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“Pretty demanding for someone who has no options left,” the voice said with a cruel chuckle. Well, at least he found this entertaining. I, however, was not amused. I also couldn’t place the voice. It was familiar and strange at the same time.

My eyes narrowed in on the sound and finally spotted a black cat perched at the edge of the mountaintop.

Beside the cat, a cauldron flared to life, glowing a hideous swampy green.

“Mr. Fluffikins?” I asked cautiously. But hadn’t he departed for his own town with Drake in tow? And wasn’t he supposed to be one of the good guys?

The cat spun to face me, backlit by the brewing magic.“Recognize me now?”

The cat’s chest was pure black, its eyes a bright glowing green. Mr. Fluffikins had a tiny patch of white on his chest and golden orb eyes. This wasn’t him.

But what other black cats did we—?Oh.

“Dash,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Took you long enough.” The dangerous illusion witch simpered at me as if this were all a game. “But then again, I believe you know me better like this.”

A poof of magic obscured my view. When it cleared, a no-nonsense police officer scowled back at me. This was the original form in which I’d met Dash, as the cop investigating my old boss Harold’s death. Of course, it had all been a trap. As an illusion witch, Dash could take on any form she pleased.

At least I’d always thought of Dash as female since I’d first met the illusion witch under the guise of a police woman. Now, however, I was almost certain the black cat was male. Wait, why was I wasting time trying to figure out pronouns for a cat who almost certainly wanted to kill me?

Think, Gracie. Think!

“Where’s Luna?” I demanded as I broke out into a cold sweat.

Another cloud of magic filled my vision, and out stepped a pure white cat with glistening blue eyes.

“I’m right here, dear,” Dash said in Luna’s voice.

I should have known. Luna would never betray us. It had been Dash the whole time—or at least since we’d entered Nocturna.

I tried to lunge forward, but the chains held me securely in place.“What did you do with her?”

Dash shifted back into her natural form. A plain and unassuming black cat.“I don’t see why it matters. You’ll never see each other again.”

“Tell me where she is!” I yelled, fighting against my chains with renewed fervor.

“Relax. Enjoy your last few hours of life. If it helps settle you down, I can assure you that the white cat is just fine. You on the other hand? You’re going to die.” Dash let out a dry chuckle. I’d never wanted to smack an animal so badly, not even the zombie squirrels who had tried their best to kill me earlier that day.

Dash looked up and silently studied the night sky full of stars for a moment, then said,“You all could have lived, you know? My plan was simple. Get you to Nocturna to see the blood witch. Take said blood, and none of you would ever be the wiser. I could have carried out this plan with zero casualties. But now because of you, many will die.”

I swallowed hard, unsure of how I would get out of this one, especially without Merlin’s aid.

Right now, I needed a miracle.

18

“Let me go,” I demanded, refusing to die silently—or at all, if I could help it. “Nobody has to get hurt. We can end this all now.”

“And why would I do that?” Dash asked, returning to the glowing cauldron and studying the brew.

“Because deep down you’re good,” I chanced.

Dash laughed bitterly.“Someone has been watching too many fairy tale movies, I think. Because I can assure you I’m bad to the bone.”

The notes of that famous old song played in my mind, and I cursed the black cat for adding a catchy ear worm to my current list of problems. I shook my head to regain clarity, focus. Only one thing mattered right now, and that was escaping.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “What’s in it for you?”

Dash turned a pair of stark green eyes on me.“Oh, that’s really quite simple. When I realized what you and Merlin were, the connection you shared, I knew I’d finally found what I’d been waiting centuries for.”

“Centuries? Nobody’s that old.”

“Once again, you are wrong. I am nearly one thousand years old.”

I gasped. Hadn’t expected that one. “But how?”

Dash smiled, baring sharp white fangs.“You are but an ancestor, the last scion. I, however, am the original.”

“You’re the imposter Merlin,” I said, knowing innately that it was true. It was the only thing that made sense, given how interested she—or, I guess, he—was in Merlin’s and my lineage. “But I thought you died.”

A puff of magic replaced the little black cat with a very old man whose white beard stretched to his ankles.“Everyone thought I did. Lucky for me, my illusions kept me hidden until I could find what I needed.”

“You were the first familiar. You pledged your loyalty to the real Merlin!” I spat at him, disgusted.

Dash appeared unfazed.“Yes, well, why be the servant when one can be the master?”

This was awful. The only other familiars I’d met had both turned evil in their lust for power. If I survived this, would the same happen to me?