evening light and Bethany frowned, crouching to get a better
look. Swirls of sparkles, like faerie dust, puffed out of the central stone,
filling the air with flashing illumination. Bethany jerked her head up as the glittering
light coalesced and flowed along grooved lines on the floor from each corner of
the dig, engulfing her in its radiance.

What the—

The wind kicked up, whirling the
brilliance around her like a cyclone. Bethany dropped to her butt and threw her
hands over her eyes, ducking her head. The rush of air stole her breath and
dried her throat, rising to a screaming pitch. A whinny hit her ears and she
remembered Killian tied outside the circle.

Oh, God, Killian! She tried to open her
eyes and crawl for the edge of the site, but the air currents buffeted her,
holding herin the center. Dust and glitter clogged her nose and she coughed
around the scents of horse, fresh cut grass, and…Honeysuckle?

Blowing dirt whirled in a choking dance
just beyond her toes and she hunkered down, coughing harder. She hoped Killian
survived the strange dust storm as she covered her nose and mouth with the
tails of her shirt. The wind howled around her, flinging stinging particles
against her skin.

Bethany ducked her head, rubbing the
sight back into her bedazzled eyes. Wracking coughs rattled her chest from all
the swirling debris in the air. Voices, some chanting, some—whinnying?—rose
in a crescendo and her hacking added a treble beat to the cacophony.

Then something popped and the wind died
down. Bethany’s coughs slowed and she prayed she’d be able to breathe clean air
soon. Her eyes watered with all the dust,