Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Series)

Chapter Eighteen

 Danger, Beck's newly awakened magick warned him. It wrenched him out of deep slumber. His heart was racing, the earth's rumble like thunder. He struggled to figure out if the bed was shaking from some sort of earthquake or if it were his body.

He swung his legs out of bed. It was him. Elemental magick thrummed through him, driving him towards...what? He didn't know, but it wasn't going to let him sleep. Dressing clumsily, he ran out of the cabin to his new car, which had appeared as promised on his eighteenth birthday. He opened the garage door then paused. Unable to calm the wild magick inside him, he strode to the driveway and pressed his hands to the earth.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

Images made him stagger as the element relayed its memories. It was agitated, upset, and the disjointed images running through his head made little sense. A fawn, Biji, Summer, dark magick and...fear. The earth was afraid.

Trembling, Beck rose and hurried to his car. He recognized the clearing near the school. Whatever had happened, Summer and Biji were in danger. The earth was compelling him towards those who needed help.

As if he knew how to provide help. Overwhelmed already, Beck tried to calm himself as he quickly drove the short distance to the school. He'd spent the day testing his magick and ended up frustrated when it didn't tell him how to be the Master of Light. No one knew, though he was almost relieved his instincts warned him of danger. He didn't have to guess anymore about how he'd find out if there was an issue, only what he'd do when the element woke him up in the middle of the night.

He stopped on the gravel road near the boys' dorms and pushed open the car door. Its thunder turning to a roar, the earth had already cleared a path for him through the forest. How was he supposed to be able to think with this racket? He saw movement further down the road and tried to focus over the sounds in his head. He thought he recognized Dawn and...Alexa?

It didn't make sense for them to be together in the forest after dark. Before he could give it much thought, the earth beneath him shook to propel him forward. Beck went, unable to fight the element. The path took him through the forest and into the clearing.

Despite the earth's demand, he paused, spotting Biji alone in the field. She was seated on the ground, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

"Biji?" he called. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him, the expression on her face terrifying him. She didn't appear to be hurt, and the earth was urging him onward.

"Summer," Biji managed. She pointed towards Miner's Drop.

Dread filled Beck, and the earth flashed more images through his head that didn't make sense. Images of fleeing through the forest, of falling. Unable to linger, he pulled his cell phone free from his pocket and tossed it to her as he trotted by her to follow the path the earth laid out for him.

"Call for help," he said. "Okay?"

Her nod was slow to come. She climbed to her feet, phone at her ear, as he plunged again into the forest.

The sound of Summer's sudden scream filled his mind although he innately knew that it came before he arrived. It also left him no doubt about what was happening. Beck stumbled and fell, horrified at the sound, more so when it stopped as abruptly as it started. He panicked and ran, allowing the magick and his instincts to guide him in a direction he'd never been.

There were two ways to reach the canyon floor of Miner's Drop: by going over the cliff or stumbling down a treacherous deer path. Beck tripped and rolled a few feet, debating whether the cliff wasn't a better option. Rocks and shale cut his exposed arms and face while boulders bruised his abdomen.