It was raining blood.
“Tiffany, no!” The thunder drowned out Scarlett’s scream as a rush of wind struck her, blowing her off balance. There was a loud crack and she stumbled to the side just in time to avoid being hit by an enormous tree branch. The tornado Tiffany had conjured was stripping the tops off the trees. If they didn’t find shelter before it touched down, they’d be flung into the air just like those branches.
“I call to Death and to the Tower. Call home this witch and give me her power!” Tiffany shrieked. Scarlett spun around and saw Vivi floating off the ground, her limbs as loose and powerless as a rag doll’s. She seemed suspended by an invisible cord attached to her chest. No, that wasn’t right, Scarlett realized with growing revulsion and horror as she watched a dark mass appear beneath Vivi’s white T-shirt.
It was her heart.
“Tiffany, don’t!” Scarlett screamed, but her cry was drowned out by another peal of thunder. “I call to Justice and Judgment, whose vision is long,” she said breathlessly. “Set right to what is wrong.” It was more a plea than a spell, an ancient appeal to two of the most powerful forces in the tarot. But it was also major arcana and required the magic of an entire coven.
The front of Vivi’s shirt had turned red with blood, although Scarlett wasn’t sure if it was from the rain . . . or from the pressure of her heart straining against her sternum as Tiffany did her best to tear it from Vivi’s body.
Scarlett took a deep breath and shouted with all her might, “I call to Justice and Judgment, whose vision is long. Set right to what is wrong.”
But the magic refused to heed her call. It was impossible. Tiffany was able to perform major arcana spells on her own only because of the stolen magic running through her veins, amplified by the talisman. Scarlett was no match for her. In a few minutes, she was going to watch Vivi die.
Something inside Scarlett shriveled. She’d never felt emptier or more powerless in her life. This was it. She’d failed Vivi. She’d failed Dahlia. She’d failed everyone.
Then she felt a pressure on her shoulder like the comforting weight of someone’s hand. Scarlett spun around and saw no one, but the pressure only increased, sending a jolt of warmth through her. She felt her skin begin to buzz with a surge of new energy, the way it did when she cast spells with her sisters.
A moment later, they found her. Mei was the first to sprint into the clearing, Juliet at her heels. One by one, the Ravens streamed into the clearing, their confused or weary faces turning fierce as soon as their eyes landed on Scarlett and Vivi.
Tiffany let out an angry snarl, but Mei and Hazel took Scarlett’s hands, and her fear drained away. She no longer felt the cold of rain-filled night air. She was no longer aware of anything except a growing surge of energy inside her, pouring into her from all directions. Scarlett’s sisters were with her. She could feel the raw, unfiltered power of Juliet’s magic and the steady stream of Jess’s, understated but able to strike with surgical precision. She felt the tingle of Mei’s magic, which felt cool and refreshing whenever she cast a spell. Scarlett even thought she could feel a trace of Dahlia and the intensity of her magic, which always gave off a faintly smoky scent, especially when fueled by great feeling.
“I call to Justice and Judgment, whose vision is long. Set right to what is wrong,” she called again. This time, her voice didn’t get lost in the roar of the wind. She was joined by a chorus of other voices that made the words sound deep and rich, the voices of her sisters.
“I call to Justice and Judgment, whose vision is long. Set right to what is wrong.”
The storm clouds began to fray; a single bolt of lightning cut through the sky. Tiffany was illuminated by the flash, and Scarlett saw her face twisted in agony and her mouth open in a silent scream.
Tiffany was fumbling for the talisman that, while still around her neck, was floating in front of her, pointing toward Vivi. Then the chain went suddenly slack, sending Tiffany backwards and Vivi tumbling to the ground.
Scarlett directed some of her sisters’ magic toward Vivi to stop her fall, but she was already floating a few inches above the ground. The blood seemed to be fading from her shirt, and the gruesome mass receded back into her chest.
Vivi’s eyes opened as soon as her feet touched the grass. She bore no signs of having been moments away from death. In fact, she looked more alive than Scarlett had ever seen her. Her skin shone and her dark eyes seemed to glow as she said something Scarlett couldn’t hear and raised her arms.
An enormous tree behind Tiffany began to sway as its roots shot up from the ground, reaching toward her like angry snakes. They curled around her ankles and dragged her down. But she barely seemed to notice—she was too busy fumbling for the talisman, which was starting to twitch and writhe. The chain around Tiffany’s neck grew white-hot, and with each twist, it left burn marks on her skin.
The talisman began to glow even brighter and then, with a crack, it shattered, glass shards exploding in every direction. Tiffany shrieked, a sound more animal than human, then went limp as the whole clearing fell silent. The wind had stopped, the tornado disappearing into the darkness. The spell the Ravens cast had worked. They’d released the trapped magic from the talisman, setting to right what was wrong. But the force had clearly been too much for Tiffany to withstand.
Hazel fell to her knees, shaking with exhaustion; Jess doubled over and swore loudly while Sonali and Ariana ran to Vivi. Next to Scarlett, Juliet breathed heavily as she examined her outstretched fingertips, which had turned black, scorched by the surge of magic. But Scarlett stood frozen in place, staring at Tiffany, heart pounding as she struggled to catch her breath. Even from a distance, even with her face obscured by the shadow of the tree, Scarlett knew without a shred of doubt that her best friend was dead.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Vivi
Scarlett was the only person in Kappa House who slept much that night. As they staggered out of the woods, sopping wet and covered in dirt, Scarlett had collapsed against Mei, who’d then cast a spell to make her light as a feather so they could carry her back to the house. Vivi managed to walk, supported by a grim-faced Jess and a terrified-looking Ariana. As the sisters picked their way over roots and fallen branches, Reagan explained that the spell they’d cast to summon Tiffany’s shadow had suddenly stopped working, and, fearing the worst, they had tracked Scarlett through the woods to the clearing.
The second they made it inside Kappa House, Scarlett immediately curled into a ball on the couch and, after a long pull of Etta’s sleeping draft, fell asleep, though from the occasional noises she made and the look of pain on her face, it was clear her sleep wasn’t restful. Vivi settled into an armchair and gratefully accepted the steady stream of tea Etta kept bringing. She suspected Etta had added a little something to the tea, because with every sip, Vivi felt her shock lessen, and her breath came just the tiniest bit easier.
As soon as Vivi could speak again, she gave the Ravens the abbreviated version of events and shared the awful news that couldn’t wait—Dahlia was also dead.
The entire sorority was squeezed into the living room, girls sprawling on the floor and perched on every free surface in a spontaneous vigil for the sisters they’d lost. The normally stoic Jess sobbed into Juliet’s shoulder as her girlfriend stroked her hair. Hazel stared off into space, a faraway look in her eyes, while Etta and Mei sat on the couch, trembling as they whispered about how to deliver the horrific news to Tiffany’s and Dahlia’s families. Across from Vivi, Sonali and Ariana sat on the floor watching her anxiously, as if worried she’d get herself kidnapped right from under their noses.