A frigid chill swept through my legs, fluttering my dress. I stared at Erwin, his molded hair not shifting a strand. The immaculate tux framed his well-shaped body, and his mere looks scared off the frozen imp energizing the Etheria air. Warmth exuded from his skin in luxurious waves, a self-created furnace for himself and those with audacity to stand close by.

August's car roared to life, tearing me from the majestic male specimen clouding my view. With a final glance towards Erwin, I opened the door and plopped myself inside.

I lost.

That insufferable woman always used her final card—blackmail. I bit my fingernail and narrowed my eyes at the road. The bitter taste of defeat left the sickening feeling of food poisoned vomit in my throat. She never liked what I did. Still, she had a sick sense of humor to bring up my father. Not that I expected her to delete him off her list of targets.

I sighed and leaned back into the leather passenger seat. The cool surface quelled the fire roaring to life in my stomach.

"You okay?" August asked from the driver's seat.

"Define what you mean by okay?" I muttered.

"Healthy?" His gaze flickering to me with a puzzled look.

"I'm alive. Where are we going?"

"The cemetery. We found evidence of the summonings."

"Do you have a Drifter?"

"A what?"

I shook my head, forgetting August was a novice. "Someone attributed with wind energy. It would be easier for them to track magic than myself. Though I don't blame you for having such confidence in my abilities."

He laughed while bringing the car to a stop outside a high metal fence. Several police vehicles lined the sidewalk along with Trevor's black beauty. The entranceway to Glen Dern was framed by spider lilies. Their deep red petals beckoned the dead to slumber in this hallowed land.

"Come on, Lanna. You know I have high expectations of someone who can get such a rise out of Trevor."

We both exited the car and strode towards the police blocking access to the cemetery.

"I think I'm over him," I said, pulling my coat closer to fend off the chilled breeze. "It's not worth the trouble anymore."

He halted in step, his mouth dropped open. "Seriously?"

"Yup, why bother. He's just going to keep giving me the cold shoulder. The man doesn't have a single loveable bone is his body. He's the definition of stubborn and hardheaded. I'm not a masochist, I'm a realist," I explained, rounding the corner into a strong chest and arms. I looked up into Trevor's heartwarming eyes.

"Anything else you want to say about me?" Trevor asked with a blank face. He gave no indication that my description hit a sore spot. Instead, he played the characteristic cool kid.

"No, thanks." I frowned and scooted away.

He was not luring me back with those muscular features. I shook my head frantically. Begone alluring body, begone!

"Let's go," Trevor said, waving his hand at me. "The magic circles are in the mausoleum. Watch your step, the place is a death trap because of the summons."

Trevor lead the way, following the main road into the cemetery via hanging lanterns propped up on poles. The closest graves escaped the mayhem, but the farther in we strode, the more graves were desecrated. Necromancers had no shame when it came to resurrecting the dead and experimenting on the corpses of loved ones. Grave stones were overturned with caskets ripped open, scattering the wood into dirt mounds.

I tiptoed around the remnants of a broken burial vault. The entire cement structure had been wrenched free from its earthen tomb, leaving behind a hard outline of loneliness. An uprooted tree, snagged my heel. I stumbled forward, but my descent ended with an arm around my waist.

"You okay?" August asked after setting me straight.

The subtle allspice aroma relaxed my shoulders and subdued the tension radiating from my body. "I'm fine. These aren't the perfect clothes for stalking through a graveyard in the middle of the night," I mocked, hoping my tone would instigate Trevor.

"Don't you always wear hard to move in clothes?"

I gaped at him. "Are you serious?"

"Enough, let's go," Trevor interrupted. "Some of us don't want to be in a graveyard all night." He returned to his pace.

"Well, some of us didn't want to be here period," I countered while clenching my hands into fists. My chest burned, rivaling the immortal fires Demons produced.

"Come on, Lanna. You hurt our feelings when you refused to come earlier," August retorted.

I huffed out a sigh. "Last time I checked we aren't friends, just co-workers. It shouldn't matter if I stomp all over your feelings."

"Ouch. My feelings." August pulled my arm, forcing me to a stop. "He was upset, you know," he whispered.

My feet refused to move as I salivated at Trevor's strong back. He was upset? Did he care? No, wait, August could be busting my buttons. He can't be trusted. His white knight looks were deceiving.

"We're here," Trevor said, nodding his head to the police stationed outside the mausoleum.

Large stone pillars framed the entrance and rose to rounded peaks, surrounding a domed top that had its own spiked centerpiece. The structure was cracked at the corners and moss grew at the base, climbing and curling to strengthen its path. Two miniature steps proclaimed an inviting air.

As we entered, the air numbed the senses and fresh pine was replaced by rot. The stench eroded my ability to smell. If this trek lasted too long, the effects may be irreversible. No more pumpkin spice. The smell of bacon and apple pie. Oh Verdina, the world would truly end!

At the back of the mausoleum were beacons alighted with frenzied flames. The fire wasn't fueled by magic—an odd sight, considering the advances in technology. The flickering torch marked a staircase with a stone plank overhead. Piles of bones and skulls were depicted on the death inspired mural with age an abortive method of masking the abnormal.

"What a lovely picture." I whistled while holding onto the wall to balance my descent. "What other horrors await us?"

The steps unfolded onto the first underground level. A circular room with branches in each cardinal direction and closed vaults lining the walls. The putrid stench of mold mingled with death in the air, like a horrific dance, both vying for control and domination.

"This way," Trevor said and moved straight, deeper into the main chamber.

We passed the archway framed threshold into the chamber. The sides elongated as if a beast widened its pointed teeth awaiting its juicy prey. The walls were decorated with mutilated statues of magic beasts protruding from the walls. Their frightened faces progressed into even more hideous shapes at each step.

Besides the freaked faces, the room was bare except for a few bones, clumps of dirt and chalk marks. I stared at the gigantic circle encompassing the floor. The chalk was smudged and broken. It held no energy.

"What do you think?" Trevor asked.

I tapped my chin, peering at the carefully crafted artwork etched on the floor. "Let me check the energy. I'll locate our instigator."

The circle had multiple layers with Morsange symbols—the language of death. A rustic method for spell crafting, but one still common amongst the ancient Witches. Most, if not all the symbols were formed by jagged lines.

I closed my eyes, opening my senses to the remnants of energy. Magic left a signature, one unique to the caster akin to a fingerprint. I remembered the main characteristics of the two Necromancers we'd visited. The cat doting child had a dark purple curly energy and the introvert dweeb was a ragged gray. Now, it was time to check if they fit the bill.

With my mind's eye, I captured a greenish black mixture of energy. The conglomerate was composed of thin strands, crisscrossing to form a knot. However, the ends were still frayed and unfocused. Weird, they should be linked, almost like a stream to the main source.

I checked all leads from the balled up structure, finding a single outlet. Good, here we go. Following the one narrow strand that led astray, my luck plummeted. Instead of continuing on, the color mutated into a lighter green then turned orange. The crisscrosses unfurled into a single strand of luminous vitality that intensified into a bright yellow.

What the devils was going on?

The stream diverged into five more energies with their own characteristics and color combinations. This had be an illusion of some sorts. It was impossible for a single mortal to have this many attributes. Rather, the strand types and configurations would be similar if it was one creator. No, this was multiple different sources.

I sighed long and heavy. By Verdina's darkest corner, how or who managed such a diabolic method?

"What's wrong?" August questioned, forcing me to lose concentration.

My eyes snapped open, staring at him. The dim light created an unearthly halo with his golden blond hair. His brow was creased and his eyes shined. Which God created him? He's going to make me swoon.

"Nothing but my infatuation for you." I winked at him.

He smirked. "Aw shucks Lanna, I didn't know you felt that way about me. So what did you learn?"

I laughed at his response. My innocent August was a quick learner! Outward appearance distorted my first impressions of him. He wasn't a shy, innocent boy, but a raring and confident man hiding his claws; which kind of made me sad. "Well love. It's a mess."

"What do you mean?" Trevor interjected.

"There's a multitude of energies. Which means either the spell was constructed by several Necromancers, which is probably impossible, or we're looking at an illegal spell that covered this bad boy summoning circle up."

"There's no spell that merges multiple energies?" August asked.

Trevor crossed his arms and added. "All magic requires the user to manipulate their own energy. If they obtained it from another source, it would be converted into their own signature." He turned his attention to me. "How many energy sources were there? Enough to rule out all the local Necromancers from being involved?"

"More than a dozen from a glance, probably more if I continued looking at the blasted thing. But I don't want to."

"How do we track down this illegal spell, or the one that used it?"

I raised a finger. "We go to the Orchard."

A/N: Another week and another chapter! Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear back. Even more so if you enjoyed the chapter, it keeps me going. :)