Free A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) by N. E. Conneely

hands, dragging my finger down the spine. The leather was cracked, worn thin in some areas. I opened the book to the first page. The paper was rough and the ink faded. I turned on a lamp next to me, forcing my eyes to adjust.  
    Now that the shock had worn off, I could face the pages without ruining them. One page turned into ten, each of them digging farther into my heart. After finishing the book, it rested in my hands, but I couldn't stop. I had more questions. Returning to the beginning, I read it again. And again.  
    When I finished the book for the third time, I made myself the largest meal I'd had since the book had come into my life. After my meal, I realized I was filthy. A long shower later, I could tell that my rooms smelled. I opened the curtains, blinds, and windows before cleaning the apartment. It was nearly as unkempt as I had been before my shower.
    I could hear the forest again. It was calling me, begging me to come visit. The hallway was empty, and I slipped past Michelle's door and outside without seeing anyone. The woods were happy to see me. Between the sun, wind, and earth, I felt better than I had since Michelle handed me the diary.  
    After thanking the woods, I headed back to the lodge. As I got closer, the grief and guilt returned. By the time I was inside, I knew I couldn't go in my apartment. If I was alone, the feelings would consume me.  
    As I neared my apartment, my pace slowed and my feet turned in a different direction. I wanted to resist, but the Call had helped me before, and I trusted it to help me now. When I was in front of Michelle's door, I knocked before I could doubt my reception.  
    The door opened, and she was just as beautiful as ever.  
    I had to clear my throat twice before I could form the words. "I need you. I need your strength."
    As I stepped forward I tripped, and something inside me clicked into place. Perhaps the Call wasn't about saving Sylvia. Perhaps it was saving me.

Chapter 5: Michelle

    A pounding at the door interrupted my reading.  
    "What now?" I muttered as I walked over. I wasn't expecting company, and Landa didn't knock like that.  
    I pulled open the door and found Elron. This wasn't the Elron I was used to. He was pale, with hollow cheeks and puffy eyes.  
    "I need you," he whispered. "I need your strength."  
    He took a step, stumbled, and pitched forward. I kept him from hitting the ground, not because of my catching ability but because he fell on me and I managed to keep both of us on our feet.  
    "What do you mean? What happen to you?" The second question was pointless—I had a copy of what happened to him sitting in my workroom.
    I shifted him around until I could get my arm around his midsection. After toeing the door closed, I hauled him across the room. We weaved back and forth, but I kept him upright until we got to the couch. Sitting him down was the easy part since he'd been trying to melt into the ground for the length of the apartment. I sat down next to him, and he lurched off the arm of the couch and toppled into me. As soon as he got his head in my lap, he stopped struggling, sighed, and relaxed.  
    Pushing his hair off his face, I could see the dark shadows around his swollen eyes. The news had not been kind to him.  
    "You didn't answer me," I said.  
    "What was the question?" he mumbled.  
    "What did you mean when you said you needed me and my strength?" Those words had to be important; otherwise he'd have given me a different greeting.  
    "I'm not… I can't." He stopped and twisted around so he could look up at me. Swallowing, he resumed talking. "I need you. You are strong and brave. I'm brittle." A tear dripped out of the corner of his eye. "Right now I need to be strong, but I can't do that on my own."
    I shook my head. "I don't know how I can help you with that."
    "Around you, I am better than I am on my own. Other people let me wallow and ignore life. You challenge me to be more."
    Closing my eyes, I tried to