Read The Curse of Dark Root: Part Two (Daughters of Dark Root Book 4) for Free Online Page A

of the sled, positioning Montana in my lap, wedging the diaper bag in front of us both. I hadn't sledded much, and never in the summer, but I felt confident I could handle one quick trip down a hill in the middle of July. If Shane could do it at eight, surely I could at twenty-eight. I gripped one of the handles and placed my other arm around my son as I scouted our surroundings. Our right opened to a rolling field, and to our left the woods crept in, dark and beckoning. In front of us lay a long grassy slope, still moist from the rain, but mostly clear and without obstacles.  
    “For Shane,” I whispered, and returned the photo to my pocket. I gave the rock that held our sled in place a jab with my toe, then used my free hand to push us forward. With one quick thrust we launched downhill, the wet grass moving us much quicker than I anticipated. I wrapped both arms around Montana, leaning backwards as we picked up speed. He laughed, reveling in his newfound freedom as we bounced along.
    We sped forward and I felt connected to Shane in a whole new way. I imagined him racing down this very hill, thinking of his mother. I saw Ruth Anne cheering from the top as Aunt Dora waited at the bottom with a basket of sandwiches.
    I wasn't there then... but I was here now.
    I kissed Montana's cheek as the world whizzed by.
    A loud cracking sound, like breaking branches, erupted from the woods to our left. I swiveled my head to see a large black bird perched on a thick tree limb, its dark eyes watching me with chilling intensity.
    I tightened my grip on my son.
    Other entities emerged from the shadows of the trees: a dark-haired woman in a long red dress smiled at me. An old woman stood beside her, dangling a chain. And a man appeared, slim and quick, running alongside me, darting in and out of trees, keeping pace.
    He wore a cowboy hat.
    I drew my knees into Montana's sides as I craned my neck to keep looking. The images blurred and fragmented like the last scene of a movie.
    “Dad?” My voice trembled. “Shane?”
    I leaned to the side, in an effort to see him more clearly before he dissolved.
    Montana let loose a high-pitched squeal.
    I snapped my gaze forward again. A mossy rock, the size of a tree trunk, jutted out from the earth directly in front of us.
    We were going too fast to stop.
    I gathered the magick around me, pulling it up from the earth, using that energy to guide us out of the way. I summoned everything I had.
    The sled shifted slightly to the right, but not enough. We were still going to hit.
    “Oh, God! Oh, God!”
    I kept my focus, all the while bracing for impact. The sled budged a little more.
    Suddenly, I felt an assist to my powers, like a soft wave that carries a boat to the shore. The sled became lighter, almost weightless.
    We didn't skirt the rock––we sailed over it, clearing it by at least a foot, landing softly on the other side.
    When we finally skidded to a stop, I scrambled from the plastic sled and pulled Montana into my chest, kissing his head and apologizing. “I'm so sorry. That was so stupid of mommy. I'm sorry.”
    Montana touched my cheek again, his gold-green eyes looking at me in what seemed to be silent understanding.
    My heart nearly burst out of love.
    I had a lot to learn about being a parent.
    Once my nerves settled, I put Montana in his baby sling, grabbed his bag, and pulled the sled quietly back to Sister House.
    Something had intervened to save us. Or someone.
    But what? Or who? Shane?
    Had he risen from the dead to haunt me and be our protector?
    If I had any notion before of letting him go, it was gone now.
    I intended to keep Shane with me, until it was time for me to join him.

FOUR
    Time of the Season

    “YOU BELIEVE IN ghosts, right?” I asked my eldest sister as we barreled down the country road in her Jeep. Music blasted from the radio and Ruth Anne let the song play out before responding.
    “Sorry, we don't get reception out here very often,” she apologized. “But