Haunted Legacy: The Windhaven Witches Series Carissa Andrews (short novels to read txt) 📖

“The swans are circling by a willow tree just over there. I always wanted a willow tree…” His eyes go distant and his chin tips downward. When he looks back up again, he turns to Abigail. “This isn’t real? Is it?”

Abigail walks over to him, her dress swaying with her movements but never touching the ground the way it really should.

“For you, it is but the only reality you need to focus on,” she whispers, placing a hand along his cheek. “I wish I could have saved you from this untimely passage, grandson.”

“That makes two of us,” Dad says, shifting his gaze from Abigail to me. Sighing, he walks my direction. “Autumn, I never meant for any of this to happen. I had hoped…”

“It’s okay, Dad. I know,” I whisper. My chest suddenly feels very heavy, despite having no physical form. The thought makes me pause, curious about how the feelings of physicality can linger so strongly in this form.

Dad’s jaw tightens, and his expression darkens—only this time, it’s out of concern and not Lemure rage. “I wish I could have protected you from all of this.”

“It’s not up to you to protect me,” I say, shaking my head.

“But it is. Pretty sure it’s in the parental handbook,” he says, narrowing his gaze.

My eyes widen. “There’s a parental handbook?“

Chuckling, Dad’s head drops a bit. “No, sweetheart. I wish there was, though. It might have made things a bit easier.”

I flit my gaze from my dad to Abigail, who simply watches us thoughtfully.

“What happens now?” Dad asks, turning to Abigail.

“You’ll be called home soon,” she says. Though she smiles, there’s a hint of sorrow hidden in her features.

He nods, as if this makes total sense to him. “How long?”

I turn to Abigail, who lifts her chin and says, “Should the others manage to maneuver the maze, we have but minutes. Your remains have entered the catacombs.”

Dad turns to me. “Autumn, there’s so much I wish I could say to you.”

“It’s okay,” I say, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around him.

He returns my embrace, holding on so tightly I almost feel like I’m five again.

“Sweetheart, you do need to be careful, though. The Moirai—”

“I know,” I say, pulling back from his hug.

His forehead furrows and he tilts his head. “You know?”

“Yeah, thanks to you,” I say, trying to keep myself from succumbing to the panic and sadness rising inside of me.

“Promise me you’ll be careful. Aisa and her sisters, they’re formidable and they won’t bend to compromise,” Dad says. “It’s up to you to break this curse, sweetheart. I wish that weren’t the case, but it is.”

Footsteps and voices echo into the inner sanctum from not too far away. Some of the pressure that’s been building during the wait falls away. Cat and Wade have managed to find their way through the tunnels after all.

I exhale in relief. Wade is carrying my dad’s remains in his arms, but they’re covered by a black sheet. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to come face to face with what the Moirai have done to him. I want to remember him the way I see him here, now.

Wade steps into the circular chamber, his eyes full of trepidation. “This is the place, right?” he asks, readjusting the load in his arms.

“Don’t look at me. I barely remember what happened. It’s like a dream and I’ve been awake too long to keep hold of it,” Cat says, shrugging.

“I know the feeling. It took a lot longer to get this far than I thought it would,” Wade says. “All of the tunnels started looking the same.”

Cat nods. “I think that was the point.”

I step away from my dad and Abigail, reaching out to Wade. My hand goes right through his arm and I take a step back. “Oh my god, they can’t see us, can they?”

Abigail shakes her head. “Neither of them have the sight.”

“How will they know when to summon the Fires of Eternity?” I blurt out, suddenly afraid my entire plan is about to fall apart.

“Of that, I am not certain,” Abigail says.

“Is there a way to make contact? How can I reach them?” I say, waving my hand in front of Wade’s face. He doesn’t even flinch.

“Without the gift to see the dead, it’s all but impossible to reach them. These walls do not allow for manifestations,” Abigail says, her eyebrows knitting together.

“What are you talking about? Cat’s Fetch took over Wade—”

Abigail’s face is a stern warning. “And you believe such an action would be wise? It took the Angel of Death to push her aside.”

My gaze drops to the stone floor. “Oh, right.”

Suddenly, the circular chamber is flooded by the sound of a ringtone blaring. Cat scrambles, digging her cell phone out of her coat pocket.

She holds the phone up to her ear as she says, “Hello?” For a moment, she holds utterly still. Then, shooting a sideways glance at Wade, she put one hand against her other ear, her eyes narrowing with her focus. “Diana? I—I can barely hear you. What are you saying? You’re cutting out.”

For a moment, Cat holds very still, her eyes searching the space in front of her as she listens to whatever is being said on the other end of the phone. Then, after what feels like forever, she nods to herself.

“Thanks, Diana. Understood,” she says, dropping the phone and hitting the end button.

“What is it? What did she say?” Wade asks, his silver eyes flashing.

“Dominic entered the astral plane to help Autumn. She was… struggling. But he says Autumn and the Lemure vanished a few minutes ago. He’s not sure what happened to them,” Cat says, her eyes reflecting the same worry evident on Wade’s face.

“Shit, we never should have let her do this. What if she’s trapped, like Dominic said?” Wade says, his voice heavy with worry.

“If she’s trapped, it’s because of the Lemure. That really leaves us no other choice—we need to burn the remains and hope that it does