine.

I drew a bracing breath. He was still a druid. Was his warped undead mind forcing him to do something abominable? “Hang on, Charlie,” I whispered. “I’m gonna get you out of this, I swear.”

Somehow, some way, I’d find a way to save him. I had to believe that.

I paced the edge of the circle, racking my brain for something, anything I could do to help Charlie. His chanting grew louder, more insistent, the foreign words echoing through the trees. I caught a name repeated over and over. Morrigan.

Charlie’s form settled into human once more, though the antlers remained. He threw back his head, arms outstretched.

“Morrigan!” he cried. “I offer myself as your vessel! Take me, use me as you will!”

My breath caught in my throat. What was happening to him?

“Charlie, no!” I shouted. “Fight this! You have to fight!”

He collapsed to his knees, body wracked with spasms as he transformed again. Fur sprouted along his skin as he cried out in agony. I had to look away, tears burning my eyes.

When I turned back, Charlie was human again, panting hard. He’d shed his fur as quickly as he’d grown it. His eyes found mine, and I saw a flash of the man I knew.

“Briar,” he choked out. “I love you…always have. I’m sorry. Before I changed and lost myself, I did what I had to—”

Then his expression changed, going cold and blank. He tilted his head, regarding me curiously. When he spoke again, his voice was different.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.