Margaret Stohl: Dangerous Creatures

Lena shrugged. “A Binding Cast for people? It could work. I can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t.”

Link scratched his head. “Work how? Like, our hands are permanently stuck together in a group hug? Or like, we can read each other’s minds? Can you get a little more specific?” Not that I’d mind being Bound to Rid , he thought. At least, it wouldn’t suck.

Lena stared into the glowing embers. “Who knows? We’re kind of winging it here. There aren’t a whole lot of Casts about Binding people.”

“Or, you know. Any.” Ridley sighed. “So why am I the only person who thinks we should get out the peach schnapps and go bowling instead?” No takers. “How about breakfast, then?”

Link kicked a clod of dirt toward the fire. When had Rid gotten so worried about using her powers? She’d been like that ever since the summer. Skittish as a new pup, and about as nervous.

“This isn’t black magic, Rid,” Lena said. “If we do something wrong, we’ll undo it.”

“When have those words ever not come back to haunt you?” Ridley shook her head at her cousin.

“Nothing big,” Lena said. “Just a little something so we don’t forget about each other. Like a Forget-Me-Not. A memento. I could do it in my sleep.”

Rid raised an eyebrow. “Someone’s gotten a little cocky since she brought Boyfriend back from the dead.”

Lena ignored the dig and held out her hand to Ridley. “Everyone join hands.”

Ridley sighed and took Lena’s hand, also taking Link’s warm and sweaty one.

He grinned and gave her a squeeze. “Is this gonna be kinky? Please let this be kinky.”

“Please let you shut up,” said Rid. But it was hard not to smile, and she had to make an effort to keep her bratty expression in place.

John took Liv’s hand, and Liv took Link’s. Ethan grabbed hands with John and Lena to complete the circle.

Lena closed her eyes and began to speak in a low tone. “There is a time beyond mountains and men—”

“Is that it?” Link asked. “The Cast? Or are you just makin’ it up? Because I thought all your Casts were in Lat—”

Lena opened her eyes and glared, one green eye and one gold flashing in the remaining firelight. Link’s mouth shut and his voice was silenced for him, Caster-style. Link swallowed, hard. Lena might as well have slapped duct tape across his face.

He got the message.

Then she closed her eyes again. As she spoke, Link could almost see the words on the page, as if a scroll had opened itself for them.

“There is a time beyond mountains and men

When our six-faced moon must rise.

If you call for me, I will come to you then,

And our six-headed horse will ride.

Though Sixteen Moons began our thread,

And Nineteen Moons must end us,

Let us always be Bound by the Southern Star,

And when in grave danger—

Send us.”

Lightning flashed in the sky, ripping across the dark clouds and reflecting in the still surface of the lake. Boo growled.

A shiver rolled through all six of them—like a cold current coming from the lake itself—and they dropped hands, as if some invisible force had ripped them apart.

The circle was broken.

Link tried his voice and found to his relief that he could use it. Which was good, since he had something to say.

“Sweet buckets of crap! What was that?” Link opened his eyes. “ ‘Grave danger’? And ‘send us’? Send us where? What are you talkin’ about?” His voice was raspy, as if he’d just been yelling.

Lena looked uncomfortable. “Those are just the words that came to me.”

John sat up on his rock. “Wait, what?”

Lena squirmed. “I wasn’t expecting the danger part. But it’s all good, right?” She frowned as soon as she said it. “I guess it doesn’t sound that great, does it?”

“You think?” Ridley tried another position on her hard log seat. She didn’t look happy.

“Could it be an omen?” Liv’s face clouded. “A warning or a threat about something that’s going to end us?”

Lena shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s meant to be whatever it is. I mean, it’s just what came out when I tried to focus on the Binding.”

That was when Link lost it. “What do you mean, that’s what came out? How could you work a Cast without knowin’ what you’re Castin’? What if it’s somethin’ really bad? Because Lord knows that’s never happened to us before!”

Ethan punched Link’s arm. “Chill out, Mrs. Lincoln.”

Link shot him a dirty look, which Ethan deserved. It was basically the meanest thing you could say to Link.

Still.

Get control of yourself, dude.

“Lena knows what she’s doing.” Ridley tried to sound confident.

If she says it enough times, maybe it will be true , Link thought.

“Ridley’s right. It’s fine. Everything’s okay. No one panic.” But Liv didn’t look like she believed a word she was saying.

Lena didn’t look all that relieved, either. “Well, we should be Bound now. See? Something’s happening.” She motioned to the fire.

There, beneath the rising mound of gray ash and log, was a strange pulsing light. Lena leaned forward, blowing away the ash.

What remained were six glowing blue lumps of burning ember.

“Beautiful,” Liv said.

As everyone watched, the lumps—more like orbs—rose into the air, spinning and hovering above the flames. Boo whined at Lena’s feet.

“Whoa,” Link said.

Lena reached forward with a finger, closer and still closer, until the blue orbs burst into a shower of sparks and vanished.

“Is that it? The finale?” Ethan studied the dying embers.

“I don’t know.” Lena grabbed a stick and poked tentatively at the ash.

“Look. It’s still sparking.” Liv leaned closer.

Lena dug in the hot ash with her fingers. “There.” She held something up. “Six of them. One for each of us.”

“What is that thing?” Ethan was staring. Everyone was. It wasn’t an everyday sight, not in Gatlin County or the whole Mortal world. There was a tiny ring in Lena’s hand, delicate and translucent. If you looked at it from a distance, it resembled some sort of delicately blown glass.

Lena slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, and the light inside it flared brightly and then died out.

“Go on. It won’t hurt you.” She stared at her finger as she spoke.

Ethan reached for a ring, then paused. “You think.”

“I know ,” Lena said. “The whole point of a Binding Cast is protection.” She didn’t sound sure.

Ethan took a breath and slipped a ring on his finger. John followed suit, then Liv.

Rid slowly did the same.

Five rings were on five fingers. The sixth just sat there, glowing in the embers. Waiting.

“Hey, man.” Ethan elbowed Link. “Take it.”

“Give me a minute, Frodo. I gotta think about this.” Link ran his hand through his hair.

“Really? We’re going to start that now?” John shook his head.

But one look from Rid and the sixth ring went on before Link could say another word.

Personally, Ridley thought the whole ring thing was kind of stupid. She didn’t make Link wear his to please her cousin. To be honest, she didn’t remotely understand the concept of peer pressure that Mortals talked about all the time. Who would ever do something because someone else wanted them to do it? When someone wanted Ridley to do something, she almost automatically wanted to do the exact opposite.

Binding Rings included.