“Everyone became suspicious of each other, not trusting whether the witches had corrupted them or not. It got so bad that, not only were different races at odds with each other, but each race began to fight amongst itself. The Canis lupis became divided, the warlocks, the trolls, pixies, even the witches began to fight within their own ranks. From there everything just fell apart. No one trusted, no one believed in the good of another being.

“The supernatural races began to slip into seclusion from one another and the magic that came with their unity is fading still. The Fae’s exit from this realm caused the biggest decline in magical power. Desdemona might not realize it, but even though what she is doing is horrible and could quite possibly kill us all, she is also uniting us.”

“The enemy of my enemy,” Jacque murmured.

“Exactly,” Vasile confirmed. “The Great Luna and her decision to join two races has pushed it one step further. We might just have a chance if we can get the Fae to come out from behind their veil.”

The fire crackled in the silence, the orange light dancing across their faces, giving off an eerie glow. The night was quiet. No animals scurried, the wind didn’t howl through the trees. All was still in the Carpathian Mountains.

Then the silence was broken –  there was a soft humming, followed by words:

“As i went down to the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol' way and who shall wear the starry crown?
Good Lord show me the way!

O sisters let's go down
Lets go down, Come on down
O sisters lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol way
And who shall wear the robe & crown
Good Lord show me the way

O brothers lets go down
Let's go down, Come on down
O brothers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol way
And who shall wear the star and crown?
Good lord show me the way

O fathers lets go down
Let's go down, Come on down
O fathers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray studying about that good ol way
And who shall wear th robe and crown
Good Lord show me the way

O mothers lets go down
Come on down, don't you wanna go down?
O Mothers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studin about that good ol' way
And who shall wear the star and crown?
Good Lord show me the way

O sinners lets go down
Lets go down, come on down
O sinners lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol way
And who shall wear the Robe and crown?
Good Lord show me the way

If the silence was deafening before, now it was all-encompassing as the group stared at Crina. She sat in silence, observing the dancing flames, not acknowledging that she had just sung so beautifully that the others were speechless. Adam looked at his newfound mate in awe and enjoyed the blush that he saw creep up in her cheeks.

Rachel recovered first.

“That was amazing, Crina. You never told us you had such an amazing voice.”

Crina smiled as she looked at the healer. “It never came up.”

Jacque snorted. “That isn’t a good enough excuse. That was just, I mean, just wow.”

“Will you sing it again?” Alina asked with a smile.

As if anyone could deny a request from Alina.

Crina nodded. “Sure.” And she did. As she sung, her voice danced around them, the tune entrancing them as the words poured over them. Jacque felt like a fog was being wrapped around her brain, her eyes growing unfocused. She didn’t know if it was happening to the others; she didn’t really care. She just knew that she needed to get going. She needed to stand up and walk into the forest. Crina’s voice carried over the crackling fire and the wind that had begun to blow. Jacque felt the air blowing all around her, moving through her hair like the fingers of a lover’s gentle touch.

She kept walking, even as the light of the fire faded behind her. The trees towered over her, looming in their haunted grace, leaves rustling and branches swaying. Part of her knew that she should turn around and go back, but she couldn’t, she had to go. And even though she could no longer see the light from the fire, she could still hear Crina’s voice just as clearly as if she were sitting right next to her.

Jacque didn’t know how long she had been wandering through the forest, but she now saw a pond up ahead. The moonlight shone over the surface as it rippled, the wind disturbing the appearance of glass. The water called to her, or something in the water. She knew it would be refreshing, it would cleanse her. Surely she was dirty from all the trekking and running in the forest. Crina’s voice still carried over.

“O sisters let's go down
Lets go down, Come on down
O sisters lets go down
Down in the river to pray.”

Jacque found herself humming the tune. She continued to walk slowly toward the peaceful pond. A serene smile touched her lips as she thought of the peace that she would find in the water’s arms. Her feet came to the edge and, though she faltered briefly, she thought how silly it was for her to question the water.  The water wouldn’t hurt her; it would wash her. She took a step into the pond and the soft mud sunk in between her toes. At first the water felt cold, but then warmth rushed through her as she continued in. She heard her name being called but didn’t react until she was neck deep.