***BLAKE***

The last line of chalk settled like dust on the ground. The candles shivered. The cold in the cave felt heavier, almost alive. I stared at the circle I had drawn, the symbols around it, the dagger half-buried in the ice. Everything looked exactly like the book said it should. Every mark. Every angle. Every piece in its place.

I finally turned to Tricia.

She stood close to the wall, arms tight around herself, like she wanted to disappear into the stone. Her breath fogged the air ...